Learn what skills do you need to become one.
1. Well-trained/Experienced: A well-trained handyman is an asset to himself and the client. The client gets maximum satisfaction from their services, while the handyman gets maximum pay, commendation, referrals, more work, and more income.
So, if you are a handyman and want to maintain or grow your clientele, you must get trained and update your skills from time to time to be the best in your area.
Similarly, if you are looking to hire a handyperson, make sure you get the services of a trained one. Experience and specialization are also essential if the handling task is susceptible.
Things like plumbing and wiring are better handled by people who specialize in that niche and not by “jack of all trades” who are not specialists in any area.
Training improves your confidence as a handyman and that of your client in you.
2. Honesty: Honesty is essential for a handyperson who wants to grow and sustain clientele. They should be very sincere in their dealings with clients.
They should be truthful in quoting the cost of materials to be used for any work. Also, they should avoid exaggerating the problem or prolonging the career to charge the client more. An honest handyman always gains the trust of the clients quickly.
3. Reliable: A good handyperson should be reliable. They should always keep to appointments with clients and be punctual and work diligently to finish their tasks as scheduled.
4. Friendly and Personable: If you want to succeed as a handyman, you should develop your relationship-building skills and interpersonal skills because clients are more likely to hire people with these qualities.
Since your work usually revolves around clients’ homes, you should be able to engage in decent conversation with people be approachable and personable.
These attributes also help you build a good relationship with your clients, leading to return patronage and referrals.
Mind you. People always like to hire handypersons recommended by others. So, having a good relationship with each client you work for puts you in a better position to receive such referrals and recommendations.
5. Multitasking: An excellent handyperson should be vastly inexperienced and be able to handle various odd jobs asides from the one they specialize in. This is because they may be required to do other minor repairs while doing work.
For instance, a painter should also patch cracked or leaky walls. This makes your job neat saves you the stress and time of hiring another worker, thereby increasing your rates.
However, this does not mean that you should be a jack of all trades. It is suitable for a painter to know how to patch walls, but that doesn’t mean they should also be an electrician or a plumber.
6. Problem-Solving: The job of a handyman also revolves around troubleshooting. Every new client comes with a new job. And every new job is unique and requires specific solutions.
To be the best handyman in your locality, you should possess critical thinking skills and the ability to come up with solutions to your client’s problems.
7. Affordable: A handyperson should charge competitive rates, and they shouldn’t drive away customers with exorbitant rates. The ideal is to set rates commensurate with your skills and tasks to complete.
The rates you are to charge should be fair to all parties involved.
8. Well Equipped: A handyman who wants to be good on the job is a must-have quality, and this saves you the cost of hiring equipment each time you are hired for a job.
At least having the essential tools you require often is an excellent way to start, and it makes you prepared to accept work at all times.
While the client must provide you with specific tools and materials or provide money to rent certain special equipment if there is a need for any, the handyperson must come to work with essential tools.
For instance, a painter is expected to come to work with his roller, painting brush, tape, and overcoat, while the client is expected to provide the paint, water, and some other unique materials that the painter may require.
9. Innovative and Teachable: To succeed as a handyman, you should be open to new ideas, new ways, and improved tools for doing your job. It would help if you were a good listener, which ensures you don’t miss important details given by your clients or a third party on specific tasks.
10. Safety Conscious: For a handyman, safety comes first, and the security of his clients and people around the work area is paramount.
Therefore, a handyman should always be fully kitted before starting any work, no matter how minor. They should also always ensure that the environment they are to work in is well ventilated and lit.
They should also move all valuable objects to a distant corner and remove all dangerous items.
Professional handymen even go to being covered by an insurance policy. So, if you intend to hire a handyperson, always go for safety-conscious ones.
If you live in a state that forbids hiring uninsured workers, it is only advisable to hire an insured handyman, not minding that it will cost more. Mind you, if you hire an uninsured handyman and sustain an injury or die while doing the job, you will be charged.
11. Basic Education and Numerical Skills: The job of a handyman does not require a college degree or special certification. However, it does require basic literacy and numerical skills.
As a handyman, you should be able to write quotations in easy-to-understand and straightforward language. Taking accurate measures and angles is also required in some odd jobs.
12. Negotiation Skills: This is an essential quality that any handyman who wants to succeed must possess. What you earn depends on the rate you charge, and this, in turn, depends on your ability to negotiate rates in your favor.
You shouldn’t overcharge your clients, but you should be able to sell yourself and your services well.
This helps you charge rates commensurate with your skills and the services you are to render. It is your negotiation skills that help you seal deals with clients.
13. Tidy: Tidiness is the hallmark of a professional handyman. Ensure that you finish each work neatly and avoid smearing the walls and furniture with dirt.
Also, make sure you pack up all your tools, even the smallest ones, as forgetting tools at places you worked is a clear sign of carelessness.
Finally, ensure to clean up your work area as much as you can and dispose of the dirt appropriately generated. This allows your client to have a decent view of your handiwork.
Conclusion:
You see, as easy as the job of a handyman/handywoman seems, it takes plenty of qualities and skills to be the best in it.
So, if you are looking to hire a handyman, you may have to consider some of the qualities above before hiring. That is if you want to avoid regrets.
Also, if you want to be a good handyman, or you are already one, but to increase your clientele and ensure that your clients are always satisfied, you should work on developing most of the skills and qualities discussed above.
Do you have another essential handyman skill to add to our list? If so, please make your contribution in the comment box below; we will love hearing from you.