Marshy
Private Member
No stopped playing and just (as she hadnt wiped) went in dry
The MyBuilder experience
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Danny
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I get it all the time people telling me that their friend is an seo expert or a marketing expert... bla bla bla yet they work at tesco...
Everyone is an expert... walk the walk... I have naff all qualifications for what I do online but my portfolio speaks volumes and I get work off that and don't ever really look for it....
Do what you do beat while others do what they do best... I pay cleaners to clean my home I pay mechanics to fix my car (even though I can do it better myself)
I did 90% of the work on my own place but I only did that as it was something I wanted to do.... the other 10% I got people in to do and looking back I should have done it all myself....
These mybuilder sites are not good for the trade but they are there to help the customer and until people stop using them then it is not going to change.
Out of all of them I think checkatrade is the best but you have to work hard for it...
Everyone is an expert... walk the walk... I have naff all qualifications for what I do online but my portfolio speaks volumes and I get work off that and don't ever really look for it....
Do what you do beat while others do what they do best... I pay cleaners to clean my home I pay mechanics to fix my car (even though I can do it better myself)
I did 90% of the work on my own place but I only did that as it was something I wanted to do.... the other 10% I got people in to do and looking back I should have done it all myself....
These mybuilder sites are not good for the trade but they are there to help the customer and until people stop using them then it is not going to change.
Out of all of them I think checkatrade is the best but you have to work hard for it...
Your contradicting yourself,
You say other trades are carrying out other jobs aswell as plasterering yet you've just stated you did everything on your own house, just because it's your own house doesn't make a difference, you've done it yourself to save money instead of getting someone in, that's fair enough but you can't have it both ways.
user_removed
Well-Known Member
I've done it myself to save money correct.
I don't do it on other people's houses to make more money
The fact it's my own house IS the difference
I don't really have an issue with doing a bit of joinery in addition to plastering if your competent, or rendering and replacing the guttering etc aswell as, it's another string to your bow. Why limit your earnings, or take it on and sub that part out.
We tackle full house renders sometimes on the domestic front, in addition I'll occasionally have to replace soffits, gutters etc. It's a one stop service, most people would rather deal with one person, so I'll sub that out to a reputable joiner, make my 10% on top.
For an example I'll share with you, not on the scale of my builder but on a job where doing at present, I'm re-rendering 4 houses for a housing association including replacing down pipes as well as other bits and pieces, the rendering I'm doing is my domain the gutters etc I've subbed out this lot to an outfit I know, I've added 10% on top of there quote to cover me, that will be profit equal to a couple of grand for me for doing nothing, if your geared up to tackle full renders look to add other strings to your bow instead of re skims against chancers.
We tackle full house renders sometimes on the domestic front, in addition I'll occasionally have to replace soffits, gutters etc. It's a one stop service, most people would rather deal with one person, so I'll sub that out to a reputable joiner, make my 10% on top.
For an example I'll share with you, not on the scale of my builder but on a job where doing at present, I'm re-rendering 4 houses for a housing association including replacing down pipes as well as other bits and pieces, the rendering I'm doing is my domain the gutters etc I've subbed out this lot to an outfit I know, I've added 10% on top of there quote to cover me, that will be profit equal to a couple of grand for me for doing nothing, if your geared up to tackle full renders look to add other strings to your bow instead of re skims against chancers.
Tend to agree, on the whole most arnt bother what certificates you've got.
I've got all mine with a gold cscs card, rarely get asked to see.
user_removed
Well-Known Member
There's nothing wrong with taking the work and subbing it out and making a bit for yourself, that's how it should be.
You must have seen a shitload of jobs where the builders have tried to render, I have and you'll price up 10/20 x times over what I do, it's greed and incompetence
You must have seen a shitload of jobs where the builders have tried to render, I have and you'll price up 10/20 x times over what I do, it's greed and incompetence
I do, but that what sorts good 'builders out from bad builders, all the way up to the top there's chancers, a good builder will get a top class renderer in to complete a good job to inhance his reputation,and thus get better projects in, a bad builder will tackle it himself to save a few quid, and plod on.
I still think your tackling it from the wrong angle, I'd be looking to upscale rather than looking at diy websites to advertise your services. You've got the foundations there with rendering build on that, it's seen me alright, and I'm no cleverer than the next man.
