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Every year, 12% of household water use is lost to leaks. That means plumbing is among the most in-demand commercial and residential services.
While starting a plumbing business is an excellent idea, your firm’s success will depend on customer satisfaction and how well you manage your company.
But there is no reason to worry. Understanding the common business mistakes that most plumbers make can help you avoid them and succeed where others fail.
Five common business mistakes plumbers make
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Inconsistency in the invoicing process
Inconsistent pricing, math errors, and messy estimation paperwork are among the most common mistakes that many plumbers make. While these errors may seem trivial, the truth is that they can lead to insufficient budget allocation, cause conflict with clients, and possible losses for your business.
Fortunately, if you are not pricing plumbing work correctly, you can use plumbing estimate software to ensure your estimates are always priced accurately. Besides improving accuracy, these solutions will help you save time, impress clients, and ensure business growth.
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Unprofessional technicians.
The success of a plumbing business will largely depend on the technicians you hire. Hiring the wrong people will set you up for unending customer complaints and losses due to improper servicing or faulty installation.
For that reason, you need to hire the right professionals with vast experience in the plumbing field. More importantly, strive to train and groom your technicians to look and act professionally. Invest in employee uniforms and badges for identification, so clients will perceive yours as a serious business owner.
Moreover, make sure they understand the importance of approaching customers with sheer professionalism while maintaining a friendly touch. The more professional your technicians look and act, the higher your sales will be.
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Untrained customer support team
The customer support staff are among the most overlooked workers in most businesses. But they are the face of your plumbing company.
When potential customers call, they expect fast responses from someone who understands their plumbing issues and will decide whether or not to hire your company based on the customer experience. Therefore, you should train your customer support team to help them understand common plumbing issues that your clients face.
Remember, you do not get second chances to make the best first impression. So, your support staff should be the best.
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Poor and inconsistent marketing
Using the same marketing approaches is another common mistake that plumbers make.
Just because you posted high profits the previous season doesn’t mean using the same marketing strategy will guarantee the same or even better results this season. In other words, you should never get satisfied with or slow down your marketing efforts.
Instead, you need to keep looking for ways to retain customers and attract new ones by adopting better marketing techniques. Whether you use social media or paid search advertising, understanding your target market and using optimized marketing strategies will help you drive leads and convert more sales.
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Failure to appreciate customers
Customers are the highest prized assets of any business. You need them for your plumbing company to thrive.
Therefore, appreciate and show them how valuable they are to you. Whether you use “thank you” cards, discounts, or gift hampers, appreciating customers will give them reasons to keep coming back to you.
Final thoughts
If you own or are looking to start a plumbing company, it is crucial to understand that succeeding in any business is a process, not an event. You have to keep learning, improving your efforts, and going out of your way to avoid common mistakes that others.
