A contractor in the Middle Atlantic states has had a change of heart about an approach to residential sealcoating -- and it's creating a lot of steady, localized work this year.
The contractor has embraced an effort to have residential customers refer his business to other local residents before work is done. The advantage is obviously additional work, but it's also additional work in the same location, reducing travel-related costs and improving bottom-line take-home numbers.
"We continue to have success despite challenges with the economy," he tells Pavement. "The key I think is to remain flexible and adaptable. We have altered marketing a bit and offer 3-site discounts when we do a driveway."
Here's how it's working for him: In a subdivision with a lot of driveways in a small area, someone calls for an estimate and the contractor provides a proposal and gives the prospect a "3-site discount coupon" to encourage future referrals.
"We have had nearly 100% success because the customer will typically call back with two other sites and we just turned one driveway into three," he says. "Interestingly enough, we get several calls soon after the work is done since we leave a sign up. So this transpires into even more work. The key is the disposable yard signs (cost about $2 each).
"I personally had a lot of objections in the past with trying this approach but they have been squelched; it works," he says. "We are busy every day and feel blessed that we can continue to have success."
