Friday, April 22, 2011

Qualifying Green

Happy Earth Day 2011

I have attended several green-themed marketing seminars and began to consider how I might evaluate a homeowner’s interest in green for the remodeler's that offer sustainable building services.

The techniches that I have developed to evaluate incoming leads is also used but then using the five green consumer types defined by Corinne Asturias, of cultural trend research company Iconoculture, to figure out where the prospect falls in terms of their commitment to green:

  • Extreme Greens value change, commitment, and creativity. These consumers also are influenced by success and their own personal politics.
  • Health Seekers have a safety, wellness, and family focus. They want to clean up the planet.
  • Money and Autonomy–type customers already own Energy Star-approved products and appliances; they rate practicality and thrift as their top values.
  • Conservationist and Preservationist types value authenticity, environmentalism, and preservation.
  • Green-Sheen or Eco-Chic's value status, style, and a sense of belonging.

    The idea here is that it would make sense to  figure out what kind of customer we are dealing with and at what level of "green" they are at so we could avoid overwhelming them with too much green information at the first meeting!

    Every homeowner is concerned with the planet in someway, and at their own level if we can arm ourselves when we enter their home we can be prepared as to how to approach the topic of green with the client!

    Happy Earth Day Everyone...!  


Monday, April 4, 2011

Just Say NO!

Why can we as contractors say NO to suppliers , say NO to subcontractors, say NO to our employees, etc etc...  but when it comes time to say NO to a potential client we get scared and just say YES YES YES?


I understand its what drives our business obviously, we need to have new clients in order to stay in business, but at what cost are you jeapodizing your business by going out on every lead?

Spending at minimum 2 hours at the home reviewing the project ,gas/travel time to get there, neglecting the clients who have committed to your work, time away from your family and friend, etc, etc....  Only to find out the potential client doesn't have the money to do the project, isn't really ready to do this just wanted to use you to get started , or they don't have a project you are interested in there are so many different scenarios but it all ends up the same way No Sale!


We all would like to think that we have a system of qualifying before we go out, but I challenge you to think about that process and ask yourself do you know all of the above scenarios before you even get to the clients home?

Saying No is ok, working on your business, concentrating solely on what projects and tasks will make you money instead of wasting time chasing something you never had is what is going to keep your business thriving instead of diving!

I realize that this is what I do so I am passionate about it, this is not an advertisement so much as a wake up call for all of us to remember we are in control!!

If we set up standards for ourselves we can move forward in any economy and thrive doing what we love!