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.
Issue link: https://qualifiedremodeler.epubxp.com/i/115888
25% Respondents Who Have Taken Courses No Course Sponsors 22% 20% 19.7% 18.4% 15.7% 15% 14.3% 11.8% 10% 84.3% Yes 9.5% 5% 4.4% 0 a challenging exam; we've had about a 75 percent pass rate." Of those certified, only 56 percent feel certification has helped them competitively. Detractors of certification often argue that homeowners and the general public don't know what the designations mean. Yet, survey respondents indicate they often don't use their certifications to promote their business. Twenty-two percent say they put their designations on a business card, and the percentages drop for things such as websites, advertising, sales literature, and truck and jobsite signs. Contradiction of Perceptions Contradicting the perceived lack of public awareness and value of certifications, the National Kitchen and Bath Association's market research shows more that 80 percent of the time consumers would rather work with someone who is certified RI HB NA NA BA NK as opposed to someone who is not, according to Andrew Mackenzie, manager, certification for NKBA. National Association of Home Builder market information found a similar percentage: 83 percent of consumers found certified contractors more professional and credible. (See chart, p. 30) "The higher the level of consumer awareness, the more valuable the certification," says Mackenzie. "We're trying to help certified members promote themselves. We can't take out a Super Bowl ad, but we provide a tool kit to help certified members promote on a grassroots level and strengthen their brand that way. "We provide certified members with logos which are different from the typical member logo," he continues. "They can use that on their print material, website, LinkedIn page, Facebook page, business cards, etc. We also provide press release templates, newspaper and magazine tem- What Types of Courses Have You Taken? Skill Related (Construction, Design, etc.) 49.2% Business Related (Sales, Management, etc. ) 38.2% Other 12.56% 0 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% AIA te l er her n Ot iatio Privationa n Oth c o sso uca izati A Ed an g Or plates, and promotional brochures they can use in their showrooms to explain why a client should hire a certified designer." Another service to members is NKBA's ProSearch tool that allows a homeowner to visit the association's website, enter a ZIP code and get a list of members in that area. Searches also can be made for fabricators, designers or only certified members. Other associations offer similar online search capabilities. New Designations In an effort to give certification a broader reach, NKBA recently introduced a business-to-business nondesign designation — Certified Kitchen and Bath Professional. The curriculum includes residential construction, business knowledge, materials and products, and project management. "The idea is you have someone like a fabricator, cabinet manufacturer or sales rep who has been in the industry for at least five years. He or she has all this knowledge and expertise, and would like to validate that," says Mackenzie. NKBA is heavily involved in online education to make classes accessible to more students. "In the past, much of our education has been in person," Mackenzie says. That, of course, was an expensive proposition, considering the cost of airfare, hotels and meals for the instructor and students. ForResidentialPros.com QR March 2013 25