Mastering Client Trust: Essential Tips for Building a Successful Business

In this episode, we dive into key strategies to help you build a successful business. Learn how to gain the trust of new clients, retain existing ones, and grow your business effectively.

We start by emphasizing the importance of communication. Quick responses to phone calls, messages, and emails can significantly increase your chances of winning over clients. Even if you can't answer immediately, a well-crafted voicemail can keep potential clients engaged.

Next, we discuss the value of being reliable. By setting realistic expectations for arrival times and being punctual, you demonstrate professionalism and respect for your clients' time.

We also highlight the importance of integrity in your work. Standing behind your services with guarantees and addressing any mistakes honestly can help build a solid reputation.

Finally, we touch on the significance of professionalism and efficiency. A clean, tidy appearance and organized workflow can set you apart from the competition, making clients more likely to choose and recommend your services.

Tune in to learn these essential tips and more to help you establish and grow a thriving business. Your journey to success starts here!

Episode Transcript

(00:01):
So today we're just going to talk about a few of the things that you can do
to help build your business, help to gain trust with clients,
with new clients, help to keep existing clients,
and to hopefully make your business into something that is successful for you,
that provides for you, and that you can grow if you wish to.

(00:24):
So we're going to talk about that next.
Music.
So yes the first one today is communication
this is very important it's
how when someone rings your phone if you can
answer it or if you get a text message or whatsapp or a message on social media

(00:47):
or an email the quicker that you can reply to that and let people know that
you're there let people know that you have a solution to their problem then
the quicker you're going to to get that customer,
or more likely that that customer client is going to go with you.
So if you get phone call and maybe

(01:07):
you're up a ladder and you're doing the work and you can't answer it.
So I don't advise taking your hands off the ladder to answer your phone,
but if you can't answer the phone and get your notepad out and start writing
down their number, have a voicemail that will go to something that says,
look, I'm a small company.
Likely currently working at the minute please leave your name

(01:29):
and telephone number and I'll get back to you as soon
as I can so as soon as you get down the ladder and then
you want to be ringing them back and that first touch they're called touches
or these interactions that you have with a client that first touch will be a
positive one that okay they weren't able down to the phone but you've got back
to them straight away then you want to take down their name their address,

(01:54):
you'll have their telephone number and just listen to say, how can I help you today?
And find out what the issue is. And then you want to try, especially at the
start here, you want to really then try and get out to their property.
Get a look at what's going on as quickly as possible.
People are used with Amazon Prime, used with internet, click a button and something

(02:16):
shows up at their door or they just want results quickly.
Way and in the home service and gutter
gutter in business if you can can show that
you're efficient show that you're you're good at communicating
like that goes so far because not all
companies are like that and i think sometimes it's just
that companies get so busy with the you

(02:40):
know they have so many clients and work on that
their phones always ring in they maybe haven't scaled
it to a point where they have someone in the office to answer these phone calls
they know they've got plenty of work and it's not that they don't care but they're
just overwhelmed with the amount of leads that they have and i think when you're
getting started you you don't have that issue so the quicker you can get a system

(03:04):
built where you're able to.
Get back to people very quickly then the quicker
that you're going to be able to gain customers they're going
to tell others about you and and you
can start building from there so first one communication good
communication and you will stand out so that's answering your phone quickly
sending a text back or a whatsapp or or social media just trying to be proactive

(03:29):
with your communication also then part of that is is trying to be efficient
and getting out to people to at At least get out,
get a look at the job or what they need done and get them a quote as quickly as possible.
This is another thing that people want.
Again, people are busy, they're impatient, and they're just used to getting things quickly.

(03:51):
So the quicker you can do that, the better. So the communication, the efficiency.
Another thing then, a tip, is just doing a good job.
If you say you're going to, or being reliable, let's do that one first.
First, if you tell someone that you're going to be there on a Tuesday morning
at 8 o'clock, then you need to be there at 5 to 8 and ready to go at 8 o'clock.

