Nothing is more exciting than discovering you have reached a point where you have more business scheduled than you can handle by yourself.
Hiring a full-time employee isn't always the best route to take to cover these heavy periods. This is where knowing your competition and having a good relationship with them is the key to getting your extra work covered.
In turn, they will keep you busy when things slow down -- that is, if they can count on your company for quality work.
Represent Yourself As a Company Not an Individual
Your first two or three clients are going to know you are all by yourself. You have given them exemplary service and they have helped you build your business by telling others about you. They expect you to grow.
As time passes, new business doesn't really know whether you are a solo act or have others helping you, unless you go out of your way to tell them.
Be smart and do what telemarketers do, create a script of frequently asked questions about your business. Practice responding to them so that you will not be taken off guard during a real conversation. Keep answers succinct and professional, letting them know you can handle the job, someone will be there at the time and place specified and, of course, thank them for their business.
Do Your Homework Before You Need Someone
With a light calendar, you'll be the one taking on the assignment; but, if this is in one of your heavy periods, you'll need help.
Getting work covered should be no problem, if you have done your homework. It doesn't take long to know who your local competition is and their reputation.
The best way to get quality people to handle your surplus work is to have an excellent reputation, yourself. In all probability, the top people in your field needing help will have given you at least one call based on this reputation and you will have started to establish a networking relationship.
It is during those calls when they are looking for your help that you develop deeper professional ties. Let them know you'll be contacting them when necessary, too. Treat these relationships like gold.
Don't solicit their clients when sent on one of their assignments. You were called because your reputation promises you will uphold their standards and they are doing their homework by finding quality people. If you try to steal their clients, you'll be dropped like slug slime from their list and back to step one in trying to build a business -- only, this time, you'll have a bad reputation to overcome amongst your peers.
Having just two or three names of solid people who can help you out is far better than having to scramble late at night calling every name in the book just to find a warm body to cover for you.
Clients know when you've done this to them and feel insulted that they are no longer considered a top priority for quality service.
Consistency, Not Excuses, Builds Your Business
The biggest mistake you can make is to not really know the end product of the person you're sending to represent your company. You can be sure your clients will let you know how disappointed they are and, in fact, if the work is really below par, they may say nothing but simply move on to someone else.
Sending someone to represent you means you are promising your client the same level of service that they have come to expect from you.
By making sure that your own product is high quality, you will find that your network circle is at the same level. These are the people you contact for help. They will have their own list of quality contacts to call on and you can be sure that your clients will be satisfied.
There is simply no excuse for poor quality work and no way that I know of to explain to a valued client that you knew nothing about someone you sent to represent your company. Do your homework -- know your subcontractors before sending them out to represent you.
Growth Means Change Not Compromise
No one in the business world expects you to have only one client or one customer (unless, of course, the client is Bill Gates). They want you to be successful so they can brag about only using you because "you're the best in the business."
Your number one task is to be the best in the business for all your clients, without compromise, regardless of how large you've grown because:
Service businesses in your area that have been around for more than five years do it by treating their customers with respect and by giving them nothing less than the best service possible. That's the list you want to be on.
If your clients feel they can't count on the quality of your work, they will call someone else. Keeping your name at the top of their list is up to you. You can do it with quality control.
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