Strategy work is for the decisions that come before marketing: which regions to grow into, which services to push, how much to spend and what to stop doing. You get a senior second opinion from Ali Sedighi, MBA, and a written plan built on your numbers, with no obligation to buy anything else.
This is business and marketing consulting. We are not contractors, and we do not give technical, safety or code advice.
Who it suits
- Owners who feel marketing is "not working" but cannot say which part.
- Companies thinking about opening in a second BC region, for example a Fraser Valley firm eyeing the Okanagan, or a Victoria company considering Nanaimo.
- Businesses that grew on referrals and now want a plan before hiring an agency.
- Owners preparing to step back, who need marketing that does not depend on their personal phone.
What is included
A diagnosis
We look at where your work comes from now, what each source costs, and where enquiries leak: missed calls, slow replies, quotes that never get followed up. In most service businesses, at least one leak costs more than the marketing budget.
Numbers you can use
We help you work out average job value, close rate, and the most you can afford to pay for a lead in each service and region. If a job is worth $4,000 with a 30% gross margin and you close 40% of quotes, each lead is worth about $480 in gross margin before marketing costs. That sets an honest ceiling on cost per lead.
A region-by-region plan
For each BC market you serve or want to serve: is it worth marketing to, which channel comes first, a starting budget, and what success looks like after 90 days.
Operations that affect marketing
Call handling, text response times, quote follow-up, and the review habit. These are not glamorous, but they decide how much of your marketing turns into work.
Formats
- A single session, by phone or video, with written notes afterwards.
- A short project ending in a written plan.
- Ongoing advice as part of a monthly plan, with regular strategy calls.
The first 30-minute consultation is free for eligible trades businesses. See pricing for how strategy fits into each plan.
Timeline
A single session can be booked within a week or two. A written plan typically takes two to four weeks, depending on how quickly your numbers come together.
How we judge whether it worked
A strategy is useful if it changes what you do and if those changes show up in booked work. We set three or four measurable targets with you, such as cost per booked job in a new region or the share of calls answered live, and check them at 90 days.
What a 90-day plan can look like
Here is a typical outline for a Fraser Valley renovation company that wants to test the Okanagan:
| Weeks | Focus |
|---|---|
| 1–2 | Confirm job values, close rates and crew capacity; decide which two services to lead with |
| 3–4 | Publish Okanagan service pages and set up a separate profile strategy and tracking |
| 5–8 | Run a small, region-only ad test; collect reviews from the first Okanagan jobs |
| 9–12 | Compare cost per booked job against the home market and decide: expand, adjust or stop |
The plan is deliberately cheap to abandon. If the numbers do not hold in the new region, you will know within a quarter, before you have committed to a second crew or a lease.
Mistakes we often see
- Expanding before the home market is full. A second region doubles travel and management before it doubles revenue.
- Measuring leads instead of jobs. Cheap leads that never book are not cheap.
- Spending on ads while missing calls. Fix the phone first.
- Copying a competitor's marketing. Their margins, crews and regions are not yours.
If recruiting is the real bottleneck, BC.Works focuses on employer branding for BC trades. Otherwise, start with the services overview or read the guide on serving several BC regions.
Frequently asked questions
Is this engineering or code advice?
No. It is business and marketing consulting only: markets, pricing presentation, budgets, staffing for sales and call handling. Technical, safety and code questions belong with your regulator and qualified professionals.
Do I have to sign up for a plan afterwards?
No. You can take the plan and run it yourself or with another provider. Many owners do.
What do you need from me?
Rough numbers: average job value, close rate, monthly revenue by service, current marketing spend and where your work comes from. Estimates are fine to start.
Can you help us decide whether to expand to another region?
Yes. Expansion decisions are one of the most common reasons owners ask for strategy work, and we look at demand, competition, travel time and staffing before marketing.