Guest Andy Haste is among one of Remodelers Advantages most successful members, and he attributes that success to consistency and profitability.  But, how does one achieve consistent profits in such an unpredictable, and inconsistent industry such as remodeling? 

This episode shares tips, tactics, and techniques to effectively set the goals and budgets to reach, and maintain consistent profit in such an inconsistent industry.

Andy is the president of Riverside Construction in West Lafayette, Indiana, and has been part of the Remodelers Advantage Roundtable community for many years.  He has 15 years of experience in the business supplies industry and values the privilege of working alongside homeowners, exploring creative ways to turn their homes into personal living spaces that will be loved for years to come.

Victoria, Mark and Andy talk more about:

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Working with just a few Realtors can bring additional jobs to your remodeling company. It’s not about appealing to the masses, but about developing relationships with several realtors who appreciate how you work, your quality, attention to detail, and exceptional client experience. 

In this episode, Kathi Fleck discusses working with Realtors with Victoria and Mark, and how to establish and maintain relationships that can get more jobs for your company, help them sell more homes, and take care of your shared clients.  

Kathi is co-owner of LoneStar Design Build in the Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX, area, where she leads a team and their clients through the design-build experience. Kathi has a long-term relationship with Coldwell Banker Real Estate, and other Realtors who send business her way.

Realtors go out of their way to support the seller/ buyer experience, says Kathi. Helping their clients with remodeling and providing referrals is part of their daily routine. As remodelers working with realtors, understand how Realtors work and make them look good as they support their client. It can be challenging, but Kathi says a few simple tricks can pay off with easy referrals, including:

The best way to start is by contacting real estate offices and setting up a presentation, calling an agent who works in the same neighborhoods you do, and taking advantage of networking groups.

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Business processes are absolutely crucial in today’s business landscape. It’s almost impossible to operate a business without them. Today on PowerTips Unscripted, we’re joined by Adi Klevit, Founder of Business Success Consulting, to explore the ROI of implementing systematic processes in your business.

Adi has been helping businesses create, document, and implement processes and procedures for over 30 years. Adi and her team have helped hundreds of fast-growing companies lacking consistency, scale and grow and achieve their goals.

Adi, Victoria, and Mark talk more about:

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Our Roundtables members share their financial metrics at every meeting, in what we call the composite report. But there’s one field that’s almost always reported as zero.

It’s the proactive outbound sales call metric. It’s confusing to many, not just as a field on a spreadsheet, but as an activity.

Abe Degnan says this metric is valuable to all remodeling companies, and making those calls builds his own company’s sales pipeline.

In this episode, Abe joins Victoria and Mark to explain the proactive outbound sales call, how to track it, and what it can do for your company. 

Abe is president, problem-solver and life changer at Degnan Design Build Remodel in DeForest, WI. He also manages day-to-day business operations — and as a long-time Roundtables member, Abe knows how important it is to measure what is managed.

This statistic isn’t just for replacement companies with a call center, says Abe. A proactive outbound sales call also doesn’t have to be a phone call. It occurs any time you follow up on your sales process in a way that is outside of your established sales routine or is something your client isn’t expecting you to do. Abe talks about what those follow ups can be, and how to track them, including:

Making proactive outside sales activities a part of your business can get, and while it’s a marketing activity, it has to be carried out by the sales staff to be effective.

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Every remodeling business owner wants to add more money to the bottom line. Reducing slippage is the lowest-hanging fruit to pick in your quest.

In this episode, Tim Faller talks to Victoria and Mark about reducing slippage in your remodeling company. Slippage occurs when your estimate is lower than the real costs of the job. Reducing it takes a change in mindset throughout the organization.

For 17 years, Tim has worked with hundreds of remodeling companies to improve profits by creating smooth, efficient production systems. As a Senior Consultant and Master of Production for Remodelers Advantage, Tim’s field and business ownership experience is vital to his additional role as facilitator for Owner and Production Manager Roundtables Groups. He’s also a published author, a Member of the Remodeler Hall of Fame, and the recent recipient of the Harold Hammerman “Spirit of Education” Award. Tim is co-host of The Tim Faller Show, a weekly podcast focused on “Improving The Bottom Line Through Production Training.”

