There’s nothing like a recognizable face, particularly when it comes to your business. And there are a lot of reasons to appreciate your existing customers to grow your home
improvement business.

For one thing, they’re crucial to your bottom line. Studies show that growing customer retention rates by just five percent can increase profits anywhere from 25 percent to 95 percent. And that’s because existing customers are also a prized source of unpaid advertising.

Create a “WOW” customer experience, and they’ll not only contact you again when they need the services you offer, but they’ll also recommend you to friends and family.

Nielsen surveys name word-of-mouth as the most trustworthy source of brand endorsements. And 83 percent of people surveyed said they trust personal reviews – both online and offline – more than any other form of recommendation.

However, boosting referrals and repeat projects takes work on your part. Here are 6 ways you can use existing customers to boost profit margins.

1. Deliver a stellar customer experience. Any repeat business begins with a remarkable customer service. For contractors, that means establishing expectations before customer misunderstandings and assumptions can ruin your project.To grow your home improvement business, you must maintain communication with regular check-ins. With texting, it’s incredibly easy to catch up with homeowners regularly, report issues promptly and keep your work unobtrusive to customers’ everyday lives. Take an opportunity to talk with customers one-on-one, when possible, because nothing beats face-to-face communication. It may seem simple, but these are the basics of customer relationship building, and building trust is integral for capturing referrals and repeat business.
2. Follow up when the project is complete. As a matter of procedure, most home improvement contractors follow up with customers after projects are completed. And if you’re not doing that with every job, it’s time to start.A follow-up phone call and/or email provides a great opportunity to discuss any issues that might have arisen after the job was completed, allowing you to reinforce your reputation for outstanding service. It’s also a chance to talk about future projects they may be planning, and to remind them about your referral program (if you have one, and you should!).
3. If you don’t have one, create a Referral Program. Who doesn’t love a good discount? Putting a referral program in place is a win-win – it provides an opportunity to close the deal with a current prospect while enjoying free advertising in exchange.Some home improvement contractors provide maintenance or free upgrades if a referral makes a purchase. Others offer discounts on an upcoming project or even cash or gift cards to popular local retailers. However you decide to reward your customers for their referrals, be sure to remind them of that fact at various times throughout the project.
4. Offer discounts on additional projects. Offering customers a discount if they agree to additional work is a sales strategy that’s about as old as it is effective. But you can increase your retention rates if you put a formal discount program in place to grow your home improvement business. Many homeowners are considering additional projects when they get in touch with a contractor, so even taking a small percentage off another job may be enough motivation to begin a second project.You can even create discount packages for follow-up work to grow your home improvement business. Research your customers to uncover trends in the buying process. Homeowners who have a new roof installed may be thinking about new siding for their home as well. Consider these types of pairings when creating your discount strategy.
5. Be consistent with communication. The more you’re in front of your customers, the more likely that they’ll contact you when they need more work done on their home. A quarterly newsletter that contains discounts or seasonal sales is a great way to make sure you remain top-of-mind.Another strategy would be sending personalized holiday, birthday, or project anniversary cards, particularly if they include a gift card or special offer.
6. Create relationships with other contractors. Because homeowners seek recommendations for other contractors, it makes sense to create relationships with your peers.

You probably work with many different tradesmen daily. A bathroom remodeling business, for instance, may regularly subcontract out to plumbers, HVAC technicians, or electricians and probably also collaborates closely with interior designers, architects, and perhaps even realtors. Interacting with these people can reap big profits.

But if you don’t usually interact with other professionals, it’s time to begin developing these types of relationships. Think about attending an event at your local chamber or connecting with a professional trade organization. You can also find valuable contacts by attending local seminars. And these connections can lead to more referrals if you leverage them correctly.

The bottom line is that tapping past customers is all about customer service. Work toward 100 percent transparency and friendly, frequent communication. Refine these abilities and you’ll find yourself booked out for months on end.

Need more referrals and repeat customers for your business but don’t know where to start? Learn more about how gFour can help you get more 5-star reviews, repeat business, and referrals to grow your home improvement business, book a demo today!

