With things still touch and go with the pandemic, it’s hard to imagine that business will be booming in the medium term. Benjamin Dyer of Powered Now looks at how to fight for your business in these uncertain times.
Take advantage of the opportunity
If you read the business press, it’s often pointed out that some of the world’s most successful businesses started during times of crisis. Those were like the dotcom bust and the financial crash.
Most of us won’t be building multi-billion-pound businesses. However, this crisis is still an opportunity. Hard times see bad companies go to the wall. That opens up possibilities for the best-run businesses.
In the rest of this article, we will look at ways to take advantage.
Always keep your customer in mind
Your customers will be the ultimate arbiters of your success or failure. Understanding where they are coming from is paramount. Unfortunately, when times get hard, some customers become more unreasonable. That’s just life, but it’s still critical that you:
- Behave in a way that puts them at ease as much as you can
- Really hear what they are saying
- Set their expectations correctly
Listening and gently guiding customers to the right conclusions is an art worth learning. They may say something stupid, but it’s important to be sympathetic as you disagree. Remember, you are an expert while they are an amateur. Also, you might be missing what they are saying and it’s something that you need to hear.
Give the prospect a rough idea of how much the job is likely to cost. Then examine their reaction. If the price seems unaffordable, it may be that the scope needs to be cut.
Get those quotes out fast!
When all of the dust has settled, it’s likely that lots of homeowners are going to be harder up. Anyone newly unemployed won’t be ordering extensions, new bathrooms or kitchens. Business is likely to be more scarce.
It’s why it is important to make the most of every opportunity. Customers get very frustrated waiting for quotes to be sent. Research that my company conducted with over 1,000 homeowners showed this to be one of their top issues. Getting quotes back to people within 24 hours is a major way to address the problem. And it means that you get a jump on the competition.
Winning quotes is the most important way to survive and grow. Doing a great job is the only thing that is more important.
Are You Ready To Be A CHAS Client?
Sign up for FREE today or learn more about our client services by scheduling a callback with one of our friendly CHAS advisors.
Request A Callback
Use a system
The lockdown has seen lots of things move online. Video conferencing has boomed. All the major grocery chains are struggling to keep up with the business from online ordering. Demand for paper quotes and invoices is not only declining, the downward trend is accelerating. And almost certainly if you run a trade business you hate paperwork.
These factors, together with the challenge to be more efficient, mean that there’s a big opportunity to finally take the plunge and computerise your business. That’s if you haven’t done so already.
A computer system can really help. Apps are so much easier to use than clunky PC software. Good ones run on tablets and mobiles as well as Macs and PCs, like those provided by my company Powered Now. Once you get the hang of them, information can be entered more easily and the time taken on paperwork can be slashed.
Seize the day
Opportunities always abound in business. Optimism is good, but not blind hope. I trust that some of the ideas here make sense and that you try some out. I hope even more that your business booms. All of the best.
Powered Now is an app for your smartphone or tablet and works on Mac or PC. It’s built for the trade and enables you to quickly generate and send quotes and invoices – critical to improving cash flow.
Powered Now makes it easy for you and your team to create great-looking paperwork from anywhere. Choose from their template library, upload your logo and you are good to go.
They have popular forms and certificates included including Gas Safe, Electrical and many others.
It comes with free UK based support and training and is used by thousands of trade businesses and rated 4.6 out of 5 on TrustPilot.
