Becoming an expert has benefits for you, for your business and for your customers. Become an expert in the kind of work you want to do and you will be happier. You will probably be able to charge more. Your customers will be happy. Everybody wins! Here are some of the benefits of becoming an expert…
Personal satisfaction
This is not to be under-estimated.
The personal satisfaction of doing a good job, as well as being paid for it of course, is a huge factor in being content in life. What’s even more satisfying is knowing you’re getting better at what you do, continual learning is key. Whether it’s a way of doing something quicker, getting a better finish, or learning new skills to broaden your offering. It’s so important at the end of a job to be able to step back and say “yeah, that’s not bad.”
More of the work you want
Even though I stopped trading as a decorator in October 2018, I still get enquiries from all over the UK for repairing and decorating cast iron windows, and for repairing and painting faux Tudor beams.
The reason? I wrote a detailed blog on each subject with a few photos. That’s it. There’s no reason you can’t do the same.
I could have had months of work from those two blogs. If you want more work painting offices, then write a blog or make a video (or both) on ‘how to get an office painted with the least hassle’. Tell people about the expertise you have for the work you want to do.
Attract more customers
Your job is to solve problems for your customers, to address their ‘pain points’. They need a decorator because either they can’t physically do it, or don’t have the time, or the expertise. You can solve these problems.
If they see you as an expert, it’ll put their mind at rest. That’s what they want… Someone they can trust as a person and as an expert. If you come across as more trustworthy than the other decorators they get in to quote for a job, even if you’re more expensive, you’re more likely to get the job.
Unless they’re penny pinchers of course!
Timely expertise
It’s spring, people are thinking about exterior work, spring cleaning and refreshing properties. A blog or video telling people to check their exterior decorating needs before all the good decorators get booked up, might stir potential customers into action. Give reasons why, detail helps show expertise.
How do you become known as an expert?
It’s all very well just being good, and you’ll no doubt get some word of mouth work from it, but if you want more work then you need to be getting the message out there – whatever social media platforms you’re on, whatever marketing methods you use to promote your business. Getting featured in The Decorator magazine is great to share on all your platforms.
Get paid more
The more expert you are seen to be, the more you can charge. If people want high end jobs, or fast work, or niche work, they’ll pay more for someone they can trust to do that particular work. It’s about giving them peace of mind. Becoming known as being ‘bloody good at what you do’, will get you more work, and you can pick and choose the jobs you want more easily.
A local expert
If you’re looking for work in a particular area, then get known as the expert decorator in that area. Make sure your blogs and videos and social media posts include reference to your area. It’ll help people searching for you to find you.
How do you become an expert?
The Canadian writer Malcolm Gladwell popularised the concept of doing something for 10,000 hours to become an expert. That’s about five years of working days and it’s not as simple as that – some people will learn better, and some things are easier to learn – but the general concept is that, as long as you have an attitude of continual learning and improvement, and you put the time in, you’ll become an expert.
Want to learn more?
Find me at www.chinbadgermedia.co.uk
