The Contractor off season is not the time to sit back and relax despite the temptation you may feel after a busy work season. It’s your opportunity to get stuff done. It’s an opportunity to set your business up for growth and success. So, seize the opportunity. Here’s how contractors can thrive during the off-season.
Contractors Can Work on Relationship Building During the Off Season
Relationships are just as important in building and growing businesses as they are for your personal life, and the off-season is one of the best times to invest. Since you’ll have less day-to-day obligations for actual hands-on building projects, you can take some time to invest in your business relationships.
Don’t make your relationship building complicated. Pay a visit to the people you often see during the busy season, but that you may not see on a regular basis during the off-season. Consider dropping in on your suppliers or subcontractors. You can just touch base or schedule meetings to talk shop and enjoy coffee.
Keep in touch with past clients and potential future clients. Consider offering a waitlist for your clients after you’ve spoken with them, so you can have a plan for the busy season. You’ll be able to grow your business by investing in your client relationships and actually have some concrete plans in the works for the future of your business.
Also consider the importance of email marketing for contractors. It’s a great way to keep in touch with your clients and encourage them to plan ahead and book jobs for the fast-approaching spring.
Contractors Can Work on Building a Plan During the Off Season
Speaking of planning ahead, the off-season is the optimal time to think through and analyze what’s been working for your business and what you might be able to do better in the future. During the busiest times of your year, you may not have the time to handle a lot of the little details. The off-season is the perfect time to do just that.
Stay focused on your business. You can take some time to look at advertising options for your general contracting company, so people can stay aware of your business. You should also advertise that you offer the best contractor financing for your customers, so that your client base and those super-important potential clients know that contractor financing is an option for them.
In terms of things to do now to prepare for the off-season, one of the best things you can do is plan ahead. Look through your records, research advertising options, and be sure you’ve partnered with HFS Financial to offer contractor financing.
Contractors Can Work on Building up an Online Presence During the Off Season
While you’re building up your business, you can also take time during the off-season to build up your online presence. Your contracting business can have a substantial online presence with minimal effort from you and is one of the things every contractor should do during the off-season. Make sure that your website is up-to-date and that you have the HFS Financial widget. The link on your website takes your customers straight to HFS Financial’s 60-second loan application, so they can reap the benefits of your contractor financing and have the cash flow they need to hire you in the busy season.
Another way you can use your off-season time wisely is by creating and updating your social media presence. Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn among others are social media platforms that you can use to promote your business and advertise for free. The only real cost is your time. In the off-season you can invest time in learning how to use the platforms and set them up to automatically post for your business. Engage with your clients on social media, and you may be able to book them for the spring season.
Contractors Can Work on Self & Employee Education During the Off Season
While you’re learning how to make your next Instagram Reel or home improvement TikTok, you can also increase your knowledge in other areas as a way to make the most of the off-season. Consider what skills you can learn or practice in order to become better at your trade. There is always room for improvement for even the best general contractors, and there’s always an area where you could improve.
Consider new skills you could acquire or learn about in order to expand and grow your business. You could learn how to create beautiful woodwork or lay specialty tile depending on which might benefit your contracting business the best. Learn how to use some specialty tools or a new method. You could even branch out into heavy equipment operation, if you don’t already possess that skill, or add another certification to your arsenal. You should always be looking for ways to be better because when you’re better your business is better.
Also, if you don’t already know how to offer financing as a contractor, the off-season is the best time to do some research and educate yourself. There are so many benefits to offering contractor financing that you can’t afford to not know, and the research is easy. Choose HFS Financial.
Contractors Can Work on Building Up the Portfolio During the Off Season
And finally, the off-season is a great time to work on building up your portfolio. You can consider these services contractors should promote during fall as a good starting point, but there are a lot of ways you can continue to generate income during the off-season. But this is only true if you have certain marketable skills. Use the off-season to learn, research, and get out there. Learn how to make general repairs, invest in a snow plow, or even offer to install seasonal decorations. The off-season is a unique opportunity to branch out and build experience that will come to serve you and your business year after year. Pretty soon your off-season will be just as busy as your regular season if you build up your portfolio.
If you haven’t already made the choice to partner with HFS Financial to offer the best contractor financing to your customers, then that’s your first step for the off-season. From there you’ll be able to invest in your client base and build up the work you need to not just survive, but thrive. HFS Financial has the experience to make sure your clients get the loan options they need to complete any home improvement project they can dream up. With HFS Financial, “You Dream It, We Finance It.”