Where Your Next Customers Come From

Start with what you already have

Past customers are your cheapest source of work. Someone who was happy with you last year will use you again or tell a neighbour, if they remember you and if you ask. Ask for the recommendation at the end of every job.

The main sources, and what they take

• Word of mouthFree, trusted, and slow to build. Speed it up by asking happy customers directly and by leaving a few business cards or a fridge magnet.
• Google and the map listingFree to set up. It brings in people who need someone now, which suits most trades.
• Your websiteBacks up everything else. People check it before they ring.
• Local social media groupsFree, good for small jobs, and reputation matters because everyone sees how you reply.
• Directories and lead sitesSome charge a monthly fee, some charge per lead, some sell the same lead to several tradesmen. Work out the cost for each job you actually win before you commit.
• Leaflets and van signsCheap, slow, and best in the streets you already work in. A neighbour of a finished job is the best audience you will find.

Work out what each lead costs

Pick a month, add up what you spent on a source, and divide by the jobs it brought in. A £40 monthly listing that wins two jobs is good value. A £90 lead fee that wins you a job in one in five is not. If you do not track it, you cannot tell.

Track where enquiries come from

Ask every new customer how they found you and write it in the same place each time: a notebook, a note on your phone, a column in a spreadsheet. After two or three months you will know what to keep and what to drop.

Be careful with promises

Do not claim to be "the cheapest", "fully insured" or "approved" unless you can prove it. Misleading adverts are covered by consumer protection law and the Advertising Standards Authority, and a complaint over a false claim is easy to avoid.