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
REMODELER SURVEY SERIES Do You Hold Certifications from Any of the Following? 35% 30% If You Are Certified, Do You Feel Certification Has Helped You Competitively? 23.88% 25% Not Sure 31% 20% 15% 15.5% 10% 5% No 7.8% 2.9% 0 I AR N B AH N A KB N 0.8% AIA CA NR e n No her Ot me) Na ( 22.1% 21.8% 20% 16.6% 15% 16.1% 10% 8.3% 5% 9.2% 5.9% 0 ng te rds ure and s tisi bsi Ca rat ck ver ss We Lite n Tru Sign ur ine In s Yo O Site Bu On On Job d In A GMR?' Essentially the message is: I'm a remodeler who took classes; earned this professional designation; and on an annual basis, I am continuing to learn, perfect my craft and be the best remodeler I can be. It's an assurance to that customer that [the remodeler] cares about doing good work and giving them the kind of service they deserve," NAHB's Jenkins says. "You can't just get a designation and sit back and wait for the phone to ring," says Jeff Hunt, CGR, GMB, CAPS, CGP, of Heritage Construction Services in Houston and one of the webinar presenters. "You'll be waiting a long time." Hunt, who was NAHB Remodeler of the Year in 2008 (see Qualified Remodeler, March 2013 d Lea d EPArtifie Ce If You Are Certified, How Do You Use Certification to Promote Your Business? 25% 28 22.49% 10.66% 7.6% QR ForResidentialPros.com her Ot ll tA tA No November 2008, p.22), recounts he sent a press release about his designations to every local newspaper, magazine or neighborhood newsletter he could think of. The Houston Chronicle, a major paper in town, picked it up and ran it in the real estate section. After that, Hunt took the initiative to contact local news outlets with stories and information he thought were beneficial to the consumer and was able "after beating [his] head against the wall for a while" to land an interview on the evening news about a project he was working on. He was able to interject into the interview why the homeowner cut his risk by hiring a certified professional. That led to a subsequent interview with another station, and over time, to interviews with national 21.29% 56.22% Yes media, including the Wall Street Journal and CNN Money. "I'm a promotion hound, and I think you have to be," says Hunt. He advises remodelers first to go after the "low-hanging fruit" in promoting their designations. "Sure, you put it on your business cards, letterheads, proposals, brochures, websites, Facebook pages, email signatures — everything," he says. Logos are available from the associations granting designations, Hunt points out. These can be added to printed material. "I have a section in my proposal that lists all of my designations along with the appropriate logo, and I have a little explanation about what each designation means," he says. Promote, Promote, Promote Beyond that, Hunt promotes industry designations every chance he gets. For example, he gives presentations about how to modify a home for aging parents to local civic groups, during the course of which he promotes the advantage of hiring a Certified Aging in Place (CAPS) remodeler. While Hunt holds a CAPS designation, he feels his presentation helps others with similar designations. "My belief has always been that it's incumbent on each of us designation holders to do all we can do to [promote designations]. Every time I [make a presentation], I help everybody in the industry who has CAPS, CGR, CGP or other certification, and if we all do it, I think that the argument that nobody knows what designations mean will become less and less of an argument."