(04:14):
Now, I would advise you not to give specific times.
I don't give specific times ever.
I always give a reign. So I say we'll be there in the morning.
We'll be there in the afternoon.
Most times I don't need anyone to be there. So as long as any gates are left
unlocked, then we can work around the property.
Okay and people don't need to be there so if i

(04:36):
say i'm going to be there at half eight and then and there's
something going on at home or i get stuck in traffic or get
delayed getting materials at the the supply shop or or what then you know you
end up you're 10 minutes late and now you you have that thing if you said eight
o'clock it's now 10 past eight well it's only 10 minutes but they were looking

(04:57):
out the window at eight o'clock waiting for you whereas if i say in the morning That can be 8 o'clock,
that can be 9 o'clock, that could be 10 o'clock.
So it gives you that flexibility, takes stress off the whole thing.
And some people will just want to know like they'll just they'll want to know an exact time so,

(05:17):
again i would say okay we should be there at this time but you know give yourself
15 minutes the other side i think if you can keep your the expectations of okay
you're going to be there at a certain time low then you've nothing to let yourself
down with so communication being
reliable if for instance you can't go to

(05:39):
the job for whatever reason then you need to be open you
need to give the person as much notice as possible apologize
and say the reason why you can't come
let them know and let them know when
you will be out if you want and you're at
the start and you want to give a bit of a discount or 10% for
the inconvenience or you know that's up to you but I've

(05:59):
done that in the past where yeah I've just maybe an
employee hasn't turned up job hasn't been able to get to work
and then I've had to cancel a job or ill or what
I've gave a discount in the past and
I think it just shows that you you are not
taking their time for granted and that you realize that it's inconvenient for

(06:20):
them who have maybe planned their day around you come and do that so so again
that's that's up to you but that's something I've done integrity integrity and
doing a good job I'll say all is one so if if you say you're going to do the job.
You need to do the job properly and you need to stand over your work we give
a guarantee of like a two-year guarantee on on our repairs if if someone comes

(06:46):
back after two and a half years or even three years and the joint is leaking
again I will replace it again I think with business that.
How you build up i think a good reputation is by having
integrity by doing what you say you're going to do by standing over
your work if you make a mistake own it if you
break an ornament or a one of those solar garden

(07:08):
lights i'm sure you've seen them they stick out of the the
grass and and i've had them in the past i've
had satellite dishes in the past knock people's
sky cable out you just
have to in the scheme of things you say well
okay this is inconvenient this is going to cost me
so much for a cable engineer to

(07:30):
come out and fix this or okay I'm going to have to
order a garden ornament or I've broken a pot they're all
relatively small amounts of money and if you
try and fake your way or not
not being honest and not saying that you've done something wrong then
people pick up on it you let yourself down
and it only takes one one

(07:51):
thing like that to to get bad reviews or to
get a bad reputation so i just encourage you to do the right thing in business
don't look at the money the money will come once you are doing the right thing
and by building a good reputation and being honest then you're building you're
building that up and and the.

(08:12):
Longer term scheme of things 50 pound
here you break a window or you know just be honest be
upfront you tell lies you have to you have to have a good memory because you're
gonna have to remember what you've told people and so i just advise you yeah
have integrity in this you're up there working people can't see what you're

(08:33):
doing they won't know that you've missed a bit or you
haven't done exactly what you've said you need to
cheat yourself or cheat other people by
not doing it right do it right the first time and it
will still stick by you so integrity good communication
reliability and just just being professional being efficient in your your invoice

(08:56):
and we'll talk about a crm system which is a customer relation management system
where you You can have a software and you keep all your information on that.
That keeps you very efficient.
We'll talk about that in another episode. But yeah, just being efficient when
you're working, being professional, taking pride in your work is a big one.

(09:17):
That yes, you're cleaning guttering or you're repairing guttering and may not
be the most glamorous trade or job to do, but you're bringing a lot of value.
And just to remember that the service is valuable to someone,
that you're keeping people's properties safe,
dry you're keeping water right off them you're protecting
their investment and how you sell what you

(09:39):
you're doing we're not selling gutter cleaning as such
we're we're selling peace of mind we're selling protection
for their property and and that means
you have to be professional so i'd advise having a good uniform i
would advise turning up clean and tidy with a clean
and tidy a good working equipment and people

(10:00):
will respect you when you do that people will see
that you are a professional outfit and
people want professional people
around their property and they will pay for that and they will pay more for
that if they have peace of mind and knowing that you as a contractor are professional
you know what you're talking about you're honest you have integrity you're you're

(10:25):
efficient, your communication is good.
And people like anything, there'll be people who will just want the lowest bid or the lowest quote.
There will be people who will be happy to pay more for you if you can prove
and show that you are these things and that you are worth paying for.

(10:45):
So then you can get more reviews and then you get that social proof through,
say Google reviews where other people are reading it and people have just decided
to go with you even before you've given them the code as such.
So that's all for today. A few things there just to help you get started,
to hopefully encourage you to start your business off with these things,

(11:08):
follow them through, and long-term, it will really pay off for you.
So thanks again for listening.
And if you have any questions, any thoughts of what you would like to hear in
this, please let me know.
Um i'm keen to help those uh who are after it and provide value for you as a

(11:30):
listener so thanks again and catch you in the next one.
Music.