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| Hello to all our Active Licensees! I hope this message finds you all doing well and business is booming! |
| As an increasing number of Licensees are starting to perform Express Moves (EMs), I want to reiterate some suggestions that can help you, your contractors, and customers. - As a new growing business, chances are good you may currently have the time and availability to perform large/lengthy moving projects. It's easy to become enticed by the money, but trust me, in speaking from experience, in the future, as you grow and your schedule becomes more busy, you can't afford to tie up contractors on large/lengthy move jobs. Doing so completely ties up and obligates your contractors and overall capacity to perform deliveries and meet the demands of other customers.
- When customers contact you with large move jobs, encourage them to structure their moves by using PODS or any of the many other portable moving container systems offered by local moving companies. This is a win-win opportunity for the customer, you, and the moving companies. The customer will save much more money versus paying a traditional moving service with a big-rig truck, it gives the customer much, much more flexibility because they can take their time to load and unload their possessions, and it gives your team the ability to structure the work order as a labor-only job that can be split up over multiple days.
- You definitely want to build a good referral and working relationship with your local PODS, Smartbox, Uhaul, Penske, and all of the many other companies offering portable containers in your area. You don't need any type of a form service agreement, just a referral relationship that you feel comfortable suggesting them to customers and, likewise, when customer contact them to reserve portable containers they feel comfortable referring you to provide the labor.
- As your EMs business grows, you will begin to see and learn a lot of patterns. For example, when you start to work out of senior housing, assisted and independent living facilities, storage malls, college dorms, and similar locations that you've previously performed service which you can anticipate the size, space, and typical time to complete, it becomes very easy to reserve and schedule the work order. However, when someone contacts you from a residence, especially if it's in an area you are unfamiliar, I definitely suggest investing the time to drive by and evaluate the scope of the project. Either you and/or one of your contractors can visit and offer suggestions and targeted feedback. If it's a smaller job, something that qualifies as an EM, then not a problem. But if it's something that's going to tie up your contractors for a lengthy period of time, you want to be able to suggest using a portable moving container system, structure the work order as a labor-only job, and allow the customer AND your contractors to break the job up into 2-3 days.
- You will be surprised of how many people have no idea what portable moving containers are, how it works, and how much money they can save. Even more, you will be surprised how many customers will actually be relieved and appreciate the opportunity to take their time in loading PODS versus having to rush and have everything done in one day as is necessary with traditional moving services.
- One critical benefit to inspecting a job you are unfamiliar with prior to booking the work order is to determine if the customer is actually packed. IE: Do they have their items properly boxed and prepared to move? You are not a packing service. You do not have the time or capacity to literally pack clients. When it comes to EMs, you are a moving assistance service - nothing more. So it can be very easy for a customer to suggest "it shouldn't take more than two hours," but in all actuality, four hours later....you get the picture!
- In my business, we perform EMs everyday all day and make awesome money. But I can assure you, the first year or two was a HUGE learning curve AND it continues to be for newer contractors and/or when we penetrate new markets and might be unfamiliar with the landscape. So never hesitate to visit and evaluate the scope of job prior to reserving the work order. The extra time can definitely help you, your contractors, and your customers. It makes you look more thorough and will not surprise them if the job runs over and they are required to pay for additional charges.
- To reiterate point 7, make sure the customers knows you are ONLY offering an estimate. Specifically explain how they will be responsible for paying an additional amount should the job run beyond the estimated time. Likewise, if you complete prior to the end of the booking, the customer will be refunded the portion.
- Always remember, the better you take care of each customer, the more likely your contractors are to earn generous tips. Cash is King and your contractors can make a LOT of money in tips. I definitely don't know how much all of my contractors make in tips, but I would argue that, overall, there are instances where contractors are earning an additional 20% per week in cash tips - a HUGE benefit and selling point in retaining and recruiting future contractors.
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| I hope these thoughts serve you well. Keep reaching, investing, and sowing the seeds each and everyday. And don't forget, you are building a network. Talk to people. Connect with people. I am living proof that the more you speak to people, businesses, facilities, the more opportunity will find you and your success will begin to compound and, before you know it, your business will begin to take on a life of it's own. Your contractors will begin to take ownership in and actually advertise and build your business because they make more money working in your network versus trying to do it on their own. |
| As always, stay in touch and let us know of your growing success. By adding and increasing number of Licensees and contractors, we are building a national network that's going to increase our collective opportunities.
See you at the Top!
Joel E. Davis
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