To Do or Not to Do…Handyman Service - 3/22/2004 - Real Estate Home House Condo

To Do or Not to Do…Handyman Service

I am talking about handyman services. I suppose many remodelers are somewhat reluctant to admit it because of the stigma that still exists with the name “handyman services.” Some might dodge a direct answer when asked by a client and, instead, say, “We don’t have a service per se, but we do occasional small jobs for past clients.”

Call handyman service what you like. It doesn’t change what it is. And it shouldn’t be looked down upon.

It’s effective customer service (we do work in a service industry). It’s a good revenue source. It’s good business marketing (to be noticed and perceived as a “can do” business). And it’s a good source for business leads. Plain and simple, it’s just good business.

Admittedly, it takes some specialization and focus to make handyman services a major component of a company’s business plan and revenue stream. But regardless of what size the service plays in a business plan, it can generate revenue and bring additional value. After all, it gives contractors the opportunity to stay in touch with past clients — and what better source of referrals/leads exists than past clients?

Get Paid While Marketing Yourself

Handyman services also present a valuable way to essentially get paid to demonstrate your skills and competence to someone who might hire you for a “big” project. How many people buy their first vehicle without going for a test drive? Handyman services enable prospects to take the same type of trial run?

Now, I’m not advocating giving away services or even selling them at cost. Expect and plan for a reasonable profit. But why not use the service to make contacts, build mailing lists, promote the company in a neighborhood, meet prospects, strengthen ties with trade contractors, perhaps spin off a subdivision for more market saturation or more? In fact, more reasons exist to offer the service than not.

In some isolated cases, it just doesn’t fit, but in those instances it makes sense to have a (licensed, reputable) entity you can tap to “sub” out services. That way, your company’s name still comes to mind for all the services that both past customers and future prospects need when they wonder who to call for that job that’s just “too small” for a contractor to bother with.

I can trace a series of large, profitable projects I did for one company back to a single, small repair I performed about 14 years ago. The job was for a student who wanted some work done on his home. The whole job took just a few days and cost between $1,000 and $1,500. But from that job sprang — through relationship building — jobs over the next couple years totaling more than $250,000. Not bad, plus I got paid for the initial repair. So, even if it hadn’t developed into a quarter-million dollars worth of work, I still would have walked away with a profit on that job.

Handyman service has grown, both in size and need, since I took that small repair job. As the population ages (see information about Certified Aging-In-Place Specialists — CAPS), I receive more calls for smaller jobs and repairs from home owners who can’t, don’t want to or just don’t have the time to perform them themselves. And keep in mind that everyone knows someone else — and probably a few more — who might need help with a larger project.

So, stand up, form a self-help group and repeat after me: “Hi, my name’s Greg, and I do handyman services…”

Greg Miedema, CGR, CAPS, is president of Dakota Builders in Tucson, AZ. He is chair and founder of his local Remodelors™ Council, a member of the NAHB Remodelors™ Council Board of Trustees and currently serves as the chairman of the Remodelors™ Council Public Affairs Committee. The Southern Arizona Home Builders Association (SAHBA) has named Dakota Builders, Inc. Remodelor™ of the Year in 1998, 1999 and 2000. For more information, send him an e-mail.