Special offers

[Millsy 82]

Does anybody do special offers if so what do you do?

I am trying to get my name about a bit more and thought a nice little offer will help get me through the front door so to speak.

When I first set up I did a half price boiler servicing and got a few jobs off of it. But I keep hearing a local company offering cash back on boiler changes exactly like British gas, Now I dont charge as much as them anyway but I was thinking of doing something like a free magnaclean with every boiler as an example. (At the moment they have a nice offer on at plumb center duotec 24 flue and magnaclean for about £645+vat so I wouldnt lose out)

 

[rocketmanbkk]

Special offers are ok but you still gotta earn.

You can't go head to head with the big boys

It's a difficult one when there's people quoting & completing jobs for a tenner an hour here & £20 quid there.

Can you offer a free service after a boiler install? Free safety check after a certain time? What I wouldnt want to do if offer something that is time consuming as if you get busy you're going to be visiting for free & if you don't do what you say then you're unreliable!!

Not an easy one but I wouldn't go down the 'gimmick' path like say estate agents do & post a discount £100 voucher in your door as it just goes in their bill!

I'd be interested to know what works.

If you're thinking out of the box you could offer a meal for 2 at a restaurant to the value of £xx amount & strike a deal with a local place? Trips to Paris on each full install, loads of stuff you could do but what do people want? Id say to save money & get value for money

What are your ideas? Anything?

 

[hammers4spanner]

I offer cheap outside taps at 50 quid gets me I doors to do other bits .

As for boilers I have a magnacleanse that I push and most with a brain like the idea of using it . Boiler changes tho are a mare to be honest as always some tool that pushes for some cheap install.I always push that it's installed properly and the magna is used to help give a good clean to system .

 

[Plumbstar Tom]

Problem is, most customers won't know what a magna clean is, what it does and the value of it. I like the above one.

Paris trips and restaurants are just hassle in my eyes to keep on to top of. free service sounds good though

Especially as we are getting into the summer months where people would benefit them. do a good job there, leave a swing tag on the internal stopcock and leave them your business card.

 

[Scott_D]

A combi boiler swap with 7 years warranty from £@@@@
Based on the price of that boiler pack and your labour for a straight swap. When you go to quote condense, upgrading gas, new controls etc can be extra.

The only trouble is you will probbly get calls from all the people you want to avoid

 

[newcastle phill]

Try harder with plumbs.
I bought 2 last week and they were 593 + vat.
Come with Hoz flue kit. Adey magna and chemicals.
I know there was a price increase due but havent been in since.
Im trying to buy in some bargain basment vokeras from plumbs. Just waiting for a price back to see what i can advertise them at.
They do them as a pack too.
Works out alot less than the eco elites but they have just gone upto 5 years.
Some punters care some dont. They just want a boiler

 

[hammers4spanner]

A combi boiler swap with 7 years warranty from £@@@@
Based on the price of that boiler pack and your labour for a straight swap. When you go to quote condense, upgrading gas, new controls etc can be extra.

The only trouble is you will probbly get calls from all the people you want to avoid

exactly

 

[WaterTight]

I offer cheap outside taps at 50 quid gets me I doors to do other bits .

that's not particularly cheap even with the tap included!

but the outside tap is a good one, loads of people have said it before. it takes 5 mins and never goes wrong.

 

[WaterTight]

well, never say never. combing your hair could go wrong in this job.

 

[lame plumber]

I offered to repair an ecotec flashing f75 tonight against replacing it with a new boiler which the large companies techie suggested, when he couldnt id the fault. NB for once it wasnt BG, so arrived, turned on HW and it fired up, ch didnt work, cleaned the pressure sensor, popped it in and off the boiler went ( jammy I know, but didnt have a replacement in the van), customer v impressed, paid cash and off home I went. My offer cost me nothing and gained me an impressed new customer

 

[plumben]

If it was me i'd offer free magna clean or tf1 with every boiler over X amount and just buy it out of your mark up

 

[wattsie1987]

that's not particularly cheap even with the tap included!

but the outside tap is a good one, loads of people have said it before. it takes 5 mins and never goes wrong.

£50 is a bargain! Quality materials are about £20 picking the parts up fuel getting there. Takes at least half hour to fit all for about £22 after tax and ni...... Very cheap!

 

[Millsy 82]

Ive done the boiler from x amount and that worked well and I'm currently having leaflet printed up with exactly that, I found a lot of people knew that the boiler advertised would be carp and always listened to me when I recommended upgrading to a duotec or platinum.

What it is about is getting my name out and about, as people say the best form of advertising is reputation and I have a good reputation but I don't have the customer base for that reputation to build up into enough work, so an offer that will cost me a relatively small amount but will gain me that little bit more reputation is worth the loss that comes with it. (If that makes any sense whatsoever)

 

[Millsy 82]

Try harder with plumbs.
I bought 2 last week and they were 593 + vat.
Come with Hoz flue kit. Adey magna and chemicals.
I know there was a price increase due but havent been in since.
Im trying to buy in some bargain basment vokeras from plumbs. Just waiting for a price back to see what i can advertise them at.
They do them as a pack too.
Works out alot less than the eco elites but they have just gone upto 5 years.
Some punters care some dont. They just want a boiler

I do get them a bit cheaper than what I said but couldn't remember what the last price I got was as it's not very often I fit 24kw. But as I was saying I can advertise a free magnetic filter and not lose a penny and customer thinks they are getting a bargain.

