Managing your plumbing business in the short term is important, but planning for long-term business growth is also necessary due to the high competition in the plumbing industry. As a plumbing business owner, it is important to know how you can manage your plumbing company so you can grow and scale. Even if you manage to sell like crazy, you need to know how you will be able to deliver to all those new customers.
If growth causes your plumbing company to stumble because of confusion, you are going to have unhappy customers. That’s why it is important to know you to grow and scale your plumbing business. Scaling is all about building capacity and capability. It means setting the stage to enable and support growth for your plumbing company. Here, we will discuss the 11 most important things to know about growing and scaling a plumbing business.
1. Get More Customers
Customers are the actual people who keep your plumbing business running. If there are no phone calls, there would be no use of your expertise. You won't make any money and run out of business. So, it is essential to maintain a constant flow of customers. In fact, the more customers you get, the more your plumbing business can grow. But how can you do that? Here are some tips for that:
Create a Marketing Plan
To make the most out of your marketing, you need a good marketing plan. Tony Gee can help you come up with a good marketing plan for your plumbing business. Schedule an appointment with him here
Build a Website
Having a well-designed plumber website, not only increases your online visibility, but also makes you more reliable. Get a website designed by a professional marketing agency. We recommend hiring a marketing agency that specializes with marketing for plumbers, such as Strictly Plumbers Inc.
Focus on SEO
Once your website is ready, get it checked by an SEO specialist who would analyze if your website has all the relevant keywords which it needs to rank in top Google search results.
SEO is not about keywords, it entails a deep strategy that can only be handled by an expert.
Google My Business (GMB)
Make sure your plumbing company is listed on Google places so you can increase your online visibility. Apart from GMB, look for other sites where your potential customers might be looking for hiring a plumber and list your business over there too.
Social media
I'm sure you’ve heard about it before, but yes, social media is something you should be involved in. It does take work, but the ROI isn’t there for all types of businesses. Consider having a business page on social platforms, like Twitter, Facebook, Yelp and more.
Reviews
Aside from social media platforms, you can ask your customers to give you a review through your business website itself. If potential customers or those looking for your business’s services saw your previous clients’ good reviews on your website, it will further encourage them to choose your business.
Local Community Involvement
Another way to get more customers is by getting involved in your local community. Consider joining local charity drives, events and other sponsor local teams. If you can help your community and choose to do so, they might return the favor and support you.
2. Make Sure Have Enough Tools and Equipment
You need to ensure that your plumbers have enough tools and equipment to handle the high demand of your plumbing services. Be sure to have following tools and equipment:
Plumber Wrenches
- Pipe wrench
-Adjustable wrench
-Basin wrench
-Faucet key
-Torque wrench
-Internal pipe wrench
Drain Cleaning Tools
-Plungers
-Hand auger
-Snake machine
-Drain inspection camera
-Hydro jetting machines
Plumbing Safety Tools
-Gloves
-Goggles
-Heat shields or pads
3. Get More Vans
Plumbing businesses rely on mobility, which makes a plumbing work van an indispensable asset when scaling your plumbing company. Make sure the plumbing van always carries the basic tools of the trade. Standard safety gear includes gloves, safety glasses, and knee pads. Carry a basic first-aid kit, complete with gauze, antiseptics, and other essential aids. Plumbers also require other assets like a pencil, sharpie, sandpaper, tape measure, and a pocket level.
They also need solder flux, voltmeter, voltage tester, and drain machine. Drills, cordless saws, and press guns are must-have power tools for a plumber. Likewise, always carry basic hand tools such as tube cutters, torch, fitting brush, Allen Wrench Set, Cable Saw, and hammer.
With all these tools and equipment, it is important to ensure that your plumbing vans are well organized. Not only will this allow your staff to get the job done smoothly, but also they allow them to do it faster and more efficiently.
4. Hire more workers
As your business grows, you’ll certainly realize that you need to hire more plumbers. If you keep your customers waiting too long, they will go elsewhere for their current and future plumbing needs. Recruiting the right plumbers is not easy and should be thought of as another sales channel in your growing business. It's important to have a recruitment strategy that spans multiple digital channels to reach the right job seekers and not just any job seeker.
A well-established Plumber Marketing Agency knows the ins and outs of hiring the best workers for your plumbing business. We offer a special service that will do this for you and we can help you hire a good plumber for your company, the fee for this service starts at only $349. We would love to help you hire a good plumber. Click Here to access our complete guide to hiring the right plumbers.
