Referral Business, How does it work?
I'm starting this thread in hopes to find out how they got to be a referral only company or one man shop. I've asked the question a few times without any replies. There must be a certain set of criteria or it may be a very local thing where its even possible because I think there's somehow there's some sort of advertisement in there unless you only do big jobs for general contractors and not really service work or remodels where you need a steady influx of customers. Feel free to add questions for those of you who don't work on referrals alone.
1) How is it possible to work solely on referrals, people gossip like mad and spread your name? Or all the other plumbers are bad?
2) Do you have any form of advertisement?
3) Are your rates cheaper than everyone else? Is that why they call you back or refer you?
4) What is the competition like, a few plumbing contractors in your area or like me close to 100 companies (Population of 300 000)?
5) How did you get to a point where you work only for customers who were referred?
6) In the beginning did you advertise and you took jobs from new customers?
7) How did it get to a point where there was so much gossiping you stopped advertising or having a website etc.
8) Now do you only take a return customer or accept a new customer if he was referred from a previous one?
9) Do you work only a few 1 hour jobs a week or take only large paying jobs or you have so many calls you work full time all week?
10) What service field do you provide : residential service, residential reno/remodel, commercial, Institutional, Industrial, drain cleaning?
11) If you take only a few jobs since it's referral only do you make a comfortable living or is it supplementing your pension, insurance payment, or your significant other is making the big bucks and you don't need a lot of money, etc?
I'm starting this thread in hopes to find out how they got to be a referral only company or one man shop. I've asked the question a few times without any replies. There must be a certain set of criteria or it may be a very local thing where its even possible because I think there's somehow there's some sort of advertisement in there unless you only do big jobs for general contractors and not really service work or remodels where you need a steady influx of customers. Feel free to add questions for those of you who don't work on referrals alone.
1) How is it possible to work solely on referrals, people gossip like mad and spread your name? Or all the other plumbers are bad?
2) Do you have any form of advertisement?
3) Are your rates cheaper than everyone else? Is that why they call you back or refer you?
4) What is the competition like, a few plumbing contractors in your area or like me close to 100 companies (Population of 300 000)?
5) How did you get to a point where you work only for customers who were referred?
6) In the beginning did you advertise and you took jobs from new customers?
7) How did it get to a point where there was so much gossiping you stopped advertising or having a website etc.
8) Now do you only take a return customer or accept a new customer if he was referred from a previous one?
9) Do you work only a few 1 hour jobs a week or take only large paying jobs or you have so many calls you work full time all week?
10) What service field do you provide : residential service, residential reno/remodel, commercial, Institutional, Industrial, drain cleaning?
11) If you take only a few jobs since it's referral only do you make a comfortable living or is it supplementing your pension, insurance payment, or your significant other is making the big bucks and you don't need a lot of money, etc?
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