In this episode, Bruce and Bill explore the cyclical nature of the remodeling business and how shifts in consumer confidence, real estate values, and other macroeconomic trends impact the industry. Drawing on decades of experience since 1961, they highlight how fluctuations in average job size play a significant role in these cycles.

The discussion dives into the ripple effects of changing job sizes, touching on how they influence sales and design processes, affect margins and estimating strategies, and even alter production workflows. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or new to the industry, this episode offers valuable insights into adapting your business to thrive in a constantly shifting market.

In Episode #12, Bruce and Bill are joined by Sr. Vice President, Rick Matus for a conversation on hiring new salespeople. It's a wide ranging discussion and touches on many areas to consider if you're thinking about growing your team.

In this listener Q&A episode, Bruce and Bill tackle crucial questions for remodeling businesses at various stages:

1. Starting a new remodeling business: They highlight creating opportunities, gaining industry knowledge, starting small, and understanding financials.
2. Growing a 5-year-old business: Hiring priorities (sales, production, or design), emphasizing process documentation and financial preparedness for team expansion.
3. Managing homeowner involvement: While ideally minimal, Bruce and Bill share practical guidelines for handling client participation in projects.
4. Sales management and top performers: They outline meeting strategies and propose a holistic performance scorecard beyond just sales figures.

For feedback or questions, reach out to [email protected].

In this episode, we break down five critical elements that are essential for building a robust business plan for the coming year.  First, we’ll discuss the importance of taking inventory—assessing your business performance, the state of the economy, competitor positioning, and even a personal reflection on your leadership. Next, we’ll dive into defining strategic initiatives for the year, understanding their budget impact, and getting your team to executive on these initiatives.   

From there, we move into the nuts and bolts of drafting a comprehensive budget—covering sales forecasts, lead generation targets, gross profit margins, and anticipated expenses. Then, we’ll explore how to secure buy-in from your leadership and the broader team, ensuring alignment and accountability. Finally, we’ll wrap up by talking about the importance of ongoing monitoring to ensure your plan stays on track, with regular check-ins and adjustments to respond to any shifts during the year.

At Case, we’re big believers in the design-build approach to residential remodeling. Our definition of design-build is design, development, project management, and much of the construction of the project is done in house by Case employees.

As outlined in previous episodes, we have a carefully developed process to move a client from an initial conversation through the completion of the project. It’s a relay race where the baton is passed back and forth between development, design, and production.

As well developed as our process is, we still have challenges. These challenges are typically related to the joints between steps in the process. The areas where we pass the baton from one role to another or pass through a transfer. Every once in a while, we drop the baton…

In this episode we discuss details of the various steps in our process and some of the gates we have implemented along the way to ensure successful transfers of responsibility and information.

We start by outlining how we conduct a trade walk through and introduce a Project Manager to a client. Next up is a contract review where a PM has 48 hours to review a project before a contract is presented. Can there be some conflicts in this step? You bet, but better now than after we’re in production.

We continue to move through the process- package pass, expectations letter, pre-construction walk through, electrical walk through, mid job huddle, and substantial completion. We touch on compensation issues and how this helps align members of our team. We also touch on the importance of regular communication with all parties involved. We wrap up with some thoughts on surveys and project celebrations.

1. presenting agreements in the home rather than following up,
2. A lack of urgency in many clients
3. How Vogt “reminds” clients of the timeline and the consequences of delays,
4. Client indecision / changing their mind / getting a final selection
5. And how he monitors and manages his pipeline of future projects

Join Bruce, Bill, and their guest Neil Martin (Case Design’s Director of Production) as they discuss the “build” side of design-build.

While there is much focus on top-line lead and sales metrics, the key to building a successful design-build remodeling business, both financially and otherwise, often lies in what happens in production.

They discuss Case Design’s production structure and production team, compensation, key metrics, processes, and other vital insights. 

Sales are more challenging than they were a year ago. This podcast goes behind the scenes to give an in-depth review of what Case Design/Remodeling is experiencing with its’ sales team and with homeowners….and what they are focused on right now.  Learn how sales are done and how they are managed at Case.  Who leads the sales effort.  What is the sales/design process.  What tools have they developed to increase close rate and to address objections.   Effective adjustments are required to compete and to win in the current environment.