The Difference the Right Employees Can Make For Your Construction Business
Having the right employees at your business can make a huge difference to your business in so many ways. Over the holidays this Christmas season I went on an annual goose hunting trip in Illinois with some contractor buddies. My first return flight was delayed and I was at risk of making my connection to get back home. I was obviously bummed out. But, thanks to just one exceptional airline employee, I made the connection and got back in time to celebrate the New Year with my family. Here's what that employee did and why you should seek, choose and train your employees to be just like her.
First off she had a great attitude and presented herself well
The woman who checked me in was well dressed and well groomed. Sure she had to wear a uniform (and so should your employees), but in addition to wearing professional attire she obviously also had a lot of self-respect and presented herself well. Unlike others I observed working around her she was professionally groomed, interacted with a genuine smile and spoke with a professional vernacular. I suspect someone raised her to be that way and I could tell it was natural for her, not an act. In my opinion hiring her was a great investment.
Next, she managed my expectations and offered proactive assistance
As she checked me in she made me aware that my flight was likely to be delayed and therefore making my tight connecting flight might be at risk. I had never had anyone else at any airline do this at check in. She also told me why it might be late before I had chance to ask her why. By doing so my attitude about my situation was already less stressful. She then helped me make a "Plan B" in case I missed that flight. By doing so I went to the gate in a much better frame of mind than the frame of mind I would have been in if I discovered my possible dilemma at the gate. Then she was at the gate and was working hard to mitigate potential challenges
Yes, the same woman who checked me in soon came to work the gate, and was all by herself. I suggest, like a small business, the gate at that small airport could not support additional overhead. She was obviously cross trained by her employer to perform a wide variety of tasks and to do so very efficiently. For that I not only credit her employer for properly training her, but for also hiring an employee with the right cognitive abilities and a desire to learn. For that I can probably also credit her as well as whoever raised her and or mentored her in her formative years. With her actions, knowledge and a professional demeanor she got the incoming passengers squared away, prepped things for my outbound flight, and very efficiently got us all boarded faster that I have ever experienced before. And I travel a lot! She minimized the potential delay big time like it was second nature.
The good news was that I made my connection to get home.
The better news, for me and her employer, is that she restored my faith in her company as a preferred option. The next time I have a choice when deciding between available airline options to serve my traveling needs my experience that day with her will definitely become part of my buying decision.I hope sharing my experience that day will help you make better hiring plans and decisions. For additional help and insight check out his article titled "One Simple but Powerful Tip for Hiring the Right Employees”
If you have been getting business by providing free estimates for everyone who calls your business you are most likely wasting a lot of money making time. Are you really an expert in your industry if you have been letting those who buy from you tell you how to run your business? If these things have been happening to you it’s time to recognize the value of your time and expertise. It’s also time to limit offering them to only those who find value in what you offer, how you do so, and are willing to pay you well for your expertise. Here are three ways successful contractors reduce their lead flow, improve the quality of the leads they get, and sell more jobs at higher prices. Yes, it is true, read on!
Because the information is presented in writing at your web site prospects won't be able to interrupt you as the typically do when you try to explain your process to them at live sales calls. If written well they will either recognize that your process works as a solution for them, or they will know why it’s not right for them. This can help you eliminate defending your process as you try to explain it to them live and in person. If they don't like your process after checking out your web site they won't waste your time.
Even if you are not ready to charge for them, before committing to preparing plans, specs and a proposal make an agreement with your prospect. Let them know that to prepare a proposal for them you require coming back to sit down with both of them to review, discuss and get a yes or no decision on your proposal and about working with your company. Remember, you will have more time to do this because by being more selective you will be creating fewer estimates and proposals. Those who won't meet with you probably aren't interested enough in working with you anyway. Perhaps they were just hoping for more free ideas from you before hiring the cheapest contractor or performing the work themselves. If they won't commit to meeting with you to review your proposal that's one less you have to do; freeing you up to concentrate on those prospects who respect you as a professional and value your process.
We are all getting older every day. That reality hit my wife and me a few years back, motivating us to seek a new home where we could happily and comfortably grow old together. We wanted a home configured to serve us as our health declines. Just as important we wanted one we could also afford to live in and maintain on our retirement income, without the need and cost to move to an assisted living facility. It’s called aging in place and it’s a huge opportunity for home builders and remodelers seeking to differentiate themselves. In this blog I share a list of links to resources and information for construction business owners and consumers preparing to grow old. I also share the list to help contractors and their businesses take advantage of the opportunity and become part of the solution. Here’s why:
For contractors, brand reputation can make the difference between winning and losing a big contract. A case in point is DuPont. Over the past two decades, DuPont has built a reputation as a safety leader in the chemical industry, enabling its Sustainable Solutions unit to 
Delivering superior customer service lays a foundation for a good reputation, but in today's digital environment, it's also important to get customers to talk about you online. What customers say about you on sites such as Google Places and Yelp has a huge impact on your online reputation.
One of the biggest keys to protecting your brand's reputation is how you handle complaints. The most important step is to listen. Empathize with the customer's situation. Make sure you understand what the problem is before you attempt to resolve it, and make sure they agree with any resolution you propose before proceeding. If you can't resolve the issue yourself, find out where to best direct their complaint. The 
Most contractors can't explain how they do business, they just make things happen. In a smaller remodeling business, say up to about $5-700K of installed work, this may get you by. But as you grow your business, particularly if you want to 
Be careful here. If you don't explain how you do business before winning the bid on an architect driven remodeling project you might just be told how you will do business. Examples include how and when you will be paid, what will be considered a change order vs. what you should have assumed to be included, what margin you can earn on change orders, and what hoops you will need to jump through before receiving progress payments and final payments. Be sure to carefully read any AIA Contracts before signing them.
