Contractor Marketing Blog » eco-friendly

In This Economy, Should You Specialize or Expand Your Service?

Dan — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 18:12:44 +0000

Times are tough and many contractors are pulling tooth and nail to find steady work. Yet before anyone resorts to self abuse, ask the question of how to best sell your abilities. Should you expand or specialize your offerings? As mainly a woodworker, is a move into concrete or even masonry worth it?

Such a question can be easy or difficult. Take remodeling contractors; for you the answer is probably simple — expansion. The reason being that remodeling inherently involves many different facets of construction from carpentry to electrical to plumbing and more. Being able to offer experience, knowledge, and advice in many of these areas is a big plus.

However, if you offer a unique service, one which sets you apart from the field, then specialization may be your best route. Say you’re a custom tile setter or mason with your own formula for creativity, something that is a valuable selling point. It makes sense that you would want to hone that skill and accentuate it during interviews.

At the same time homeowners and their remodels can be very fluid things, changing as the days go by. While it is generally accepted that a well-planned remodel is the smoothest remodel, that is not always how it goes. Therefore an extensive list of skills and services, including a heightened ability to think on your feet, may be the best way to go.

Another way to expand your offerings is to expand your knowledge of new building products, especially the eco-friendly ones. As remodeling gets greener than ever, there are a lot of well-hyped products coming out to fill the need for better energy efficiency. So in these tough times, if you do have free time on your hands, feel free to spend it researching appliances, building products, and other trends that are dominating trade shows and expos. Today’s remodeling homeowners are bound to have more questions regarding the quality and longevity of these new products. Can you answer them?

USGBC to Host Webinar

Dan — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 23:12:11 +0000

In order to further spread the wealth of necessary information on green building and design, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is hosting a series of web seminars – Webinars – for remodeling contractors. The series is aptly titled REGREEN Revolution. The first two sessions took place in December and January, with one last session on REGREEN & Deep Energy Retrofit scheduled for Wednesday, February 11.

This three-part series of webinars attacks green building on the renovation and remodeling front. They aim to steer contractors through the history, intent, and content of USGBC’s new REGREEN guidelines and discuss the future of the program. The sessions will also provide information about the green remodeling market and additional education opportunities available to remodeling contractors in need of further green renovation expertise.

It’s not too late to catch the last presenter. Registration fees are $60 per session for USGBC members and $80 for non-members. Learn more and sign up at REGREEN Revolution.

Sustainability – a Defense against Recession?

Anna — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 19:29:53 +0000

As if we all didn’t already know what has been going on for the past year, our government finally dared to say we are in a recession. Even though the stock market plummeted in response, most of us just shrugged our shoulders and said “tell us something we don’t already know and start working on a solution.” In the meantime, the rest of us are going to focus on ways to keep our businesses afloat.

Our natural inclination in times like this is to look for ways to cut costs. One way to do this is to target unnecessary or unproductive programs or services. Even though green-related ventures may not yet be your top producers, don’t give them the boot quite yet. Your company can benefit from more eco-friendly practices in more ways than you might imagine.

First of all, if you are looking for ways to cut expenditures, how about recycling and reusing wherever possible? Look for ways to reduce the amount of materials used; in other words, conserve and reuse. Not only can instilling some more eco-friendly practices into your daily routines help your bottom line, but offering green building to your customers may potentially help your business to grow.

There is an emerging trend amongst younger homebuyers that consider green living of the utmost importance to them, and they need a builder who is knowledgeable about and able to accomplish LEED standards.

So, not only can you save money by implementing more eco-friendly practices within your business, but you can tap into a growing market and have the potential to grow your business, recession or not. Sustainability could very well be your best defense against this recession.