How to get more work as a sole trader
Most sole traders get most of their work from recommendations, and that is a strength. The problem is that it is unpredictable: busy for months, then quiet with nothing booked. Getting more work steadily comes down to three things: being easy to find, being easy to choose, and keeping the customers you already have.
1. Be easy to find
When someone hears your name, or needs your trade in your town, they search on their phone. Make sure something good comes up: a Google Business Profile with the right category, your service area and real photos, and a website that says clearly what you do and where. Both are free or cheap compared with what one job is worth.
Put the same name, phone number and website everywhere: van, cards, invoices, social media. Every one of them points people back to the same place.
2. Be easy to choose
People choose between trades on trust and convenience. Recent reviews from named customers, photos of real jobs, and a clear idea of how you work and roughly what things cost do more than any advert. Reply quickly, even if only to say when you can come and look; speed wins jobs.
3. Keep the customers you have
A past customer who was happy is the easiest new job you will ever win. Keep a simple list of who you have worked for and what you did. A short message a year later, such as a reminder that a boiler service is due or that it is time to treat the decking, brings work back without any advertising.
Ask happy customers to recommend you and to leave a Google review the day you finish, while they are pleased.
4. Fill the quiet months on purpose
Most trades have a predictable quiet patch. Plan for it: offer the jobs that suit that season, contact past customers in advance, and use the time to add new photos and jobs to your website and profile. The work you do in the quiet weeks shows up as enquiries in the busy ones.
Track where work comes from
Ask every new customer how they found you, and write it down. After a few months you will know whether work comes from recommendations, Google, Facebook, the van or a platform. Put more effort into whatever is working and stop paying for what is not.
It also tells you whether a quiet month is a blip or a trend, which is far better than guessing.
Choose the work you want more of
Not all jobs are equally good for you. Some pay better, some lead to bigger work, some you simply enjoy. Make those the jobs you show most on your website and profile, with the best photos and their own pages. Customers tend to ask for what they see you doing.
Common questions
- What is the cheapest way for a sole trader to get more work?
- A properly set up Google Business Profile and asking every happy customer for a review. Both are free.
- Should I use lead platforms?
- They can fill gaps, but you pay per lead and compete on price. Use them alongside your own website and profile, not instead of them.
- How do I get repeat customers?
- Keep a list of past jobs and contact people when work is likely to be due again. See the post on repeat customers.
If you would rather somebody just did it
I build websites for self-employed tradesmen and small businesses across the UK: £249.99 to build, then £49.99 a month to host, maintain and update it. The sites I have built show on page one of Google for 103 searches between them, in Search Console.