In this economy, a few contractors are doing O. K. and a lot of contractors are making do with less business and income than they used to. So many times, those that aren’t doing so well just blame the economy or their customers. They try to blame anything and anyone other than themselves.
The fact is that , yes, the economy is the toughest we have seen in decades and customers have changed the way they spend money. However, some businesses are doing well despite this and a few are even …

This is a question that seems to be obvious, but a lot of times we tend to lose focus. I know a lot of people who are in business that are now working for their business and getting very little money out of it. I know of others who try to stay busy even when they aren’t making any money so they can keep their employees busy.
There are people who stay in business just to take care of their customers because their customers expect them to be there when they …

I write a lot about taking care of previous customers. The reason I do is that previous customers are the majority of my business. Also, I believe that they are the best prospects for new business and they are overlooked by most contractors.
Just because I spend most of my advertising to encourage my relationship with past customers, doesn’t mean that I don’t get new customers. I do do some advertising for new customers and I have a process to convert them into customers.
Many contractors think that all they can do with …

With the economy being down the last couple of years, I see a lot of businesses and contractors trying to lure customers with the lowest price. Is this a good strategy for you or is it a good way to go out of business slowly?
There is no question that consumers are changing their buying habits. Consumers aren’t buying like they used to. Some of them do buy based mainly on price because their income has been cut enough that they do not have a choice. Others buy mainly on price …

There are many ways to keep in touch with your current customers. Most contractors don’t use any of them. They just spend all of their advertising dollars to try to get new customers and ignore their current customers.
Personally, I think they are ignoring the best source of business for them. As I mentioned last week, your current and past customers are the best source of more business for you that you can get.
The best advertising that I have found to market to your current and past customers is a newsletter. …