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I’ve been talking to building firm mentor Simon Lazarus about using the re-start in a strange new world as a trigger to think bigger and better and move upmarket. In other words, avoiding going back to the same-old…

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Have the last few months given you time to review your business? Before the lockdown we knew of builders who were dissatisfied. They’d spent years watching other firms win work cheaply – work they know they’d have done a better job on. They were earning a wage not making a profit. Their weekends were spent visiting customers. Their evenings were spent quoting.

But now more than ever, with all that’s happening around us, they don’t want more of the same. After the recent Power Hour video chat I had with Simon, a building firm mentor of many years; business owners have expressed their interest in re-thinking the way they work.

If you want a 9-5 Monday to Friday week, with money in the bank, and a good, committed team around you, you’ll need a plan. And we can help your fightback – starting with three of the many tips Simon shared in the video call – which you can follow-up with him directly in a free one-hour business review.

#1 Climb out of the recommendation rut. Stop doing referral work that forces you to continue charging the same low price. Year on year you will make less and less money – unlike your suppliers and subbies…

#2 Go after a decent sized project and quote the full amount – all the materials (every last nail), labour, plant, wastage PLUS a percentage of your general running costs; the van, loans, insurances. Then add a proper profit margin.

#3 Take a deep breath. Deliver the quote. Promptly. Win the work on merit. Be professional. Show your insurance details. Explain your commitment to health & safety. Demonstrate your expertise. Make suggestions. Follow up.

As Simon explains in the video, it won’t be easy, there is no magic bullet, and it certainly won’t happen overnight. But you have to start somewhere. Over time you’ll be recommended, not as a good and cheap builder but as a good and trustworthy builder.

Get your plan right and it can be life changing. And don’t forget HBXL can help get the quote absolutely right with EstimatorXpress. Call the team on 0117 916 7898 to talk software.  To talk to Simon at the Better Business Group about his free session, call 01707 859900 or drop him a line at simon@thebbg.co.uk, don’t forget to mention HBXL! And let’s start the fightback. And to all the builders already with a profitable business and a private life – we salute you!