01 / Overview
ADL Plumbing
A Strong Start in Port Colborne
Alex, this is a plan to help you settle ADL into Port Colborne and bring in worthwhile work, at a pace that suits you.
Your business. Your call.
You know your trade and the work you enjoy. My role is to help people find you, show them why you’re a good person to call, and make sure the money spent on advertising is earning its keep.
Three phases, with a decision at each step
Phase 0
Learn Before Launch
Pre-Launch Promotion & Research
During the month before launch, we can run a small, fixed-budget Raincheck campaign built around a simple offer: claim your first hour of labour free now and use it when Alex starts taking calls in Port Colborne.
The campaign gives us something real to advertise before Alex arrives while letting us learn what people in the area are actually searching for, what it costs to reach them and which kinds of plumbing work generate enquiries. The message plays naturally with the new website: “Soon you’ll be able to call Alex. But for now, here’s a raincheck.”
If it works, Alex may arrive with his first few customers already waiting. When the month ends, the Raincheck promotion ends. What we learn from it becomes useful information for Phase 1 and, if we ever need it, Phase 2.
During this period, we’ll also finalize the proposed ADL brand refresh so the website, advertising and Alex’s new local presence launch together as one consistent identity.
Phase 1
Pay for Enquiries
Qualified Customer Leads
We’re starting with the simplest approach because, if it works, it should give you the best return for the money and effort involved. A straightforward, best in class website, your existing Google listing and Local Services Ads may be enough to fill the amount of work you want.
But we shouldn’t assume they will. We won’t know how well Local Services Ads work for ADL in Port Colborne until we try them. We’ll agree how much you’re comfortable spending to find out, then judge them by the calls and worthwhile jobs they actually bring.
Phase 2
Pay for Traffic
Search Advertising & Website Traffic
If Phase 1 isn’t enough, there is a second phase we can move to. It would involve more work and more advertising expense, which is exactly why I don’t recommend starting there. We won’t start spending on a larger campaign unless the results justify it.
If Phase 1 fills your week with the kind of work you want, we keep it simple. If it doesn’t—or it brings the wrong mix of jobs—we’ll use what we learned from Phases 0 and 1 to decide whether moving to the next phase makes sense.
02 / The Raincheck
The Raincheck campaign
Before Alex is available to take calls in Port Colborne, we have a problem: we want to test the local market, but we don’t want to pay for enquiries we can’t service yet.
Raincheck turns that problem into the offer.
For a limited period before launch, people can claim their first hour of labour free and redeem it once Alex begins taking calls. Instead of asking someone to contact a plumber who isn’t there yet, we’re giving them a reason to put their hand up now.
This gives the pre-launch campaign two jobs. It can generate Alex’s first prospective customers before he arrives, while also giving us real information about what people are searching for, which services attract interest and what it costs to generate an enquiry.
The offer ends when Alex launches. It isn’t intended to become ADL’s normal pricing or an ongoing discount program.
The test is simple: can a modest advertising budget turn local plumbing searches into real prospective customers at a cost that makes sense?
12 / Market research
Market research
Port Colborne, Wainfleet and Welland
Port Colborne is the starting point because that’s where you’ll be based. The notes below cover local homes, water and sewer systems, and homeowner grant programs that may be relevant to your work. Wainfleet and Welland are included so you can compare nearby areas.
02 / The Glow Up
The same ADL.
Easier to read. Easier to use.
You’ve already built a name with ADL. I suggest keeping that recognition and giving the brand more room to work: a clear business identity, paired with a memorable way to contact you.
A familiar starting point
The ADL initials, plumbing detail and blue-and-black colours carry forward. In the current badge, the pattern, lettering and curved business name share a small space. Separating those jobs gives the name and trade more room to be read.
The proposed rebrand
A flexible set of logo treatments, each prepared for a specific use. Click any sample to expand it.
Built around how you’ll use it
Clear at a glance
The business name, trade and contact message have a clear order. Each can be read without competing with background detail.
Flexible by design
Use the ADL identity on its own, or pair it with CallAlex.ca when the next step matters. The two elements don’t have to be squeezed into one badge.
Prepared for the space
I’d prepare compact versions without the smaller tagline for tight spaces, lightweight files for the website and scalable artwork for print.
