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Going solo, Need advice on starting out.
Posted by Mark Indzeris on April 10, 2011 at 5:13 pmGuys, I follow the board and usually respond to Civil 3D and Trimble questions. Well after 14 years with the same company and surviving 3 layoffs, I didn’t survive the fourth. I got my license in January and was looking forward to things picking up this spring. After the second sleepless night, I realized I had been planning my own business for a long time and now was the time to start. I was able to pick up some used equipment and software and am ready to go.
Over the last several years I have read just about every book on how to run a land surveying business and land surveying marketing. The only problem is they don’t seem to apply to this economy. What other advice can you give for starting out?
When I was applying for my business license, a contractor invited me to a business referral meeting this coming Wednesday. I look forward to going and have a stack of business cards ready. I know what I want to say but would like some more ideas on “how to sell my wares” so to speak. I don’t want to be negative discussing boundary encrochments, feuding neighbors, title-companies not requiring surveys, etc. I think I would like to go with a more positive spin as a “solution provider” and a “go between” for the municipality.
Does anyone else have ideas on selling surveying for a first timer?
james-fleming replied 13 years, 1 month ago 13 Members · 15 Replies- 15 Replies
Be sure that the other surveyors in your area know you’ve started up. They may have inquiries they can’t or don’t want to handle and they may send them your way. This is somewhat less likely in this economy but there’s no downside to touching base.
You really have to look at where the demand is in your area. In Florida, from what I’ve seen, there is little construction going on, which means large boundary surveys, topos, subdivision platting, construction staking are DEAD. The only thing going on here is people snatching up foreclosed homes quickly, as investments. So, that’s where I focused my marketing when I started solo about a year and a half ago, and it has paid the bills. I’m not getting rich, but I’m making it through the toughest time I can remember.
That’s led to my name getting around and I’ve had a few requests for Topos and construction (but I either bid them too high or I tried to pass them along to my former employer).
So, think about the company that you worked for. Is there any type of work that seemed to be keeping them busy more so than others?
Also, find out what government agencies posts RFPs for your areas and get on their list.
P.S. Get a simple website and use Google AdWords to drive people to your website. It’s very cheap advertisement and everyone uses google these days.
Best thing I did was read Dan Beardslee’s book. Here is a review
networking helps too.
I hope everyone has a great day; I know I will!Mark,
At the meeting prepare to define these words:
Honesty
Knowledgeable
Commitment
Fair
UrgentTalk a couple of sentences about your last few projects or a big project.
Then ask if anyone has questions.I think you will do fine at the meeting.
As for the business startup, you will have to do all of the marketing ideas and it still may not be enough. Keep all expenses to a minimum and work long and hard. You have to be visible everywhere. Keep talking to the other business people and get thier advice. Stay flexible and make money on each project. Can you do machine control surfaces for the Condtractors? Sprinkle in a little luck and you will make it.
Luke
Cee Gee,
That is good advice. I have spoken to other surveyors in the area, mostly to see if they had a space for me. There was a chapter meeting of the Virginia Association of Surveyors last week and I talked with other guys in the region. They are all slow, but think it is picking up slowly.
I have spoken with my mentor, who my former company let go over two years ago. He is semi-retired, but works with a friend of his occasionally. He has stated that if he has anything come up that they need a hand with, he will give me a call.Pseudo Ranger, I am toying with the idea of a Facebook page at the moment, but have no idea what to fill it up with (beyond basic surveying services) once I start it.
The company I worked for was heavily into engineering and land development. They were able to stay busy on staking, plot plans, and finals for their surviving large scale subdivisions. I feel that if I can focus on the basics, boundary surveys, BLAs, elevation certs, for smaller local clientele and local builders, I can make a go of it.Be positive at all times. Do not focus on how lousy the economy is and why you have little choice but to strike out on your own. People want to hear how positive things are so they can expect positive results from you.
Selling yourself to an individual is nothing like selling yourself to a potential career employer. The individual doesn’t know or understand most of the standard gibberish that makes perfect sense to fellow surveyors. The individual is hoping you know how to do whatever it is that needs to be done to satify the need they have.
Initially, avoid contracts and immediate money demands. Learn what will work for you first. The vast majority of individual clients are ethical people. Slapping everyone in the face with the presumption of expected theft of services is a bit unnerving to the innocent person offering you a chance at some of their money. Common commercial clients such as banks and title companies are a different matter entirely.
Meet your State’s minimum standards, of course, but, keep it simple for the individual client. Provide the necessary service, but, don’t add on all sorts of niceties that may look impressive yet do not provide any benefit to the client. They will assume you are trying to inflate the bill simply by providing some things that your MTS dictate must happen. And, yes, it will be necessary to explain why you were found three blocks away from the site doing something that surely could not have been necessary for the job they are paying for. Handling this little conversation with the client is much different when you are the service provider as opposed to being the company lackey for some firm they found listed in the phone book.
Again, be positive at all times.
