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...
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Recent Blog Posts
Ways to Generate More Leads for Contractors
An ongoing challenge for contractors—especially those just starting out— is finding new customers. Generally, by doing your job well and proving your company’s...
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...
How to Convince a Customer that You're the Builder They Need
Home builders today are lucky—they have more tools available than ever before to help convince prospective customers that they’re the right choice. Builders...
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...
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...
Repairing a Sinking Slab
Concrete slabs crack, sink and settle because of bad base preparation. My company recently used a system called PolyLevel (foundationsupportworks...
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...
Comparing Deck Wood Choices
Generally speaking, when you compare common decking materials there are three choices: Cedar, pressure-treated wood and composite decking. Neither one is a bad...
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...
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...
21 Things You Can Do TODAY to Improve Your Remodeling Business
Running a successful remodeling company isn’t easy. And trying to build one that can run without your day-to-day involvement is even harder. If you want to...
Homeowners Splurge on Primary Bath Shower Features, Study Finds
Although primary bathrooms continue to be one of the most popular rooms to renovate, the features within the spaces have evolved over the years. According to...
Seven Reasons Why Your Next Truck Should Not Be a Pickup Truck
Tradespeople are relentlessly hit with higher prices, but find it hard to raise their own pricing structure. Thus it becomes imperative to find ways to save...
This Is How You Have a Budget Conversation With Homeowners
Homeowners rarely have an accurate sense of how much their project will cost when they first speak with a remodeler. So you can imagine how important it is to...
Flood Catastrophe: 15 Coping Strategies for Remodelers
Whether you are dealing with Hurricane Harvey or a future weather catastrophe, any of us could find ourselves in the chaos of a destructive storm. If/when it...
Don't Want to Take Small Jobs? You Should. Here's How to Do Them While Keeping the Big Projects
Many remodeling companies and custom home builders have a niche. Some companies love the big jobs. Some prefer more modest work. The one thing that most...
Must-Haves for a Comprehensive Contract
Unless you have someone on staff who can do a Vulcan mind-meld with your customer, odds are you and your potential client will clash about something you...
Why You Shouldn't be Afraid to Say No to a Sale
Remodelers are trained to say yes from the day they start in the industry. “Yes, I can complete the job. Yes, we can come in at that time. Yes, we can add that...
Should Radios Be Banned on the Jobsite?
A recent survey polled 730 builders and found more than 80% of them had no policy prohibiting workers from enjoying their favorite tunes while on the job...