The Easiest Brand Idea You Can Use To Stand Out From Other Trade and construction companies.

One of the biggest challenges Trades face is ‘how can I stand out from my competition?’

I hear you.

There are already HUNDREDS of builders.

Or plumbers.

Or electricians. Or whatever Trade it is you specialise in.

In your local area alone!

All offering pretty much the same services as you - be it extensions (builders), boiler repairs (plumbers), electrical certificates (sparkies), you know the rest.

How in the name of Cristiano Ronaldo are you going to separate your Trades business from all the other ones nipping at your steel capped boots?

Let me share a little secret with you… 🔒

It's all in the detail.

What keeps us, your customers, coming back to the same Trades company?

Because those plumbers wore shoe covers when they came in and out of my house.

Because those builders had a branded company t-shirt made for my Builder-wannabe 5 year old.

Because these decorators hoovered the office so we could get our stuff straight back in and not lose any business hours.

These are all true statements by the way.

That I collected from happy clients of our Trades.

And yet NONE of these statements actually focus on the workmanship itself.

It goes without saying, you need to be great at what you do to level up your business.

That’s a given.

But if you want to stand out and be noticed, being great at what you do isn’t enough.

It's what you do that others aren’t doing.

How are you different?

And that always comes down to the finer details.

Gratitude and appreciation is a finer detail.

And has a huge effect on your brand.

We were all raised to know that good manners don’t cost a thing.

But how often do we stop and say ‘Thank You’.

Not enough probably.

As a business? Definitely not enough.

But it’s pretty powerful stuff.

Here's an easy idea on how your Trade company can stand out from your competition with a finer detail.

And it all centres around saying THANK YOU…

Give Branded Thank You Cards to every client in your Trades Business.

‘But we service tonnes of clients!’ – I hear you say (or cry).

Or, ‘this is going to cost a fortune!’

Hold tight.

This is much more doable than you think and will cost a whole lot less than you are imagining.

First up, let’s start with the why.

What does it matter if I send a branded Thank You Card (effectively a piece of paper) to a client after I’ve finished a job or not?

Well. Let me give you 7 reason as to EXACTLY why you should:

✅ Hardly any other Trades are doing it – means you stand out from your competitors in an instant. Ching ching ching!

✅ Shows gratitude and that you do not take your customers for granted. How greatly does that reflect your brand?

✅ Leaves a great ‘after taste’ when you’re long gone – reputation… winning!

✅ Creates brand awareness – who will visit their home/office and see that branded bad boy on the mantlepiece or office desk/noticeboard.

✅ Creates conversation starter around your Trades business - who will they show it to?

✅ Drives clients and customers to your website and social media platforms which can help get that all important traffic up. 🚥

✅ Can help encourage clients to leave you a shit hot review without you going about it in a sleazy way.

All this from a piece of card.

Pretty awesome piece of card, right?

I’m guessing now I have your full attention.

And now that I do, let’s talk about the specifics to make sure you get this right for your Trades business.

Let’s Talk about why the Design and Brand of Your Thank You Card is important.

No popping into Clinton Cards when you’re due a card to be sent to a client. Oh no.

That would be a wasted opportunity for your business.

I’m talking a fully branded, custom designed card created specifically for your Trades Business.

This comes back down to answering that age old question… ‘How do I stand out from my competitors?”

Bag yourself an epic designer who understands your industry inside out (subtle hint: we’re here if you need us) and get yourself a branded card designed, unique to you.

If you think about it, you only ever need get it designed once.

This could last the next 5, 10 or even 20 years of your business (though I’m sure you’ll get the bug and fancy the occasional refresh) – so it really is an investment.

💡 #TIP - Your designer should be able to manage all this for you, but if you print in bigger batches – say 250 a time - you will save a lot more money than if you just get 50 or so printed as and when you need them.

Also, think about all that extra time you’ll save getting on the phone and paying invoices to order the print on the regular. Time is money. 💰

‘So what about delivery costs?’ I hear you say. ‘I work with a lot of clients. The cost of stamps alone is giving me the willies!’

Well this is the best bit.

No delivery costs are required for these Thank You Cards!

Well. You are more than welcome to put each card into a stamped addressed envelope and make your way to the post box for an individual card, but that’s not what I had in mind.

You or your guys are on site anyway, right?

And as a Trade, you’re going to have a vehicle or two on the road?

Even if you don’t, you can pass a pile to each team member to keep safe (and clean!) in a separate part of their kit.

So when the job is all wrapped up, give the card then and there!

🤚🏾 You could hand it directly to the client before you leave. All those trips back and forth to the van – there will have been 30 seconds you can nip out to do the card.

📮 You could pop it through the letterbox after you’ve tided up and filled up the van before you drive off so they find it later.

💌 Or if your client isn’t present when you’ve finished, you could leave the card in a prominent place (provided the site is not a working-site where it is bound to get knocked or ruined by other Trades or work).

E.g. on the kitchen counter against a vase, first thing they see in the hallway or in the client’s main office.

There is no reason whatsoever why this cannot be done for every single customer.

Even if you are domestic Trade, with a high turn over of clients per week or even per day, can you spare 30 seconds to do a small task that will have a HUGE impact on your brand and help build your business?

I think you can.

Make it part of your process. Make it part of your team’s process.

And because you’ve had your Thank You card professionally designed by a shit hot design company like us, they will have ALSO designed the inside of your branded Thank You Card.

Meaning you do not have to worry about writing War and Peace in there.

A generic Thank You message will be written inside, leaving room for your Trades to write the client’s name up top and personally sign it off at the bottom.

Though if you want extra magic, encourage your team to leave a personal message on the inside cover e.g. ‘Hope Archie enjoys his new kitchen!’…  the customer’s beloved dog.

