The concept is simple. Past clients are a familiar resource whom you’ve worked for in the past. Their repeat business or recommendation to a new client has a certain, predisposed measure of validity that is just not possible with strangers. Now, in 2003 when the original survey was taken, times were very different. The housing boom was coming into its own and contractors had more freedom to pick and choose projects.

Those times may have come and gone but the fundamentals of remodeling and lead generation remain, even though it may be contractors calling past clients to check in rather than the other way around. Yet despite the fact that homeowners are in the driver’s seat, you are still more likely to generate quality leads from past clients because both homeowners and contractors tend to trust the word of a friend or known client than a phone book or random ring of the phone.

Another interesting trend that came out of the 2003 survey and remains relevant today is the need for personal interaction. Most contractors surveyed stated that they put “gut reaction” and face-to-face conversation on a higher pedestal than any number on a lead sheet. The lead sheet may itself lead to the interview, but it would always be the interview that took precedent.

Again, now that the tables are turned and it is often the contractor doing the hunting, the same rules apply. Better leads come from past clients and should be prioritized. Homeowners running through the phone book or search engine are essentially window shopping. That is not to say that every lead isn’t important — there is a contractor for every job regardless of lead origin — but the odds are much better when familiarity is involved, not to mention contact onsite.

The point of all this being that keeping in touch with past clients is an excellent idea. The remodeling season is soon forthcoming, the stimulus package is pouring plenty of money into weatherizing and home repair, and every quality lead starts with the mention of your name…now may be a good time to make sure past clients remember it.

My friend, however, who is also the realtor who sold me the house, made a smart suggestion to seal a hallway closet that abutted the bathroom and use that space for bathroom shelving. This made perfect sense because (a) there were too many doors in the hallway, making the space look smaller and (b) I desperately lacked storage in the bathroom.

Why didn’t my contractor come up with the brilliant idea? Perhaps it’s what we call tunnel vision. You go into the project by first listening to what the customer wants, you tell them whether or not it’s doable and then you create their vision. But if you looked around, you might get ideas that will greatly enhance the space and make it more functional for the homeowner.

Now, I know there are hoards of contractors who do make suggestions. But for those of you who don’t, it would not be considered an insult if you did. Most homeowners don’t have vision – they can’t see beyond the walls. I know, I’m one of them. If you can make my life easier by making the space in my home more functional, then I’m all ears.

So, here’s my suggestion to build more value and earn more money per project. Let’s say you’re working on a job and you pass by a staircase with unused, wasted space underneath (and the people have a lot of clutter). Suggest how the homeowner could utilize that space more efficiently with built-in storage. Bam – more money for you. Or you’re working on a job unrelated to the kitchen but notice that the kitchen is dark and small. Suggest installing skylights and removing a section of the wall to form a window through an adjoining room – wham-O, more $$.

Trust me, I’m a homeowner who needs you. These suggestions will pay off. Don’t just go into a job for the sake of the job. Go in for the client and help make their home a better place to live.

1. Be Timely

Timeliness and consideration will help you to stand out from other contractors. Never be late to estimates. If you ever find that you are going to be late, even by 5 minutes, call the homeowner. This small gesture will get you a long way when it comes to sales.

2. Dress the Part

Our goal for appearance is to look clean and professional while avoiding looking stiff and cold. We recommend the following dress code for estimates:

• Company shirt
• Khaki pants or shorts (no jeans)
• No sandals

Greet the client at the door, introduce yourself and your company, and ask all decision-makers to join you outside. Keep in mind: You are not there to sell a job, you are there to sell yourself. Typically, the more that you talk about business and the job you’re going to do, the less likely you are to book the job.

3. Build Rapport

Understand that the clients are not buying a construction job, they are buying you. Look around their home, what do you see? Spend your time getting to know them on a personal level before talking about the job. Let people tell you about their lives and what interests them.

Here are some examples:

• How long have they lived at their house?
• Where are they from?
• How many kids do they have?
• Where did they go to school?

These are just a few examples of ways to build rapport. The important thing to understand is that it does not matter what you talk about, as long as you are genuinely interested. Don’t fake rapport; people can read it from a mile away.

4. Maintain Control

Don’t let the client start walking you around the house and pointing out what they want to have done. The estimate should be done at your pace, with you leading the way. Take your time to explain small details so they know that you are paying attention and actually care about their home.

5. Own the Initial Walk-Around

The purpose of the walk-around is to establish the parameters of the job (which parts of the house need work, which don’t, and special concerns and needs of the client), to gain their confidence (explaining process and technique, listening and satisfying their concerns/needs), and, most of all, to build rapport. We are not entering estimates with the goal of closing. It is your responsibility to develop a personal relationship rather than a business relationship with each client.

