Chances are you use, pretty much, the same materials as all your competitors and follow similar construction techniques to complete projects. How then can you stand out from your competitors, that doesn’t take a million dollars to achieve?
One idea is to develop an MVA for your business and make it part of your daily activity. An MVA is an acronym I have invented for “Mini Value-Add”. Something that is cheap to do, can be performed in a short time frame (few minutes) and can be done by everyone in your organization. It will be something that chances are is not part of your core operation, but will be understood and appreciated by your clients and typically unexpected.
Everyone’s business is a bit different and how you interact with clients will vary. What will work for a builder may not work for a plumber. It may be around some additional cleaning up after the job; a special explanation flier left to explain what you have done; some after-care product that will enhance your client’s experience of the finished project; a piece of advice on a related matter. Try to think, “How can we solve a small problem for a client quickly and with a higher perceived value?” You get the idea.
The trick is to train your staff to either look out for an opportunity to implement your MVA and report back what they did. Make it part of your company culture and require your people to do it.
How do you think this might transform your company from just another tradie to one that people will talk about and be happy to refer to others. It can also help enhance the culture focus of your team members as they have to be aware of this requirement and over time will (hopefully) do it instinctively. All for little or no cost. All it takes is a bit of thought and consistent application.
Let me know what your MVA is, or will become. I would love to hear what you have come up with and how and when you use it. Email me at andy@tradescoach.co.nz or visit my website at www.tradescoach.co.nz
Andy Burrows
Owner
The Trades Coach