Even in this recession it would be unwise to try & buy contracts my Co has been going since 1982, years ago ok decades ago lol i used to have a commercial section that ran alongside the restoration (which i have been carrying out for 38 years) used to do MOD work lots of motorway stuff = hilton park etc. plus thousands of sq yds on jobs all over . so i've been through a few recessions now.
Last 28 years i've dropped the commercial stuff completely haven't done any for over 20 years. Big format tiles etc i would never been in competition with the vast majority of our
community.
On the restoration side there is hardly any competition as there are more contracts than people to do them.
However i still get the inevitable from private clients and the odd public building client ref price and dropping it.
My reply is always the same = No however we may carry out some extras for free or small charge like a section discovered afterwards (small section) but i never drop down to buy a job as it will trip you up in the future, i know it is different when a contract is being chased by a few Co's . That is unfortunate however if you show references and pics of jobs that should eliminate the fly by nights or chancers.
It is hard to stick to your guns when jobs are tight but hopefully things will pick up now house prices are rising again.
Take up Dan's offer of webspace if it still available even one page is an added bonus in getting work.
always have references of work done and pics of same nothing is more convincing than other people blowing your trumpet for you.
you can have diploma's comimg out your ears membership of every trade group possible etc etc but people are not convinced by those only by things thay can see and read about that is pertinent like if you are doing a marble bathroom and you have pics and a ref about one.
I have degrees in ceramics.and trained with one of the top encaustic tile makers but i don't put down all the fancy stuff on my website or cards, because it is what you can actually do that counts not what you say you can do.
the old adage a picture paints a thousand words is always going to be relevant to our trade whether it is a restoration or geometric i do or the brilliant big format stuff that Phil Hobson has done or mosaics from other's or natural stonework our work is always out there to be seen walked over touched so get lots of pics and badger people for refs that way you can get the edge over others .
a quote that ardex use is .
"there is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are this man's lawful prey"
John Ruskin 1819-1900
Sorry to ramble that quote was true when he wrote and remains so now, those who go for cheap option are just storing trouble, i hope everyone can get through the current rubbish we are having without losing out .
cheers Steve
We have poles on the forum.
