The old days of phone book ads and direct mail being the only thing you needed to keep your business going are gone. While today's contractor has incorporated some new tech into his lead generation strategy, old methods die hard. Here are 6 ways contractors can generate more leads:
1. Lead generation services. Homeadvisor.com, (formerly know as Service Magic), angieslist.com, craftjack.com. Just Google “lead generation for contractors” and you’ll see there are a lot of people who would love to sell you leads.
2. Referrals. Are you getting as many as you could be getting? Probably not. It’s okay to ask current customers for referrals but better yet. Ask at the estimate, when the job is complete, and send letters to previous customers offering cash for referrals.
3. Cold calling. That’s right, we said it, the “C” word. If anyone tells you they like knocking on doors, they’re lying. It’s nothing you want to spend time doing yourself so hire people to do it for you. With the right people cold calling for you, expect plenty of leads but be prepared to work with prospects that are generally not that eager to jump on board and buy.
4. Add-ons. OK, so maybe an opportunity for an add-on doesn’t quite count as a new lead but add-ons can definitely help you bump up your job size quite a bit. So you’re a painter, why not give your customer a price for window cleaning, or gutter cleaning, or offer to power wash their vinyl siding?
5. Yard signs. Probably one of the easiest ways to get a lead is to put up a sign in your customers yard and let the leads come to you. When I was a painting contractor running 2-3 job sites at a time, I would get 1 – 2 walk-up leads per week. All of that for doing nothing more than putting up a sign.
6. List your business on Google Places. If you're online presence isn't that great to begin with, listing your business on Google Places can be the easiest way for customers to find your phone number and website without having to sort through a lot of the other results that come up when they type your business name into Google. If it's easier to find your phone number when potential leads search for you, it's more likely they'll turn into an actual lead. Add your business to Google Places by clicking here.