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An estimator anticipates the cost to produce a job, and a carpenter tries to complete that job within the estimate. If owners ask carpenters to turn in timecards on a daily basis, the hours associated with doing specific tasks will be more accurate.
Having a genuine love for people and being a good talker are excellent attributes to have when it comes to entering the sales profession. But that's just the start. Many folks share those attributes but fail miserably at selling.
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About three years ago, Ray Gaines noticed that his company, Gaines Construction, in Easton, Conn., was only winning 50% of the projects it bid on. Then that figure dropped to 25%. Losing out on some sizable projects made him question his policies.
Find out which business model is the best fit for your company.
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His colleagues say he's crazy, but his prospects say, “Where do I sign?” Darius Baker, co-owner of D&J Kitchens and Baths, Sacramento, Calif., is referring to his new policy of disclosing his markups to clients and prospects. “Contractors try to hide these figures, and it becomes uncomfortable,” he...
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At Kustom Kitchen Designs, in Delavan, Wis., one salesperson returns lead calls within 24 hours, asks a few qualifying questions, and, if the fit seems good, schedules a meeting at the home in five to seven days. Red flags are subjective but might include the prospect saying he or she is getting...
Selling is one of the least understood practices of communication. Many people are deluded or simply misunderstand the selling process, frequently assessing it as manipulation, chicanery, or worse. After years of researching sales in the remodeling industry, and after having examined hundreds of...
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...
For more than a year, Scott Schubert was a beta tester for an earlier version of XactRemodel (XR), Xactware's latest estimating software package tailored to the remodeling industry. Schubert, who co-owns Post & Beam Design/Build, Forest Hill, Md., now uses XR full time.
Jim Benoit uses an estimating discipline from his commercial contracting experience to enhance his company's residential remodeling estimates. Instead of including project supervision in overhead, he includes it as a line item in all the estimates produced by Benoit & Czarnecki Design/Construction...