5. Hire Qualified Dispatchers
Dispatching is an important key to the success of your plumbing business. Dispatchers are the key line of communication between your plumbers and customers. They address problems, questions and prioritize service requests so that work is performed in an efficient and orderly manner. They are also responsible for providing logistical support to technicians and communicating with both fellow employees and customers. Click here to learn more about the best strategies that make a successful dispatcher.
6. Hire Managers and other support staff
Aside from hiring more plumbers, you will need to get more managers and support staff for your plumbing company. When hiring managers, it is important to get a person with the right skills, including plumbing skills, administration skills, business management skills and people skills. Consider hiring a leader, a person who can lead your staff. Where possible, we recommend hiring from within because there is less training to do. Once you hire support staff, be sure to give them daily meetings, weekly training and monthly goals.
7. Get Credit
Taking up on a loan can help with expanding your plumbing business in the long run. Most plumbers seeking financing often turn to the same sources, including banks, credit cards and loans from family and friends. Unfortunately, these options can hinder a business before it even has a chance to flourish. The best financing option for plumbers and plumbing business owners are SBA Loans.
Unlike other types of loans, SBA loans are specifically created for small and medium-sized businesses and are perfect options for plumbers, as they can finance their working capital reserves, equipment and real estate.
Plumbing business owners commonly use SBA loans for the following purpose:
·Buying vans and equipment:
Buying more vans and equipment can be one of the most expensive costs when growing your plumbing business. However, the SBA’s 10-year equipment loan terms can help take the pressure off your company’s fiancés while giving you the tools you need to succeed.
Cash Flow:
Unfortunately, the plumbing industry will always be affected by the fluctuating market and economy. For the last few years, we’ve seen an increase in generated revenue. However, if there are slow and tough times, you can consider getting credit to fund your working capital. You can use the loan to pay salaries and keep up with other regular business expenses, such as marketing, vehicle maintenance and utilities.
Expanding Your Plumbing Business:
Whether you are buying state-of-the-art equipment for larger jobs, buying more vans to handle a wider customer base or even purchasing commercial real estate to open a new office, an SBA loan can help your plumbing business grow to new heights.
8. Invest in Training:
-Training for paperwork:
Teach your plumbers how to fill the invoice correctly. Apart from the fact that you need an invoice to get paid, the state of your invoice could affect the after-sale experience of your customer. While your plumbing team might be very good in what they do, presenting a poorly designed and unprofessional invoice in the face of your customers, no matter how good your work is, you’re unlikely to get called back.
Make sure your invoice does all three things it needs to:
Aside from invoices, make sure that your plumbers know how to complete disclaimers, home inspection documents and other important legal documents.
Other types of training you should consider investing include:
· Training for plumbers/plumbing skills
· Sales training
· Business coaching : This will teach your team how to carry out their administrative responsibilities and internal operations of the business
9. Take advantage of the low monthly payment plan
Providing homeowners with options to painlessly pay for their plumbing projects is a proven strategy to boost sales, expand ticket sizes, increase customer satisfaction, and grow your company's overall revenue. With today's average cost of plumbing repairs, customers may find themselves in a difficult position when facing a plumbing emergency. Plumbers who take payments or offer financing can maximize profit by providing customers options to afford their repairs, or pay for the most efficient upgrade or add-on product.
The best way to offer financing to your plumbing customers is by connecting your plumbing company with a Bank and having them as your in house financing department. Now, which is the best company for plumber financing? The company we recommend is called Hearth. Unlike other plumber financing options, Hearth makes it easy for plumbers out in the field to offer the option. It is easy for plumbers to perform the application and easy for customers/homeowners to get prequalified within 5 minutes.
10. Learn How To Delegate
Managerial roles have many issues that involve time span, timing, and capacity challenges. As your plumbing business grows, you will realize you cannot handle everything on your own. That’s where delegation comes. Delegation simply means transferring responsibility for specific tasks from one person to another.
From a management perspective, delegation occurs when a manager assigns specific tasks to their employees. By delegating some tasks to team members, you can free up time to focus on higher-value activities while also keeping employees engaged with greater autonomy. You need to hire a human resource manager, a Payroll person, and other essential staff to perform the day to day administrative functions as you concentrate on other core functions of the business.
If you need professional assistance on how to grow and scale your plumbing business, consider scheduling an appointment with Tony Gee. Tony is the CEO and founder of Strictly Plumbers Inc. He has been helping plumbing owners like you grow their business and increase revenue. After 15 years as a master plumber in San Diego, working for the most reputable companies in the industry, Tony Gee decided to pursue his passion for online marketing for plumbing owners. Click Here to Schedule a Meeting with Tony.
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