The biggest challenge in reducing slippage is getting your whole team involved in the effort. Tim says slippage is too often brushed off with “It is what it is.”  That’s where the change in mindset comes in — the attitude should be “It is what we make it.” Slippage is controllable, but it takes a company-wide awareness and work to corral it through realistic and accurate estimating,  job scheduling, and building in time to de-bug a job before it starts. He talks about the ways to reduce slippage in your processes, including:

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Today on Power Tips Unscripted, Arlin Sorensen, the CEO of Oak Road Consulting joins the show. Understanding the art of creating value within your business is pivotal, especially in the context of planning your exit strategy. It’s all about setting clear goals for your personal wealth and translating that into a business value target that can drive your success. Arlin is here to share invaluable insights on how you can craft a robust value-creation strategy and harmonize it with your long-term financial goals.

Arlin Sorenson is a simple Iowa farm boy who fell in love with technology and has spent the past 40 years in the IT industry. His passion is helping business owners and leaders achieve their definitions of success.

Arlin, Victoria, and Mark talk more about:

The post Creating Value: A Guide to Maximizing Your Company’s Worth with Arlin Sorensen – [PowerTips Unscripted] S5 E10 appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.

We talk about the J Curve a lot around here — picture a lower-case J. When you apply change principles to your business — new people, systems, and processes — they can initially send your business on a downward trajectory before soaring with your success. If you want to grow your company, listen carefully!

Our guest today breaks this process down into four stages of development:

In this episode, Kathy O’Brien talks to Victoria and Mark about how to manage your growth strategies and the importance of being a strong leader in challenging times.

Kathy was the founding CEO of the St. Louis Alzheimer’s Association for over 25 years and then served as Senior Vice President of the National Office in Chicago. She received numerous awards and recognition for her work. 

Kathy says those four stages of development apply to making positive growth in professional development, organizational development, and personal development. You go through the stages in every business relationship, personal relationship, and client relationship. She breaks down the stages, and how they present themselves in the remodeling business, including:

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In this episode, Paul Kowalski shares his experiences in applying LEAN in his business with Victoria and Mark. His company recently implemented the process, and he says the results have already been eye-opening.

Paul owns PK Builders in Charlotte, NC, and is a member of our Remodelers Advantage Roundtables group. PK Builders has a team of eight, including Paul, with four project Managers, an estimator, and a draftsman.

When PK Builders was experiencing growing pains in 2018 — bottlenecks in the design-build process, some cash-flow issues, higher overhead — Paul called in Doug Howard for help. Paul says it was intimidating at first, but soon becomes second nature to look for ways to speed up processes. It started with 16 feet of paper festooned with sticky notes detailing steps in the design process. Hear how they implemented LEAN, including:

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If everyone in your remodeling business feels like they’re invested in your company — so invested that they think and act like owners — they’ll make better decisions, solve more problems, and make it more profitable.

But how do you get there?

In this episode, our own Steve Wheeler talks to Victoria and Mark about how to get your employees to think and act like owners. It’s a process he started when he had his own remodeling business for 12 years, and then he dove deeper into the subject through his work with R/A.

As Executive Director of Roundtables for Remodelers Advantage, Steve is responsible for helping business owners find the program or product that will help them reach their financial and personal goals. 

Getting employees to think and act like owners is one of the biggest challenges for our Roundtables members, and for every remodeler we talk to. Steve developed his approach by trying to get his team to care about his company as much as he did, based on the cycle of accountability and the TOADS steps developed by Linda Galindo in The Accountability Experience. There are actions that can cause real change. He talks about the keys to the process, how to get there, and the benefits, including:

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Are you looking for ways to boost your business? One powerful tool you can use is a showroom. Not only can it help you cultivate leads, but it also gives you complete control over the client experience. On today’s episode of PowerTips Unscripted, Joe Smith highlights some of the key benefits of having a showroom. For one, it allows you to sell products at better margins while ensuring that your clients don’t wander off to other showrooms and vendors.

Of course, with great power comes great responsibility, and you will be held accountable for everything that happens. However, hosting meet and greets at your showroom can help you manage your time better and set the tone for how you operate and manage your processes.

Joe Smith is a partner at Owings Brothers Contracting, located in Sykesville, Maryland. For the past 21 years, he has worked alongside his three brothers across multiple entities. Owings Brothers Contracting comprises an interior design company, two contracting divisions, and a plumbing and electrical division. Joe has served as the president of the MBIA Remodeling and Custom Homes Council three times in the past. He is also a proud father of girls and a grandfather.

Joe, Victoria, and Mark talk more about:

The post How a Showroom Can Help You Close Deals and Control Your Process with Joe Smith – [PowerTips Unscripted] S5 E9 appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.