This dog has fun no matter how hungry he is. Do you?

If you are a contractor out there looking for work, here are a few ideas for you.

1. Pursue “Foreclosure Maintenance.” See this post by Contractor City for a little more information.

Here’s a brief quote: “Thanks to foreclosure tracking sites like RealtyTrac, crafty contractors are now going directly to homeowners, property managers, and banks and offering their property maintenance services.”

2. If You’re Not Doing it, Then Do it. Check out this post from the Footbridge Media folks.

Excerpt: “If you are not sending out a monthly newsletter, then send one out. If you are not canvassing, then begin canvassing. If you are not doing pay-per-click, then get started. This is the time to increase marketing, not cut it.”

3. Overhaul Your Website. He’s a list of free website tools you can use to drive traffic, increase conversions, and improve design. You can get a free website critique right here on this blog.

Some things to look for? Does your site have a clear call to action? Is your site optimized for the search engines? Is the design clear, uncluttered, easy to use, and intuitive? Is your website copy effective “salesmanship in print?” Does your site inspire trust? Is it maximized for Google Local search?

4. Work on Your Branding. Mark Buckshon puts his own spin on some ideas from Mel Lester about the branded experience.

Here are two simple examples about what you can do now to brand better in the future:

• “[Develop] a deliberate process for consistently delivering the branded experience.”

• [Rigorously solicit] customer feedback to determine what customers want.”

5. Don’t Sit There, DO Something. More specifically, think about how you can develop your skills and your business knowledge to increase your profits down the road. You have this free time. Make lemonade. Take some advice from the folks over at ConstructionDeal.com.

For example: “An example – say you’re a general contractor. You’ve always been asked by clients about design plans and ideas. But you don’t really know what good design is. You’d like to increase revenue by offering designs on all your kitchen remodeling projects. In tough economic times, help your business by studying design, taking classes, interviewing designers, and practicing the craft. When the good times come around again, you have not only added a new service to your business, you have doubled the opportunity for more revenue and higher profits.”

So, there you go. Don’t just sit there, do something. Work on your brand. Overhaul your website. Find what you’re not doing, and do that. And finally, try to drum up some business in the foreclosure maintenance market.

Best of luck, and remember to live life like a yellow lab…no matter how rough it gets, it doesn’t cost any extra money to have a good attitude, right? Maybe even have a little fun?

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