Meet Halo Electrical Services: The sparky who believes in doing right by people

Q: Tell us a bit about your background and how Halo got started

A: “I came to New Zealand from England in 2013, mainly for the Christchurch rebuild. Spent years working for one of the bigger electrical companies in the city, and eventually decided I’d had enough of being one of many cogs in a wheel. So just after COVID, pretty scary time, I went out on my own. And here we are a few years down the line. Less scary, but still a lot of hard work. At least you know you’ll be the benefactor of that hard work. It’s sort of less taxing on you.”

Q: What’s the story behind the name?

A: “That’s a long story. When I went to Australia on a working holiday, they didn’t have a nickname for me because Alan wasn’t exactly catchy. So they asked, ‘What’s your last name?’ I said ‘Hale’. And they went, ‘Bloody Halo, mate.’ It just followed me from there. Before you know it, when you’re building an electrical business and your last name’s Hale, Halo just seems the logical thing, really. It worked.”

Q: How do you describe what Halo does?

A: “Rather than just say we do electrical, we just solve problems. If you know people in the trade and someone’s in need, why would you not say, ‘Yeah, I know a guy’ You’re just helping people, really.”

Q: You work with Martin — how did that come about?

A: “We’ve been friends before we worked together, so I already knew he was a very good guy, a lovely bloke. I don’t have to worry about him back-chatting to a customer. I can trust Martin completely, and if Martin said it to a customer, it’s true. It’s great when you find the right fit.”

Q: What’s it like working with your mate every day?

A: “Some days we hate each other. But that’s a friend, isn’t it? If he’s not wanting to hear me on Monday morning, I’ll pick up the vibe. I’ll be working over here, he works over there, and we’ll get to midday before we talk.”

Q: There’s a story about the surnames too?

A: “I like to believe in the universe. You know, things work for a reason. So Halo was always going to be the name of the company. Martin, the first guy that came on board, his last name is Lorenz. So it’s Hale and Lorenz. That’s bloody meant to be, isn’t it? Either that or he changed his name and was trying to pull a fast one. But yeah, it’ll never change to that.”

Q: What’s your proudest moment since going out on your own?

A: “Putting Martin through his apprenticeship. When somebody did that for me when I was a young lad, they didn’t need to. But they did. I’m forever grateful. So for Martin to now have a career rather than just a job — that personally felt like I’d done good. It wasn’t just for me.”

Q: How did you end up on Builderscrack?

A: “When I initially went self-employed, there were a few developers I was doing new builds for. Good, steady work — until a few of them went under. From the outside looking in, they seemed solid. But you start hearing rumours about their financial difficulties, they’ve got credit issues with wholesalers. And when I’ve got outgoing costs every month, I can’t rely on one business for my income. So I needed a way into the homeowner market. That’s where Builderscrack came in.”

Q: How has it worked out?

A: “It’s genuinely been a godsend. With these bigger companies going under, the fact that we’ve got Builderscrack as a bit of a safety net — before you know it, you build up that much of a review base that people look and go, ‘These guys are actually very good’. The minute people realise you are who you say you are, you turn up when you said you would, you do what you said you’d do — it just works.

Without Builderscrack, I would have had to be doing things I’d be unhappy doing, without any other options.

Q: What’s your success rate on the platform?

A: “About 8 out of 10 jobs I show interest in, I at least get the chance to quote or meet the customer. All down to reviews built up over time. If you go for a job and you’ve got no accreditation, no insurance, and no reviews, you’re an unknown quantity. When you’ve spent a few years building a good reputation, the success rate just gets better.”

Q: How would you describe Builderscrack?

A:“I wish I bloody came up with it, honestly. It’s just a great middleman to connect the customer and the professional. Simple as that.”

Q: What’s your advice to a tradie thinking about joining?

A:“There are a lot of tradies who are very good at what they do, but nobody knows they exist. If you are good and you want exposure for being good, that’s the way to go. An alternative to waiting for someone to traditionally open a door for you. And once you’re on, respond to leads quickly. If somebody messages you, message them back — people want it yesterday. The work is there. You just have to go and get it.”

