A Free Fence Estimate Creates A Client For Construction

Recently I was contracted out for a fence installation in the back yard of an investors real estate flip.

This is a shot of the 6' high solid wood fence that I was contracted out for. During the process of installation the owner asked if I knew how to build a deck. I was completely honest with him and told him that I have done one before, if he were to purchase the material I would be happy to install a deck for him. 

We negotiated on a price and scheduled a day to get started.

Here is a picture of the deck that was built for a previous fence client.

The owner didn't purchase enough 2 x 2's to finish up with the railing and I was only scheduled for two days of labor. The owner will take it upon himself or one of his other regular laborers to finish things up. The owner has already spoke with me for the next project on another piece of property of his. 

It was a beautiful day to be out in the field working today. It felt like it was more than 55* and the 40% chance of rain turned into 60% chance of sunshine in the N.E. part of good ole Portland, OR today.

Here is a thought to ponder,...why do forecasters elaborate on the rain instead of the sunshine. Most forecasters always say there will be a percentage of rain and leave the sun completely out of the forecast all together. Hmmm,...

My late brother in law pointed that out to me before he passed on. He said that the media use's negativity even in the weather, working that much harder at making the viewers feel miserable. 

I would like to take this time to wish all of my customers and to all the people that are reading this post a very Merry Christmas 

Fix-A-Fence LLC Adds Videos To Web Site

So I have been taking a class with the SBDC and it has occurred to me to putting videos up on the web site will help with the ranking. With the purchase of the domain name I was given a GoDaddy Insta-Page and only allowed one page with some text.

After learning this advice I decided to update and upgrade the Fix-A-Fence LLC web site. The web page went from one to five. Now there are videos on the home page and I have integrated a estimate contact page that will deliver a e-mail with the filled in info such as name and phone number to try and get with the time of technology.

  Click here on Fix-A-Fence LLC and check it out.

I gave a business presentation in class and the reaction over the videos were great. I wasn't expecting as much laughter in their response but I seem to have had the audience captivated. I hit the audience with a live internet demonstration with Google first showing the results of over 6 million for - free fence estimates Portland, OR. Front page stats makes all the difference when doing something like this, then on to YouTube with the same results.

The question was raised at how I made this happen and over how long of a period of time. A couple of years of shear straight hustle of daily craigslist posting's, videos, blog, and adwords. The class was amazed that Google had sent me a check for over one hundred dollars because of the adsense linked to my videos and blog. I have a Phd in fencing not internet marketing, so this is cool to be able to have under my belt.

This has been the busiest year for Fix-A-Fence LLC since established in June of 2009. Starting with nothing but a pair of diggers, rock bar and a Ford F-150 with over 250,000 miles Fix-A-Fence LLC is still in business with another pair of diggers, a couple more rock bars, and the same truck with now over 350,000 miles. This could be another Ford story if a representative from the company reads this blog.

Anyway just thought I would give an update. Until the next time keep smiling no matter how hard it is these days it still only takes four muscles to smile and 27 to frown, so why should we work so hard?  

Business Class - How To Expand A Business

It has been a while since the last time I checked in here,...that is no excuse and neither is getting busier with the fence company, or the fact that because of the Youtube campaign I have had phone calls from across the country asking for a little bit of help, or that I am taking a business class learning how to expand the business.

There is no excuse not to write.

I would like to thank Google for the Adsense program. Last month I received a check in the mail for over $115.07 because of the ads I have connected to the videos I have on Youtube. I am visioning a video that will go viral so I can watch the digits rise in the bank account.

I have learned about giving a business presentation to investors or an audience seeking to buy the product I have to offer. This class has given me inspiration to move forward and expand a bit. Like having another fence truck with a fence crew keeping me out of the field and answering the phone filling the funnel with bids, getting a piece of property to store material and have a small office to run things out from, maybe even a radio commercial for some advertising purposes. Of course it is as always, one step at a time.

The latest book I have been reading is titled, "Art of the Start" written by Guy Kawasaki. Guy is the founder of Garage and is a venture capitalist seeking businesses that are passionate about making meaning. There are plenty of good information shared in this book such as the 10/20/30 rule for giving a presentation to investors. Ten slides - Twenty minutes - Thirty font. This will be fun, I have never given a presentation before and I have a great opportunity to give one in front of all that attend the class. To be honest I am kind of excited about this. I may just get a couple fence estimates or find someone that wants to invest for that truck.

One thing for sure is that I will be taking a Turf Byrd with me to sport off my business cards at the presentation. Who knows that may be a whole new meaning.

Fence Competition Can Be A Good Thing.

So,...after going through all the paper work for this government bid, I realized that my company isn't financially situated enough to handle this amount of work. The company would have to front time and material, something Fix-A-Fence LLC would be willing to consider at a later date.

