Dominating the competition in your market is probably on the top of your list as a serious fencing and decking business owner. You’ve established yourself, you’ve built a decent customer base, so now it’s time to move on to becoming the best at what you do.
But where should you start? There are a lot of moving parts when it comes to dominating the competition in your market. But don’t let the concept be overwhelming. Like anything worth doing, it takes time and commitment. But a little know-how doesn’t hurt either.
Here’s the fencing and decking business’s guide to dominating the competition in your market.
Professionalism Leads to Dominating the Competition
In your quest to become the dominating fencing and decking contractor in your market, you’ll need to prioritize professionalism in order to make it happen. When we say professionalism, we don’t necessarily mean that the customer is always right. In fact, there will be a lot of times that the customer is, in fact, wrong. That’s why you’re the professional.
What we do mean by professionalism is operating your business with a base level of integrity and treating other people with respect.
For example, you’ll want to make sure that your fencing and decking business is run well. Also, provide the same level of service to every client. That includes providing correct documents, uniform services, and clear and direct communication.
When you do come across those tough customers, don’t give in to the temptation to lose your professionalism. Develop a procedure now that you can always default to when someone gets disrespectful or frustrated at you or your team. Have a plan in place for clear communication, what person is designated on site to deal with frustrated clients, and when to take action.
Having a few simple rules in place will not only help you maintain your professionalism, they’ll also help you take one step closer to dominating the competition in your market.
Maintain a Professional Online Presence
And since we’re on the subject of professionalism, maintaining a professional online presence for your fencing and decking business can help you achieve your goals of dominating the competition. There are quite a few local fencing and decking contractors who have a tendency to neglect their online presence. But that’s not a good idea.
In the internet age of today, your online presence is the way that people find your business. It’s very rare for the old school ways of marketing and advertising like television commercials or advertisements to bring in business the same way that a professional online presence can.
Your online presence definitely includes a great website for your fencing and decking business, because that’s the primary way that people will look for information about you. You want to include information about yourself and your qualifications. And you’ll need to include high-quality photos and videos of your work.
But you also need to make sure your website is functional and attractive. If your potential clients come across your website vs. your competitors’ websites, yours needs to be better. Dominating the competition doesn’t come from one big achievement. It comes from little choices that make you a little bit better over a long period of time.
Use Social Media for Dominating the Competition
Your professional online presence isn’t limited to your business’s website. In fact, your website is only one part of your online presence. If you plan to be dominating the competition, you need to maintain your presence on social media outlets.
Social media outlets like Facebook and Instagram are actually great ways to get free advertising, although they will require a time investment. To use these spaces to your advantage, you simply need to set up accounts for your decking and fencing business and then post regularly.
As a decking and fencing contractor, you should definitely be taking high-quality photos of your work for your portfolio. People want to know what kind of work they’ll be paying for when they hire you. And social media outlets are a great place to use those photos and engage with potential customers.
To use social media well, you should post content like photos or contractor tips pretty regularly. You have the potential to gain a following, and people can share your photos with their friends. Social media is a great way to drum up business and work toward dominating the competition.
Online Reviews Matter to Your Decking and Fencing Business
Another facet of your online presence are the online reviews. Whether you’re aware of it or not, your business is very likely listed on one or more online review sites. It may feel like you don’t have a lot of control over those reviews, but that’s only partially true. You can use these reviews to your advantage.
These sites often allow you, the contractor/business owner, to lay claim to your business. From there you can comment on your reviews including the good, bad, and the ugly, which is one reason that online reviews are so important to fencing and decking contractors.
You have the opportunity to thank your customers who are leaving great reviews, and you have the opportunity to explain your side of the story for any negative reviews. This gives any potential customers who are reading through the reviews some insight into how you do business — yet another reason to always maintain professionalism.
Not to mention, great reviews encourage people to hire you! So, don’t ignore online reviews. They matter to your fencing and decking business. And they matter if you’re looking toward dominating the competition.
Offering Contractor Financing Gives You an Advantage
And finally, dominating the competition is easier when you offer contractor financing. Contractor financing, especially through HFS Financial, can actually set you apart from the local competition and make you the obvious choice for those who need financing options.
You may be surprised at how many of your customers actually need funding. And, when you’re the contractor who offers financing, you’re the automatic choice. Contractor financing gives you the opportunity to meet the needs of your clients while also delivering the highest-quality contractor work around. And that’s called dominating the competition.
So, what’s left to think about? If you’re truly interested in dominating the competition, you need to partner with HFS Financial to offer the best contractor financing to your customers. Contact our team today, and you’ll be well on your way to domination.