# What is your competitive advantage?



## jamestrd (Oct 26, 2008)

BamBamm5144 said:


> I know there was one job I got where I was the 2nd most expensive and the lady told me the main reason she chose me is because of punctuality.
> 
> It seems like the most sensible things - showing up on time, answering phones, returning calls, doing what you said you'd do - rarely happen.


I too have had it said directly on an estimate.. Also being courteous if you are behind to let hem know in advance. 

I have alo been called "very thorough" in my estimating pointing out and offering to resolve issues.. I just look at it like more money


----------



## Stephen H (Feb 18, 2011)

BamBamm5144 said:


> I know there was one job I got where I was the 2nd most expensive and the lady told me the main reason she chose me is because of punctuality.
> 
> It seems like the most sensible things - showing up on time, answering phones, returning calls, doing what you said you'd do - rarely happen.


 Bam,
I have gotten MANY jobs over the years where the homeowner told me they chose me because my handwritten estimate was so neat they knew I would pay attention to the details.

I can't even begin to count the number of customers who have handed me checks over the years while remarking wistfully" you know-you are the ONLY guy who would even look at this project?"

in my current line of work I would guestimate that over half the time I am the only "bidder" and most of the other 50% of the time there will be,at best 1-2 other competitors.

for this reason I put zero effort into keeping my prices " competitive"
Stephen

message on my answering machine right now accepting a proposal I wrote on Monday which is about 16 man-days, which is a nice sized project for us.
stephen


----------



## olligator (Nov 23, 2007)

I would say my advantage is that I can offer better QOS than the other guy, and find solutions to problems that much of my competition can't or won't do. The punctuality, detail, etc., is part of all that too.

The more convoluted or technical the job, the more I'm interested in it because that automatically disqualifies a huge chunk of my competition. Be the guy that can do what the other guys can't do. Solve the problems they can't solve. Factor in superior QOS to that and the pool of competitors shrinks even further.

And I've learned to accept that sometimes the competition needs the money pit no margin cluster**** jobs more than I do!


----------



## Driftweed (Nov 7, 2012)

Speed, honesty, punctuality, fair price, communication.

Currently working 12 hr days cuz I said it would be done friday, and it will.

I'm a people person with a retarded work ethic. 20 hr days sometimes. I wish I could find help like me.

If someone calls me, I'm on it like stank on shiat.


----------



## flashheatingand (May 3, 2008)

It's not business, it's personal. Bigger outfits have employees and for the most part it's just a j-o-b. Every job I perform is a stepping stone in growing the business. Another natural advantage, is that I am a small outfit. Many of people call me for that exact reason. A lot of us are tired of the gimicky promotions, and just want someone to provide upfront, quality service.


----------



## Oconomowoc (Oct 13, 2011)

flashheatingand said:


> It's not business, it's personal. Bigger outfits have employees and for the most part it's just a j-o-b. Every job I perform is a stepping stone in growing the business. Another natural advantage, is that I am a small outfit. Many of people call me for that exact reason. A lot of us are tired of the gimicky promotions, and just want someone to provide upfront, quality service.


I agree with this also. Most people specifically call me because there's a tremendous amount of trust with me personally and they don't feel like a number. A one man shop, which both of us are, is a serious advantage.

Last night I replaced a water heater for an older lady. It was easy and very straightforward installation and normally would have taken me less than 2 hours but I spent about 3 1/2 hours. The reason why is I spent time talking to her and playing with the dog she got from a shelter. I've now done 4 service calls for her and in between those jobs she personally was responsible for getting me over $10k in work with her relatives and friends. No amount of marketing can replace that. If I had an employee do it the dynamics are completely different.

That's roughly $7k in billable labor in less than one year. That's one heck of a ROI. My investment was time & honesty.


----------



## diamondhills1 (Oct 16, 2012)

Try having your employees buy into the company in the form of profit sharing. If they can say "I am a partner" and not just an employee, they will be more likely to take that extra time and make a good impression. 

Quality of Service is just another way of saying "I'm as good as the next guy". Take a minute and look at what that means to your customer. A bathroom you can relax in. A roof over your Mustangs' hood. Peace of mind when it rains. Knowing I will be there to answer your call. Sell BENEFITS not FEATURES. Everyone features QOS. What does QOS mean to your customer?

I sell trust and I can't leave my projects because the customer won't let me. I have had only had two customers in three years and they have kept my family well fed and put my wife through college. I don't advertise. It is all about relationships. They know me and they don't want anyone else touching their house.


----------



## killerdecks (Apr 18, 2008)

I'm sure you do fine, but in Lander are there more than 2 customers?http://landerwyoming.org/about-lander/


----------



## stewart.knowles (Nov 20, 2010)

Apparently, showing up on time to write an estimate in Nashville is huge! We also offer guaranteed pricing which people seem to like, rather than the "I think its gonna run around $20,000, maybe $25,000"


----------



## larryb (May 23, 2008)

Twenty years of insurance investment experience


----------



## Millworker (Jan 17, 2013)

The fact that 90% of the work I see from people these days are hack jobs. I take pride in my work. No offense to anyone here but a ton of this work is performed by these guys that claim that "They do everything"

I don't do "everything" I specialize in one trade. Can I do others? You bet. But I will never be as good, as say a flooring guy who does flooring everyday.