 

[Millsy 82]

I offered to repair an ecotec flashing f75 tonight against replacing it with a new boiler which the large companies techie suggested, when he couldnt id the fault. NB for once it wasnt BG, so arrived, turned on HW and it fired up, ch didnt work, cleaned the pressure sensor, popped it in and off the boiler went ( jammy I know, but didnt have a replacement in the van), customer v impressed, paid cash and off home I went. My offer cost me nothing and gained me an impressed new customer

I get what your saying but you have the reputation built up over time and I am going against the likes of yourself when I have little reputation due to moving area before setting up.

In an ideal situation I wouldn't do the offering and if I didn't have to advertise then I wouldn't but it's just that thing to get my foot in the door.

 

[Ray Stafford]

A few thoughts.

Set aside one evening a week, and offer evening boiler services (or weekend). Advertise that in the middle priced areas, where there is a fair chance both partners work. Charge a premium - you are saving them from taking a day off work.

Offer a fixed price for a fixed period - say two hours work for £50 (materials extra). Lots of people have minor plumbing jobs around the house that need doing - a weeping trap, dripping tap, or a bit of silicon that needs replacing, but they never get round to dealing with it, partly because they fear the price. Knowing that they might get two or three little jobs done for £50+ materials might just tempt them.

A guy I know used to offer a lifetime warranty on smoke alarms, even the battery. It sounds stupid, but he used to carry some cheap batteries in the van, and would drop by and replace them on demand. He reckons that for every three "free battery" stops, he got one new job or recommend.

A "plumbing health check" for £50 (or even for free) when done with your boiler service . You can find as many things to report that need fixing as you like!

Most important of all - some magnetic cards to stick to the boiler casing / fridge so they remember your number.

 

[WaterTight]

£50 is a bargain! Quality materials are about £20 picking the parts up fuel getting there. Takes at least half hour to fit all for about £22 after tax and ni...... Very cheap!

I thought he meant replacing a pre-existing. A new install for £50 is dirt cheap, yes.

 

[REDSAW]

i put on back of business card- 10% off next job if you pass this business card to a freind, got fair few referals but strangely, no one has mentioned it lol

 

[WaterTight]

i put on back of business card- 10% off next job if you pass this business card to a freind, got fair few referals but strangely, no one has mentioned it lol

I guy I subbed to put '10% off labour with this card' on his cards. Loads of people redeemed the offer. ALWAYS after I'd already written out and presented them with the bill with just a total price. I then had to work out what the hell I was charging for labour while they were standing there.

 

[Millsy 82]

I guy I subbed to put '10% off labour with this card' on his cards. Loads of people redeemed the offer. ALWAYS after I'd already written out and presented them with the bill with just a total price. I then had to work out what the hell I was charging for labour while they were standing there.

That's so you couldn't add the 10% on before you took it off. Lol.

 

[REDSAW]

That's so you couldn't add the 10% on before you took it off. Lol.

your quick.lol

 

[Millsy 82]

A few thoughts.

Set aside one evening a week, and offer evening boiler services (or weekend). Advertise that in the middle priced areas, where there is a fair chance both partners work. Charge a premium - you are saving them from taking a day off work.

Offer a fixed price for a fixed period - say two hours work for £50 (materials extra). Lots of people have minor plumbing jobs around the house that need doing - a weeping trap, dripping tap, or a bit of silicon that needs replacing, but they never get round to dealing with it, partly because they fear the price. Knowing that they might get two or three little jobs done for £50+ materials might just tempt them.

A guy I know used to offer a lifetime warranty on smoke alarms, even the battery. It sounds stupid, but he used to carry some cheap batteries in the van, and would drop by and replace them on demand. He reckons that for every three "free battery" stops, he got one new job or recommend.

A "plumbing health check" for £50 (or even for free) when done with your boiler service . You can find as many things to report that need fixing as you like!

Most important of all - some magnetic cards to stick to the boiler casing / fridge so they remember your number.

It's not really the small jobs I want to hit but the mid range jobs like 2-5 day jobs.

I do tend to get quite a few small jobs as nobody seems to want to do them around me but I don't get enough to make a profit just to keep me ticking over if I can get 2 full days installing a week then I can start to earn money.

 

[Millsy 82]

your quick.lol

I'm not that daft you see. Lol.

 

[REDSAW]

It's not really the small jobs I want to hit but the mid range jobs like 2-5 day jobs.

I do tend to get quite a few small jobs as nobody seems to want to do them around me but I don't get enough to make a profit just to keep me ticking over if I can get 2 full days installing a week then I can start to earn money.

bit like a shop in a back street...not much passing trade!!

 

[Millsy 82]

bit like a shop in a back street...not much passing trade!!

Yeah spot on really do need to drag a few customers my way.

 

[hammers4spanner]

It's not really the small jobs I want to hit but the mid range jobs like 2-5 day jobs.

I do tend to get quite a few small jobs as nobody seems to want to do them around me but I don't get enough to make a profit just to keep me ticking over if I can get 2 full days installing a week then I can start to earn money.

How many times a day does your phone ring ?

 

[hammers4spanner]

I thought he meant replacing a pre-existing. A new install for £50 is dirt cheap, yes.

It is cheap however majority of the time when i am there i get asked do i offer gas services etc so 95% of the time i get a second job on the spot .

The 5% are just the tight ones

 

[Millsy 82]

How many times a day does your phone ring ?

This last week non stop but before that not enough. I believe a lot of that is to do with not advertising enough but I'm on top of that now so over the next month or so they will be going out.

I tend to get enough small jobs come through Checkatrade to cover my outgoings some weeks I get loads others sweet FA but a couple of days installing a week would ease up the money side of it.