How Would YOU Market A Floor Tile Removal Business?

That's a tough one. I can't imagine anyone wanting to have their tile removed without replacing it with something else.

In my experience, a good majority of installers will do the removal at an extra charge.

I'd shoot for a direct mail piece with before and after pictures. Anyone that has removed tile before knows what a mess it is underneath there.

Well first I think you need to be very clear on who their customers are.

I don't see this being a B2C business at all. This is a B2B service. I would assume that before the major tile installers come in, they wouldn't mind a completely clean floor. Outsourcing the removal to a company that specializes in removal makes a lot of sense. Specialization allows them to become very good at removal and disposal.

Installer charges customer a removal fee, and then turns that job over to your client who does a fast and fabulous job. Now the installer can focus on their strength - installation.

Is this correct? I simply don't see removal being a B2C service.

So they do removal, do they also prep the surface for the new installation?

I also agree that at first impression this is a B2B service to flooring contractors.

I'd tile general remodeling contractors and tile installers.

also a niche might be the new senior citizen walkin tub companies. People end up remodeling their bathrooms.

But if they really want to make money, they should go after commercial contractors. I met a guy who is the go-to guy for most of the big contractors in Washington state. You'd need some serious equipment to be efficient.

You do the REMOVAL...find multiple local companies that just WANT to do the installation. The end user doesn't care who does it, they just want it done right at a good price. There are plenty of ways to find DIY homeowners BUT don't want to do the hard stuff.

misterme - in my area you don't need a permit for tile improvements. Just majors like electrical, roofing, a/c, etc. Going to have my virtual assistant start creating a list of contractors in my area and send them mailing pieces. Good ideas.

SirThomas - You are right... commercial side is where the money is at. I recently communicated with a gentleman that said he handled all of the commercial flooring removal jobs for a particular chain store and it was literally a $250,000 phone call that he answered from his prospect seeking for a bid on the work.

serryjw - going to have my assistant pull all the businesses in my area from the state division of corporations and send a mailing piece to them. Any ideas on how to target diy'ers? Aside from website, craigslist ads, and possibly flyers / cards at tile supply stores?

Any other ideas?

Thanks to everyone who has responded.

Whether you are using offline or online marketing to promote your business, one of the first steps you may want to consider is what Tony Robbins teaches us, e.g. find someone who is doing successfully what you want to accomplish and (copy) what they are doing.

One person you may consider emulating is Joe Polish of JoePolish.com

Joe's story is an inspiration to many of us on the WF and Joe shows us how to really think and act outside the box to expand not only our current business but also tap into a lot of the potential we have that can take both our business and our personal growth to the next level.

As you get older, you may want to have a marketing skill that is not dependent on:

• you physically having to be on location
• the conditions of your local economy
• the weather
• etc.

My humble recommendation is to start developing even one new marketing skill that other people in your industry are successfully using to gain more paying clients.

Now, floridamarketer, if you are a bit extroverted like Joe Polish is, there is a method (which you are actually using right now) to find (a lot more) clients. That method is:

>>>Forums<<<

Here is the step-by-step way to engage with Forums successfully. (One of them you are doing right now.)
WARNING: Remember to do these steps in order from 1. onward. If you skip a step, I will be able to hear your moans all the way to my place in Japan when you discover where you blew it.

1. Google: tile removal forum
Forums like the following will appear,

• Ceramic Tile
• Removing kitchen tile floor for laminate.... - DoItYourself.com Community Forums
• http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/2126125

2. Spend a few days (not minutes) looking at the post.
Hint, what you are looking for is mostly the people complaining about how much trouble it was or is going to be to, "Do It Yourself" We humans, as you know, move away from pain and fear faster than toward pleasure.

Here is a sample I took right off the doityourself.com/forum above:

"Was afraid of that..... I always say that I wouldn't want to be the one to have to tear out one of my installs. If done right, it should be a bear to remove."

