Sales

‘Sales Hunter’ Tells RMLC 2013 Attendees: Sales Is Leadership

Selling well requires using what you know – building and design – to take charge of that sales conversation. Speaker Mark Hunter shows how...
RMLC Panelists Share Social Media Success Stories

Paul Hamtil, David Merrick, and Chris Wright share their candid insight into how to make social media work for relationship building, lead...
7 Benefits of Pre-Staging Projects

Ordering and checking materials before setting a start date is well worth the effort. Here's why.
Your Team: Is There Trust?

Without trust, your company culture and bottom line will suffer. Tim Faller outlines how to build trust and why it's so important to the...
Houzz Doubles the Number of Pro Category Listings

Houzz, the website for home remodeling and design that has begun selling guaranteed high-visibility listing space to pros, announced May 13...
An Alternative Process

Industry consultant Paul Winans offers suggestions on how to get clients away from the three-bid process.

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Salesperson

‘Sales Hunter’ Tells RMLC 2013 Attendees: Sales Is Leadership

Selling well requires using what you know – building and design – to take charge of that sales conversation. Speaker Mark Hunter shows how...
Selling: It Pays to Know Your Product

Know everything about the product you're selling, so you can gain homeowner confidence and move forward with the sale.
How To Sell a Home Show Lead

Punctuality and professionalism will stand you in good stead if you're calling on the same show prospect that several of your competitors...
Don't Delegate Sales Early On

In a small remodeling company, invest in yourself rather than seeking to hand off this critical role to someone else.
Finding and Training the Best New-Home Sales Agents

Sales professionals share strategies for building a top-notch sales team.
Ride & Guide: Assessing Whether Under-performing Reps Should Stay or Go

Salespeople perform at different levels, and they tend to stay at those levels unless challenged. So when it comes to the bottom 10% of...

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Sales Financing
Sales Leads
Recruiting & Compensation
Showrooms
Sales Benchmarks

Sales Financing

Getting Past Consumers' Hesitancy to Buy
Mark Hunter, aka The Sales Hunter, offers six tips to get consumers off the dime.
Practice Asking The Money Question
Blogger Kathy Shertzer suggests ways to discuss the budget with prospects.
Business How-To: Implementing an Incentive Plan to Motivate Employees
Motivating and rewarding employees through an incentive plan is nothing new, but take care to choose the approach that's right for your company and your staff.
Financing Fundamentals: An Interview With Jeff Moeslein
Remodeler Jeff Moeslein gives a sneak peek at his upcoming session on financing. Learn the basics behind how his company offers this option to clients.
Sales Alchemy: Getting Prospects off the Dime
Several remodelers offer suggestions such as offering bath packages, using seminars to sell, and offering financing to help prospects make the decision to remodel.
Financing Today: An Interview With Bruce Pinsler
Remodeler Bruce Pinsler shares his insight on offering financing.

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Sales Leads

RMLC Panelists Share Social Media Success Stories
Paul Hamtil, David Merrick, and Chris Wright share their candid insight into how to make social media work for relationship building, lead generation, and brand awareness.
Understanding Features vs. Benefits
Darren Slaughter talks a lot about promoting your company’s features on your website and making sure you tie those features back to the benefit the customer receives by doing business with you. Here he clarifies the difference between features and benefits.
First Dibs: Why Canvassing Leads Are So Attractive
Are you considering getting away from using canvassing? Despite the difficulties of canvassing, Mike Damora thinks it has its merits.
This Prospect's Not a Good Fit. What Now?
Industry consultant Paul Winans blogs about how to say no in the right way to a prospect who is not a good fit for your company.
The Basics of Online Review Sites
An overview of online review sites and what they can and can't do for remodeling contractors.
Are Internet Leads Different From Other Leads?
George Faerber, owner of Bee Window, in Indianapolis, has a follow-up program to help nurture Internet leads.