Are you one of those home improvement business owners who has a “love ‘em and leave ‘em” mentality? You know what we mean…you finish a job and without so much as a proper “thank you”, you’re off to chase after the next shiny new lead.

If that sounds like you, you can take comfort in knowing you’re not alone. But…and this is a BIG but…there’s no comfort in leaving behind the greatest potential for new business and profits that’s hiding right there within your existing customer base.

One of the most significant jumps we’ve ever seen in any business was when they started implementing a Customer Appreciation System.

And just so you know, appreciation is the first and most important piece of the system we now implement for our clients every day here at gFour Marketing. If your customers don’t feel appreciated, they won’t use you again for other projects, they won’t post positive reviews about you online (they might actually post negative ones instead), and they certainly won’t refer you to their friends. This is something to consider if you want more online reviews for your contractor business.

However, if you consistently and systematically thank every single one of your customers in a special way, you are going to see your profits jump, in the following 3 ways.

1. You’re going to KEEP more of your customers and generate more leads for your home improvement business.

Has this ever happened to you? You’re driving past one of your previous customers’ homes, and you see that they’ve had more work done to their home – but they never called you and asked you to do it.

Perhaps they forgot about you. Perhaps they forgot that you offered other services. Perhaps they weren’t even happy with the services your originally provided for them.

Sending a simple “thank you” note or gift after the “glow” of the new project wears off could have gone a long way in making you and your business more memorable.

It also would have given you the opportunity to remind that customer that you can perform other services for them in the future. You would have also gotten the chance to make sure that the customer was satisfied with the work you performed.

Instead, your competition is benefiting from your mistake.

To keep your customers coming back to you time after time and to be their Contractor For Life™, you absolutely, positively MUST thank each and every single one of them, every single time you perform a job for them.

This will not only reinforce the sale, but it will make them feel more confident about their purchase and leave them with positive thoughts about doing business with you. It’s a great way to generate more referrals for your contracting business.

2. You’re going to MULTIPLY your customers and generate more referrals for your home improvement business.

There are SO many marketing methods available to you today – TV, Radio, Print, and the Pandora’s Box that is Internet Advertising – but do you know the #1 marketing method for the past 10,000 years???

Word Of Mouth.

It has ALWAYS produced more customers who close more easily and at higher prices than any other form of marketing.

This is why referrals are like GOLD in our industry. And in today’s connected world, online reviews are like modern-day referrals.  If you’ve asked yourself, “How can I get better online reviews for my contractor business?” this is one sure way!

After the job is completed, your customer might be happy and they might tell 1 or 2 friends about it, but why not turn that customer into a raving fan who is shouting your praises from the rooftops?

Use the law of reciprocity to your advantage. Just by thanking that customer, they will feel obligated and encouraged to tell even more people about how you sent them a nice thank you gift. And that might be in-person, or – even better – they may tell the whole world by sharing a positive online review.

If you took care of a customer and performed fantastic work for them, don’t let the relationship end there. Thank them after the job is over, extend that relationship, and they will want to share that experience with their friends, family, neighbors and co-workers – who will soon become your new customers.

3. You’re going to CREATE customers and generate more referrals for your contracting business.

It’s one thing to “WOW” your current customers by thanking them – but to become known as THE company that appreciates and takes care of its customers – that’s branding that doesn’t have a price tag.

Unfortunately, we all know that consumers have a very hard time trusting contractors. There are plenty of horror stories out there.

So if you’re known as the contractor who sticks around after the sale and appreciates your customers, that reputation will keep your phone ringing.

Become the contractor who thanks your customers, and you will also become your competitors’ worst nightmare and you will get more referrals for your contracting business.

In the end, you should thank your customers first and foremost because they deserve it. They’re helping you live out your dream as an entrepreneur; they’re putting food on your table and money in your pockets so you can pay your employees and help them do the same.

But you should also show your customers you appreciate them because it makes business sense. By thanking your customers, you’ll also create, keep, and multiply your customers… and ultimately, you’ll create, keep, and multiply your profits, too.

If you want to find out how you can easily “WOW” your customers and supercharge your profits with a system that thanks your customers for you, Book a Demo with us today!