By Marvin Joles III

“This was a weird year.”

That’s pretty much the general response when I hear sealcoating contractors being asked how their 2024 season went. Nobody said they did bad, really, but just that it wasn’t as expected in several ways. Whether it was the election, the economy, crypto, weather or something else, it seems like it was in fact a strange year.

I would in fact agree with this sentiment when it comes to Wis-Coat. We expected the upward shift in job type percentage to stay trending toward commercial work, but the market here in southwest Wisconsin didn’t show that, as our numbers stayed nearly the same in every category except the shift toward more residential clients than the year before, and less commercial. It didn’t hurt anything, we didn’t change anything internally that would show this, but it was still curious to see our client market respond to the year that was 2024.

This was my 20th year owning an asphalt business. I have seen some weird times already, as I’m guessing a lot of the readers of this article have. Which really got me thinking, what are a few things I could think of, that I have pulled from my peer network over the years, that I could relay about maintaining a sealcoating business, especially in today’s economic climate. From what I could gather when reviewing conversations, seminars, social media posts and my personal experiences, it requires adaptability, operational efficiency and customer focus. Here are three key strategies:

Deliver Quality Work and Build Trust:

• High Quality Materials and Workmanship: Use the best quality sealcoating products available to you and ensure the application process is done correctly to build a strong reputation through trusted “word of mouth.” Yes, “reviews” on your company’s internet listings are considered word of mouth now, too.
• Consistent Performance: Meet deadlines, communicate clearly and exceed customer expectations to build loyalty and positive word of mouth referrals.
• Transparency: Be upfront about costs, timelines and potential challenges to establish trust with clients. Communication is key – that can’t be overstated enough.

Optimize Operations and Costs:

• Efficient Resource Management: Invest in reliable equipment and maintain it properly to avoid costly downtime.
• Cost Control: Streamline your supply chain, negotiate with suppliers and monitor expenses to remain competitive, because it could get tight in the quoting comparisons if times get weird.
• Adaptability: Adjust pricing and service offerings in response to market changes, such as fluctuations in material costs or customer demand.

Proactive Marketing and Customer Engagement:

• Local Marketing: Use targeted Facebook ads for residential clients, flyers (they still work) and local partnerships (Chamber of Commerce, etc.) to promote your business within your community.
• Online Presence: Maintain a professional website and active social media profiles to attract customers and showcase your work through testimonials, reviews and project photos.
• Customer Retention: Offer incentives for repeat business, such as discounts for regular maintenance or referral bonuses. Try offering an incentive for reviews, as well.

Focusing on these areas and these actions can help to ensure resilience and growth, even in challenging economic conditions. We have seen it in our peer group and when talking to many contractors over the years, and it can work for you, too.

As always, if you have any insight or criticisms about this article or anything in it, please feel free to email me at marvinjoles@gmail.com, and of course, reach out to me using any form of social media.

Stay in the mix.
-Marvin

Marvin Joles III, Owner of Wis-Coat Asphalt Maintenance and host of Blacktop Banter podcast. You can listen to and watch Blacktop Banter podcasts by visiting https://blacktopbanter.com