Contractor Survival Guide (Part 1)
The real deal guide to getting more business
Contractors and small business owners are the hardest working, most passionate, and resourceful individuals we know.
They’re also some of the most overwhelmed and overworked individuals we know.
We often run into contractors who are burning the candle at both ends, stressed, and losing potential leads as a result. Then they get worried about income and hustle for work, and the cycle continues.
The thing is, feeling stressed when you get a new lead doesn’t serve you or your business. But feeling excited, motivated, and inspired to make a significant impact for your new client does!
So, where along the lines of being thrilled to begin your business and the whirlwind of life do we lose track of the joy in the work we provide?
Trust us; you’re not alone in this phenomenon.
That’s why this month we’re refocusing and providing you with Part 1 of our Contractor Survival Guide (see Part 2 here!).
Inspired by the book of the same name (Contractor’s Survival Guide by Jason Reid), we’ll give you actionable steps to get your business operations in order and running smoothly, so you can work on your business instead of in your business, and watch it grow.
Remember why you started contracting work in the first place? Most likely, it was because you were really good at a skill. So good that you were able to build your client base quickly, but then, like most contracting businesses, you probably hit a plateau.
What if we told you you could grow your business while making things run smoothly?
Sound too good to be true? It’s not.
1. Work on your business, not in your business
Here’s a secret: we aren’t all good at everything.
That’s why good leaders have A-player teams to help them build a great company. To do this, you need to learn how to:
Hire the right people
Delegate
When hiring either full-time or freelancers, one thing is sure: Be specific on what responsibilities you want a new team member to own.
In an industry where “wearing many hats” has become common, creating clear job roles will act as a guidepost for:
The interview process
Selecting the right candidate when it’s down to a select few
The candidates to understand if this position is a good fit for them
The more clarity you can provide, the better outcomes you’ll get.
Besides work experience, you’ll want to make sure to be clear about the ideal candidate’s personality traits and work ethic that would best align with your team. You can’t do this if you’re ambiguous.
Once you hire strong candidates, you need to set them up for success.
Good leaders invest in training and equipping their team members to own their realm of genius, the skill or position they were hired for.
After the onboarding and training period, managers should allow the employee to handle specific tasks so they can put their attention to their own work.
It can be challenging for many workers to trust other team members to do it correctly. But if you have faith in your team, often they will learn how to do the work to your standards.
One rebuttal we hear from CEOs is that they don’t want to invest the money in an assistant or other members if they can do the work themselves.
While this might save you a few bucks in the long run, it’s stunting your company’s growth.
Ask yourself, how much should your hourly rate be? Any tasks you are doing that you would pay less than this should be tasked out to other team members.
It can be challenging to let go of the “I can do it all” mindset, but once you do, you’ll find more time to do your work and envision more opportunities for company growth or, dare we say it, take some well-deserved time off.
2. Have effective communication and time management
A common bottleneck in the organizational chain of command is communication.
Communication is delegation’s best friend because you need to set up a clear communication channel to be a good delegator.
The simplest way to do this is to set up a straightforward process for project tasks and management.
Workplace communication apps like Slack and / or project management tools like Asana or Monday are fantastic options. You can even clearly communicate with your team through a Google Doc (free!).
Many companies have a 10 (minute) at 10 (o’clock) meeting to check in at the start of the workday and get clarity on current projects. These standup meetings can be a powerful force for your business.
Establishing clear communication methods makes it easier to delegate various tasks to team members, ensuring team members are working at maximum efficiency—ultimately saving you time (and money!) in the long run.
Taking a few extra minutes out of the day to create a solid communication battle rhythm can go a long way to maximizing productivity.
3. Automate your lead process
Let’s circle back to what we talked about earlier.
Is your voicemail full? Are you having issues simply returning phone calls?
Often, we hear about contractors feeling so overwhelmed that they don’t even have time to follow up on leads. This is a perfect way to stunt your growth.
We know you’re busy working on day-to-day operations for your business.
Who has time to answer the phone every time it rings? Implementing a system is a great way to move forward with current and potential projects.
The best way to set up a system is to determine how leads find you.
Do they search for you on Google? Do they message your website? Or call you? Start with the how and work backward.
If they call / text you, it could be in your best interest to set up a company phone number that your team can access.
Then delegate (there’s that word again!) a team member to filter and vet the calls before they come to you.
Your team can schedule a follow-up call on your calendar if it’s a potential sale.
We love Google or Apple calendars; both are free to use.
Use appointment notifications to remind you of upcoming calls. You can schedule calls in blocks and set aside a few hours once a week to take calls.
That way, you’re not interrupting your focused time on a job site. When a call gets to you, it should be a warm lead, so you’re not wasting your time.
Train your team members to answer simple intro Qs so potential leads note your company’s professionalism and responsiveness.
You can apply the same process if leads come through a digital source like a webpage or email. Just be sure to break up the communication touchpoints so the system doesn’t get slowed or stopped.
4. Branding and reputation management
What’s your company’s mission? Do you know it? Can you state it confidently in a clear sentence?
If you can’t, you need to take some time to do so. Your mission is the foundation of branding.
Clear and strategic branding is what sets your company above the rest. Clients don’t want someone who sort of knows how to fix something. Clients want to hire contractors who can confidently complete tasks.
They also want to find a trusted contractor easily and quickly.
Chick-fil-A is an excellent example of showcasing what they do well by creating a very memorable brand. We can all recall those cows posting “eat more chicken” signs. It’s simple but effective.
Chick-fil-A found what it did well and honed in on this, becoming a leader in their category.
They also pride themselves on giving the consumer a fantastic experience. Whenever anyone says “Thank you,” their entire team responds with “My pleasure.”
They ensure their employees know, understand, and implement their company values. They care about their reputation.
If new business comes from somewhere other than referrals, the next most popular source is a quick search online.
Having a strong online presence and reviews is essential for gaining a competitive edge.
Make sure to pay attention to your reputation and profiles online.
Be sure to ask past clients to share a positive review about your service. It’s equally important to monitor reviews to see if there are opportunities to interact with your audience.
Your future clients are concerned they’ll shell out tons of money to someone who won’t show up and work. Make sure they feel like they can trust you before they even pick up the phone and call.
Now that you’ve got a clear strategic starting point to begin implementing (or strengthening) your systems, you’re ready to hit the ground running.
Remember, consistency is key.
You don’t need to immediately implement everything (kudos to you if you do!). Instead, start building better habits daily.
Here for you,
K&K Supply