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Recruiting + Compensation

Business How-To: Implementing an Incentive Plan to Motivate Employees
Motivating and rewarding employees through an incentive plan is nothing new, but take care to choose the approach that's right for your company and your staff.
Wooing Clients: Courtship vs. Seduction
RICHARD STEVEN: Seduction seeks quick commitment without taking the time to qualify, educate, or create realistic expectations. Courting clients leads to a long-term relationship.
Movin' on Up: Should You Promote From Within to Fill That Sales Manager Position?
You might have a successful outcome promoting from within to fill the role of sales manager, but there are solid reasons why it might not be a good idea.
Busines How-To: Paper or Plastic? Accepting Credit Card Payments
Should your business accept credit cards or not?
Sales Calling — Three Scenarios for Hiring Sales Staff
Three companies that needed additional sales staff to help convert leads into sales describe their different sales team needs, and how this affected hiring.
Ahead of the Curve
Looking for hidden opportunities in a challenging economy has helped California Energy Consultant Service position itself for close to 50% growth in 2010.

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Showrooms

On the Bench: Fleurco Urbana Shower Base
The Urbana shower base is showering made easy with a generous built-in bench and storage below.
Buy and Boost: Buying a Kitchen and Bath Company
To grow the company, remodeler purchases a kitchen and bath company, moves its showroom, and enhances product lines.
Talk First, Measure Later To Get the Most From Your Showroom
Carlos Ponte of AyA Kitchens offers advice on showroom sales.
Casting the Net: Promoting a Design Center
A contractor gets creative with promotions for his selection center.
Phased Approach: Showroom Planning in Stages
When creating a new showroom, Ewing Building and Remodeling opted for a well-considered two-phase approach.
Game Changer: Design Center Does More Than Just Streamline Selections
How one remodeler's design center not only streamlines the selections process for clients but also serves as a much needed revenue source for the company during the recession.

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Sales Benchmarks

How a Structured Sales Process Benefits Your Clients and Your Company
Richard Steven describes how using your production schedule as inspiration to create a sales schedule keeps clients and your company on track.
Benchmark: The Gift
You can recapture lost time by improving lead quality and close rate. It’s easy, and it’s free.
Taking Charge: Template for an Individual Sales Plan for Sales Reps
College City Design-Build creates goals for each salesperson and holds its salespeople accountable for achieving those goals.
Top Remodelers Reveal Their Year-Ahead Budget Changes
Which expenses do you expect to change most from 2008, and how will you offset them?
2007 Business Benchmarking Survey
How do remodelers measure their companies' financial performance?
Benchmarking your sales process
Sales are the fuel of your company. Benchmarking your sales process can help you fine-tune your fuel efficiency. Sales process metrics are especially helpful for full-service remodeling companies because they have a unique sales process.

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Trade Shows

IBS, KBIS To Co-Locate in 2014

The International Builders Show and Kitchen and Bath Industry Show agreed to both take place in Las Vegas on Feb. 4-6, 2014.
Show Me: How to Get the Most From a Trade Show

Think you can show up at a trade show and just wing it? Think again. Use these tips and tricks to get the most out of the next trade event...
Victoria Downing: (Not) Reinventing the Wheel

Tapping resources, such as trade shows and other educational opportunities, for company improvement.
Easy Going at the Remodeling Show

The hardest parts of going to the Remodeling Show are getting out the door and then implementing what you’ve learned when you return...
New Product Introductions at KBIS 2009

A slow economy doesn't stop design and innovation.
Marketing Strategies That Are Working...?

Ten remodelers answer 12 questions about yesterday's building boom, today's business challenges, and tomorrow's commitments toward...

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Upscale Sales

Been There, Bought That

Overcoming the real but surmountable hesitations of the post-recession consumer.
Upscale in a Dowturn

Remodelers must work harder and smarter to capture the discretionary spending dollars of high-end clients in a down economy.
Staying Power

These remodeling companies have been in business for 25 years or more. What’s the secret to their long-term success?
Second-Home Sales

2008 Investment and Vacation Home Buyers Survey by the National Association of Realtors
Start Right

Laying a solid foundation for a working relationship during the first sales meeting.
Growing Your Company by Acquisition

Tom Kelly is no novice when it comes to buying other businesses. Two decades ago, the Portland, Ore.–based Neil Kelly Co. acquired a...

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Sales

How To Sell a Home Show Lead

Ride & Guide: Assessing Whether Under-performing Reps Should Stay or Go

First Dibs: Why Canvassing Leads Are So Attractive