The aim is to help people recognise ADL, understand what you do and remember how to reach you—whether they’re on a phone, holding a quote or passing the van.
03 / The website
CallAlex.ca
The website has one job: turn someone looking for a plumber into someone calling Alex.
ADL is starting fresh in Port Colborne, so people won’t necessarily know the name yet. The advantage is that when someone calls, they aren’t being handed to a dispatcher or a salesperson. They get Alex. The website should make that clear before they ever pick up the phone.
Start with a simple website
I suggest launching with one main page rather than building a large website before we know what local customers actually respond to.
It should answer the basic questions someone has before calling:
- Who is Alex? A real photo, his experience and a short introduction.
- Can he fix my problem? The plumbing work and services he handles.
- Does he work where I live? Port Colborne and the surrounding service area.
- Is he qualified? Relevant licences, credentials and insurance.
- Can I trust his work? Existing reviews, photos and examples of previous jobs.
- Can he come when I need him? Working hours, availability and emergency/on-call status.
- How do I reach him? A phone number that’s impossible to miss, with simple call and text buttons.
Built for someone who needs a plumber
Most people won’t browse this website for fun. They’ll arrive because something needs fixing.
So it should be fast, easy to read on a phone and make contacting Alex effortless. Before launch, I’ll test it on phones and slower connections as well as desktop.
Some customers will call directly from Google. Others will want to check Alex out first. CallAlex.ca is there for that second group.
Start small. Improve it with evidence.
We don’t need to guess our way into twenty pages of plumbing content before launch.
We’ll start with what customers actually need to know. As enquiries come in, we’ll learn what people search for, which services matter locally and what questions keep coming up. That information can tell us what the website should become next.
CallAlex.ca is the piece of infrastructure that the pre-launch promotion, Local Services Ads and any later Search campaign can all feed into—and teach us about.
A look at the proposed website design ↗
This shows the style I have in mind. We’ll choose the photos and wording together.
04 / Availability
Let people know when you can help
When someone needs a plumber, one of their biggest questions is “When can you come?”
Instead of making them call to find out, CallAlex.ca can answer that question immediately. A simple status near the top of the site tells customers whether Alex is available now, later today, tomorrow, or on call for emergencies.
There’s a useful advantage to giving people this information before they ask: someone who sees “Available Now” already knows Alex may be able to solve their problem before they make the call. That gives them a concrete reason to choose Alex instead of continuing through the search results.
At launch, Alex can change the status himself with one touch. We can adjust the options once we see how it works in practice.
If updating it becomes a chore
Later, we can connect availability to Alex’s work calendar and automate some or all of it.
05 / Finding work
Phase 1 — Prove we can buy good work profitably
Use Google Local Services Ads and CallAlex.ca to generate plumbing enquiries from people in Alex’s service area who are already looking for a plumber.
Before launch, agree on
- The work
- Jobs Alex wants, service area, and how much additional work he wants each week.
- The budget
- Maximum monthly ad spend and maximum total cost of the trial, including Graham’s fee.
- The target
- What Alex is willing to pay to acquire a new paying customer.
Track the numbers that matter
Then track the handful of numbers that actually matter: enquiries → booked jobs → revenue, against advertising + marketing cost.
The central question is: can we acquire the kind of customers Alex wants for less than they are worth to the business?
Decide from the results
Run the test for 4–6 weeks or until the agreed budget is spent, whichever comes first.
If it works, Alex has a marketing channel he can turn up when he wants more work and turn down when the week is full. If it doesn’t, we find out cheaply, learn why, and either improve it or move to Phase 2.
06 / Google setup
Get Google ready for the move
We’ll prepare the listing and ad application alongside CallAlex.ca. The ads can start once Google approves the application and you’re ready to take local jobs.
What we each need to do
Graham
Update the
existing listing
Your Google Business Profile holds ADL’s contact details, hours, photos and reviews. I’ll update it for Port Colborne, keeping the existing listing and its history.
I’ll check account access, the phone number, website, hours and service area, and help with verification. Local Services Ads requires a public, verified profile.
Alex
Gather your
business paperwork
- Your Ontario business details.
- The plumbing and business licences that apply to your work.
- Current insurance documents in the correct business name.
Graham + Alex
Submit the
application
- I’ll confirm eligibility for your services and location, prepare the application and help submit the licence and insurance documents.
