Just Starting My Biz

mason22

i just started my masonry biz this years and its so slow its not funny what can i do to get more work rolling in thanks guys
kyle

Jason Whipple

I just went through year one, working on year two now. There are a lot of good ideas on forums like this one. Read them, try things out. What works for some doesn't work for all.

Expect to be a bit slow your first year until you get referrals and such rolling in. Keep doing your best work and go beyond your customers expectations. Eventually this will put you ahead of the rest, but it will take some time.

Unfortunately, we are in a rough economy right now too so I hope you went into this better prepared than I did. It's tough for almost everyone right now.

Good luck!

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Jason E Whipple, General Manager
Historic House Restoration, Cincinnati, Ohio
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Mitch M

PRAY!!!

Where are you located?

mason22

im in connecticut

GoodPainter

Take a walk in the area of where you would like to do work.
Put letters under the doormats of each house.
Handsign the letters
Dont mess with mailboxes
Hand out 500 to start
Answer the phone when it rings
Continue to hand out few hundred a week thereafter
Adjust accordingly to suit

__________________
Robert Good
It's Your Life-Make Fun Of It!
http://www.robertgoodpainting.com

ChillaWatt

What part of the country are you from? If I was a mason I would hit up the new homes right after the home owners move in, and before the landscaping companies came in. Custom BBQs, walls, and other projects like that are always of interest to the new occupants. Hit these places with door hangers, or try and catch HOs as they're moving in. I think the door hanger/mailbox scenario has legal implications, so stay away from that.

Chilla

ChillaWatt

Oops. Didn't see Connecticut. Are people into the whole "outdoor-living" experience there? You could market yourself that way.

mickeyco

Hit Finley up for a "business" loan.

__________________
Some people climb mountains. I take out the trash. But we both do it for the same reason.

Carport King

Outdoor living is big time now! Put togeather some small concept drawings of a patio area with some small walls or walkways and benches bar-b-que type stuff.

Sometimes all you need to do is set the seed in your clients mind. Give them Ideals and work with some upscale clients. Do you have a patio furniture company or a bar-b-que store you can team with.

Find a job you have done and throw a party and invite the neighbors.Go to home depot and lowes and meet the manager and give him your cards just for referrels.

There is work out there sometimes you need to go out and ask for it.

Greg P

Who is your target market? High-end homeowners? Commercial? You need to answer that question before you figure out how to get your message into their hands.

Like carport dude said -- outdoor living spaces is a nice growing niche.

Which really leads me to a similar point...how about tightening up and going after a niche?

Greg

Handyman Jim

The best advice ,that I can give you, is to spend a little time everyday reading and re-reading as many posts as possible in the "marketing & sales" section of this forum.Lots of good advice there.

http://www.handymanjimnoonan.com

JCY

Just keep on making your existing customers satisfied. Best marketing style is "word of mouth".

JeffreyJin

a workman, ability is not important, experience is not too, the most imortant is thinking,

positive,active,cooperative, all will be ok.