Clients don’t want to be surprised by strangers coming to their front door ready to work on their home. Sometimes people show up “looking like they just fell off a Harley. Clients can be skeptical of that,” says Don Van Cura, owner of Don Van Cura Construction. To make clients feel more comfortable, Van Cura developed a pre-construction package that includes photographs and biographies of each of his employees.
“After the pre-construction sheet [which asks for information such as client phone numbers, bathrooms that employees can use, where to leave materials and debris, etc.] has been filled out by clients and returned to us,” office manager Sonia Santos says, “I mail clients the package of bios.” Each of the Chicago remodeling company’s six employees, as well as Van Cura and Santos, is pictured wearing a company uniform with a name tag.
Santos updates the photos each year. The bio includes information on how long the employee has been working in remodeling, how long they have been with the company, whether they are married or have kids. It highlights their work experience, education, and certifications, and has the employee’s cell phone number and direct e-mail address, as well as a personal quote.
“Clients say this is a wonderful idea,” Santos says. “People know who’s coming to their door. Now clients will ask for specific carpenters when they call us.” The bio package and name tags are also helpful in DVC’s Chicago market where the company often works in city buildings with security guards or doormen.
