Plumbing is quite the lucrative industry. People will always need water services – to wash away their waste, to keep themselves and their homes clean, and to ensure there’s drinking water around – and most people can’t take care of this themself.
That’s why running a plumbing business is a great idea. When you’ve got qualifications in the plumbing world, and you don’t mind getting your hands dirty, striking out on your own usually pays off. If you can lock down your local area and become the one handyman everyone can call on, the more the better!
But just like every other industry in the world, plumbing can take hits every now and then. At times like this, when work is slow but the bills remain as relentless as ever, you’re probably keen to find new ways to bring in custom.
And thankfully, there are quite a few ways you can do that. Here are some to consider that won’t be too hard to incorporate.
Offer Exterior Cleaning
When you already work with water, branching out into other water-based services won’t seem too difficult. Indeed, if you invest in an electric pressure washer and start advertising siding cleaning, or driveway washing, or even just garden watering and landscape projects, you’ll open up an entire new pool of customers.
With a new service like this, you’ll be able to work both inside and outside of people’s homes. This could then lead into more services like outdoor drainage, gutter cleaning, and even sewage pipe monitoring and clearance – of course, if you don’t do anything like that already.
Make sure you invest in high quality equipment for extraneous jobs like these, and try to build up your portfolio for them ahead of time. Practice on your own house, or a friend’s, and make sure you take some clear, focused pictures for your website.
Don’t Require Customers to Call You
The best plumbers make it easy for customers to get in touch. As such, make sure you’re reachable by something other than a phone call. Taking messages from customers over Facebook or Whatsapp is very popular these days, as is accepting emails or online web forms.
Just make sure you regularly check any and all boxes these messages can be sent to! You don’t want to miss out on work simply because you forgot about the separate website inbox that’s different to your main account.
This way, customers can reach out at their own pace. If the bathtub springs a leak in the middle of the night, but they can’t call you until the morning, being able to leave a quick and easy message they’ll know you’ll see will help set their mind at rest.
Set Up a Referral Program
Most plumbers get new business via word of mouth. You did a great job for someone, and now their brother is giving you a call, and then he passes your number onto his parents, etc. It’s the best way to market!
But it’s often said that there isn’t really a way to guarantee word of mouth advertising, and in truth, there isn’t. Providing an excellent service is 90% of it, but even then you can’t be sure someone will recommend you.
However, if you set up some kind of referral program, you could push your chances up. For example, tell a customer that if they like your work and are willing to let others know, you’ll put a discount on the next service they need from you.
Not only will this make them more likely to pass your name on, but they’ll also be more likely to call you out again – they know the price will be lower than any other plumber they’re only just starting to work with!
Bringing in More Business for Your Plumbing Company
If you’re a plumber in need of more business, try out the methods above and see how they work out for you. Most plumbers have a wealth of transferable skills, both in and outside of the industry, and that can make it easy to expand offerings. This can even bring in new custom from previous customers.
Of course, it’ll take some time and effort to get all the above squared away within your own business, so get started as soon as you’re able to. And keep in mind the one thing that ensures businesses like yours keep turning over: the more you can do for the community, the more they’ll come to rely on you!
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