As a home improvement business you may have multiple skills and services to offer and it might look like a good idea to offer everything you can do. However and forgive the cliche “trying to be a jack of all trades, but master of none” may well be damaging your business.
Without doubt there’ll be certain jobs or services you and your team do better than your competitors. Plus it’s likely they make you more money and better suit your operations resources. Take a look at this local advert to illustrate –
I see these all the time.
This company may get enquiries, but demonstrating you have expertise in a certain area of work, makes it much easier for potential customers to hire you, because they can clearly see you offer what they need.
If you offer many different services it’s likely that the main difference to your competition is probably going to be price. This devalues the job and more generally your value as a supplier. Local ads are pot luck at the best of times, but offering such variety and in the middle of the advert stating “Commercial and domestic work undertaken” is
irrelevant to a homeowner. It may get lucky, but I doubt it.
These kinds of adverts make it more difficult for potential customers to know what you CAN do for them. If I want windows I’m going to find the most reputable specialist window and door company in my budget, the same with paving.
If a potential customer is looking for a builder to complete a medium sized extension to their house – who would they call first? A builder advertising that they do all kinds of ‘general building work’ or one who says they’re experts in home extensions?
So let them know why they should choose you.
By narrowing the areas of work you say you specialise in, you actually make it easier for customers to find you. And at the same time probably simplify your business and can increase your costs. You become the go to expert, easily found and easily raved about, but many fail to put it into practice, because of a fear of missing out on work.
It may seem counterintuitive to limit the kind of jobs you say you can do, but it’s likely there are specific areas of work that you and/or your business resources, location and skill sets best fit? Only you know that