For more advice on what NOT to do, check out the following post: 7 Common Mistakes When Giving an Estimate. Good luck!

The article starts by exemplifying industry growth over the last ten years. From 1998 to 2008 the remodeling industry nearly doubled and, they predict, you can expect nearly equal growth over the next ten years. With help from the NAHB, JCHS, and the U.S. Census Bureau, the article goes on into great detail. It addresses several different changes that remodeling contractors can expect over the next ten years: rising minority influence, generational changes, and more green building are the big ones.

Yet, in the midst of a slow housing market, which is now affecting remodelers, it may be hard to believe in such positive numbers. So where do they get the idea that, beyond this short-term slump, things are looking on the up and up? There are a few reasons:

1. Houses are getting older and that means more remodeling, plain and simple. Baby boomers have built a lot of houses over the past years and many of these are now 35-50 years old. This means necessary upgrades…that’s good for business.
2. The population is growing and that means more remodeling. The U.S. Census Bureau predicts a population of 335 million by 2020. More population naturally signifies more homeowners and more work for remodeling contractors.

Yet even more fascinating are the predictions regarding the changing customer base. More minority homeowners may mean adjustments for lasting remodelers, not just in language but also culture. These are the days of high-speed internet and the free flow of information. Homeowners have a diversity of information and ideas at their fingertips and one can only expect remodeling to become just as diverse. So, while things are looking up for remodeling, contractors can expect a lot of changes to roll with.

1. Not having both of the decision makers present. You’d be surprised at how many times a lead will fall through because the Mr. says “yes” but the Mrs. later vetoes the decision, or vice versa. To save yourself a lot of wasted time, get answers from both decision makers from the onset.
2. Being late or not showing up. This is your chance to make a good first impression and believe me, first impressions count! If you’re late or miss an appointment before you’re hired, homeowners will often translate this as a bad sign of things to come.
3. Not bringing pictures or a portfolio of your work. I can’t stress this more: come prepared! It’s similar to an interview process: you wouldn’t show up without a resume. Catch the homeowners’ attention when they are most interested in what you have to offer. If they don’t find out what they want to know when they want to know, you may be checked off the list early on.
4. Not asking enough questions to understand the customer’s needs. The customer knows and believes their job is like no other. It’s critical for them to feel that you share the same investment in doing the work the right way. Asking the right questions is one way to communicate this.
5. Not asking for the job! Homeowners realize how busy a contractor’s schedule could be. Not asking for the job could indicate that you’re simply not interested, or not interested enough.
6. Not presenting the pricing on the spot. This is, perhaps, one of the first questions homeowners have, even if they don’t bring pricing up on their own. If you don’t outline your pricing from the get go, the homeowner is left with a big blank on an equation they can’t fill. And chances are, someone else will fill the blank in for you.
7. Not building rapport with the homeowner. References, pricing, and ability in general are critical. However, if you have all of the above and the homeowner simply doesn’t feel at home with you, chances are they will not give you access to their home.

First off, really get to know your prospect. Understand their needs, wants and top priorities. The industry is what you know best – you can relate to homeowners and really level with them. The better you understand the clients, the better your suggestions for their living space will be.

I had my house painted recently and the bid came in 60% lower than the other bids. I took the bait because it’s human nature to want to save money. I’m not experienced in house painting, so I didn’t know what kinds of questions to ask to ensure the job was done right – and on time.

Here’s what I got for that low-ball bid:

It took him 2 months to paint the interior rooms of my 1,700 square-foot house. He used low-quality paint so he had to paint multiple coats, which cost more money. He over-sprayed my windows and window frames and didn’t clean it up. He also over-sprayed my ceilings, which meant I had to paint the ceilings as well. He removed all smoke detectors, phone plates, electrical outlets and vents, but didn’t reconnect any of it after the job was done. I’m still sorting through nuts and bolts trying to figure out what goes where and I’m left with wires hanging out of the walls where light fixtures were removed but never replaced.

Now that I’ve been burned, I’ve learned. Now I know the right questions to ask – a little too late. Had one of the higher-bidding contractors taken the time to really understand my needs, I most likely would have trusted them more with the job. What I valued was neatly painted walls, a one-week job, and all fixtures replaced at the end. They then would have had the opportunity to help me understand that based on my values, that level of service would cost more money.

These are the types of questions you can ask to help a potential client better understand the process, problems they could run into, and what outcomes would be unacceptable. Though my questions are paint-related, any contractor can tweak them to fit their niche:

• Do you have any time constraints? Are you concerned about the length of time it will take to complete the job?
• Are you concerned abou the quality of paint (how it looks on your walls and the lifespan of the product) your contractor uses?
• Do you value neatness of work?
• Are you concerned about over-spraying?
• Is it important that your contractor remove fixtures rather than tape around them?
• If light fixtures are removed, is it important that your contractor reconnect the wiring and fixtures so you can actually enjoy your newly painted walls?
• Is it important that your contractor has lien and liability protection?

