How to get new maintenance contracts

[puddleboy3]

Can anyone give me suggestions on the best way to sell our services as a good service/maintenance company?

[mcjo tech]

Because I am from the States I can only offer my opinion based on what is true here, however, getting customers and keeping them seems to be a global issue for mechanical contractors no matter where they do business. Setting yourself apart from your competitors is difficult but essential for the overall benefit of your business. Many companies here use arial photos as well as individual photos of equipment to show how well they are maintaining their customers systems. Also contractors can use additional methods such as providing reports to your customers or explaining how you will provide paper reports to potential customers of system overall operation compared to manufacturers specifications and load conditions. A monitoring and logging system provided to your customers is probably something their present contractor is not supplying. Proving that you are actually monitoring their systems and are proactive in helping them save money in energy costs and repairs is invaluable in keeping them as your client. You can contact me, if you wish, about such a monitoring and logging system via my ExactCharge Ad on this website using Contact Us page. I am happy to discuss this matter in greater detail for those who may be interested.

[chillin out]

Can anyone give me suggestions on the best way to sell our services as a good service/maintenance company?

Erm... advertise?

Chillin

[puddleboy3]

Erm... advertise?

Chillin

Erm great if you have one of them money trees in the back garden. Being a small two man company we dont have big bucks to splash out on advertising!

[bernard]

Hi

Check local paper for local authority contracts up for tender,print cards and get out and sell your company or at least leave a card.Phone all the breweries and ask to be notified when their contract is up for tender.Try the same with spar,plymco,costcutters ect.

Also sub contract to the people who have the boots,wh smith ect. alot of these companies are based down south ,find out who they are and contact them.

http://www.sbs.gov.uk/SBS_Gov_files/services/tender.pdf



Hope this helps you.

Regards Bernard

[davej]

we started by making sure we offered all the customers we installed a/c for got a maintenance contract, and then we through good service got recommended to there friends etc. its not easy and it takes time to build a solid database, and as bernard says check out paper etc for contract for tender. just out of interest where abouts in scotland are you based. we may have the chance for a maitenance contract witha company who has some outlets in scotland.

[bernard]

As we are on the subject,If anyone needs a sub-contractor for maintenance or installations in the South West then please contact me.


Regards Bernard

[chillin out]

Erm great if you have one of them money trees in the back garden. Being a small two man company we dont have big bucks to splash out on advertising!

Who said it takes big bucks to advertise?

As you are a small company you only need to advertise small. Print off some buisness cards, some 'fliers' and either start walking and posting or give a young lad £5 to do all the leg work.

Once you have reaped the profits for this stage then you should be able to afford better advertising, although as there is only two of you, agian you don't need to go big as there would be too much work and you will be overcome with work causing standards to go down.

If you have already done the 'flier' stage for about 6 months and you still have no work then I would think about giving up.

Chillin

[taz24]

Who said it takes big bucks to advertise?

As you are a small company you only need to advertise small. Print off some buisness cards, some 'fliers' and either start walking and posting or give a young lad £5 to do all the leg work.

Chillin

When I first went selfemployed I printed cards anfd flyers and went to every shop and buisness I could think of within about a ten mile radius. I got more jobs on the spot and jobs still kept coming in than I could cope with.

taz.

[Makeit go Right]

That is the best way. Tap on doors, or better still, go inside and speak to the Receptionist and ask for the manager. Phone calls are annoying, but funny enough, if you call on one of these chaps and ask them if you could help them save on their annual maintenance costs, they will either ask how much? or tell you that they do not bother with maintenance. Both responses get you in the door. Best are the industrial units - a high frequency of Aircon-users in one area, but you will go where you like and fine tune after you get responses from one/two types of customers. Websites and newspaper ads do get some responses, but I feel they tend to also come with competition from other maint companies - not so good as a one-horse race.