Written by The final month of the year is approaching and while most business owners are evaluating how their year went and planning for 2018 (both great things), don’t let this final part of the year go to the wayside, in particular with your finances, marketing and how you treat your customers. Stay focused and ensure your techs do too, so you can close out the year on top. Here are five things you can do now to help your home service business finish strong this year:
Let’s dig in to each tip!
1. Rework and Set Financial Goals
Take a look at your earnings and expenses over the last few months to work out what you need to achieve to end the year on a high note. Update that goal if you need to and drum up ideas or strategies to achieve it. Of course now’s also a good time to follow up and chase those unpaid invoices. Field service software that is integrated with your accounting software is ideal for keeping records of transactions, unpaid invoices and cash flow, and can be set up fairly quickly.
2. Add Value in Place of Discount
Instead of cutting your margins by constantly discounting a service, think differently by adding something of value. Are you able to offer a loyalty card for your business? Can you partner with a business for the holidays to offer something tangible such as a gift card for referrals? There are lots of creative ways you can add value to a sale beside a standard discount, and it will can help your bottomline.
3. Reach Out to Customers
Connecting positively with your customers is very important. Sending a holiday greeting card or personal note thanking them for their business this year goes a long way. It’s a good step to stay memorable too. It may even prompt them into giving you more work or recommending you to a friend or family member. Check out Vistaprint, which is almost always offering promotions on greeting cards. If you end up not having enough time, even wishing customers a happy holiday season on social media is a nice touch.
4. Check Response rates
Always check your customer-facing processes for responsiveness. Are your phone messages and emails being acted on promptly? Are technicians being dispatched speedily? Where can you make improvements? Your scheduling should also be error-proof with no double bookings or missed appointments. In this digital age, consumers expect an almost instant response to requests. Make sure yours is top-notch so you bring in more business. If this is a sore spot for you, a good software program can help with this.
5. Check your Digital Footprint
Google your company and see how it fares with major search engines as this is how your clients find you. Think about how you can freshen your website with new content for the following year, focusing on writing against keywords you want to rank for. If you’ve got downtime this month, start writing.
What strategies do you have for this time of year? Share it with us in the comments below!
Last modified: April 6, 2018
