The results of a REMODELING survey regarding multiculturalism on the job.
Although the benefits of holding professional certifications seem obvious — they serve as effective marketing tools as well as a way of ensuring job quality, among other things — many remodelers have been slow to get certification for themselves and their employees.
This month's Reader Panel shows that remodelers are still on the on-ramp to the information superhighway. Only slightly more than half of respondents who took our e-mailed survey said their company has a Web site.
Surveying customers is the best way to collect direct feedback. The information you gather can help you improve your service. That improved service, in turn, translates to repeat business and referrals. We found that 92% of Reader Panel members follow up with their clients — and that approximately...
The more official your partnership agreement is, the more likely it is to last. Half of remodeling partnerships begin as informal “handshake” agreements, but only 37% of these last more than three years. By comparison, 59% of partnerships last three or more years if an attorney writes or reviews...
Delegation — or the lack of it — is probably the biggest obstacle facing new remodelers. A young remodeling company requires a lot of attention, and 60-hour-plus work weeks certainly aren't uncommon. But if the company is going to move out of its infancy, then its owner must start to pass...
Among respondents, a substantial number of remodeling company owners — formally trained or not — are designing projects. This is true whether a firm bills itself design/build (65.6% of respondents) or is a traditional remodeling company (34.4%).
Many remodelers find that women, especially those in sales positions, more quickly and effectively establish a firm level of trust with clients. Some male employees still question women's place in physically demanding field positions. Clients, however, have been overwhelmingly positive — a sign...
More than half of the respondents for this Reader Panel have been in the remodeling business for over 16 years. They have seen a lot of changes, some incremental but others revolutionary in ways that led them to alter their business strategies.
Licensing can be a frustrating part of the remodeling process. Most remodelers believe the profession should uphold professional and technical standards, but many say licensing ensures neither because of easy, meaningless, or nonexistent tests and educational requirements.