In today’s tight market it can be pretty hard to win a contract. Some numbers on a piece of paper usually won’t cut it anymore. Homeowners may be apprehensive and looking for the best deal but they also need reassurance that their contractor will do a professional and timely job. With that in mind here are 10 things we think homeowners are looking for in a contractor. Holding as many of these winning characteristics as possible will be tantamount to winning bids in the current recession.

1. Confidence. Of course the way in which you carry yourself is important. Many homeowners are already tentative about new remodeling projects, so the last thing they want is a contractor is unsure of himself.
2. Knowledge. There’s no need to know everything, but homeowners will have a lot of questions and those contractors who can adequately answer them on the spot will move to the front of the line.
3. References. Any blog similar to this one, but geared toward homeowners, would have references very high on a list of 10 things to look for in a contractor…and for good reason. In an age of high competitiveness as we have now, getting some sense of a contractor’s past performance is key.
4. History. That leads us to history. If you had a choice between the new kid and the contractor who’d been in the business for 30 years, who would you choose? This is not meant to discourage new contractors. By no means, even the youngest remodeling contractors have likely had several years of experience under the tutelage of a tested predecessor; you just may have to sell yourself on other counts. For time-tested remodelers, having a long history shows endurance and commitment.
5. Thinking on your feet. With budgets and time frames often tight in remodeling, a contractor who remains calm and composed under pressure and can address problems accurately as they arise will garner a second look from homeowners. (more…)

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. (more…)