- You’ll complete the business, owner and plumber background checks Google requires from you personally.
Graham + Alex
Confirm the
ad settings
- I’ll enter the services, areas, hours and budget we’ve agreed. We’ll check them together before the ads start.
- You’ll add your payment details so Google bills your account directly.
07 / Over to you
The work you want to do
The questionnaire gives me a better picture of your services, experience and the jobs you enjoy. Your answers will help me write the website and choose what to advertise.
Open the services questionnaire ↗
The form opens in a new tab. Your answers come straight to me.
A few things for us to talk through
- How many days or hours a week do you want to work?
- Which jobs would you like more of, and which would you rather avoid?
- How far are you happy to travel, and do you want evening or emergency calls?
- What makes a smaller job worth taking?
- How much are you comfortable spending on advertising while we find out what works?
- What’s a realistic way to return calls while you’re on a job?
We can talk through anything that’s easier to explain in person.
09 / Building your customer base
What could it cost to build the customer base you want?
Advertising isn’t necessarily something you need to pay for forever. Its first job is to introduce Alex to customers in a new market.
As that customer base grows, repeat work and recommendations can begin producing some of the work themselves. This calculator lets us explore how many customers we may need to acquire, how long that could take, and what acquiring them through paid marketing could cost.
10 / Costs & estimates
From Raincheck to taking calls
This estimate covers the proposed brand refresh, CallAlex.ca and the pre-launch Raincheck campaign, followed by your Google listing and Local Services Ads. A separate back-of-the-envelope estimate below shows what Phase 2 could add if we need it.
This is Monopoly Money
These are working allowances for our discussion, using $100 an hour for my time. They aren’t an agreed fee or supplier quotes. We’ll account for work already done, material we can reuse and any credits before agreeing the remaining work and a price ceiling. All amounts are Canadian dollars, before applicable taxes.
Phase 0 · My work$3,000–$4,700Brand, website and one Raincheck campaign
Phase 1 · Remaining setup$600–$1,100Google preparation and the switch to taking calls
Phase 1 · Per live month$868–$1,755My help + services + LSA advertising
Raincheck advertising, pre-launch service bills and any one-time provider charges are additional. The free-hour offer also uses your working time. See those allowances below.
Phase 0 / Shared preparation
The brand and website we’ll use throughout
Prepare the core material once, then use it for both Raincheck and the live business.
| Item | What’s included | Hours | Estimate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agree the launch plan | Confirm your services, area, launch date and spending limits. Review account access and use the research and material already assembled. | 3–5 | $300–$500 |
| Finish the ADL brand refresh | Refine the proposed identity and prepare the agreed logo versions, CallAlex.ca treatment, colours and files for web and print. Includes two rounds of feedback. | 4–6 | $400–$600 |
| Arrange the website address and contact details | Put the already-purchased callalex.ca in your account and connect hosting, email and phone details, reusing suitable services. | 2–3 | $200–$300 |
| Write and build CallAlex.ca | One main page with your introduction, services, area, credentials, suitable photos, reviews and call/text links. Includes two rounds of feedback. Reuse this website for Raincheck and the live launch. | 8–12 | $800–$1,200 |
| Add the availability control | A simple status you can change yourself when you start taking work, with the agreed availability options. | 2–3 | $200–$300 |
| Check the site and show you how to use it | Check mobile and desktop layouts, contact links and everyday updates. Provide a short handover and account details. | 2–3 | $200–$300 |
Shared preparation21–32 hours · $2,100–$3,200
This includes finishing the proposed identity and using suitable photos you already have. Printed products, workwear, vehicle artwork and fitting aren’t included.
Phase 0 / One pre-launch month
Run the Raincheck campaign
| Item | What’s included | Hours | Estimate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prepare the Raincheck offer | Agree the first-hour-free offer, eligible work, claim limit and redemption dates with you; write the pre-launch message and confirmation. | 2–3 | $200–$300 |
| Build the claim process | Add the Raincheck treatment and a simple claim form, confirmation and claim record to CallAlex.ca. Test the process before advertising. | 3–5 | $300–$500 |
| Set up the pre-launch campaign | Prepare a small search campaign for the agreed services and area, with ad copy, claim tracking, a fixed budget and an end date. | 2–3 | $200–$300 |
| Run and close the campaign | Allow for checks and adjustments during one pre-launch month, a results review and closing new claims at launch. Keep the claim list for later redemption. | 2–4 | $200–$400 |
Raincheck work9–15 hours · $900–$1,500
All Phase 0 work, including the brand and website30–47 hours · $3,000–$4,700
The campaign allowance covers one pre-launch month. If the launch date moves, we’ll agree the effect on the campaign and any extra work before extending it.
