In any industry, being the best at what you do comes down to both talent and hard work. But whether you’re an electrician, builder or plumber, there are certain traits that go above and beyond the basics in terms of impressing your clients and providing value to them above and beyond what they paid for. If you want to be considered among the best in your industry, then keep these seven traits of the ideal tradesperson in mind at all times.
1) Integrity
Every tradesperson must have integrity. He or she should be trustworthy, dependable, and capable of keeping his or her word. While this person may make mistakes, they will do their best to fix it right away. He or she will be transparent and truthful with customers, offering them honesty every time they inquire about a job they would like to get done and throughout the entire process. The tradie's ultimate goal is customer satisfaction; he or she is always willing to listen in order to find ways to better meet the customer's needs.
This is not always easy, especially if you are an electrician, Tiler, or Plumber juggling multiple jobs a day. Our tip for displaying integrity is always to keep notes of all communication, requests, and job changes. With organised notes, you can be sure nothing is missed, and miscommunication can be solved quickly and pleasantly.
We have designed our diaries with integrity in mind, giving you a space to keep track of the jobs for the day, work carried out (including any problems, delays, or variations), and client communication. This has all been designed to ensure you can provide the best customer service possible with the peace of mind that nothing will be forgotten or misplaced. An asset to building long term customer relationships that equal repeat business and recommendations!
2) A Good Work Ethic
The importance of a good work ethic comes back to customer relationships. When you are on time, work hard, and appear invested in your work, the customer sees that their job is important to you. When a customer feels valued, you can almost be guaranteed repeat business and referrals!
Having a good work ethic results in high-quality work, as well as an eye for detail. Not only do you have to show up on time, but you also have to take your time on tasks, ensuring they are completed properly, so they don't come back later down the line. Be courteous when dealing with clients and other workers on site.
A good work ethic is vital not only for you but for your team. We help you keep track of your team's work and attention to site conditions with our diaries.
3) Professionalism
Professionalism is at the heart of all successful tradespeople. You need to be organised and committed to getting the job done. Staying organised and committed is about knowing exactly what has been happening on site and keeping track of any changes made to the job along the way.
We help you keep track of all this in one place, our pages are designed specifically with your trade in mind and capture communication, expenses, your to-do list, and a list of work carried out. You will have an at-your-fingertips reminder of important information for every job and won't ever be stuck in an awkward conversation where you have forgotten any detail of the job or client communication.
4) Punctuality
We work with many tradespeople. Many of them arrive on time, others are not so punctual. The ones who show up on time and stay until their work is finished have happier customers. A tradesperson that does good work on time is worth their weight in gold!
We want to help our tradies stay organised with a clear plan of their day. We have included a job log in our diaries so you can plan your day in the morning with all the names, addresses, and contact information of clients and jobs at your fingertips. This also helps if you end up running behind, you have quick access to clients' contacts to give them a courtesy call and maintain a great relationship.
5) Interpersonal Skills
A tradesperson should have strong interpersonal skills. Often, one's work is impacted by not just the quality of their work but also how well they are able to communicate and handle a variety of different scenarios that may arise. Whether this involves working with clients, interacting with coworkers, or managing contractors and deliveries, there are many different personalities that one must be able to interact with on a daily basis.
To support you, our diaries include a section for managing machinery, subs, and deliveries. Here you can keep track of who is on-site, when, and any other information that will support helpful interactions. There is nothing worse than contractors working over each other or deliveries arriving late or at the same time. Help keep the peace by organising your day well.
6) Inventiveness
They know their business. They have a creative mind, always looking for new ideas to enhance old ways and come up with new ones. They are good at problem-solving and they're good at what they do. Inventiveness is not something that just happens; it requires practice, experimentation, and a commitment to always trying something new.
Keeping notes of your interactions, thoughts, problems, and variations of jobs can assist you in coming up with new ideas to fill gaps or address issues that are slowing you down. This will create a smooth process for your team and client and save you money and time in the long run!
7) Safety
Safety is paramount when you're working as a tradesman. Safety for yourself, your team, and your clients protects your business and reinforces your professional image. You will struggle to keep a professional and skilled team if their safety isn't considered every day. Clients will also not be impressed if site conditions have not been made safe for them and their families. Implementing a healthy prestart that supports a clean site, tracks high-risk activities, records weather conditions, and notes PPE used with not only protect your business in the now but in the future.
Keep track of your safety practices with a prestart checklist in our Construction Diaries.