If you are still running free estimates and playing a numbers game of leads to appointments to sales then I have something valuable to share. In the past I believed that if I did not actively pursue new clients, and provide free estimates, I would have no income. It was a numbers game; 5 leads - 3 appointments -1 sale. Sound familiar? In this article I share my lesson in letting go; finding the faith to trust a system to qualify prospects, and the positive impact it can make for your business as well as your cash flow.
As a result of that temporary relationship I learned how to create a trained support staff at my own business and secured steady work for my team. By learning how to use and sell paid consultations our leads turned into project development retainers which then turned into profitable construction contracts. That temporary relationship was also a big success for the partnering firm; they had a record earning year and made a lot of money.
I no longer run around from appointment to appointment. I now have the time to focus on creating more ways to provide paying prospects with value early in the process. Our business is running with more consistency and cash flow has increased. For every consultation I go on now we have a 70% close rate to a full construction contract, a 20% conversion to a design/material contract and about 10% of our prospects don’t move forward. 
Guest Blogger: Cynthia Murphy, CKBR, is a Certified Kitchen and Bath Remodeler and co-owner of 
When it comes to your remodeling business, you want to be the best and stand leagues above your competition. But in a crowded field, this can be tough to do. Your customers expect professionalism and a job well done, which is what most of your peers are aiming to deliver as well. So if you’re seeking that extra edge with your business, you need to also do this – and then some. One of the best ways to impress your customers is by staying abreast of industry trends, and the newest innovations that can save them money and improve their results. Here are a couple of the ones worth watching, in commercial and residential remodeling, along with some tips for keeping yourself in the loop.
Just as marketing techniques have all been swept up in the concept of personalization recently, remodeling is not exempt from this trend. In fact, it’s arguable that being adaptable to your customers’ wish lists is the only way you’ll succeed. You might be thinking – wait, isn’t the practice of remodeling personalized already? Yes and no. Yes, because when you remodel a home, you renovate the areas your customer has specified. But it’s not extensively personalized, since many remodeling companies don’t take it a step further and find out how to tailor every bit of construction to the customers’ wants.
Guest Blogger: Rebecca Hasulak is a prolific writer and dangerous dreamer. She sharpened her skill with the written word while she was an Associate Editor of a beauty and pop culture magazine, and further during her time as a Public Relations Executive. Rebecca now writes and delivers PR services under her business Quotable PR, and is happiest when with her daughter and loved ones. Follow her @BecksChristine.
On April 2nd, 2015 I presented a half day marketing workshop titled "Choosing and Targeting the Right Customers and Projects Types for Your Business". The workshop was billed as the keynote session for the 
Take advantage of the timing 
Stop taking just any customers and jobs. Be selective about who you will let become your customers. For example why not only work with people who would say they are "working with" you, not those who would say you are "working for them". Also, be selective about the project types you go after. For example why not attract people who want high quality products. If you sell using one markup across all cost categories the gross profit dollars earned on material intensive projects due to higher price point products is an easier way to meet overhead and net profit goals, both now and in the future, particularly when compared to selling and producing labor intensive projects.
The old traditional marketing methods of trying to find prospects who want your services now and interrupting them to get their attention no longer work. Today consumers are the ones deciding how they will find and qualify their project ideas as well as the contractor they will work with. Instead use inbound marketing tactics that help consumers find your business. This should be one of the two primary purposes of your marketing and can be accomplished on your web site using SEO tactics and good content on your site’s pages as well as your blog. The other primary purpose of your marketing, particularly at your web site, should be to help prospects decide if what you offer and how you do business are right for them. In other words your marketing should help them prequalify themselves so they either want to contact you or know they shouldn't.
The information you include in your proposal comes from your many years of experience and education. For this you deserve to be compensated. I would also suggest your proposal probably only contains a level of detail adequate for you and your team to build from. In reality your proposal may not have adequate detail for others to build from. This may be the best reason to explain to your prospect why you won’t leave it with them unless they buy from you.
I also suggest you consider the possible liability you take on by creating specifications, in particular project plans, and leaving them with a prospect that does not do business with you. By doing so you may have put yourself into a position where the prospect or another contractor actually works from them. If they have challenges when building the project and decide those challenges were caused by your plans and or specs, they may have legal rights to sue you. Even if they technically don’t have legal grounds, what if they do sue you? Regardless of whether you feel you are innocent or guilty, you will need to cover your own legal expenses if you end up in court. Most likely you will not be able to re-coup your legal costs even if you are found innocent. If you are found guilty you may actually be required to pay the legal expenses incurred by the person suing you.
Dealing with customers, subs and employees isn't always easy. All too often they can say and do things to us that can really strike a nerve. How you react in the situation can really make a statement about your professionalism as well as what they might actually share with others about your reactions.
Now consider this example. If you asked a prospective lead carpenter you are considering hiring how he or she deals with stress or frustration on the job and they share that beating the snot out of a wood scrap with their 28 oz Estwing works best, would you hire him or her? I certainly wouldn't.
