You know the drill. One month, you're booked solid, turning jobs away. Next, you're sitting in the showroom or a van, wondering where your next call's coming from. Sound familiar?
What if there was a way to know exactly where demand for your services was about to explode - before your competitors catch on?
Facts are brutal - most tradesmen are not marketing experts. You rely on word of mouth, maybe stick a few business cards in the local shop, or drop leaflets through random doors, hoping for the best. It's hit and miss, and frankly, expensive when you factor in your time.
The big companies? They've got this sussed. They know something we don't - they target people who've just moved house. Why? Because these people are about to spend serious money.
Think about it. When was the last time you spent the most on your house? Probably when you moved, right? The same goes for your customers.
Here's what happens when people move:
These aren't people browsing for quotes to file away. They NEED the work done. They're ready to spend, and if you're not in front of them, your competitor will be.
Land just one extra job per month from targeting movers, and you've made an extra £50k+ per year. Not bad for posting a few cards, is it?
Mark - Kitchen Showroom, Hertford Used homemover data to find 72 recent movers within 5 miles. Sent personalised postcards. Result: 5 enquiries, 3 site visits, 1 job worth £32,000. Campaign cost: £94.
Sarah - Bathroom Specialist, Leeds Targeted 23 families who'd moved into 4+ bed houses in the last 6 months. Got 5 responses, quoted 3 jobs, won 2. Value: £18,500. Time invested: 3 hours.
Dave - Electrician, Bristol Hit new movers in their first month (when electrical problems surface). 82 postcards sent, 6 call-outs, 2 rewiring jobs booked - total value: £13,600.
Electricians: First 2 weeks after moving - they're discovering all the dodgy wiring.
Plumbers/Heating: Month 1-2 for emergencies, Month 6+ for planned upgrades
Kitchen Fitters: Month 3-6 when they've lived with the old kitchen long enough.
Bathroom Installers: Month 4-8 after they've sorted the essentials first
Get the timing wrong, and you're wasting your money.
No marketing degree needed. Here's the process:
You control the spend. Set a limit on leads to avoid being overwhelmed. Start small, see what works, then scale up.
Big national companies are slow and generic. You're not. You can:
People prefer supporting local businesses. They just need to know you exist.
Week 1: Sign up, set your mile radius, and order leads.
Week 2: Send postcards with a simple "New to the area?" message
Week 3-4: Track responses, book site visits.
Week 5: Analyse what worked, adjust your approach.
Week 6: Scale up to more leads or people in a different stage of the moving process, if the results are good.
This isn't magic. You'll still need to quote competitively and seal the deal. But instead of chasing people who might need you someday, you're targeting people who need you right now.
The big retailers have been doing this for years. Kitchen chains, bathroom showrooms, boiler companies - they all target movers because it works. See some evidence here.
The only difference is they've got massive budgets, and you don't.
Well, now you don't need a massive budget. You need to be smart about who you target.
Minimal. Start with 50 records per week for 3 months and see what happens. If it doesn't work for your trade in your area, you've lost the price of a tank of diesel. If it does work, you've found a reliable way to generate work without spending hours driving around dropping leaflets.
The big companies have already proved this works. You're just doing it at the local level, where you've got the advantage.
BuyerAlerts gives you the same homemover data the big companies use, but sized for independent traders. Flexible contracts. No minimum spend, no marketing jargon - just addresses of people who need what you're selling.