Qualified Remodeler helps independent remodeling firms to survive, become more professional and more profitable by providing must-have business information, namely best business practices, new product information and timely design ideas.
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CAPIZZI HOME IMPROVEMENT Thomas Capizzi Jr. President Cotuit, Mass. capizzihome.com Affiliations: BBB, Guild Quality, NAHB, NARI, NRCA and Remodelers Advantage The first step toward professional success is visualizing the type of business one wants to run. Thomas Capizzi Jr. envisioned a multi-million-dollar remodeling business, and that���s what he helped create at Capizzi Home Improvement in Cotuit, Mass. To d a y, C a p i z z i H o m e Improvement is a full-ser vice remodeling firm with roughly half its work in additions, wholehouse remodels and kitchens, and the other half in home improvements. Of course, Capizzi says, it has been difficult to retain market share during the recession, but he has survived because of the vision and strategy put in place prior to the recession. ���Even before the recession, I had always been a marketer,��� Capizzi says. ���But we did have to elevate the level of our sophistication to become a better marketer during the recession. Traditional, mediocre marketing efforts were not generating leads.��� With pre-recession strategies in place, Capizzi was positioned for success. In the winter of 2008, however, he began seeing the market percolate in the wrong direction. ���The signs were there, so I found ways to become a better marketer. I began learning from Dan Kennedy, who I consider a grandfather of lead generation. I continued to be a student of my business,��� he says. on the beach, when a light bulb went on. He suddenly realized the importance of launching a warranty inspection program. ���We do annual warranty inspections for the first three years after a job is complete and fix anything that needs fixing. In 2009 we brought in $900,000 in revenue from this program, and 2009 was a difficult year to be in business, so that was a major boom for us in a difficult time,��� he adds. Making things happen is a common trait among market makers, and Capizzi notes three more. The first is to remain a professional student. The second key is to network with like-minded individuals with success on the brain. ���Whom you associate with is important,��� he says. ���The third key is finding mentors, people that fly at a much higher altitude than where you fly. This has always been my formula for success. Be a student, network and find mentors.��� A second idea inspired by Capizzi���s beach run was free gutter cleanings. ���I thought of a timeshare company. They offer you something free simply to get you in a room to sell you something else, so I made it work in my business. A postcard was mailed to offer free gutter cleaning, with no purchase, in exchange for allowing us to offer them a written proposal. It was almost too good to be true. The staff freaked out and worried that the production department would do nothing but clean gutters. We did $300,000 in 2008 based on this promotion, and it cost me $3,000 out-of-pocket in gutter cleanings for people who didn���t buy anything afterward.��� Going Against the Trend When the recession hit, Capizzi did the opposite of what most remodelers did. He boosted his marketing investment from $200,000 to $300,000 and hired two more salespeople. The plan was to attack the market and get aggressive about generating leads so he has places for sales staff to go and offer proposals. ���Even more important than that, the big picture concept is to always get better at being a marketer,��� Capizzi says. ���The plain old ads we all do with our company name, phone number and something stating that, ���We���re the best��� are nothing more than glorified business cards. No one sees those anymore. We all must do things so bold and big a person does a three-second double-take.��� REBORN CABINETS Vince Nardo President Anaheim, Calif. reborncabinets.com Affiliations: BBB, Guild Quality and NKBA Remodeling showrooms can be multifunctional, and no one knows this better than Vince Nardo, president of Reborn Cabinets in Anaheim, Calif. Reborn���s 10,000-sq.ft. showroom opened 12 years ago and remains in a perpetual state of change, with new kitchen and bathroom vignettes created on a regular basis. Reborn also maintains several smaller showrooms in local malls that are open seven days a week. Reborn hosts all-day seminars every six weeks at his showroom and opens them to the public. ���One Thomas Capizzi Jr., whose firm does kitchens like this, also used warranty and gutter cleaning plans to drive more than $1 million in revenue. Revelations on the Beach In 2008, Capizzi spent a winter in San Diego where he was jogging ForResidentialPros.com QR February 2013 15