Author Archives: JoAnn Dunker

What Does The Average Plumber Make?

Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters have some of the most in-demand jobs in the country today. Job opportunities for these trades are expected to rise through the 2020s at a rate of around 4% a year, mainly driven by new construction and the need to keep up older systems in residential and commercial structures.

Workers in these fields have a wide range of choice in where to work, the working environment they operate in, and the rates they can charge for specialty applications. New plumbers generally learn the trade with a lot of support from professional groups, while experienced plumbers can work as independent contractors with minimal upfront costs and overhead. Many of the most lucrative jobs for plumbers involve running a small business with little more than tools and a truck, though many of these operations eventually expand into franchises with dozens or hundreds of employees in multiple states.

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Want To Find Free Leads? Focus On Referrals

Lead generation can be tricky. Acquiring new customers costs time and money. Word-of-mouth customer referrals generate low-cost, highly qualified leads. Learn how we can help you manage your reputation and turn satisfied customers into organic promotors for your brand.

Homeowners are finding more referrals online. Know what’s being said about your business with CraftJack’s Reputation Manager.

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How To Create SMART Goals

No matter what type of business you run, it’s important to set goals. Your goals keep you focused on what you want to achieve and make it easier for employees to understand why their work is important. If you’re ready to start setting goals, keep reading to learn more about SMART goals and why you should use them.

CraftJack can help you reach your goals. Sign up today.

The SMART goals acronym stands for specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-based. Using the SMART framework is important to stay organized and give your team a sense of direction. Imagine what would happen if you set a generic goal like “get more customers.” The statement says nothing about how many new customers you want to get, how long you plan to focus on the goal, or whether your company is even capable of reaching the goal. Generic goals also leave employees wondering about how their work roles fit into your plans for the organization.

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5 Quality Control Tips For A Better Reputation

Online reviews are one of the most important marketing tools available, whether you offer quality pest control or custom woodworking services. Potential customers tend to trust reviews more than advertisements because they come from real people who’ve used your services. Reviews are also free, making them especially helpful for small teams of contractors that don’t have the marketing budget to compete with big firms. If you want customers to write positive reviews of your business, one of the most important things you can do is focus on quality control.

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Using Residential Construction Software

One of the most difficult tasks for many contractors is keeping track of bids, estimates, and projects. This is especially true for contractors who have many residential projects going on.

Residential construction software can make these duties a bit easier for contractors. There are many different types of software available, so you’ll have to review the options to determine which ones have everything you require.

CraftJack offers all contractors access to our Lead Manager software to help manage leads, request reviews, and more. Sign up with CraftJack today to access these exclusive benefits.

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Best Apps For Contractors

Mobile apps make it easier for construction professionals to track their time, prepare estimates, and stay organized. With one of the best apps for contractors, you’ll save time on administrative activities, leaving you with more time to talk to potential customers and win more jobs. Check out the top apps for contractors to determine which one’s right for you.

You can grow your small business with CraftJack this year. Sign up today.

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Enhancing Your SEO With Reputation Management

Search engine optimization (SEO) can be a major benefit for small business, but it’s about more than just visibility. Your brand needs the right kind of visibility. Having negative press or reviews online can alter how prospects view you and cause “improved” visibility to backfire, which is what makes online reputation management a crucial and often-overlooked aspect of SEO.

Reputation management is all about shaping and controlling the conversation around your brand. Here, we’ll talk about the potential impacts of your online reputation and how you can optimize it.

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Sales Funnel Guide

If you’ve recently built or updated your contractor website, you’ve probably heard an array of confusing marketing jargon. One of the most important questions you can ask yourself is “What is the sales funnel?” In this article, we’ll answer your sales process improvement questions, including “What is a sales funnel in marketing?” and “What does a sales funnel look like?” Read on to find out everything you need to know about attracting, converting, selling, and retaining your target audience.

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Word-Of-Mouth In 2021

Service-based businesses have long relied on word-of-mouth marketing (WOMM) for growth. More than 90% of consumers trust recommendations from family and friends more than company advertising. WOMM reaches far beyond verbal referrals to the rapidly expanding digital marketplace. It’s essential to learn how word-of-mouth marketing works and harness its potential to maximize your online presence.

Digital WOMM includes reviews, testimonials, and other informal, user-generated content found on the internet. Without a proactive word-of-mouth marketing strategy, though, your business is at the mercy of whoever publishes an opinion about your service — good or bad. Fortunately, you can be intentional about influencing what current and prospective customers say about you through a variety of online platforms.

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Turning A Negative Contractor Reputation Into A Positive

Getting a negative review of your business can be a frustrating experience, but it doesn’t have to spell doom for your reputation. Learn how to respond to negative reviews in a way that can repair your relationship with that customer and boost your brand too.

Google Business reviews are a key way homeowners learn more about your business. Take control with CraftJack’s Reputation Manager.

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