“in this market” is a misnomer
in any market you have to: find who is working, get beside them, show them how you can make their life better, and then prove it.
whatever niche you choose to pursue you have to find the drivers of that market. who orders the surveys? paralegal, construction superintendent, home owner – whoever. find out who you need to be focusing on and then focus. it is hard to get advice from a general survey board like this on what works in your area. i have found those “marketing groups” are for losers. full of people scared to get told NO. you are going to get told NO. don’t let it get you down. keeping asking until someone says YES.
call on every contact you have and let them know you are out there.
Going solo, Need advice on starting out. MArk…..
Dare I say it but RPLS.com has a wealth of old posts on solo surveying and starting out. Check out their archived old posts
There will also be some useful tips in their monthly POB magazine where they publish a feature on solo surveyors in business. Again check archive of electronic issues.
radu
I’ve been at it for 10 years and consider myself successful. My words of advice are:
1. Don’t depend on anyone but yourself. Robot, static, RTK.
2. Turning down a job is not a bad thing. Picking and choosing the projects you want will cause a lot less worry.
3. Keep your rates and prices up. If I hear another firm/professional has higher rates than me, then I increase immediately. Don’t be typecast as a low-baller. I seldom lose a project because of rates, and the ones I have lost are generally not worth my time anyway. Price shoppers are always a PITA.
4. Word of mouth will get you more work and better clients than marketing. I wasted several weeks going to mortgage companies and realtors when I first opened. Find contractors (building and site) in your area and introduce yourself if you want to market. Those are some of my best clients. Farmers and fruit growers are also excellent clients.
5. Be known as the guy that can get the job done quickly and has excellent work. I got paid $12,000 for about 12 hours of work once, because I promised I could have a site plan submitted within five days, it only took two.
6. Get invloved in your local government as a Planning Commissioner or join some of the sub-committees. It won’t get you any work, but you can keep tabs on who’s doing what and what is coming up. That was one thing I missed when I left a larger firm. Plus, it helps because the staff that reviews your plats and plans will know you personally and give you the 100% effort they should, and not the 20% effort most get.
7. Take classes whenever you can for continuing education. It won’t get you work, but it will make you a better surveyor.
8. Always tell your clients what is going on. Even if you have to tell them your busy and it will be two weeks before you get back to their project. They will feel better knowing your thinking of them and their project is not lost in a quagmire.
9. The best piece of advice is from my buddy whose a commercial fisherman in Alaska.
“When you work for yourself, cash flow is like a constipated elephant!”10. When the big checks roll in, remember they have to last. Keep to a budget and take the large bonus at the end of the year. Figure out the minimum you need to get by and make that your weekly paycheck. Although it’s tempting, leave the rest in the bank. Sometimes it’s hard to keep living within your means when you can buy a new truck with cash from the account. But remember you will always regret that big purchase later. It helps to ask youself if the purchase you are about to make will make you any money.
Gary
“When you work for yourself, cash flow is like a constipated
“When you work for yourself, cash flow is like a constipated elephant!”
A men my brother !
I belong to BNI, which is a business networking group.
It is a great way to truly build your network.You might want to see if there is a chapter in your area. It can’t hurt to look.
Joe
I decided to go solo two years ago after being laid off and haven’t looked back. It was scary at first, but things have worked out great considering the economy. The best marketing that started generating calls right away for me was Google Adwords.
It seems to me this generation doesn’t bother with the phone book since it’s easier for them to hop on Google while at work. All you have to do is open an account with Google Adwords and pick a list of keywords to bring up an advertisement/ link to your website and you only pay when someone clicks your link. I have all the keyword bidding set to automatic and have had good success with a $50 per month budget limited to people within a 30 mile location of me.
I set up the website for free on Google Sites and just pay $10 a year to reserve wwww.apexlandsurveying.com as my domain name. Another feature that has worked for me is a link on my website for a survey quote. I receive more quote requests from this link than by phone.
I receive a lot of requests for small lot surveys via the website, but also receive a lot of requests from out of town title co.’s and construction companies looking for a surveyor local to their project.
Kelly Dunford
Apex Land Surveying
http://www.apexlandsurveying.comThanks for all the responses. I am moving forward with setting up my internet site. The past RPLS posts on solo surveying are one reason why I’ve made the decision. Those posts and this site made me aware of other ways to do business beyond the large fast service firm.
> Thanks for all the responses. I am moving forward with setting up my internet site. The past RPLS posts on solo surveying are one reason why I’ve made the decision. Those posts and this site made me aware of other ways to do business beyond the large fast service firm.
Keep in mind that just because you’re solo doesn’t mean you can’t compete with the large firms in their market, you can only do it one job at a time.
The big AEC firms have also laid off engineers, planners, landscape architects, etc. over the last few years. At least around here, a number have gone into business as solo consultants themselves. My business model has been to find a few that you can work with and you can put together customized design teams for individual projects to beat the big guys at their own game.
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