Are you a granite installer looking to expand your customer base and grow your business?
In the competitive world of home improvement, standing out and attracting more customers is essential for success.
This article will cover:
- Getting More Relationships & Referrals
- Getting Bigger & Long-term Contracts.
- Old & New Marketing Techniques That Work.
- Creating Solid Offers.
I've worked at lots of fabrication shops, all with their own unique strategies and targeting for customers. Some shops focused on less customers and very high quality, luxury homes while others focused on the quick and simple installs.
Here are five proven strategies to help granite installer companies increase their customer base and thrive in the market:
1. Real Estate Developers & Investors:
One of the Granite Shops I worked at was absolutely BOOMING while all the other shops were quite mediocre. They were paying on average $5 more per hour for fabricators and had as much overtime as you could handle. Their secret was contracting with real estate developers and investors that built houses, apartments, offices & hotels.
This process is pretty straight forward and has a dominating effect on competition.
But if you're in a small, slow growing city don't let that stop you. This shop would send employees nearly 6 hours away, template around 30 kitchens at once. Then we'd fabrication the jobs and send the installers out.
It was smooth as butter and increased the companies margins beyond the owners dreams. While the local competition was focused on remodeling residential houses he locked in 200+ apartments in one single contract that kept his shop busy for along time. To this day, the owner is still using this strategy and is absolutely dominating the granite countertop industry in the inland northwest.
But how do you find investors & developers to contract with?
Other then simply googling real estate developers and cold calling them, you can search for local investors at Connected Investors. They have a massive following ranging from residential real estate to commercial real estate.
As with any business, relationships are paramount in the success of your business. Call these investors and developers, offer competitive pricing, exceptional customer service & great quality. When in doubt, remember just one successful contract can change your company forever.
Keep building relationships and never give up.
Working with developers on Hotels, Apartments, Residential Housing & Commercial Properties can yield your Granite Shop Massive Profits and stability Long Term.
2. Invest in Online Marketing:
Nowadays, if your company doesn't have a website or a Social Media you don't exist. Gone are the days of just being in the phone-book.
does anyone even get phone-books anymore...?
- Website
- Social Media
- Photos
- Customer Reviews
- Repeat 2,3,4
The first thing people do when they're looking for a company is search google. If your granite shop isn't ranked on google or you don't have a website, your competition will always be the first opportunity to get a customer.
If you need a website, social media management & SEO you can increase your professional online presence using Your Site Samurai. I am also the creator of Your Site Samurai and have built many websites.
You don't need to pay tens of thousands of dollars for a website, many platforms are available and easy to use if you want to build a quick website yourself. Look into platforms like Squarespace, Wix or Buffer that offer competitive pricing.
Something is better then nothing. Make it look clean, professional and functional then grow from that point.
Social Media Marketing:
Social Media is another beast all together and can be overwhelming for companies.
You don't need to dominate every social media platform at once.
Start by creating a Facebook Page with your Company Name. From now on, make sure your Granite Installers take pictures once the job is completed. It's also great if the homeowner shows a smile proving a satisfied customer.
If you feel comfortable to create another social media platform you can work towards creating a LinkedIn, Twitter / X, Instagram and more.. But again, keep it simple it's better to have one really good social media account then 5 stagnant ones.
3. Offer Special Promotions:
Everyone loves a good deal, so consider offering special promotions or discounts to attract new customers. This could include discounted installation rates, free granite sealing every 6 months, or referral bonuses for existing customers who refer new business to you. Promotions can help incentivize potential customers to choose your company over competitors.
Offering free granite sealing every 6 months might seem like a hassle, but have someone in your marketing or sales department do it. It's cheap, easy and fast. This is a great opportunity for a sales person to meet with an existing customer for the opportunity to get a referral.
This is also related to marketing and the offers that're being promoted. Seasonal offers are always a winning approach like "Summer Sale", "New Years Blowout" or "20% Off NOW".
You might think these deals sound cliche but they work for a reason.
Lets use an actual example with a granite shop I worked at.
This shop was overflowing with remnants of various granite pieces, most of them were colors that people didn't like. Nonetheless we had to get rid of them in some way. So the sales department offered them all for free, that's right, free granite the customer only needed to pay for the fabrication hours and install with a little mark up for the shops profit.
This turned out to be a huge win-win for the company and the buyers looking for an affordable way to have granite. Most of the rems were only big enough for a single vanity so the stone markup wasn't going to be very profitable regardless.
What the shop really needed to achieve was making more room for full slabs.
It worked like a charm!
4. Provide Excellent Customer Service:
Building strong relationships with your customers is key to attracting repeat business and referrals. Communication is key and people are usually understanding of bad news, delays or if situations change. What people don't like is over promising and lacking communication. Provide excellent customer service from the initial inquiry to the completion of the project. Be responsive to inquiries, communicate clearly throughout the installation process, and follow up after the install is done to ensure customer satisfaction.
Obviously you can't please everyone and theirs bound to be a bad egg in any business but understanding your customers concerns and offering support can still lead you down the path of good reviews and referrals.
For more details on customer satisfaction and handling conversations check out this fantastic book from Amazon called A Complaint Is A Gift.
5. Direct Mail Marketing:
Regardless of social media and the power of the internet, the mail a dominating marketing approach that has be tested and proven over and over.
I love technology, but with the major Pros comes Major Cons.
Social Media is Notorious for Fake Likes, Fake Views & Spam.
But the mail will nearly always hit a REAL potential customer, even if they briefly glance at the offer and throw it away.. that's a real view, from a real person, from a real potential customer. Repetition is Key.
Create an offer, design a postcard and send it to a targeted demographic of homeowners in your area promoting your granite shop. Also look into Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM) at your local post office. It's an absolutely incredible marketing strategy if you know the neighborhoods you want to target for granite installs.
Adding a discount code to the postcards enables you to track your KPIs and customer acquisition results from your marketing efforts.
Keep in mind, repetition is key.. Don't be discouraged if you get no results from sending one post card to 1,000 people. It's better to send 5 different post cards to 200 people instead.
Also consider seasonal promotions when you're thinking about your marketing campaigns. Such as "Summer Sale" or "Thanksgiving Special" to show the urgency of your offer.
Check out a really great YouTube Channel on Postcard & EDDM Marketing here: High Response Marketing.
Conclusion:
I truly hope some or all of these strategies have opened up more opportunities for your granite shop.
Marketing is only the first step, the next and most important step is building relationships. Your customers are the life blood of your business. Treat them with care and provide a great service.
I have no doubt your granite shop will start BOOMING.
As always, feel free to reach out regarding Granite Fabrication Tools and Leave a Comment below on your thoughts on this article and what has helped your Granite Shop Grow.
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