Phase 0 / Advertising and the offer
Two costs to agree before Raincheck starts
Advertising spend
To agree
Agree one fixed advertising budget for the pre-launch month before starting. This is separate from the Phase 1 LSA allowance.
You pay the advertising provider directly. My campaign setup and management are included above.
The first hour of labour free
Your time when claims are redeemed
Each redeemed offer uses up to one hour of your labour without labour revenue for that hour. This isn’t a fee paid to me or the advertising provider.
Before opening claims, agree how many offers you can honour, the eligible work and the redemption deadline. Closing new claims at launch doesn’t cancel offers already issued.
A complete Raincheck budget needs both the ad-spend limit and the offer limit. Neither is assumed to be zero in this estimate.
Phase 1 / Launch preparation
Get ready to take local jobs
Google preparation can happen during Phase 0. It is grouped here because it supports the Phase 1 launch; the website and branding are already counted above.
| Item | What’s included | Hours | Estimate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Update the existing Google Business Profile | Update ADL’s listing for Port Colborne and help with verification, preserving the existing account and its history. | 2–4 | $200–$400 |
| Prepare and start Local Services Ads | Help with the application and documents, set services, area, hours and budget, and start the ads once approved and you’re ready. | 3–5 | $300–$500 |
| Switch from Raincheck to taking calls | Remove the claim offer, publish the live contact and availability message, and check enquiry-to-job records. The main website is already built above. | 1–2 | $100–$200 |
Phase 1 setup6–11 hours · $600–$1,100
Time spent waiting for Google isn’t billed as working time. You provide the business documents and complete any checks that require you personally. Licence, insurance and other business costs are separate.
Phase 1 / Monthly
What it costs while LSA is running
| Item | What’s included | Hours | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Look after Local Services Ads | Review enquiries and spending; adjust the services, area and budget around the work you want and have time for. | 1–2 | $100–$200 |
| Keep the website and listing current | Small information changes, availability help and routine checks. | 0.5–1 | $50–$100 |
| Review the jobs with you | Review which enquiries became suitable paying jobs, the revenue and the full cost of acquiring those customers. | 1–2 | $100–$200 |
My monthly help2.5–5 hours · $250–$500
This allows for brief weekly checks and a review of the jobs with you. Help is month to month and can reduce as you need less. Raincheck management is already in the Phase 0 allowance; this LSA support starts when LSA is running.
Local Services Ads
Monthly advertising allowance$600–$1,200
Provisional monthly Local Services Ads allowance. Agree both the monthly budget and a total trial limit, including my help, before starting. You pay Google directly. This is an allowance, not a forecast of enquiries or jobs.
Review after 4–6 live weeks, or when the agreed trial budget is spent, whichever comes first. Include my help and any additional services when judging the cost per paying customer. The monthly figures don’t commit you to a three-month campaign. See how we’ll judge the results →
Both phases / Provider bills
Website, email and phone
| Item | What’s included | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| Website hosting and backups | Monthly planning allowance for keeping the website online and recoverable. | $10–$35 |
| Business email | Monthly allowance for one account; keep a suitable existing service. | $8–$20 |
Monthly services$18–$55
These are planning allowances until we confirm providers and the services you already pay for. The lower end uses simple records; the higher end includes paid call reports if needed.
Services begin costing money when activated, including during Raincheck or a wait for Google. One pre-launch month adds $18–$55; a longer wait adds further service bills. These same services are counted once in the Phase 1 monthly total below.
