Solo To Booked: A Tradie’s Playbook

We share five practical ways solo sparkies and tradies can build steady work without burning out. Referrals, reviews, smart partnerships, and sticky leave-behind marketing form a simple system you can repeat and scale.

• the juggle of tools, phones, and books
• why referrals still win and how to ask
• setting up a Google Business Profile with reviews
• social proof via photos, tips, and local groups
• partnerships with plumbers, HVAC, and builders
• leave-behind magnets, stickers, and flyers
• a basic website that builds trust
• avoiding the underpricing trap
• tracking lead sources and profit to double down
• quick wrap with humour and listener requests

If you like what you hear on today's show, make sure you share this podcast with your mates who are electricians or who are involved in the tradey world
If you found this helpful, share it with your fellow tradespeople and drop a rating and follow me on my podcast show
If there is anything you'd like me to talk about on future episodes, maybe want to ask a question or be on the show, you can do this by contacting us on any of our media sites
Don't forget to follow the show and leave a review

https://www.facebook.com.au/dylkoelectrical
https://www.instagram.com/dylkoelectrical
https://twitter.com/dylkoelectrical
https://linkedin.com/in/dylkoelectrical
https://www.electricianwauchope.com.au

Transcript

The Juggle And Need For Consistency

Tip 1: Referrals That Actually Convert

Tip 2: Google Business Profile Essentials

Tip 3: Social Media That Sells Work

Tip 4: Partner Up With Other Trades

Tip 5: Leave-Behind Marketing That Sticks

Bonus Tools And Pricing Red Flags

Track What Works And Level Up

Wrap-Up, Humor, And Listener Requests

SPEAKER_01 0:33

Hello everyone, welcome back to Sparkies Life, the show where we talk shop, share stories, and keep it real in the world of the tradesperson. I'm your host Grant Dilko. Today's episode is for the solo Sparkies and other tradespeople or persons out there. Those of you grinding away out there on your own or maybe starting out by yourself for the first time. You're trying to grow your business, grow your name, and grow your bank account. We're diving into how to get more clients when you're going solo or even starting a partnership or company. No mucking around, just proven strategies from the field, from other experienced tradespeople, and also some of my own experience. And also I have the joke of the day with some nice music to end the show. So let's get the show started. You're not just doing installs, repairs, and maintenance, you're also doing quotes and inspections. You're the bookkeeper, marketer, customer service rep, accounts clerk, lunch person, and sometimes even your own apprentice. And on top of all of that is also answering phone calls while you're trying to work or trying to finish off a job. And finding time to return those phone calls at the end of the day that you have missed and now listening to all those messages. The biggest challenge is how to get steady work. Some weeks are slammed, others are dead. So how do you create consistency, especially when you're starting out or trying to grow? That's where these next top five strategies will help you. Tip number one is word of mouth and ask for referrals. This is still the number one way tradespeople get hired. If you do a great job, clean after yourself, be polite, and then ask for a referral, this may get you your next job or client. So here's a tip. When the job's done and the client's happy, say, if you know anyone who needs electrical work, feel free to pass my number along. It means a lot to us as a small local business. People want to help good tradespeople, especially a good local electrician, tradesperson, or business. So make it easy for them. Here's tip number two. Set up your own Google business profile. It's free. It is quite easy to set up, and the profile includes all the information needed to get you started. Add pictures of your work, post updates, and add a short bio of you and your business, and ask every happy client to leave a five-star review. So when people search electrician near me or their tradesperson of their choice near me, their page or your page will come up with some healthy reviews. Because online reviews can make or break you. And remember to update the business profile on a regular basis is tip number three. Social media marketing. But post pictures of your work on sites like Facebook, X, which was known as Twitter and Instagram. You can create a business page for each social media site. Post short clips of installs before and after shots. You can also provide tips like why should you upgrade to LED lighting? Or why you should have a monthly, half-year, or even yearly maintenance program in place to keep everything in check and good working condition. You can book them in your electronic diary for this work and or even have them subscribe to a paid payment plan. Just like a gym does for your weekly or monthly payments, it's steady guaranteed income. And here's a bonus tip join local Facebook groups like What's On in Your Town or Home Improvement Groups for your town and respond when people ask for recommendations. Here's tip number four. Partner with other trades. Make friends with plumbers, air conditioning technicians, and other general contractors in your local area. Or you frequently see them on your jobs as well. When they're on a job that needs electrical work done, you want to be the guy that they call. Maybe offer a finder's fee or return the favor by recommending customers back to them. It's all about networking and being in a network group. Also network at your local supply warehouse, trade breakfast breakfasts, or even online. Maybe think about joining the local chamber of commerce. They're always hosting events and networking nights. Here's tip number five. Leave behind marketing. After every job, leave a magnet, sticker, or card with your info. Here's