How Ken Quit Attracting Small Jobs And Landed Quality Refurbishments For His Construction Business.
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Here’s the video for your viewing pleasure…
MENTIONED IN THIS VIDEO:
• Ideal Clients
• Logo Design
• Branded Vehicle Graphics
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Here’s what we chatted about in the video…
Introduce yourself and your Trade.
My name's Ken of Safer Property Group.
We're bathroom installation specialists based in North London.
Running a busy trades business is difficult.
There is a lot of planning that's involved.
Planning when a job is going to start and planning certain materials to be on site at the right time, because if it's not, obviously it has a knock-on effect for other jobs.
BRAND & MARKETING.
WHAT WERE YOU STRUGGLING WITHIN YOUR CONSTRUCTION BUSINESS?
Before working with Marshmallow, problems that my company was experiencing was being labelled as an all-round trade and not bathroom specialist.
With the branding that Marshmallow created when we worked together, it really got our target market of clients that are looking for bathroom refurbishments rather than just handyman work.
WHO WAS MANAGING YOUR BRAND & MARKETING BEFORE YOU MET US?
Before I started working with Marshmallow, all my marketing was basically just done by me.
My previous logo and any branding was just made by myself, with next to pennies.
There was no professional eye on that side of the business.
HOW DID YOU FIND MANAGING YOUR BRAND & MARKETING YOURSELF?
So I found that pretty stressful.
Because obviously I didn't know what I was doing and you are just always questioning whether you’re doing the right thing.
HOW DID YOU COME TO KNOW
ABOUT US?
I came to know about Marshmallow through a business networking group.
And also one of my close friends, who is also a tradesman, used Marshmallow to do a whole rebrand and vehicle graphics.
YOUR FRIEND HAS GREAT TASTE.
Marshmallow helped me with the Ideal Client Workshop, the rebranding of the company and the branded vehicle graphic design for my construction business.
GOOD STUFF. WHAT’S AN IDEAL CLIENT WORKSHOP?
The Ideal Client Workshop was an interview on working out who my ideal client is.
The main thing it helped me to do was realise that I am trying to target bathroom work rather than general construction work.
It made me think like a specialist in bathroom refurbishment.
WHY WAS THIS IMPORTANT TO KNOW FOR YOUR BATHROOM REFURBISHMENT BUSINESS?
Before I was doing bathroom refurbishment I was more of a handyman.
Just carrying out general maintenance on properties, so a lot of smaller jobs.
I preferred the transformation that a full bathroom refurbishment gives to a client.
It's not life changing but it's a big change to their property, and it makes them a lot happier to have a new bathroom.
SO, THE IDEAL CLIENT WORKSHOP HELPED YOU REALISE WHAT TO FOCUS ON IN YOUR BUSINESS?
Yes.
It's more enjoyable doing bathrooms than doing smaller jobs.
And obviously the profit side is a lot better.
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE US OVER ANY OTHER BRAND AND MARKETING COMPANY?
I chose to work with Marshmallow rather than any other design, brand and marketing company because they specialise in working with construction.
They know what design is needed to attract attention.
The right attention.
SO IDEAL CLIENT WORKSHOP DONE.
WHAT WAS THE NEXT STEP?
After the Ideal Client Workshop, Marshmallow was concentrating on rebranding my company.
Making sure that it's very obvious that it’s a bathroom refurbishment company with the logo being designed like a tile.
AND. WHAT’S THE VERDICT?
I completely love my new brand!
I can see it staying with the company for many, many years to come and hopefully when it’s expanded, it's a real known logo when it is seen.
HOW DOES YOUR NEW BRANDING COMPARE TO YOUR OLD DESIGNS?
This new branding is just second to none.
Compared to the old one - if you put them side by side they just look like 2 different companies.
Having a graphic designer do the branding rather than attempting to do it yourself, like I did on my previous attempt…there’s no words.
Apart from amazing.
WHAT DIFFERENCE IS THIS MAKING TO YOUR BATHROOM REFURBISHMENT BUSINESS?