----------



## Jaws (Dec 20, 2010)

Millworker said:


> The fact that 90% of the work I see from people these days are hack jobs. I take pride in my work. No offense to anyone here but a ton of this work is performed by these guys that claim that "They do everything"
> 
> I don't do "everything" I specialize in one trade. Can I do others? You bet. But I will never be as good, as say a flooring guy who does flooring everyday.


I wont paint, never been to good at finishing drywall or concrete. No one is perfect.


----------



## lawndart (Dec 3, 2006)

Jaws said:


> I wont paint, never been to good at finishing drywall or concrete. No one is perfect.


When me, and the wife bought our first house 11 years ago, she insisted I paint to save money. I explained to her I was not a good painter, that we should hire a painter to do it.

She argued with me for days and I relented. After 15 minutes or so she walked in to see how I was doing and yelled "STOP! CALL THE DAMN PAINTER".. He painted that house, and 2 more for me over the years. My wife learned her lesson.


----------



## lawndart (Dec 3, 2006)

Do any of you advertise the fact that your service is top notch, or do you tell them during the estimate?

I ask this question, because every ad my competitors run, I see the same catch phrases like:

RELIABLE
HONEST/TRUSTWORTHY
IN BUSINESS FOR ## YEARS
QUALITY CRAFTSMANSHIP
LOWEST PRICES
ETC.....

It's all over the place, on their websites, print ads, tv commercials, etc.... While I agree that all of the above is important, I'm not sure that sameness makes the customer pick up the phone.


----------



## lawndart (Dec 3, 2006)

On a side note, I also realize that all markets are different, and some of you are working in smaller rural areas, where reputation is very important. However my business is competing in a 25 square mile area with thousands of competitors.

Lets face it, any good business that delivers outstanding service will generate WOM leads, and my business does a great job with it also. However, I want more! Which is why we are always advertising. I'm just looking for a way to stand out from my competition so that I'm not wasting advertising dollars while trying to lure in new clients.


----------



## pinwheel (Dec 7, 2009)

lawndart said:


> Do any of you advertise the fact that your service is top notch, or do you tell them during the estimate?
> 
> I ask this question, because every ad my competitors run, I see the same catch phrases like:
> 
> ...


I don't advertise much. My trailer is lettered, my truck is letterd, I run a weekly spot on the radio for name recognition.

What I do do, is during the walk through, is ask them how many past clients they'd like to speak with about my work. I'm never shy about dropping names of past clients they may know & offer to get them into their homes to see our work. I also encourage them to ask the same of any others bidding against us.


----------



## black95gt (Nov 25, 2012)

As a new builder coming into existence, I too am looking at this very question asking myself "Why is someone going to hire me, the new guy that has no reputation over the seasoned builder down the street? " Unless i am going to pull the salesman move and feed the potential client with a bunch of BS warm fuzzys telling them that I do quality work, give the best prices, show up on time, yada yada yada; then there probably isnt a good reason to hire me over the seasoned veteran.

The best marketing tools out there are "time" and "reputation" . I have lived in my area my entire life. When I need something done, i call the guy thats been around forever and has a good reputation. I dont call the guy that i have never heard of. 

For me, there are two ways that i am going to break into this market and build my reputation. The first is by building Spec Homes. I have gotten arguably the best real estate agent in my area on board with me to market my homes. I know she has dozens of buyers looking for homes. I am going to encourage her to bring clients by during the building phases in which i can show them some of the quality features that the house is going to have and why the value and quality of the house being built is better than the next one they go look at. When her clients meet me and see the work that I do, they may use me in the future or at least tell their friends about me.


----------



## Roofcheck (Dec 27, 2011)

I find rarely do customers contact my references even though I list 20 and many are side by side neighbors. The reason I find they don't contact references is the time I spend with the potential customer.


----------



## SSC (Feb 8, 2011)

Roofcheck said:


> I find rarely do customers contact my references even though I list 20 and many are side by side neighbors. The reason I find they don't contact references is the time I spend with the potential customer.


How much time?


----------



## SSC (Feb 8, 2011)

stewart.knowles said:


> Apparently, showing up on time to write an estimate in Nashville is huge! We also offer guaranteed pricing which people seem to like, rather than the "I think its gonna run around $20,000, maybe $25,000"


I'd be interested in hearing how that works. Is that for Remodeling or new construction?


----------



## maxwage (Nov 25, 2012)

My competitive advantage is using proper e-grammar, just as I would use proper grammar in real life.


----------



## joethepainter (Dec 1, 2012)

I think our biggest competitive advantage is that I don't ask for any money until a job is complete, cleaned up, and I ask the customer if they are satisfied with the job performed. Then and only then, do I ask them money. Never upfront, never a draw.


