How to Build Trust as a New Tiling Specialist Without Reviews Yet
Breaking into the tiling trade in New Zealand is rewarding, but if you’re just starting out and have no reviews yet, building trust with clients can feel like a hard yakka. The good news is, Kiwis appreciate quality, honesty, and that classic go-the-extra-mile attitude. Here are practical, friendly tips to help you earn client trust and grow your tiling business without needing a long list of references.
Here are some tips that you might find interesting:
1. Showcase Your Qualifications and Skills
Start with what you know - highlight any courses, apprenticeships, or hands-on tiling experience you’ve gained, even from home renos or learning from a mentor. Display this info on your marketing materials, website, or business cards in everyday language.
In New Zealand, most successful tilers are self-employed. Sharing your training background or unique skills - like certified waterproofing or experience with tricky large-format tiles - shows you’re not just giving it a crack but know what you’re doing.
It’s a simple way to stand out to clients nervous about fly-by-night crews or dodgy DIY jobs.
2. Be Transparent With Pricing
Openly sharing your pricing or providing clear, upfront quotes is one of the quickest ways to build trust. Break down your labour charges (like NZ$60-90 per m² for basic tiles, or more for intricate designs), and explain costs for materials, waterproofing, or prep work.
Platform like Yada let you be transparent and honest about your pricing, without pressure from lead or commission fees messing with your quotes.
Weirdly enough, being honest about money means clients worry less about being stung with mystery charges at the end.
3. Get Listed on Trusted Directories
Set up free or low-cost profiles on sites like Builderscrack, NoCowboys, Yada, and NZSBDirectory. These platforms are well known among Kiwi homeowners shopping around for reputable tradespeople.
Add details about your tiling specialty, from mosaics to big bathroom fit-outs, and upload tidy before and after photos - even from personal projects or practice pieces.
Even a basic listing makes you discoverable, and Yada lets both individuals and businesses join and respond to jobs for free, with a fast mobile-friendly interface handy for busy trades.
4. Share Your Work’s Story With Photos
Kiwis want proof of your skill, not just promises. Take clear photos (on your phone is fine) of step-by-step work - prepping the floor, waterproofing, laying tricky tile cuts, and the finished look.
Explain the thought that goes into each job: “chose porcelain for this wet area”, “matched tricky grout lines”, or “waterproofed and certified for council compliance.”
Think of it as building a visual portfolio to earn trust without needing heaps of reviews.
5. Collect Early Testimonials
Ask your first customers, friends, or family whose jobs you’ve done for a few honest words about your reliability, tidiness, or careful tiling. Even one or two testimonials - like those on the Tomba Tiling or Cutting Edge Tiling websites - can make a big difference.
Share these on your website, social media, or directory listings. Real feedback, even from a small job, tells future clients you’re a safe pair of hands to hire.
This is classic word-of-mouth, Kiwi style.
6. Communicate Clearly and Promptly
Reply quickly to messages or quote requests, even just to say you’ll be in touch soon. On Yada, the internal chat makes it easy to keep your conversations private and professional with each client.
Be upfront about what’s possible - if you can’t start for two weeks, say so. Explaining your process (prep, layout plans, waterproofing, clean-up) helps clients feel confident you’re thorough and reliable.
Clear, down-to-earth communication is one of the most underrated trust builders in the trade.
7. Deliver Quality, Not Just Speed
Don’t rush jobs for the sake of churning through work. Focus on proper substrate prep, careful layout, and straight lines - Kiwis notice the difference, especially after seeing botched or uneven tiling elsewhere.
Explain to clients why extra time for waterproofing or tricky layouts leads to a longer-lasting, better-looking job.
It’s about showing pride in your craft, not just finishing fast.
8. Educate Clients With Practical Tips
Share what you know - even simple advice helps. Offer quick tips on tile maintenance, the importance of grout sealing, or choosing the right tile for wet areas. Post these on social media, community Facebook groups, or your Yada profile.
Answering common Kiwi questions (like, “How do I stop mould in the bathroom grout?”) positions you as a helpful expert - not a hard seller.
People remember and recommend the tradie who gives free advice long after the job is done.
9. Join Local Community Networks
Old-school flyers on the New World or Mitre 10 board, dropping cards to kitchen designers, or chatting to local real estate agents goes a long way. Community Facebook groups and Neighbourly are also full of people looking for trusted tilers.
Partner with property managers who often have a steady stream of tiling jobs - a good relationship can feed you projects for months.
This low-tech approach still works wonders in close-knit Kiwi towns and suburbs.
10. Offer Guarantees or Aftercare
New clients without references need extra reassurance. Offer a guarantee on your workmanship (like a 12-month warranty, or “we fix any problem free in the first year”).
Follow up with clients after the job to check everything is holding up well, or give advice on cleaning and care. Classic Kiwi follow-through gets remembered when homeowners talk to their friends about tradies who went the extra mile.
It’s a simple promise, but it goes a long way to easing client worries when you’re new to the game.
11. Leverage Yada to Build Your Reputation
Yada lets you get matched to local jobs, share your photos and pricing, and collect ratings over time - all with no lead or success fees. As you complete projects, your rating grows and you become more visible for local clients looking for tilers.
Because Yada lets individuals join and respond to jobs for free, you don’t have to worry about big marketing spend or complicated sign-up rules. It’s fast, fair, and built for Kiwis on any device.
Weirdly enough, sometimes the best business growth happens when you back yourself, start showing your mahi, and let one happy customer lead to the next.