It's definitely attracted my ideal client.
I've seen the actual change that it has made.
It just looks so much more professional on the van and on the branded vehicle graphics.
When you turn up it just gives you a much better image than just the white van man.
Which is what, in the Ideal Client Workshop, we were trying to get away from.
I'm improvising here, I'm smashing this!
LOGO DESIGN & NEW BRAND NAILED. WHERE DID WE GO NEXT?
After the rebranding, I obviously explained that my van needs graphics.
And I had a vision of what I wanted.
So my first impression was just ‘wow,’ that's exactly what I expected!
Even while Marshmallow were working on the design, I sent a picture from Google of a van that I liked.
Funnily enough the designer came back saying that ‘we're actually doing this style design’, even though we didn't speak about doing it like this beforehand.
It's like they already knew!
Like our brains connected.
And they knew what I wanted to achieve and that it married in perfectly.
WHAT RESULTS HAVE YOU ACHIEVED WITH YOUR NEW BRANDED VEHICLE GRAPHICS?
It’s given my business a much more professional image.
Turning up to a potential client it could help with winning the job, as well as being parked outside my house.
Now my neighbours, even though I may not have spoken to them much, can see what I do without having to ask.
I think the main thing it has helped is where before clients may not have even contacted.
They may have looked at a website or Facebook page or Social Media and then think the business isn’t ‘proper’, whereas now, it’s really bad English, but they look ‘proper’.
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE US OVER A SIGNAGE COMPANY TO DESIGN & BRAND YOUR VEHICLE?
The main reason I used the branding company to do the branded vehicle graphics was because of the Ideal Client Workshop.
The whole design of the van was based around that.
There's a lot of work that goes into the creation from Marshmallow, to make sure that it is targeted to your ideal client.
Rather than what a sign company may do.
They know how to install it onto the van, but just not how to design it to target the right market.
When people ask where did I get my van done, I tell them I had a special designer actually design it.
And then maybe it makes them realise the importance.
Well, it made me realise.
That's the way you have to go about it to look very professional and not just like any other van on the road.
I still have yet to see a van that looks like mine.
WHY DO YOU THINK IT’S IMPORTANT TO GET YOUR BRANDING SPOT ON FOR YOUR CONSTRUCTION BUSINESS?
It gives me more chance of winning a job.
Because there's a lot of competition isn't there.
When we're quoting a job, it gives me a better chance that I've turned up to that client's house, they’re seeing my branding, they’re seeing my van, they’re seeing my work.
It all comes together to help you to convert that quote into an actual job.
HOW HAVE WE HELPED?
I'd say my overall conclusion of how Marshmallow helped my business is just the whole professional image and targeting.
That we are experts in bathroom refurbishments.
We’re strong competition.
HAVE WE HELPED STOP ATTRACTING THE WORK YOU DON’T WANT IN YOUR CONSTRUCTION BUSINESS?
Yes.
Marshmallow has helped cut out the previous smaller jobs that we used to do that we don't want anymore.
We target the work that we know we can do and that’s the work that we want.
THOUGHTS ON OUR QUALITY OF WORK AND SERVICE IN BRAND AND MARKETING FOR CONSTRuCTION?
Very high end.
Which is what we were looking to achieve.
Our branding reflects the way Marshmallow actually works.
WOULD YOU RECOMMEND US TO OTHER TRADE & CONSTRUCTION BUSINESSES?
Marshmallow understand problems that trades go through every day.
I'd definitely recommend Marshmallow to other trades businesses.
The reason why is just because they know exactly what is needed to achieve the correct branding for a trades business.
There's a lot of competition and standing out is definitely a key thing.
SINCE WORKING WITH US, WHAT’S BEEN YOUR BIGGEST WIN FOR YOUR BATHROOM REFURBISHMENT BUSINESS?
My biggest win since working with Marshmallow is I actually managed to win the largest bathroom job I’ve ever done to date.
FINALLY. WORDS TO DESCRIBE MARSHMALLOW…
Understanding.
On a level.
No fluff.
No bullshit.
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