I guarantee you danny if I paid you to build me a website and say the cost of running it for the three years versus the cost of my builder for the same period the winner by a country mile would be my builder so you can call it paying to quote but one way or another we all do unless word of mouth.
To be clear my builder accounts for roughly 30% of my turnover with the average job for me coming in at around £500 for a £6 fee it's a no brainer
You brave bringing politics into it
Maybe I bet I'm right though
f**k me that took some reading! Had checkatrade trying to get us on there web sit as there said not 1 plastering firm in Leeds is on it I think there only allow 3 plasterers per job posted which I better Tha 6..we was on yell.com for 2 years and we made s**t loads but came off it as its dying is yell.com now with all these other sites
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Is the monster raving loony party still going?
Jurek
Private Member
i agree with gps on all the points. scraping the barrel, why's that? it's customers who dont know where to go. they type plastering into google for their local area and mybuilder is always in the top two or three on google. if it's already got three or four interested, leave it. ffs . you'll pay thirty or forty quid for your local rag for an advert. you might get no response. you might get a call but three or four others will also be giving a quote. what's the difference? jump on here and spout how you have never advertised in your life. makes me laugh. scared of the competition. three or four others interested and it will cost me five quid. whatever. ill take my chances.
user_removed
Well-Known Member
I won't be I there long I haven't got the time or patience in building reviews and it was really just to see what it brought in, will keep gradually growing and exploring new ways to bring in work.
Thank you for the advice, happy new year
user_removed
Well-Known Member
Kind off agree with you, do you think some customers would use it for the fact that all the tradesmen come from 1 place and will fight it out for the job.
How long have you been building a reputation on there? And what is it at now?
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I have used it a few times (not for plastering). got a re wire from there (1200 for 3 bed semi and was bang on) thats the reason I did it as I knew the tradesman would have to keep a sharpe pencil to compete.
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Just set up loads of profiles and award yourself jobs then give glowing feedback
Jurek
Private Member
i think ive been on about eighteen months. reputation about twenty. probably do a job a month off there but you could really do a lot more. i always respond with interest first and say i couldn't do it straight away. if they get back then they are willing to wait. i get five or six a week, usually more. Some will request a quote specifically from you. most quotes want it doing straight away and so are non starters. im doing one next week wednesday to friday. six hundred quid for a £3.60quote. they dont just take the cheapest quote. they read the reviews and usually request tow or three quotes.
No I haven't mate, keeping toying with the idea though, a few friends have with different trades and they may get a few jobs a year but nought special
user_removed
Well-Known Member
My site does well and brings a lot in.
But it has taken a few years of work, to get well ranked and looking right, it's also cost me a few bob I used a guy to sort my SEO out which turned out to be a costly mistake.
You'd have to ask @Danny but I reckon it averages out at about £150 Per year to keep it maintained and make the odd change
@Jurek how did you start then? You must have bought the first few jobs just to get it going
But it has taken a few years of work, to get well ranked and looking right, it's also cost me a few bob I used a guy to sort my SEO out which turned out to be a costly mistake.
You'd have to ask @Danny but I reckon it averages out at about £150 Per year to keep it maintained and make the odd change
@Jurek how did you start then? You must have bought the first few jobs just to get it going
Vincey
Private Member
Nice one,
I have it cost a few hundred quid to do and needs an update to be fair which most do as sites lay outs move along quite quick.
Anyways my take on my builder is I not used so can't comment on experience but when I set up on me own there wasn't all the 'bidding sites' which has been good for newer start business and the trash trades as well.Suppose you were right in terms of money outlay v website outlay and think both are way to get work.
Having a site for ya customer base that you have built up would surely be better for people to view and share than always referring them to your my builder one and then eventually you can bomb off the third party (my builder) in any business deals you do and be in total control of your own business without paying them.
pmplaster
Active Member
seo - is a bit dated now - Google & search engines read "content" now as opposed to Meta Tags & the like - A Grab Line is good to have on your website , as it's the first phrase which is read - I have built my own & don't need to adjust it , it's a small easy site & not over complicated - it ranks page one in my area I wish to work ( I'm not much of a traveller for work ) I usually stay in my village & borough
Totally agree with you, I definitely do need a website if only to look that bit more professional, for me luckily the lat 18months or so I've been stacked out with work and just cherry pick the best jobs from my builder knowing that with the reviews I will get more often than not, so then I think do I actually need one.
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