Qualified Remodeler Magazine

OCT 2015

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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to move them further down their remodeling journey. "We try to be of service to everybody who calls," he says. "Frequently that is refer- ring them to other people. Our marketing is very focused. We get about three to four times as many inquiries as we can handle, which is a good ratio and means many of those people I can meet with." Meeting face-to-face with many leads min- imizes the number of telephone disqualifca- tions. Eldrenkamp says, "An easy way to say no on the phone is schedule. If their schedule is in- compatible with ours, we're upfront about that, apologize and get them some referrals. Other times, the client is too far away location wise and that's easy to disqualify over the phone." By and large, however, Eldrenkamp declines clients face-to-face. "I've learned to be upfront about it," he says. "Hear them out, walk and talk through the project, tell them that it's a fascinating project and a cool job for the right contractor, but we're not the right contractor, and here's why." SAYING NO is also a form of marketing and positioning your company. "You defne your niche as much by what you say no to as what you say yes to," Eldrenkamp says. "Mercifully and unfortunately, the remodeling industry sets a very low bar that's easy to rise above. Te default way of saying no seems to be visit- ing, talking and never getting back to a client, which strikes me as particularly inefective. It takes a lot of time and creates negative mar- keting in the end." | how we add value. Changing framework can include making major edits to our legal doc- uments, bringing in their own subcontractors or suppliers, or getting advice from outside individuals. Although we're not opposed to that, we want to ensure it stays in the right subsidiary context. People who don't work well in our framework aren't good choices for us." Being aware of frm deadlines and their real- ity also is important when considering a client. "It's not just up to us if we can meet a deadline," Eldrenkamp says. "It's up to them too. I don't want to get locked into a particular calendar date if we can't make sure we complete our planning process on time to start work with an end date in mind. My focus is on minimizing the duration of the project once we do start." Chris Keilty, CR, Keilty Remodeling Inc., Boise, Idaho, sees many of the same red fags Eldrenkamp does. "If the homeowner says in the initial call or frst meeting they could do it themselves if they had more time or it isn't rocket science, those are good indicators they don't have respect for the work we do," she says. Keilty also fnds comments such as "I have a friend who could do it but doesn't have the time" often lead to potential clients who want to fnd a cheaper way to do it rather than pay a contractor fee. When Keilty says no, it's most often in the form of telling a potential client she does not have time to take on their project. Saying no is tough, though, and she says, "I think we've all had times where we had that gut feeling we should walk away from a client or project and under our better judgment proceeded and regretted it later. As the years go on, we listen to those gut feelings more and pay more atten- tion to them and steer the clients in a diferent direction away from us." Regardless of whether Eldrenkamp thinks a potential client is a good ft for him, he tries nly two letters long, NO can be an extraordinarily difcult word to say. Despite its difculty, as a businessperson it is important to not only know how to say no, but also when to say no, especially with potential clients. Paul Eldrenkamp, founder and owner of Byggmeister Sustainable Design & Build, Newton, Mass., does some screening on the phone, but can tell the most from the frst face- to-face meeting. "Te main question I'm ask- ing myself is if I can make this person happy," he says. "If the answer is 'yes,' then the next question is if we're the best ft for this project." Te best ft considerations present them- selves on two levels: project competency and client personality. Eldrenkamp excels at proj- ects with a gamut of issues that he divides into four categories — cosmetic upgrades, space plan improvements, catching up on deferred maintenance, and performance improvements relating to energy efciency, comfort and water management. "If that last component is lacking then there's less of a chance we're the best ft for the job. We can do all of the other things, but the performance issues are an area where we have a competitive advantage." THROUGHOUT HIS years in business, Eldrenkamp has learned to recognize several red fags. One is awareness of bickering spous- es, and realizing when it may be a problem and when it may be normal. "I've worked with couples who are married 50 years and they bicker. Tat's how they communicate," he says. "It's context. If there's a fundamental diference, that's when it's a red fag." As a design-build frm, Eldrenkamp also selects clients who will let him be in charge. "By being in charge, I mean they accept the process I present to them," he explains. "We have framework we bring to the table and that's Knowing how and when to say no to potential customers defnes your business as much as saying yes to potential customers By Laurie Banyay O Be a selective contractor 18 October 2015 QR QualifiedRemodeler.com PROFITS: NARI Recertification QR has teamed up with NARI to create a convenient way to earn credits toward your recertification. After reading this issue's article, take the test for CEUs at ForResidentialPros.com/narirecertification.

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