5 Tips for How to Grow Your Junk Removal Business

Junk removal, as a business category, is becoming quite competitive. Everywhere you look there are more companies springing up, all of them battling for a piece of the growing market. To help you compete, here are some practical tips on how to grow your junk removal business.

1. Make Yourself Known for Something

Of all the advice we could give, this is the most important. In a crowded market of “guy with a truck” companies, the single greatest advantage you can have is differentiation. The goal is to be remembered when people need your services. You want to create word-of-mouth referrals by being the junk removal business that is “top of mind.”

Some examples of this are Junk4Good—their easy to remember name also serves as a reminder that they are a non-profit company who donate funds to help create employment in their community. Or Ethical Waste Services, who donate 50% of their profits to charities that help at-risk youth. Your calling card doesn’t have to be your support for charities, though. Grunts Move Junk is famous for employing Armed Forces veterans. JiffyJunk and 505-Junk are easy to recall due to their colorful trucks and their easy-to-recall names and phone numbers.

A bit of branding goes a long way towards setting your junk removal business apart, so don’t be afraid to get a little creative.

2. Paint Your Trucks

Your trucks are the most visible thing about your company. They act like mobile billboards. Take advantage of that visibility by putting your branding and contact info on display. You can extend this practice to things like your crew’s uniforms as well but start with the trucks. Seeing your truck parked outside a neighbor’s house or even at a stoplight could be the reminder that customers need to book with you. Keep things looking clean and professional for best results.

3. Hire the Best People

This almost goes without saying, but we would be remiss if we didn’t mention it. Your crews are visiting people at their home, so you want them to have a level of professionalism. Finding people who can haul and sort junk is the east part. Finding team members who will be prompt, professional, and stick around for the long haul, is trickier.

Want a hiring tip that will save you time and headache? Ask your best employees to refer their friends. Recruiting the friends of your best people can act like a great filter, and bring you more great team members with the kind of work ethic you are looking for.

3. Train Your Crews to Sell

Further to the above tips, keep in mind that your visible trucks and teams are also sales assets. A curious neighbor might have questions about your services when you’re visiting a customer’s home. If your teams are well-versed in your pricing policies and know how to sell your services, you can generate a lot more business than if they are dismissive or uninformed.

4. Advertising Your Junk Removal Business with a Website and Ads

We could (okay, we have) write an entire post on this topic alone. For now though, some basic tips. For starters, make sure your free online listings are completed correctly. Services like Google My Business can help your online presence and convert search traffic for you. It goes without saying that you should have an informative (mobile optimized) website.

Whenever possible, encourage happy customers to give you online reviews, and display them on your site or in your search results. To help you win more searches, consider investing in Google Adwords, focusing on your specific area. Do some keywords research, or hire an expert to help you bid on the search terms that will help convert new business. Or to test it out, start with “junk removal + (name of your city).”

5. Convert More Customers with Online Booking

You’ve got a website that is easy to remember and looks great on mobile phones. Your phone number is prominently displayed, as is your email address or message box.

Even with all this in place, you could be losing business to your competition if you don’t have online booking. As time goes on, more and more customers prefer to book on their time. They might be comparison shopping and simply want a quick quote. But they might also be ready to book right now and want to be able to choose a time that’s convenient for them.

When you offer online booking, you can access a larger customer base, convert them with ease, and save yourself in admin time in the process. If you really want to impress, consider Junk4Good’s online quote tool, which gives customers an idea of costs and lets them make a booking all in one website visit.

Bonus Tip: Stay Organized with Junk Removal Business Software

As your business grows and you add more team and trucks, junk removal software can help you stay organized, saving you time and money. Want to know how software can help you grow your junk removal business and earn more profits? Book a free, private demo of Vonigo.