----------



## Jaws (Dec 20, 2010)

joethepainter said:


> I think our biggest competitive advantage is that I don't ask for any money until a job is complete, cleaned up, and I ask the customer if they are satisfied with the job performed. Then and only then, do I ask them money. Never upfront, never a draw.


What size jobs?


----------



## joethepainter (Dec 1, 2012)

Up to 15K. I can understand some trades not doing this for the huge material costs. In my trade (painter) a lot of guys think they can buy a brush and they are a painter though. My typical job is around $7500 with about 1200-1500 in materials. It is just an insurance to my clients that if they aren't happy, I didn't cost them a penny.

I have never not been paid.


----------



## lawndart (Dec 3, 2006)

I know this thread is old but, I'd like to give an update 3 years later.

My company offers floor sanding and refinishing services using UV finishes. We can sand and finish a floor fully cured ready to live on in 1-2 days max. In addition to that the finishes are extremely durable and leave behind no odors.

My competition is still offering traditional oil and waterborne finishes that take weeks to fully cure and leave behind nasty odors. I'm offering a unique service that nobody in my market has. 

It's allowed me to book a tremendous amount of work and double my rates the last 3 years. That is a competitive advantage IMO.


----------



## Calidecks (Nov 19, 2011)

I asked a lady the other day why she chose my company. She said "oh I called three guys one just didn't show, call or anything, the other was a foreign guy in flip flops and he borrowed a tape measure from me. 

Not sure, but I don't really have to do anything to set myself apart. My competition sets themselves apart from me.


----------



## Youngin' (Sep 16, 2012)

Californiadecks said:


> I asked a lady the other day why she chose my company. She said "oh I called three guys one just didn't show, call or anything, the other was a foreign guy in flip flops and he borrowed a tape measure from me.
> 
> Not sure, but I don't really have to do anything to set myself apart. My competition sets themselves apart from me.


Isn't it great that they do the heavy lifting for you? :laughing:


----------



## Golden view (Feb 16, 2012)

Californiadecks said:


> I asked a lady the other day why she chose my company. She said "oh I called three guys one just didn't show, call or anything, the other was a foreign guy in flip flops and he borrowed a tape measure from me.
> 
> Not sure, but I don't really have to do anything to set myself apart. My competition sets themselves apart from me.


Sometimes it seems too easy.


----------



## Pearce Services (Nov 21, 2005)

I am disappointed that I never replied to this post 2 years ago, I would love to see if i still held the same opinion on what distinguishes us. 

I think I might go back to my first posts (10 years ago) to see how far I have come and how much CT members contributed to my progress.

There is a whole lot of talented guys that have contributed throughout the years, Many of them are invisible now.


----------



## sailfish27 (Jan 25, 2014)

When I first joined CT there was a member who If I recall correctly was getting ready to retire. It sounded like he had a lot of success running multiple crews building decks. When asked how he did so well he listed some of the things his company does to distinguish themselves. The two that made a lot of sense to me and that I always try to abide by are:

Don't cheat and keep a clean jobsite. 

I wouldn't call this my competitive advantage but a couple of ways that I believe helped in creating a good reputation and referrals.


----------



## NYgutterguy (Mar 3, 2014)

Small family business that's still completely hands on. Competing against a pushy smooth talking salesman and guys that just send crews is an easy sell for me 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## lawndart (Dec 3, 2006)

Pearce Services said:


> I am disappointed that I never replied to this post 2 years ago, I would love to see if i still held the same opinion on what distinguishes us.
> 
> I think I might go back to my first posts (10 years ago) to see how far I have come and how much CT members contributed to my progress.
> 
> There is a whole lot of talented guys that have contributed throughout the years, Many of them are invisible now.


What's your competitive advantage Pearce? You'll still be able to come back in a few years to checkup on your progress lol


----------



## lawndart (Dec 3, 2006)

Many of you are listing qualities about your service that potential clients expect from a contractor and that's great. 

However, what can you do that truly makes your company unique?

I had this conversation with a buddy of mine in Atlanta 2 years ago also. He responded with the same answers most of you have.

Fast forward to today and Victor has 2 mobile kitchen and bathroom trailers that he places on the job site for his customers to use during the project. His business has tripled since.


----------



## WarnerConstInc. (Jan 30, 2008)

I am still handsome.


----------



## Golden view (Feb 16, 2012)

lawndart said:


> Fast forward to today and Victor has 2 mobile kitchen and bathroom trailers that he places on the job site for his customers to use during the project. His business has tripled since.


That's interesting. I've considered that.


----------



## tedanderson (May 19, 2010)

lawndart said:


> However, what can you do that truly makes your company unique?


I can put up with a client's bullcrap. People with deep pockets like to do things bass-ackwards because they think that they are smarter than me. I am very good at pandering to those clients who get upset when strange people are in their house creating dust and demolition. And lastly, I know how to bring them back into reality when they get too far out of line.


----------