These are but a few questions you can ask to understand what the homeowner values. Once you have this information, ask them how the low bidder will meet their needs and deliver the quality of service they value.

Suggest to your prospect that they go back to the other bidder with a list of expectations to be included in the signed contract.

Just by showing that you care and taking the time to understand their needs will most likely land you the job. It will get them thinking because you’re teaching them things to think about – remember, you’re the expert, not them. They don’t know what questions to ask or what sort of problems can arise.

If they don’t hire you right on the spot, they’ll most likely hire you after the lower-bid contractor refuses to put into writing any references about guaranteed satisfaction or job time-lines.

When you play smarter and really get to know your prospects by asking key questions, you’ll start taking away more business from low-bidding competitors.

A search for “replacement windows” by Replacement Contractor yielded three top results: Window Replacement Center, the Replacement Window Site, and Calfinder. All three sites collect information from homeowners set on remodeling and then sell that information to contractors. Lead-generation companies have become a powerful force in the Internet age. Calfinder, for example, offers homeowners information, resources, a daily blog and free estimates on a variety of home improvement projects.

Contractors, on the other hand, gain access to a vast coffer of internet leads. These leads are exceptionally valuable because homeowners feel safer using a company referred by the lead-generation site. In other words, lead-gen companies are to contractors today what word-of-mouth referrals were before the age of Google.

Not every remodeling contractor is happy with lead-generation services. Some complain that too many companies receive the same lead or that leads are not well-qualified. Yet those who are successful with internet leads are often very successful. George Faerber, owner of Bee Window in Indianapolis, estimated that 8-10% of his leads come from lead-generation companies – among them Calfinder – and that about one-third of all his business volume comes through the Internet in some form or another.

The Right Time is Real Time

What separates success from failure with purchased Internet leads? It’s a matter of timing and determination. The right time to call a prospect won by Internet is in real time. As in now. To illustrate the point, take a couple of Calfinder leads offered to New Windows for America. The first lead came in at 10:37 a.m. and the second at 11:07 a.m. The first lead was not called for several minutes and, upon calling, received no answer. The 11:07 lead was called at 11:08 and a sales meeting was set. The Internet age demands real-time response, especially when you know you are not the only contractor who is receiving a particular lead.

First Come First Serve

Another reason to be quick on the draw – to drop everything and call a prospect – is lead competition. It is rare for a lead-generation company to offer exclusive leads, and the first contractor to make contact is often the first, if only, contractor to schedule an appointment. Developing an internal system for a quick and quality response is vital to turning Internet leads into real life sales. New Windows for America reports that it successfully sets appointments with nine out of 10 lead-gen prospects exactly because it has developed a working system to reply to those leads promptly.

Following Up

Determination is the second key to success with lead-gen inquiries. Even if you call every lead within minutes of their inquiry, you are unlikely to reach everybody on that first try. While immediate response is vital, follow-up is also key. This can mean anything from repeated phone calls for several days following the initial inquiry to monthly or quarterly phone calls and emails.

Cheap and Effective

You may have to work for a lead culled from a lead-generation company, but that lead can be both effective in generating business and relatively inexpensive. Ken Greene of St. Clair Corp, a home improvement company based in St. Louis, sees Internet leads as a major contributor to company sales. He notes that 73% of Calfinder leads become good net business, well above industry average. Furthermore, Calfinder leads are cheaper; marketing cost for St. Clair Corp on a Calfinder lead is 8%, compared to 14% companywide and across all lead sources.

So, Internet leads may take some work on your part to push them beyond the marginal, but companies like New Windows for America and St. Clair Corp have proven that they can be very effective. They do it by adjusting their company routine to accommodate the new wave of lead generation. In the age of Google and real-time technology, you have to help your leads help you.

Via Replacement Contractor Online

Rule #1: First impressions count.

You walk into a restaurant and spot your blind date already sitting at the table. You make some small talk without offering any real information. Your date looks at the clock. As drinks are served, she tries to make conversation.

“So where do you live?” she says. You stare at her blankly, and a full 30 seconds later you ask:

“Wouldn’t you rather look at some highly polished pictures of my place of business?”

You aren’t going to get a second date by being inaccessible or obtuse. The same rule applies to web marketing: You won’t generate leads with a slow or overly complex website. The typical consumer only spends seven seconds evaluating a site. If they can’t find your dealer locator within two or three clicks, they’ll leave. This doesn’t give you much time to engage the consumer and maintain interest. Your tools and hard data need to be available and easy to understand.

