TV Home Renovation Shows Sets Unrealistic Client Expectations

TV HOME RENOVATION SHOWS SET UNREALISTIC CLIENT EXPECTATIONS

We’ve all seen reality home renovation TV shows like ‘ The Block’, ‘Selling Houses Australia’, ‘Better Homes & Gardens’. Us tradies watch in awe (or horror) as they completely renovate a four bedroom, two-bathroom house PLUS a full deck and landscaping in under four days. To add insult to injury, they make it look so simple and easy— like it took barely any effort, and boast about how they did it on a budget that seems suspiciously cheap. As tradies, we watch this screaming over how “there’s no bloody way that waterproofed that bathroom in half a day… look how sh*t that vanity looks it’s not even straight!... I bet they didn’t undercoat that paint it’s just slap-dashed on.”

Our clients watch these shows, and suddenly have stars in their eyes.

They don’t have the technical know-how to understand the impossibleness of what we just witnessed. They only see that Shaynna Blaze from Selling houses did a whole bathroom in a day, so surely a professional plumber can too. These TV shows give the impression that micicales can be worked on a shoestring budget, in just a few days. It’s so unrealistic that it’s almost funny.

So, it’s no wonder clients’ jaws drop and they look dismayed when us tradies say it will take weeks..if not longer... to finish their one job, and will cost an arm and a leg. “But surely you can get it done faster... or cheaper” they protest as we struggle to explain how it is just not achievable. And in the end, we feel like we’re letting THEM down, how crazy is that!

It’s all TV magic.

These shows work with highly professional teams, working around the clock in unison to deliver a TV ready finish — all for that all important before and after WOW moment. Often they have retail partners and advertisers who either offer massive discounts, or pick up the tab for them in return for them promoting the brand and cooing at how amazing it looks. On screen the homes look finished to perfection. With the help of a professional stylist and lighting teams — the rooms glow and look almost unrecognizable. But in reality, it’s a bit of a bodgy fix. Nothing has had the time or care it deserves, it’s a rush job, and under that shiny surface, we hedge our bets that it’s not up to scratch. The only benefit to these shows, is it does generate more work for tradies.

So how does this help tradies?

The general public sees how with just a few fitting changes, maybe some paint and a bit of elbow grease, how their home could look like new. It’s so aspirational, but feels so achievable.

• THE RENO LOOKS SO EASILY DONE ON

THE TV, PEOPLE THINK THEY CAN JUST

DIY.

But after they’ve started the demolition themselves, and start pulling out fittings… they realise it’s not as easy as they think. So after they’ve made a right mess, then they seek a professional tradie (us) to come in and fix it. At the end of the day, we are the tradies, and we are here to educate our customers. Through being transparent around costing structures, sharing detailed timelines and keeping expectations realistic, you can build a fantastic relationship with your customers and develop a great reputation within the industry, without over promising or buying into the TV magic.

• IT’S HIGHLY INSPIRATIONAL.

They’ve watched it on TV, seen how excellent a facelift could look for their home and get the motivation to get the home renovation they’ve always wanted. It gives them solid ideas to work from, so they can show you exactly what they’re trying to achieve.

• THEY’RE EASY TO MARKET TO.

These types of shows have people HOOKED. If you can tailor your marketing, and be smart with your strategy, this is a great demographic to target.

WOW them on your website with amazing before and after photos of other home renovation projects, so they can see that YOU are the best person to deliver them their dream home.

Don’t over promise to get the quote approved, and then underdeliver.

The most important thing of all is to manage your clients expectations. There’s no point in promising a final product like they’d see on TV, it’s just not good business. You need to be clear and firm with your pricing and delivery dates — and if Billy-Bum Crack says they can do it in half the time for half the cost… Well it will be half as good. We can cross our arms, and grumble about how these TV shows are bull and our clients should know better. But at the end of the day, these shows are GROWING in popularity and are probably not going away anytime soon. Instead, focus your energy into building trust with your customers, and proving to them that YOU ARE the person for the job and can deliver their dream… within reason.