Q: What’s your approach when you’re going after a job?

A: “I don’t have a massive sales pitch. I prefer to be a lot more relaxed about it. Turn up when I said I would, do what I quoted for, keep the customer in the loop, and clean up after myself.”

Q: How do you approach the relationship-side of a job?

A: “We just get on with people. We don’t expect them to know electrical theory. It’s just: ‘What would you like? What are your priorities? Is this your home, a rental, are you renovating, or selling?’ Give us a clear picture of the end goal, and we’ll know exactly what’s needed. Talk to us in plain language, and we’ll do the same back.”

Q: What advice would you give other tradies to win more work?

A: “If you chased a lead and the customer messaged you back and you didn’t reply — that’s why you didn’t win the job. It’s not the customer who doesn’t like you. They asked you to be proactive and you went, ‘I’ll do that later’. People want it yesterday. Just respond.”

Q: How do you approach quoting for homeowners?

A: “I like to just quote the job. Fixed price. Itemise what you’re going to do. Two people might price the same job for the same amount. One does it in three hours, one does it in two. The person who does it in two isn’t ripping you off — they’ve just been doing it for 25 years, and they’re actually quite good at it.”

Q: What catches homeowners off guard on quotes?

A: “You really just have to be thorough. Things like switchboard inspections. When you’re doing a switchboard change, the customer may not know that a switchboard needs to be inspected. It’s a regulatory requirement. So they’re going to be hit with a two, three, four hundred dollar bill — and if you haven’t put that as an exclusion on your quote, that may even come back on you.

Just make sure that you cross all your t’s, dot all your i’s, and make sure that the customer is informed. Because at the end of the day, nobody likes getting any nasty surprises. I don’t like being told my bag is five kilos over at the airport. It’s the same thing.”

Q: What’s the secret to 100+ verified reviews on Builderscrack?

A: “It’s a bit of an old school one — it’s called treating people the way you want to be treated. Turn up, be polite, honest and friendly. You haven’t treated them like they’re one of a thousand — you’ve treated them as a person, an individual.

Before you know it, you end up with long-standing relationships. People come back two years later saying, ‘By the way, I just bought a rental, and I remember you did this two years ago.‘ And you’ll get a direct inquiry or someone will just phone you — for the repeat business it’s fantastic.”

Q: What do you focus on when it comes to the profile itself?

A: “The accreditation is important — Master Electricians, insurance, all of that. People see it, and it alleviates any hesitation. But the reviews are the biggest thing. You don’t get much more honest feedback than from the very person who paid the bill. It’s not a marketing team from a company.”

Q: What’s the plan for Halo going forward?

A: “The electrical side will always be number one — new builds are clean and satisfying, and we’ve got a couple coming up. Longer term, I’d like to keep building on the property maintenance side — coordinating work across trades we know and trust, solving more of the problem for the customer rather than just one piece of it. We like variety. It keeps the day interesting.

I’m not in it to create some bloody FTSE 500 empire. I just want to do a good job, diversify, do a wide variety of work because it keeps the day interesting, grow slowly, and take people along for the ride.”

Q: What would you say to a tradie thinking about going out on their own?

A: “Just make sure that you don’t half-ass it. Treat it as your viable option to get your name out there. You don’t have any open-and-shut signs — you just have to respond when it comes along. If you don’t, someone else will. Be proactive, not reactive.”

Q: Any tips for tradies who are starting to go out on their own?

A: “Focus on finding the right supplier. When you’re small, your buying power is nothing. Find a rep who’s willing to fight in your corner — someone who can see you’re growing slowly and will adjust your rates. One wholesaler isn’t enough either. Supply chain issues are real.”

Thank you to Alan and Martin (and Cherry) from Halo Electrical Services for sharing your story, your time, and delivering consistently great results for the Builderscrack community.