• Reduce the number of steps required to find a dealer.
• Offer a simple lead form for the consumer to fill out.

Rule #2: Avoid sounding like a jerk.

You don’t tell your date you have money or that you’re good in bed. And you certainly aren’t going to get a second date if you spend dinner talking about yourself in glowing terms. Instead of running on at the mouth about your many virtues, you show who you are through presentation, relaxed confidence, and your ability to converse about a wide range of subjects without sounding like a complete ass. So how does this apply to web marketing?

Although an active blog can draw readers to your site, a survey of 5000 Internet users shows that company blogs are the least trusted source of information on the Web. This is probably because many corporate blogs are focused on hyping the company—essentially bragging. To make the most of the blog as a marketing tool, build trust by showing readers that you are knowledgeable in your field. As they come to trust your opinion and your information on home improvement, they’ll come to trust your brand as well.

• Instead of writing articles about how great you are, write articles that demonstrate your range of knowledge.

• Don’t talk about your brand directly–draw traffic to your site by creating content that people need.

Rule #3: Get out and play the field.

Invisible people don’t build successful relationships, and the same rule applies to invisible websites. Here’s the bottom line: A 2010 survey shows that 95% of all site traffic comes from page one results. When a homeowner types ‘vinyl windows’ into Google and you don’t show up on the first page, you have a very slim chance of getting that customer. Look below at the search results for a popular window replacement term. You will notice that very few manufacturers’ sites appear on page one.

How do you fix this problem?

• Get links from vertical specific sites.
• Invest a few hundred dollars a month in paid search advertising.

And while we’re on the subject of web presence, let’s talk about search terms. A woman doesn’t get up in the morning and think: “What I really need in my life is a guy named Dave.” Similarly, your typical homeowner doesn’t have a specific brand of windows in mind. In fact, seventy-four percent of Google searches are non-branded. Instead, your potential customer gets online, types ‘window replacement’ into a search engine, and clicks on one of the first sites that come up.

How do you fix this problem?

• Focus on building content that matches with common search phrases such as “window replacement”.
• Replace the brand name in your page titles with top keyword terms like “window replacement”.

Photos by Ikescs and Content connect

The bright side to that dilemma is that designers and manufacturers are constantly working to bring down costs—to make green an easier sell and a lighter load for the average client’s pocketbook. Out of that ilk comes K-tect Sustainable Building Systems, an all-around green building gem judging by the bullet list of benefits on the website.

The biggest benefit for homeowners and the environment is that K-tect walls use less material than a conventional wall system and contain no thermal bridges. The walls are built to high efficiency in a factory and delivered to the site, where they can be erected and connected using manpower alone.

Construction costs are reduced in a number of ways, including:

• Air conditioning and heating capacity reduced
• Faster and easier installation—no cranes, forklifts or chainsaws necessary
• Reduced installation and framing labor
• No need for wall insulation contractor
• No on-site construction waste
• Reduction in weather-related delays

And the whole process is fast. According to K-tect, an example 4100-square-foot residence built with 10-, 12-, and 16-foot K-tect Wall Systems went from slab to roof trusses in only 2.5 days—with a four-man crew.

K-tect also boasts that their systems result in fewer callbacks and less warranty work for you, the contractor. “Factory quality control” ensures straight and square walls, as well as no warping, splitting or twisting of studs. The walls are comprised of light gauge metal studs with integrated insulation that purportedly eliminates thermal bridging.

As far as green building goes, K-tect wall systems meet or exceed all building codes, as well as all green building standards. So in the end, a job gets done quicker, easier, requires less manpower and is cheaper for the homeowner and more profitable for the builder.

K-tect Building Systems are GREENGUARD certified for homes, children and schools.

K-tect homes may contribute between 15 and 72 points toward LEED-H certification, depending on the size and design of the home.

Starting on April 22nd of this year, any remodeling project in a space larger than 6 interior square feet or 20 exterior square feet completed in a home or school that was built before 1978 requires that all workers be trained in how to safely handle lead paint.  This will extend to window replacement projects as well.  The cost of not following these regulations is a hefty one, to say the least.  One infraction will cost $32,000.

In order to get certified, all workers must complete a course that costs approximately $500 to $600 per head.  Smaller companies, unfortunately, may not be able to handle the cost of certification for all employees.

As the costs trickle down to homeowners, there is also a possibility that DIY projects will spike, meaning less business for those trained in the field.  Fortunately, however, workers who have been experiencing the ill effects of lead-based paint should find some relief.

For now, contractors across the board will just have to wait and see how it will affect their bottom line.  Hopefully the outcome won’t be as grim as the predictions.