If you can make it personal, do it. In fact, I insist.

But a branded Thank You card with generic Thank You message inside will help solve any mind-blocks, should they rear their little heads, on a super busy day.

Quick Recap on how to nail your Trade Thank You Cards:

✅ Get yourself a unique, branded Thank You card - designed by a pro.

✅ Print a batch at once to keep costs down (your pro should be able to help).

✅ Keep a pile in each van/with each team member on the daily.

✅ Handwrite the card on site before the Trade leaves site.

✅ Hand it directly to the client, post through the letterbox or leave in a prominent place on site (if other works not going on) for when the client returns to find it.

Magic.

🍪 EXTRA BROWNIE POINTS: For using coloured envelopes that match your branding. 💥

Sorted.

We’ve talked about how to keep costs and workload around sending Thank You Cards to an absolute minimum.

You’re double busy. And we’re all about streamlining.

But it’s your reputation. And that’s important. So it’s worth it.

Meaning that now, there is zero excuse as to why you can’t get this going in your Trades business and for every single client… stat.

Even for our busy plumbers or gardeners who may serve multiple clients per day!

No excuse.

This idea has proved to suit every kind of Trade and every kind of Trade project – no matter how small – as the cost per card is often less than £1.

But what about for our clients who are spending big money with our Trades company and trusting us with far bigger projects?

What is fitting then?

Well. That brings me neatly onto our next idea…

Give Client Thank You Gifts for Larger Sized Projects from your Trade and construction Business.

We’ve uncovered the POWER of the branded Thank You card.

Hopefully you’re sold on that idea.

Regardless on the size of your company.

But we can definitely level up and go one better on showing our appreciation for our differing customer types.

Thank You Cards are fast, easy and cost effective.

Suitable for EVERY Trade (and every business for that matter).

But what when the price tag is considerably large or the job is larger than our average work?

Well, I think a thoughtful gift will do the trick.

Again, this doesn’t have to be complicated.

Here's a few ideas some of our Trade clients created to make sure their brand was unforgettable:

🪴 Our Artificial Lawn client, London Lawns, takes on a new project every week.

Every Friday he gives a branded box of cupcakes to the client as a Thank You gift.

Colin’s lawns range from £1k - £10k and this gift would cost him just £20.

His clients LOVE them!

He is the talk of the town for his client cupcakes and clients share images all over social media.

London Lawns became known for the cakes in the local community.

Such an easy and clever branded idea.

And the structured process he organised with the cake designer meant that he wouldn’t even need to call her each week to put in the order.

The order is on autopilot and he just picks them up every week on the way to his job come rain or shine!

Talk about cutting out the fluff.

What a WINNER for his Trades brand.

And they tasted EXCEPTIONAL. 🍰

👷🏾‍♂️ Our Construction client also took to cake as a Thank You gift.

Seems to be a popular trend with our Trades.

Their construction price tag per job is significantly higher than our Artificial Grass experts, London Lawns - naturally.

Specialising in bespoke luxury lofts and extensions, costs can range from £30k - £100k+.

So, a Thank You Gift of a more bespoke nature was better fitting for this client type.

This image shows the newly renovated home of Coronation Street actress, Angela Griffiths…

When this property was complete, our Construction client commissioned a bespoke cake to match their interior to be designed and presented on the new work tops.

Here’s the cake…

These bespoke, luxury cakes range from £120 - £300.

Which again, in terms of the money spent by the client, seems more fitting rather than just a branded Thank You card alone.

*Although for a Brucie Bonus, be sure to give a handwritten branded Thank You card along with your client gift too.

How did this Thank You Gift get more business for my construction client?

Well.

Because Angela took a photo with the cake as she loved it so much and put it on her Instagram – without being asked.

Thanking my client for the wonderful gift and once again, plugging their services.

💥 Boom. Marketing at it’s finest.

Your clients do not need to be celebrities for magic like this to happen.

Your clients may be influential in the community or have a big social media following.

Your thoughtful and fitting Thank You gift could end up on their Newsfeed, Stories or Lives (on their social media for those not in the know – I got you), getting your Trades brand in front of hundreds or even thousands of people without you lifting much of a finger.

Of course your client Thank You gift doesn’t have to evolve around cake.

Here's a few ideas you might like to consider:

🍷 Buddy up with a local wine company and create a branded hamper.

💐 A bouquet of flowers to go in a new home or office.

🍫 Chocolates.

🌳 Plants for the garden.

🧑🏾‍🍳 A catered chef for the evening (way to enjoy a new kitchen!).

🏟 Sports tickets.

The list is endless.

Bottom line. Think about your client.

What they would enjoy.

And try to theme it back to your business in some way, if possible.

Maybe, like London Lawns, you create a signature Thank You gift that all your clients receive.

Or maybe, like our construction client who only works on a few projects a year, the bespoke element of their Thank You gift is reflective of the bespoke nature of their work.

So having different gifts for every client is important.

The world is your oyster. Hmm. That would make an interesting gift.

And there we have it.

Say Thank You.

Do it creatively.

And make sure it becomes part of your brand.

THE EASIEST THING YOU CAN DO TO STAND OUT FROM OTHER TRADES RUNDOWN:

1. Send Thank You Cards to every client.
2. Give client Thank You Gifts for larger sized projects.

Need a little more help nailing your Trades Brand?

Course you do.

First. Let’s work out where you are with your Trades brand.
Got 3 minutes?

Take our Trades Quiz to discover how you score with all things ‘Off The Tools’.

We have heaps of tips, tricks and hacks for your Trades business in our cheat sheets, videos and ideas waiting for you on the other side… i.e. your results page.

So you can improve your score. And NAIL your Trades business.