Floridamarketer, here are the two keywords in the comment above you want to focus on; "afraid" and "If"

3. It has been a few days now and you have read at least 100 post on various "tile removal forums" Now, it is time for you to join one forum (just one until you get the hang of this).

Maybe a "Do It Yourself" forum because I know now that (and I will bet that many of the other WF members will be nodding in agreement here) :rolleyes: it would have been a lot safer, cheaper, and done much better if I had hired someone (like you) to do it than to have actually done it myself. I know that at least my wife will agree with me on this one. Don't ask! :confused:

WARNING: Remember, when you sign up to join the one forum, do NOT include your website URL, your blog or anything else that even slightly hints at "self-promotion" i.e. spam.

Why?

Because you are only going to do the following for at least 10 to 20 post, which is either:
Ask A Question, like "How long is it taking you to get the job done?" or "How much might it cost me to remove each square (yard / meter)?"
Answer A Question, like the same ones above from your own actual experience (remember, no links, no URLs and no Private Message me yet, at this step)

Why 10 to 20 post of Questions or Answers?

Because nobody knows you, your background, or how skillful you are, and they do not care. They do not care until you have:

1. been friendly and helpful with valuable information that has or will save them a lot of time and money
2. your answers to their questions have proven to them you are an authority in your industry
3. you are someone they can "know, like and trust"

4. Your gut should tell you when you are ready for this step.
But tiptoe into this step so no moans need be uttered by you latter.
By now, you have shown:

• you are friendly and helpful with valuable information
• you are an authority in your industry
• you are someone they can "know, like and trust"

So, like a spring breeze rather than like a gale, (offer) rather than (recommend) to someone who is spending too much time and or money attempting to remove tile themselves; an offer to send (you) a Private Message.

CAUTION: Remember, offer that (they) private message to (you). Do not private message someone who has not reached out to you. They will have cause to claim it is spam, if they are the touchy type.

5. Step "five" is to repeat this process:

• on the first forum you initially joined
• one more additional new forum you will join

Summary: (The Most Important of All the Above Steps)
Note: The key to being successful in forums (i.e. never to get banned or mess up your reputation) is to post exactly in the following way, no more no less!

Note: Number of post to include any question you ask or any question you answer.

Number of Post:
4 to 7
(Remember, no less no more or moaning will manifest.)

Note: Total post per day should not exceed 20 post.

WARNING: Remember, to stagger your post from between 3 to 4 hours apart. Never, never get cleaver and say to yourself, "What the heck, I'm too busy ripping up tile to follow this stagger strategy daily; what I will do is just post all my 20 post the first thing before going to work."

Do you feel the ground shaking from all the WF members, who know better, who are jumping up and down, yelling, "No, no, no to all who would consider it!" :p

Ideal times to do your 4 to 7 post daily (except Saturday and Sunday)

1. 11a.m. EST U.S.A (because this is when most new post are done, even the new WSOs on this WF - "Oh, did I just give away some guru's secret marketing strategy?" e.g. 4 post (to get-r-started)
2. 14:00 EST U.S.A e.g. 4 post (at break time)
3. 17:00 EST U.S.A e.g. 4 post (just before quitting time)
4. 20:00 EST U.S.A e.g. 4 post (just after dinner)
5. 23:00 EST U.S.A e.g. 4 post (just before going nighty-night)

Remember:

• no more than 20 post per day (Saturday and Sunday off)
• to wait 3 to 4 hours before posting again
• no more than 4 to 7 post per every three or four hours
• to follow each step in order

Now, floridamarketer, here is the final warning but the most important one of all!

WARNING: Never, never "outsource" any of the task in any of the steps to anyone else!

Why?

Because, this whole process is designed to develop "floridamarketer" as the "brand" not someone else.

Note: In the forums, use your real name. Or, sign off with your real name (as you will see me do at the end of this post).

Also, no one else can be you nor are they you in your capacity to ask relevant questions or give valuable (time-saving and money-saving) answers to forum member questions.