It certainly was a change of pace and getting reacquainted with some of the competition doesn't hurt. Especially when you can get some info or even some leads. Why would my competition give me leads? I believe it is the way I conduct my attitude with them. Not only that a lot of the competition likes to go after the huge projects and so they pass down scraps, sort a speak, or leads that they know they don't have a chance landing because of their P&O.

The other day a wood supplier / fence company slide me three leads and I have landed one and have a bite on one of the two left. Even scraps put food on the table.

A good attitude and craftsmanship creates a stream of, "word of mouth", referrals.

Just the other day I received an e-mail from a previous customer that has asked for a quote on a couple of different options of fence for another piece of property of his. This one happens to be about 200'+ of 6' high either field fence or solid wood. He has had recent vandalism from the deer population in the area and wants to cut their path off at the road.

Here are a couple of links to some recent videos if you're interested.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74-GeS-Pjo4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmB5_n-G3Eo

There are several more that I use to advertise Fix-A-Fence LLC with. Enjoy!

A buddy of mine told me of a double gate that blew down with the recent storm activity and I was able to land that project too. This is a metal frame wood gate system. Approx. 12' wide by 6' high. I told my buddy that I would hire him to cut wood in my backyard because I landed the job he referred me to. It worked out well for the both of us. I got my wood cut and stacked and he got paid.

Until the next post - keep a smile on your face and a song in your heart and it should never rain on your parade.

Fix-A-Fence LLC Attends A Government Pre-Bid Meeting

I was actually one of the first people to show up to the pre-bid meeting this morning from the government lead off of  fencebids.com and probably one of the last to leave. One of the reasons is that I stayed behind and chatted with a competitor of mine. It is nice to hear what the other fence companies are up to and how they are getting by in this industry with today's economy.

There is a lot that goes along with a government contract,... such as paperwork and finding all the locations of the job sites. This bid just happens to be scattered all over Clackamas County here in Oregon. Fix-A-Fence LLC has an opportunity to bid on seven of twenty-six sites that are in need of improvement. Cool thing about this is the Davis-Bacon wages. Employee's always like a decent paycheck and when there is a government contract involved it usually means big money.

That being said though it does take time to acquire the money owed to any contractor. So if you are a sub-contractor working for a general contract on a government project you can pretty much bet that you will get paid only after the general has gotten paid. Then there is a retention on the project until the finals have been accepted and signed off. So if you have the money and the patience to wait for that check to come in then these types of projects are for you.

Fix-A-Fence LLC has been able to create a credit base if necessary on a thirty day payment plan at a chain link supply warehouse. This will help if the contract is awarded to Fix-A-Fence LLC.

If anything today was a huge step for Fix-A-Fence LLC just by handing out business cards to other general contractor's they may call sometime for an estimate to fulfill their bid. Not all contracts are from the government so it is a good thing to rub elbows with a few that are a bit higher up on the scale. I wouldn't mind having about five or six general contractors that just call me exclusively without shopping around. That would keep Fix-A-Fence LLC pretty busy all year round.

Just thought I would share with you a bit on today's events with Fix-A-Fence LLC.

I was also able to share The Turf Byrd's with a couple people there too.

Government Fence Bids

In the last video for the Fix-A-Fence LLC Youtube channel I spoke of a web site located at www.fencebids.com. Which is a internet update of all the Government bids for fence work. State, County, and Local governments are all assembled here and updates can be directly e-mailed to your in-box to decide upon. ( video link is below the pictures )

My first pre-bid meeting is coming later this month and will be taking some business cards to hand out to some of the other general contractors that will be attending this meeting.

If you haven't signed up for this valuable info. may I suggest that you do if you are interested in government contracts for fence work.

Here are some pictures of some recent work activity from Fix-A-Fence LLC.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1REgfAmI3r0

The Finished Look

Here are the images of, "The Finished Look"

Hopefully the rest of the neighborhood will want a free fence estimate for their fencing needs from Fix-A-Fence LLC.

Noticed during construction of the project there were some cars that drove by really slow. Maybe they were writing down the yard sign information from the authorized placement.

Just thought I would share the pictures of what Fix-A-Fence LLC has accomplished through the marketing techniques that have taken place lately.

It does seem like a good time to go out and place some more phone pole tear tag advertising. Sun is coming out because spring is almost here. To be honest the sun hasn't gone anywhere it is just that the clouds are in the way. 

Fix-A-Fence LLC Yard Sign Advertising

Just wanted to take a minute and talk about yard sign advertising.

This idea came to me while I was taking down my wife's sign for homecare support.

