The off-season in the contracting world can be rough not only on your comfort level but tough on your bottom-line. It’s easy to count the days until it’s warmer outside and procrastinate during the colder months before your peak season. If most of your work happens during the winter months, then you might be procrastinating during the summer.
Whatever your season or cycle is, don’t let great opportunities to foster growth slip away. Resist procrastination, get out of your comfort zone, and get creative.
Let’s take a look at four impactful things to do in the off-season.
Turn Your “Maybes” Into a “No” or “Yes”
We all have people in the backlog that never pulled the trigger on a deal. Whether that was a bid for a new roof, adding on some square footage, or finally replacing that worn-out old AC system.
The off-season is a great time to get back in touch with all these “maybes” in your backlog. One more conversation can turn them into a yes or a no. Ask if your prospect is considering getting their project done this year. This conversation opens up the timeline and takes the pressure out of the conversation.
If they’re a no, that’s fine! It frees up your time to focus on people who want to work with you. If the prospective customer is a yes, even better! You would have never known that was the case unless you made contact again.
Make Storms Your Friend
If working on insurance replacement after storms is part of your business, pound the pavement and visit homeowners who have damage and haven’t gotten work done yet.
Offer your services on the spot if you’re able. If not, leave behind a business card with a materials sample and your contact information. If you build even a few leads out of the effort, it’s worth it.
Get Out There and Network
Networking works. In today’s business climate, success has as much if not more to do with who you know than it does with what you know.
Get out there and attend industry events in your area and have in-person conversations. Be creative and attend events that might not be for your industry, but related industries.
You never know what could come from it.
Build Your Visibility
What is your business’s biggest strength? Are you great at winning new business? Have cost control down to a science? Have an excellent formula for using materials efficiently?
Offer a seminar or a workshop about the topic for your industry locally. Give away your knowledge for free. It creates goodwill and gets your name out there.
Who knows, it might even drum up some new business from people you would have never met otherwise.
Hearth helps contractors close more deals. We match your customers with monthly payment options for their home improvement projects. Click here to learn more about Hearth and how we help you win more business and protect your profits!