a bonus move. Ask to put ask them to put a magnet on their fridge and put your labelled business sticker inside the switchboard or on the subboard cover with your name and number. Next time something goes wrong, they'll open up the switchboard and see your business sticker. You'll be the first one they'll call. Another great idea is to have some flyers made up to advertise your business. What I did, I went to the Canva website, which is free, or you can opt for a paid version for premier features. The website is canva.com. I designed the flyer. So after I design my masterpiece, I save the design and I send it off to my local printer in town for printing. My local printer is MS Print. They're located in the main street of Warhope. You can do the same thing for business cards and other business products as well. Doing it this way, it's very cost effective. Another site you could try is VistaPrint. They do pretty much the same thing. So when you finish a job, leave a few flyers in the surrounding neighbours' letterboxes. There's a good chance that the neighbors have already seen you working next door, in the street or down the road. They will put two and two together, and they will contact you when they're ready for their own work to be done. There's no doubt that they'll probably ask the neighbour who did who you did the work for, see or hear what you're like. Hi there, I'm Grant Dilko. If this is your first time here at Sparky's Life, welcome. It's great to have you here. And if you're back here for more, welcome back and thank you for your loyalty and support. If you like what you hear on today's show, make sure you share this podcast with your mates who are electricians or who are involved in the tradey world. I want to reach out and help as many tradies as I can with this podcast. I want to help tradespeople break through to the next level in their career and in their lives. Welcome back to the show. Here's a few more bonus tips and a red flag for you to avoid. The bonus tips are create a basic website. Even the one pager with your services, phone number, and even add testimonials. This gives you credibility. Another thing I did was I created my website on Wix.com. They also have a free version and a paid version. You can also launch your own website name on the same site as well. When you get better at it, you can add more pages to your site. Another easy way is to have your local rep from local search do it all for you. Their site is localsearch.com.au. This will be a paid service, but it's great if you don't have the time or the skills. The red flag to avoid is don't underprice yourself just to win jobs. It's not worth it. You'll go backwards real fast. You'll burn out and attract the wrong clients. Those clients and their friends will expect a discount all the time. So know your value. There's no need to circle the drain pipe or to be the first one to scrape the bottom of the barrel winds. You're just beating yourself up for failure. So know your worth and know your value. When you do this, you will attract better clients who will appreciate you and value your work and services. So now I have a pro move for you. Track where your jobs are coming from and what jobs make you more profitable. On every call, contact, message or email, ask the question, how did you find me or prompted you to call me? Then double down on those types of jobs that make shit works for you. I remember when I first started out, some things I did right and there were some things I did wrong. But I learned from my mistakes. I moved on and improved from what I had learned. Back then we didn't have all the resources available to us like we do now. Just like what I've mentioned in this episode. But now it's all available to us, and tradespeople are now willing to help other tradespeople. Because we are all in this together, like a big, happy working family. And there's enough work for everyone. So there you have it. Five solid, realistic ways to get more clients as a solo Sparky partnership or company with some bonus tips and some of my own experiences. So it's not all about doing everything. It's about doing a few things consistently and doing them well. If you found this helpful, share it with your fellow tradespeople and drop a rating and follow me on my podcast show. It really helps. If you have some of your own tips or stories, and you would like to share them with me or my audience, you can message me or email me. I'd love to feature some of your wins in a future episode. So until next time, stay grounded, stay safe, and keep sparking. Oh, and before I go, here's a little sparky humor to leave you charged up. Why did the electrician get kicked out of the comedy club? Because he kept blowing the fuse with shocking punchlines. So that's all for now folks. But before I go, if there is anything you'd like me to talk about on future episodes, maybe want to ask a question or be on the show, you can do this by contacting us on any of our media sites. I'll put the links to these in the show notes. And don't forget to follow the show and leave a review. Thanks for listening to Sparky's Life. I'm your host, Brantulko. Keep safe and catch you on the next one.

Music Outro

SPEAKER_02 14:50

I can't help but feel it. Can we stay here forever? Forever. Forever. Forever. I want you as you sleep. You don't know how to get with your things complete. Do you know how much I love you? I put your favourite stone on. Just do it. When I did around, I can't help but feel it. Just love it. This moment. Can we stay here? Forever. I love it. This moment. Can we stay here? Together. This lovely. This moment. Can we stay here? Forever. Forever. Forever. Forever. We stay here forever. We stay here forever. We stay here forever. This loving. This moment. Can we stay here forever? This moment. Can we stay here? Together. This loving this moment. Can we stay here? Forever. Forever. Forever. Forever. I watch you as you drive. Do you know I'm looking?