I took the signs off of the metal rods that held the shape of the plastic and turned them inside out. I found a paint pen that was white in color and laid the plastic pieces on the kitchen floor and began to write out the Fix-A-Fence LLC yard sign.

This is what the signs turned out to look like and this is the first one to be placed on a property of a fence contract that Fix-A-Fence LLC has landed. 

I have the other two out in my front lawn just waiting for the next fence customer that will allow                 Fix-A-Fence LLC yard advertising.

This fence contract just happens to be from one of the tear tag telephone pole marketing neighborhood saturation project that Fix-A-Fence LLC conducted not long ago.

Just wanted to share this nugget of information.

Fix-A-Fence LLC Marketing Material Idea's

One valuable take away from the continuing education class is value proposition. Being a specialty contractor options for opportunity are limited to one other related field trade.

So because I like to think I am good at formatting my own marketing materials I have created a Thank You card for customers. I am thinking about going one step further and making a bunch of t-shirts with the Fix-A-Fence LLC logo and give them to customers as a thank you gift. Then when things get really good here at Fix-A-Fence LLC I have already thought about coffee mugs with the logo and a few pictures of fence. If I really had the man power then the mugs would be personalized with the customers fence pictures.

Another valuable take away is graphing the companies gross profit margin. Where can I cut costs to improve the bottom line while keeping quality a high standard and pricing competitive and effective? This is just one of the many questions I will be asking myself as the days go by.

Posting and blogging are two of the biggest advertising features that can help any business if done on a consistent enough basis. That's how I have got the kind of stats I have gotten so far is by consistently posting and blogging. Of course there is the video campaign too.

They all play a major roll in today's market place on the internet. Especially when you only have three to five seconds to capture the attention of your target. Things to remember are make the subject line compelling with emotion and to capitalize each letter of every word even if the word is If. People really don't like to be shouted at and that is what you do when you capitalize every letter of every word. So set a web presence with little stuff like this.

So until next time keep smiling and dreaming big because all things are possible for those who believe.  

Fix-A-Fence LLC Filling The Funnel

Amazingly even through all the rain after the tear tag flyer campaign Fix-A-Fence LLC has received three phone calls for estimates. Only time will tell when one will fall through the funnel. The main thing here is to keep the hopper full. So I have been trying to keep the estimates coming in.

Today was a baseball field repair estimate. Apparently some kids have broken off fence posts and have damaged the chain link. However it begins with preparation, I feel that if whoever installed the baseball field fence would have used some heavier duty posts and chain link mesh then the damage would have been less than or have lasted a bit longer then it has. This diamond isn't that old.

This estimate came from when working on another project. A guy came up to me and asked me if I would be willing to go out to this high school and give him a repair estimate on the little leagues baseball field. There is five posts that have been broken or bent and the chain link is of 11-1/2 ga. really cheap stuff and shouldn't be used for a baseball field. Just like all the line posts for the fence are all 1-5/8" tubing. This type of post shouldn't be used for a six foot high fence, especially for a baseball field. Somebody was saving some money!

The estimate here involves more than just the small repair, as the little league superintendent wanted an estimate to remove and replace all of the 11-1/2 ga. chain link. This amounts to around 350' and he also threw in to remove and replace every other line post with a heavier duty post in the same circumference.

Gotta like these kinds of estimates, now to get it to fall through the funnel.

God will provide, it is all a matter of trust. Faith is the evidence of things unseen. That's how                     Fix-A-Fence LLC was formed, on faith.

The next blog will be on profitability and value of the business. Through the continuing education process I will be blogging on the things I have learned and the things I have implemented from what I have learned. So until the next blog stay strong and keep believing in faith.

 

Fix-A-Fence LLC Returns To Stomping Grounds

Returned today to the stomping grounds that began this fence company by stapling Fix-A-Fence LLC pull tag flyer's up on high foot traffic area phones poles. This is a simple but effective marketing concept. If you have the time and the talent to make a decent designed flyer with all of your business information it is well worth the pennies and time spent.

Publisher has some good tools to use in the flyer category and with clip art the flyer becomes a professional marketing tool in minutes. Cut along the lines to make the tags easily accessible for people to tear off. Make sure you have a decent staple gun and plenty of staples. Find a location near your place of business or where you would like to conduct some business and get started stapling the flyer's you created to all the phone poles in high traffic areas you can find.

There are the community bulletin boards and other businesses that allow this marketing tool to be placed on their bulletin boards. The response may be at a low capacity but still it is a great way to gain company recognition just by having been seen in so many different locations. This is just a very inexpensive way to market your business if you are willing to get out and gain that extra bit of exposure.

