It’s a common misconception that you have to try extra hard and always go the extra mile in order to impress clients. True, taking those few extra steps do help and it’s certainly not wasted effort, but you can impress clients by doing seemingly small things as well.
Oftentimes this will translate to “going the extra mile” in some way, but perhaps “mile” is too long a measurement for this analogy. Think of it this way: why exhaust yourself running the extra mile when you can win the race by simply taking one extra step?
This is what I’ll show you today. These are small things that generally don’t require a mountain of effort on your part, but that clients really appreciate and admire on a pro they’re looking to hire.
Display touches of professionalism
The professionalism I’m referring to here includes both your attitude and your presentation. Obviously a degree of professional language is expected from you, but if you have any other aces in your sleeve, it’s time to play them.
In practical terms, here’s what I mean:
- Got a fancy business card? Use it.
- Do you have company uniforms? Wear it. Even during video calls.
- Did you work really hard on making your estimates look pro? Make good use of them.
- Are your social media profiles updated? Share them.
Don’t hesitate to show all of your professional traits, skills, and materials. At the end of the day, any one of these could be the deciding factor between you and someone who didn’t even try.
Present your brand
Whether you’re making a name for yourself or your company, presentation plays a huge role here.
Think of McDonalds or Subway. Obviously it’s a completely different kind of business, but when you think of these places you don’t just remember the food, you remember the logo and you remember the presentation.
If you’ve ever worked with a pro layer firm, they likely had fancy business cards, folders, and even custom pens. Presentation goes a long way.
I’m not suggesting you should save a huge portion of your budget solely for custom material, but sometimes it does pay off. Just consider the usual means of communication with your clients and find ways to present your brand in those contexts.
For example: do you often send custom estimates directly to your clients?
If so, then consider hiring a graphic designer to create a beautiful template you can rely on. If it’s between you and someone who just typed a Word document using a random font, you will easily stand out.
Be proactive
There’s a difference between being pushy and proactive, perhaps even a thin line between them. Clients usually don’t like pushy contractors who seem desperate to seal the deal and get their money, but being proactive is more about encouraging than pushing.
If for some reason the client is on the fence or hesitant, you should try to understand why. Are they worried about the cost? Do they not trust your service? What are they afraid of? Once you figure that out, you can make yourself proactive to solve their problem and move the job forward.
Keep them updated
There’s nothing worse than keeping a client in the dark, even more so if you’re facing unpredictable issues with the project. Trying to sweep problems under the carpet is sure to backfire because when you inevitably fail to deliver on all your promises, the client will just be confused because they assumed everything was fine.
I understand that no one likes to hear bad news, and as a contractor you certainly don’t like to be the messenger. But honesty is still the best solution because it’s better for a client to see you as an honest pro who will deal with problems head on, rather than a liar.
Keep your clients updated, whether it’s good news or bad news. The second a client starts having trust issues while working with you, it’s a downhill fall that’s very hard to recover from, with the client not only second guessing your decisions and promises, as well as avoiding hiring you in the future again.
Clean the job site
Might seem like an obvious point, but time and time again contractors will receive a 4-stars rating instead of 5-stars because although the service was good, they didn’t bother to clean the job site. Which leaves the homeowner or whoever is in charge of the site to either clean it themselves or hire someone else to clean it, adding to their cost.
Whenever possible, always factor in cleaning the job site as a standard part of the service. Literally no one expects anything less.
Just to be clear though, I’m not suggesting you should give this away for free – factor the time and labor of cleaning the site into your price, especially if a large team needs to be paid for it. But do it.
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