How to Respond to Clients Who Now Want More Than They Once Did
In a previous blog I wrote about how to deal with a client’s hard stop regarding budget when the best solution might cost more. A reader asked the...
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Recent Blog Posts
Why 55-Plus Housing Design Matters
Despite the hurdles we face, the housing industry is ripe with opportunity. It’s no secret anymore that the 55-plus market is among the most lucrative. This...
Why You Should Go Slow When You're Making a Sale
When do you make the sale? Is it when you present the proposal? I believe not. More often than not, your prospect has already made his decision before you...
To Make a Marketing Difference, Focus Less on What to Do and More on Doing It
I’m going to go out on a limb and say that you don’t lack marketing ideas. You attend educational sessions, webinars, talk to colleagues, receive countless...
Attract Better Hires by Employing These Three Tips for Writing Want Ads
With a shrinking workforce and generational transition, being able to write an effective want ad has never been more important. Here are three recommendations...
Sell More Jobs by Getting the Most Out of Your Just-Finished Work
Ask any remodeler to tell you the best source for their leads and the answer is always “referrals” and “word of mouth.” A referral is a proactive suggestion...
8 Steps for Turning Appointments into Jobs
Contractors spend a lot of time getting leads. But unless they can convert those leads into appointments—and paying customers—they’re dead in the water. That’s...
Do Fumbled Handoffs Hurt Your Sales and Profits? Take These Steps.
What information does your company’s estimator need/get to be able to do their job well? I was asked this question several years ago, and it’s just as relevant...
Tips for Providing Lighting That Sets Your Homes Apart
Lighting your homes better than the competition is common sense. Your buyers’ comfort, safety, and overall enjoyment is too important to leave to the...
The Five Secrets to Success in a Service Business
As a business owner and a customer/client of other businesses, I am always paying attention to what makes me feel well-served. Sometimes I feel that way...
Home Builder Marketing: Beyond The Business Card
With no model homes to show or an in-house sales team to troll for new business, custom home builders rely on reputation to sell themselves to prospective...
What'd You Say?: A Guide to Word of Mouth Marketing
Don’t let technology advances and new products fool you: Word of mouth marketing (WOM) is still one of the most popular marketing tools for small businesses....
How To Respond To Bad Reviews
About two years ago a California window contractor who was not a regular visitor to Yelp became curious. He went to his company’s page and found ten reviews....
Are You Fit to Grow?
This is a growth environment for the remodeling market. Housing demand is great. Home appreciation is strong. Interest rates are still favorable, and...
Lack of Permit Could Come Back to Haunt
Ron Roen had a problem. He wanted to put his Bellevue, Wash., home on the market and move to a house on the water. But inspection of the roof in the course of...
How to Approach a Project Started By Another Contractor
Sometimes homeowners will contact you about a particular project that is half way completed. Usually the owner is unhappy with the work their current designer...
How To Create A Dust Free Jobsite
One of the biggest challenges contractors and DIY remodelers experience is controlling the amount of dust that comes with any project. This can be...
Social Skills For The Custom Builder
Will Duderstadt brings a nimble mindset to social media, having worked for businesses large and small. He’s a member of Professional Builder’s 40 Under 40...
Who Is Liable for Injured Subcontractors?
Here’s the scenario: A homeowner looking to replace his roof solicits estimates from several roofing companies. The company he hires is the least expensive one...
Using Strategic Relationships To Grow Your Business
Eighty percent of your success in business today and in the future will come from your business acumen — not your product or service knowledge. This is...
Help Hiring Help
Somewhere in the Sierra Nevada, along the celestial blue shores of California’s Lake Tahoe, Dave Baker, general superintendent for Reno, Nev.-based Dianda...
Are You Doing Enough to Build Your Brand?
Building a brand is as essential to a business as building character is to a person. As with character, the process involves balancing nature and nurture,...
Handle These Five Headaches Before the Remodel
Once your clients hand you a remodeling job, it’s entirely up to you to turn their visions into a reality. Of course, even with the skills and resources you...
Remodelers, Use These Ideas to Refresh the ‘Hedgehog’ Business Model
Jim Collins literally wrote the book on building a successful company. Good to Great, published in 2001, is one of the classic management manifestos,...
What Sales + Marketing Problem Are You Trying to Solve?
In any given week, plenty of marketing problems need your attention. You’re stretched thin by numerous demands on your energy and focus, and it’s tempting to...