This Podcast Is Episode Number 0260, And It Will Be About Dave Nergi From Contractors Secret Weapon Interview   Recently I interviewed one of the legends in helping contractors turn bad advertising into good marketing, Dave Nergi. Dave shared some of his most precious gems about how to generate a lot of new leads. The best nugget of all is his three-step proven sales strategy: Before The Sale During The Sale After The Sale First a little background on Dave Nergi Dave Negri is the founder of Contractors Secret Weapon His marketing podcast is unlike anything available elsewhere to contractors. He talks with marketing specialists across the board who give us concrete tips directed entirely towards the trades. Some of the topics they cover include Marketing, Sales Cycles, Pricing, Positioning, Branding and more. Just about everything he talked about when I interviewed him included the good the bad and the boring. We discussed what has worked for Dave in his Painting and Real Estate Investment business and why it worked and why it might not have worked. Dave went into extensive detail about why good marketing is the key to having a very profitable business. One of his quotes I really enjoyed is "Throwing good money into the black hole of advertising is not good marketing it is BAD advertising." During this Podcast, he revealed the key differences and teaches the right questions to ask advertisers. Dave considers it a win if you cease thinking of your contracting company as commodity-based and switch to value-based. The only way to do that is to cherry-pick only the best "clients" and leave low value "customers" to your competition. Customers Vs. Clients Customers - Are disloyal price buyers who buy products and services with cost as their primary consideration. Clients - Are loyal value buyers who purchase goods and services with suitability as their primary consideration. Your Business Strategy - Will determine which group you want to serve and there is no right or wrong answer, just different approaches. High Volume And Low Margin - Construction projects can generate the same net profit and cash flow as low volume and high margin projects. Think - Long and hard about what you want your construction company reputation for serving the best clients and delivering high value. The Contractors 80/20 Rule And QuickBooks Job Profitability Reports are the keys to sorting Customers From Clients. The 80-20 Rule Combined With Business Process Management Can Improve Your Life In Ways You Never Dreamed Possible! 20% Of The Construction Companies - Share the Top 80% of the profits which the owners and shareholders use to support lavish lifestyles because they know what to do when to do it and how to do it! 80% Of The Construction Companies - Share the Bottom 20% of the profits which the owners and shareholders use to support just above or just below average lifestyles because they don't know what to do, when to do it or how to do it! Dave Nergi's Contracting Experiences And Life Lessons He Shared Dave has been a painting contractor and entrepreneur for the last 28 years. He has successfully started and grown service-based businesses like his Elite Home and Property Services company in Clearwater, FL. Through hard work and marketing knowledge, Dave has left the day-to-day operations so he can help other contractors grow and succeed. In 2001 Dave put his painting business aside due to the boom of the real estate market. He focused on buying and selling houses for the next 5 years, successfully “flipping” over 55 homes. He attributes his success at this endeavor entirely to his knowledge and background in marketing. While other contractors scrambled to pick up crumbs then and in the following crash, Dave has been chugging away, providing a very nice life for his family and taking his wife (Valerie) on trips and generally...