One-time provider charges
| Item | What’s included | Estimate |
|---|---|---|
| callalex.ca transfer or renewal, if due | The domain has already been purchased. Confirm whether a transfer or renewal charge is due; do not buy or charge for it again unnecessarily. | $0–$40 |
| Phone setup, if needed | A one-time provider charge only if a new number or transfer is needed. | $0–$100 |
If needed$0–$140
Budget / Put the pieces together
One-time work, then running costs
| Item | What’s included | Estimate |
|---|---|---|
| My Phase 0 work | Shared brand and website preparation, plus one Raincheck campaign. | $3,000–$4,700 |
| My Phase 1 setup | Google preparation and the switch to the live website. | $600–$1,100 |
All my setup and Raincheck work36–58 hours · $3,600–$5,800
In addition, allow $0–$140 for any one-time provider charges, $18–$55 for each pre-launch month of services, and the Raincheck advertising budget we agree. Your free-hour redemptions are a separate use of your working time.
| Item | What’s included | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| My help | LSA management, small updates and reviewing jobs. | $250–$500 |
| Website, email and phone | The same service allowances above, counted once. | $18–$55 |
| Local Services Ads | Paid directly to Google. | $600–$1,200 |
Phase 1 monthly allowance$868–$1,755
We’ll set a maximum total for the Phase 1 trial before starting, based on its agreed duration, advertising and my help. If you have enough work, we can turn the ads down and reduce support.
The totals above cover Phase 0 and Phase 1. The short Raincheck search campaign belongs to Phase 0; the separate Phase 2 allowance below is for a later campaign to bring in paying customers.
Phase 2 / Only if we need it
Back-of-the-envelope maths
If LSA doesn’t bring enough of the work you want, a small Google Search campaign is the next possibility. For scale, assume one focused campaign using the website we already have.
| Item | What’s included | Estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Search campaign and website preparation | 6–10 hours × $100/hour, one time. Reuse the website and Raincheck learning; choose the searches to target, adapt one page and check enquiry tracking. | $600–$1,000 |
| My ongoing help | 3–5 hours × $100/hour each month for search terms, spending, page adjustments and results. | $300–$500 |
| Google Search advertising | Illustrative monthly spending allowance, paid directly to Google. This is a budget to discuss, not a prediction of local click prices or results. | $1,000–$2,000 |
Search advertising + my help, per month$1,300–$2,500
Setup + one live month$1,900–$3,500
That first-month figure is $600–$1,000 in setup + $1,000–$2,000 in ads + $300–$500 in help. These are additional Search costs. Existing website, email and phone bills continue; if LSA stays on, its spending and support continue too. If Search replaces LSA, we’ll revise that budget rather than automatically fund both.
What would a customer cost?
$1,500 in ads + $400 in my time = $1,900 for a live month. If that brings 5 new paying customers, that’s $380 per customer. If that brings 10 new paying customers, that’s $190 per customer.
Those customer counts are examples, not forecasts. This calculation excludes one-time setup and existing service bills. We’d compare the full cost with what those jobs leave you after expenses and your time.
All amounts use the same provisional rate and are before tax. A larger website, ongoing content production and calendar automation aren’t included. We’d agree the actual scope, total trial limit and review date before starting Phase 2.
Your part
Allow time to get it ready and follow up
Before launch, you’ll need to provide account access and paperwork, choose photos, review the brand and website, agree the Raincheck terms and learn the everyday controls. We’ll fit those decisions around your move.
While the campaigns run, keep claim and enquiry notes, return calls and record which ones become jobs. Raincheck redemptions also need room in your schedule. That is your business time, separate from my fees above.
11 / Working together
Your business stays yours
You own the accounts and the work
The domain, website, Google listing, advertising accounts, business email and phone number should belong to you. You keep the main logins and pay the providers directly. I get the access I need to help.
The website files, wording and designs we agree to create for ADL are yours too. If we stop working together, you can remove my access and carry on with someone else.
If anything has to be opened in my name temporarily, I’ll tell you and arrange to move it into yours.
Help when you need it
We’ll agree how much ongoing help you want each month. You can reduce or cancel it as your needs change. If the work starts to go beyond what we’ve agreed, I’ll explain the extra cost before doing it.
Knowing where calls come from
We can begin with simple notes about how customers found you. If that leaves an important question unanswered, I may suggest a phone service that records which ad brought a call. I’ll explain what it would tell us and what it costs before adding it.
Printed items and the van
If you decide you want workwear, business cards or a van wrap, we’ll choose the message and check the logo, phone number and website before anything is printed. These purchases are outside the current Costs & estimates; we’ll get a separate estimate before you decide.