One thing I have told myself is that I don't want to forget where I started this business from. This business like most started with just a few tools, a vehicle, and a whole bunch of knowledge on building and repairing wood and chain link fences. I started by placing flyer's on phone poles and my design talent wasn't that great but it sure has improved since the beginning.

Just because the season is slow doesn't mean that the marketing has to. After the next batch is made up the saturating will begin all over again. It just came to my mind that whenever I get out of the truck and someone sees me, the truck has Fix-A-Fence LLC and the phone number all over so I am sure even then the fence company is getting just that much more exposure.

Fix-A-Fence LLC and Continuing Education

Last night I took a three hour class on High Impact Marketing as part of my continuing education to be a licensed contractor here in the State of Oregon.

There was a lot of great information that was laid out for a powerful marketing plan and strategy. Currently I have already implemented a lot of what was taught last night. As a matter of fact I believe that I was some sort of value and help to the rest of the class.

One thing for sure is that I need to get hooked up with some sort of networking organization that meets up every week for coffee and a chat about business. Sharing leads and referrals is a big part of growing any kind of business. Just as education is important being around people with like minds is just as important.

As you are well aware the internet is a huge factor in advertising from a soft sale to hard sale. The more trust you can create on the internet the better chances you will have at getting hired and that means getting paid in my book. As a result from my internet marketing, I believe mentioned in an earlier post, that the last several phone calls for estimates have been from Google search.

There are several traditional ways of marketing products, in the past and still today there are businesses that utilize yellow pages, The Oregonian, direct mail, signs and brochures. However with the shift in technology and thanks to the internet we now have at our disposal e-mail campaigns, spark interest with a web site, draw a following to a webinar, write fresh content on a blog such as this one, Facebook is a great social media service, and then there is the all so powerful Youtube videos that really help with the face to face advertising part of the sale, and then don't forget to keep people up to date with a tweet from time to time.

There are plenty more ways to market your product but the main thing is to get started.

Fix-A-Fence LLC Positions With Google On Four Pages

Moving forward into this year of 2012. The Google advertising campaign has resulted in quite a few phone calls for estimates that have turned into work orders. It has also brought other marketing companies to my phone as well. Just today I received a call from some kind of contractor web site that said he was only going to allow four contractors exclusive positions. He wanted to know if I would be one of them for $150.00 a month? He is not the only person that has called me trying to get me to give in to their method of attraction marketing.

Fix-A-Fence LLC is positioned with Google on four relative pages for fence estimates. That has all been from my own personal efforts. Now other people want me to pay them for something I have already done. Hmmm

As I have mentioned before the winter months are rather slow but this year so far has not been the case. However I would like to invite you to view a dream of mine that has become a sort of reality.

The Turf Byrd's

The Turf Byrd's Blog 

I have to keep myself as active as I can even during the busy months. The Turf Byrd's can and eventually will be the next novelty craze since those rocks.

People have asked me why build fence when I have such a great product to sell. Currently Fix-A-Fence LLC makes quite a bit more over the year than The Turf Byrd's  have.

The Turf Byrd's  craze really hasn't hit full speed yet. I am sure there are a few kinks to get out as with any other venture. The biggest kink has already been unraveled. One step at a time.

A New Fence Blog For A New Year

This is the first blog of the new year for Fix-A-Fence LLC. Work has slowed a bit out in the field the phone rings but not as constant as the warmer weathered months. So during these winter slow months I focus my attention on my internet marketing businesses. Like last night for instance I built a new web site to promote my affiliate product from TriVita branded as Nopalea the wellness drink made from Cactus plants right here in America.

Here is the site if you are interested in checking out my internet handy work.

http://mypowerlinewealth.webstarts.com/?r=20120102012829

Sort of a long URL but what can I say for free. When I am ready to spend some money the URL will be shorter and it may even be a different name. I like trying to capture the audience and not lead them all over this internet dessert.

Last year Fix-A-Fence LLC has positioned itself with Google on four front pages ranking from 1st on the page to 5th and 6th positions on the pages of the category fence estimates Portland, OR. Categories such as free, wood, chain link and just plain fence estimates. I have learned quite a bit about how to position my company to get the phone call first before the larger fence companies in the Portland, OR and surrounding areas. For instance the last three out of four calls have been from as a result of Google searches.

Soon I will be using and applying the same tactics I have used to position Fix-A-Fence LLC on Google to my businesses on the internet. If there is anything I have gained from all of this knowledge is how to achieve a web presence. Some people say to me know I wish I could do that or how did you do that? I tell them it took me work and hustle. I show them how and it just boggles their mind at what I know. It kind of boggles my own when I stop to think for a second where I was a year ago, but that's all. Because my mind just keeps moving forward.

So until the next blog, stay safe - keep smiling and don't let anything rain on your parade.