Hot Tips
So you have got a profile, now what? HOT TIPS is a page dedicated to helping you put your best foot forward and promoting yourself to get booked.
HOT TIP 1: Profile Pictures
Having a great profile picture is important! Service users will certainly judge you on your presentation and the quality of your profile picture, as this is their first impression of you when they look through the directory (just like when you meet someone). Also faces are often easier to remember than names, so a service user may recognise you from when you have been on a job and be more likely to book you.
Profile picture tips:
- Make sure the background is relevant or neutral
- Get your photo taken in your BoatBoys tee
- Smile!
- Ask yourself, “if you didn’t know me, would you hire me”
Your profile also gives you the ability to upload more pictures on your profile page. Be sure not to underestimate the value of having excellent pictures of your previous work on your profile. If your trade specializes in detailing, make sure you take close up pictures in order to inform the service user in the best way you possibly can. If the details are very important make sure you put a reference to show the correct size, such as a 50-cent piece alongside the detailing you wish to show.
HOT TIP 2: Promote your personal URL or 'BoatBoys address'
If you check out your profile you will notice that it will list your own personal URL or 'BoatBoys address' (e.g. www.boatboys.co.nz/johnsmith). It is basically like having your own mini website. The default is your first name and last name, but if you want you can change it (as long as the URL hasn’t been taken by someone else). This could be a nickname, but make sure it is easy to remember. Having a personal URL is perfect for promoting yourself, as this will take people straight to your profile on the website. Also make sure you list your URL on your social networking pages such as Facebook.
HOT TIP 3: Pay rate
When you are a new member to BoatBoys you need to realize you don’t have the trust built up to charge a high hourly rate. Service users want to know you are a trusted service provider. We advise you to keep a low hourly rate when you are getting started, as this will increase your chances of being hired. Once this is achieved you then can set your hourly rate higher as you become much higher in demand for the service you provide. To sum it up, keep your first ten jobs at a good affordable rate then increase the rate as your feedback increases. Remember that longevity of the job will be noted on your profile and also on our data base system. Lengthy jobs are great for your feedback and in turn help with a higher hourly rate for you in the future.
HOT TIP 4: Write a couple paragraphs for ‘MY CV’
You will notice on your profile that we have a ‘MY CV’ section where you can submit to us a couple of paragraphs about yourself and previous work (edited down version of your CV). Remember that most people don’t have the time to read your life story. So it can be effective just to make bullet points about your skills and previous work you have done. Basically the service users are interested in whether you are able to do the job.
HOT TIP 5: FREE BoatBoys tee
If you are a BoatBoys employee and you haven’t got your free BoatBoys tee…make sure you do! Make sure you wear your BoatBoys tee out on the job, as it’s a great way to promote yourself and the BoatBoys. The back of the tee shirt says ‘Go On Ask’, so if someone does, it is the perfect opportunity to tell them that they can hire you directly from boatboys.co.nz (and make sure you let them know your personal URL).
HOT TIP 6: Feedback
Once your booking is complete, ask the service user to give accurate comments on your profile. How the job went, over all outcome of the job, reliability, and most of all what your workmanship and attitude was like. They have the ability to really help you get noticed so build a friendship whilst keeping it professional and you will gain a lot for your efforts. Don’t underestimate the BoatBoys feedback feature.
If you have some advice or hot tips and wish to share it with the BoatBoys and contractors we would love to hear from you. Please email info@boatboys.co.nz and if it suits the HOT TIPS section we will add your suggestion.
