Why You Should Ask for Photos Before Every Job (And How to Do It) Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no cost to you. I only recommend tools I genuinely use and find helpful. For tradespeople who want to run smoother, more professional businesses without losing their sanity. How many times have you turned up to a job and found it wasn’t what the client described? An unexpected step, a hidden wall, a rotted frame — it happens all the time. That’s why I ask for photos before confirming any booking now. In this post, I’ll show you why asking for photos is one of the easiest ways to save time, avoid mistakes, and offer better service — plus how to ask without putting clients off. 📸 Why Photos Make a Big Difference You don’t need perfect lighting or pro angles. You just need a rough idea of what you’re walking into. Here’s what I look for when clients send photos: The condition of the...
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5 Must-Have Website Features for Tradespeople
Hi folks – Conrad here 👋 I’m a carpenter, tutor, and founder of BlueWood Office and BlueWood Handyman. I help tradespeople like us build better businesses — and that includes building better websites.
Most tradies now know they need a website. But far too many of us have websites that just sit there doing nothing — no leads, no bookings, and no admin time saved. That's not good enough anymore. So here's the question: is your website doing any actual work for you?
In this guide, I’m going to walk you through 5 essential features every tradesperson’s website should have to actually make your life easier — not harder.
Think of it like this — online reviews are today’s version of word of mouth. If your customers love your work, you want that praise right at the top of your website. Not in a dusty testimonial page that no one visits. Not copy-and-pasted quotes that look fake. I mean real, live, automatic reviews from your Google Business Profile.
I use the Elfsight Reviews widget on my site to automatically display my latest reviews — it’s front and centre. It builds trust instantly, especially when you pair it with a visible star rating badge.
📋 2. Enquiry Form Connected to Your CRM
Your website should have a dedicated enquiry page with a proper form that captures all the basics: name, address, job type, phone, email, and a short message. You can even let them upload photos.
I link my enquiry form to Zoho CRM, so everything gets saved in one place. From there, I can send estimates, follow-ups, reminders — the works.
Set up an auto-reply like: “Thanks for your message. Please fill out the enquiry form here: [link].” It saves you replying immediately while still giving the client something to do.
Tip: Use WhatsApp Business with a virtual number so your personal contacts stay separate.
🧱 Bonus: Your Website Is Just the Tip of the Iceberg
Behind these tools is a whole ICT system that supports your business — marketing and sales, admin and customer care, bookings, and finance. I call this the F-SMART-F framework and I’ll be covering it more in upcoming posts.
If this post gave you an “aha!” moment about your own site, feel free to share it, comment below, or give the YouTube video a like. Let’s build better businesses — one solid website at a time.
Written by Conrad – Carpenter, Tutor, ICT Consultant, and Trades Business Advocate
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