Updated:
30.9.2026
Doing good work is one thing. Getting the next homeowner to trust you before you’ve even met is another.
Over the past few months, we’ve sat down with four tradies: a sparky, an insulation specialist, a plumbing team and a builder. Different trades and different stages of business, but the same few habits keep coming up.
Here’s what they’ve learned, from how they built their reputations to how they make BC work for their business.
Martin (left) and Alan (right) from Halo Electrical Services.
Treat people as people: Alan, Halo Electrical Services
Electrician, Christchurch. On BC since 2021.
“You don’t get much more honest feedback than from the very person who paid the bill.”
How he built his reputation
Alan has more than 100 verified reviews on BC, and his explanation is old school. “It’s called treating people the way you want to be treated.” Turn up, be polite and honest, and treat each customer as an individual rather than one of a thousand.
That’s also where his repeat work comes from. Customers get back in touch years later when they buy a rental or need another job done.
He puts his trade licence and insurance on his profile to ease any hesitation. But for Alan, reviews are the biggest thing, because they come from real customers, not a marketing team.
How he uses BC
Alan joined BC after a few of the developers he did new builds for went under. With monthly costs to cover, he couldn’t rely on one business for his income. BC became his way into client-facing work, and his safety net.
His one rule on the platform is to reply fast. If a homeowner messages you, message them back.
Blair from Eco Home Program.
Do it right the first time: Blair, Eco Home Program
Insulation and healthy homes compliance, Christchurch. On BC since 2019.
“If you’re to do a job once, you do it right”
How he built his reputation
Blair’s approach to reviews comes from something his dad told him: if you’re going to do a job once, do it right. Be on time, keep the communication going and do the best job you can. In his experience, the five stars follow.
Outside of reviews, he builds trust with the basics: sign-written vans, a uniform and business cards to leave behind. He also takes a few minutes once the job’s done to chat with the client and build some rapport.
How he uses BC
Blair describes BC as an efficient lead source that fills the quiet days in his week. When he paused Google Ads to focus on BC, he found his leads held steady and the only thing that changed was the amount of money he saved on advertising.
How he grew his business
Blair started out doing everything himself, website included. The business took off once his wife Brittaney took over the admin and they brought on a team of installers. That freed him up to work on the business rather than in it. His advice: “Don’t do everything yourself.”
Emma (right) and Aaron (left) from Simply Plumbing.
Build trust before you arrive: Emma and Aaron, Simply Plumbing
Plumbing and drainlaying, Christchurch. On BC since 2023.
“By the time the tradie’s turning up to site, they already like us and trust us because we’ve spent time with them over the phone.”
How they built their reputation
For Emma and Aaron, trust starts before anyone’s on site. Homeowners call Emma and get the job explained, so by the time the tradie turns up, they already feel comfortable.
On site, it’s shoes off, no mud on the carpet, and arriving when you said you would. If the team’s running late, the client gets a text or a call.
Aaron says reviews matter well beyond homeowners. Construction managers and bigger builders check reviews online as part of their due diligence, so your reputation can open the door to bigger work.
How they use BC
In their first year, when it was just the two of them, about 60 jobs came through BC, more than half their work. Aaron’s advice for starting out: if five tradies are already chasing a job, pick up the less contested ones and build your reviews there first.
Now they’re more selective, choosing the work that suits where the business is heading, like a new build they’re currently doing in Loburn.
How they grew their business
They went from Aaron on the tools solo to a team of seven in under three years. One habit keeps everyone learning together: “Every Monday we share a learn and a win from the week before,” Aaron says. The whole team gets to learn from one person’s experience, and it keeps the team culture alive.
Tom from Impala Homecraft
Earn a strangers trust: Tom, Impala Homecraft
Home improvement and general building, Rangioria. On BC since 2024.
“Reviews are a testimony of your reliability and trustworthiness.”
How he built his reputation
Tom sees reviews as the way a stranger decides whether to let you into their house and hand over their money. They’re proof you’ll deliver what they’re paying for.
He has more than 70, five-star, verified reviews on BC. He credits them to doing his best on every job, including the work nobody sees, like opening a wall, fixing it and leaving it looking like it always did. “You can be great once, but are you great every time?”
How he uses BC
Tom went out on his own without a local network or a marketing plan behind him. BC filled that gap, and he now calls it the “new word of mouth. Maybe it replaced word of mouth.”
Because he takes on a wide range of work, from fences to carports to general repairs, BC also lets him pick and choose the jobs that suit him.
What they have in common
Four trades at different stages of business, but the reputation habits are the same:
- Turn up when you said you would
- Keep people in the loop, and
- Treat every job like it’s the one being
And each of them uses BC in a way that suits where their business is at; whether it’s getting started without a network, filling quiet days, or using it as your main source of work.