In conclusion, check out what Joe Polish (carpet cleaning service) has accomplished. Also, if you want to discover how the internet, online marketing or even offline marketing can be done more effectively to bring you more clients for your business; go Google and watch the following (free) documentary titled:

Add To Cart - Go Behind The Scenes Of Internet Marketing

In closing, I would like to say, it is my pleasure to serve you floridamarketer as a fellow WF member. Feel free to pass this information on to anyone who you feel may benefit from it.

Disclaimer: All the above is my own opinion, so if you do not follow the steps as laid out or even if you do and you get into some kind of mess, then bless you, just add the experience to your life repertoire. And do your best not to repeat the same mistake again.

Now, I'm going to take my wife out to view the fully open, magnificent Cherry Blossoms here in Kawagoe, Japan.

peace out,

Dennis Hawkins
(beautiful) Kawagoe, Japan

Create 1000 flyers about your business. Include everything they need to know and contact information. Then go to your local mall and place flyers on every car window.

thank me later

I agree that it's more a B2B business than a B2C business. Have you started cold calling contracters? Tile installation companies? Hardware stores? Realtors?

I would definitely go after both consumer and tile installer.

I would go with flyers in doors, cars, wherever for the consumers.

Now here is where you can establish your 'unique selling point' as they say.

Well, you know or I know that the installer makes some good money (read: charge good money) removing the tile. Now here is where you can relay in some form to the consumer that most or alot of installers would prefer to come in and just install and that you would do the removal cheaper as a "specialist" because it's, well, your specialty and how much happier the installer would be to walk in to a clear floor. One of your selling points would be to have their home furnishings and good existing floors covered and protected and have a spot cleared as a staging spot for the installers and their tools. I have not ever seen a company that I ever worked with that does this.

It can be spread out to any other repairs around the house.

With this will come great relationships with installers when they see your advertising on , I don't know, maybe trash bags that you include, complimentary booties (as in, paper slip-on covers that contractors put on their feet so they don't track dirt in the house) ( hope I stopped any funny remarks there about booties!). I also think word of mouth would be strong here. Repeat business for sure!

I think it would be a waste of time targeting tile contractors.

Many of them already figured out it was better, more efficient, and economical to have installer crews and tear out/prep crews as separate teams. It also cuts down on the amount of man power required to run the business because a single tear out crew can prepare multiple jobs for many installation crews very quickly.

That doesn't mean that its totally out of the question to sub oneself out, it just makes you dependent on other entities abilities to sell jobs and then give you the work.

That's a risk in and of its self, there was recently a thread on here about a alleged gutter contractor who's whole 20 year business was built on subcontracting his work out, then most of the GC's stopped giving him work and he ran into financial problems fast.

Subbing works best when very highly skilled artisan type services are required, not for remediation as a core business service.

So what I would do is target the high end commercial type contracts and continue to figure out how to take more of the consumer market.

Perhaps build relationships with those who facilitate the buying and selling of homes. Real Estate Agents and agencies.

Another lead potential is property management companies, both residential and commercial. They'll sometimes know if a client property is up for renovation. They'll also know if a client has bought new properties recently.

Have you looked at how they're getting calls now? Any way to maximize what's already working?

call on commercial real estate owners/managers. they are going to be early on any build to suit for upcoming tenants. target commercial RE brokers, they will be talking to clients who will be retrofitting space.

so far all of the business has come from craigslist.

mostly homeowners getting ready to do their own installs and they don't ant to fuss with the removal.

mromeo - it doesn't sound like your "demolition customer" was strategically positioned correctly if he was doing the items as you described... that's property preservation work... N OT demolition.

Commercial real estate owners / managers / property managers is a great idea!

So far my customer has only had about 5 or 6 jobs with an average of 1,200 square feet and a cost of $2.50 psft removal. which means an average sale for him is $3,000. In and out with 2 man crew in 1.5 day.