It’s not practice but processes that make perfect for Fine Remodel. The firm works on a fixed-price basis, which helps the staff to draw up all the plans in advance and give the cost of the project to the customer up front.
“Our feedback is always that [our clients] didn’t have any surprises,” says Mark Blankman, president of the company. Blankman says the company has a process for every aspect of the remodel, which has helped him take a step back.
“I handled sales until about three years ago,” Blankman says. At that point, he hired a full-time estimator who not only moved from St. Louis to Utah but also underwent a year of intense coaching to fully understand the company’s sales process. Blankman says his clients enjoy working with his estimator and that “work has really grown,” increasing 18% just between 2015 and 2016. Now, Blankman reveals, his company has clients he has never met.
“There are companies much bigger than mine where the owners are still selling. And that’s fine, but I wanted a company that could stand on its own.”
Part of the company’s sales process is meeting with clients in the office’s conference room. Blankman says that bringing the clients into the office space limits distractions and keeps them more focused on the whole process, instead of minute details like hardware.
“I have found that clients who do not want to meet at my office are not that serious and are usually tire-kickers,” he says. As an added attraction, the office space is in a historic home that Fine restored and remodeled.
Blankman’s team is so process-focused that they make sure to pick the perfect team to handle each project. Blankman has several interior designers and architects his company regularly works with, but he doesn’t just fill in spots wherever he can. “We try to pair people to the client so it’s a better team,” he says.
The processes Blankman’s team learned have paid off. The majority of the company’s business comes from repeat clients and referrals; Fine Remodel spends just 1.2% of its sales revenue on marketing.
