Call, text or email: how to reach us and what happens next

Our hours, in Ontario time

We work Mon–Fri 9–6 Pacific. Because Ontario runs three hours ahead of Pacific time, that is noon to 9 p.m. Eastern, Monday to Friday.

For most trades owners those late hours are an advantage. You can call on the drive home after the last job, or text from the kitchen table once the kids are asleep, and still reach us while we are working. Messages that arrive overnight or on weekends are waiting for us at the start of the next business day.

Call, text or email: which one to pick

Pick whichever channel you would use to reach a supplier you trust. There is no wrong door, but each one is better at something.

Call

Best when you want to talk something through. If your Google calls dropped off last month, or a competitor's trucks suddenly appear everywhere, a 10-minute conversation gets further than a long email. If we can't pick up, leave a short voicemail with your name, business and best time to call back.

Text

Best when you are on the tools. Texting suits trades owners because you can send it in 20 seconds and read the reply when you are ready. Two lines are enough, for example:

Hi Ali, this is [Your name] from [Business name] in [City]. We do [trade] and want more [type of job] work. Can we talk this week?

Email

Best when you have something to show us. Attach a recent ad invoice, a screenshot of your Google Business Profile insights, or a proposal from another agency you want a second opinion on. A useful subject line is "[Business name], [City]: marketing question".

What to include in your first message

You don't need a brief, but five facts let us give you a specific answer instead of a general one. Send whatever you have:

1. Business name and trade. "Residential HVAC" and "commercial refrigeration" are marketed very differently.
2. Where you work. Your base town and how far you will drive. A 40-minute radius around Barrie is a different plan from three GTA municipalities.
3. Your website address, if you have one, and whether you can log in to it yourself.
4. What you want more of. Emergency calls, replacements, maintenance contracts, renovation projects, commercial work.
5. When you are free to talk, in Ontario time. We will work around your schedule.

If you also know your average job value and roughly how many calls you get a week, include them. The guide to briefing a marketing strategist explains how to find those figures quickly.

What happens after you reach out

Three things happen, in this order, and none of them involves a sales sequence.

1. We reply personally, usually within one business day. The reply either answers your question directly or suggests a time for the free 30-minute consultation.
2. We have the conversation. We look at your Google profile, your site and your numbers with you, and tell you what we would do first. You leave with notes you can act on yourself.
3. You decide. If a plan makes sense, you get the scope and the monthly price in writing, based on our published pricing. If it doesn't, we say so, and that is the end of it.

A note on who you are reaching

Ontario.Contact is a marketing and business consulting service for trades businesses. We are not a contractor. If you are a homeowner looking for someone to fix a furnace, a leak or a roof, we can't send anyone, and the right place to start is a licensed local company. For fuel-appliance work in Ontario, the TSSA explains who is authorized to do it.

If you are a business owner, though, you are in the right place. Read how we work or the questions owners usually ask, and then call, text or email when you are ready.