The Contractor Coaching Partnership Blog

Our first joint seminar hosted by Joe Holm of Sandler Sales Training in Marlboro and Mark Paskell of The Contractor Coaching Partnership, on 8/28/08, was well attended by 12 companies.

We were fortunate to have some top notch professionals, who service residential contractors, in attendance.

In attendance we had;

Jason Kallio for ExpoVantage a trade show strategist.

Siraj Ahmed of Law Offices of Siraj Ahmed a lawyer for contractors and home improvement law compliance.

Mark Packard owner of The Sterling Greenery. He brought 4 landscapers clients. He also holds seminars for his landscaping clients.

Amy McFadden of Amy McFadden Interior Design who specializes in working with remodeling contractors helping homeowners with selections and interior design services.

Little did I realize that these seminars can also benefit any service providers who work with residential contractors. 

We will be having another contractor seminar on 9/16/08 at 3:30 PM-5:30PM.

Check back for more information in a few days. Also please let any contractors you know that this is a great opportunity  for them to grow their business.

mark

A few months ago I joined the National Association of the Remodeling Industry. This is a great organization for residential contractors servicing the home owner construction market. They provide many innovative training programs to support the professional contractor. NARI teaches best practices and helps contractors make money based on proven processes. 

One of my goals when I joined NARI, was to use my networking experience to help the chapter grow. Many of my larger general contractor remodeler clients have expressed an interest in finding more reliable sub-contractors. I learned that this is a need for all remodelers in the industry. I am looking for good reliable subcontractors like plumbers, painters, electricians, landscapers, framers, foundation, excavation, roofers, tile installers and small trades that support general contractors in the home owner construction market. In addition, I recommend that any remodeler or general contractor come and join this great organization. 

Last week I was appointed by the President of NARI, to join the board of directors.

If you know any contractors in the residential industry recommend NARI to them. Have them contact me and I will personally introduce them to a room of professional contractors at a NARI meeting. The next meeting is 9/10/08 in Natick.  My cell is 508-847-0162.

Mark Paskell

The Contractor Coaching Partnership

"every contractor needs a coach"

You are a legitimate and honest contractor who follows the rules. You carry the right insurance, you are licensed, you pay your employees legally, you hire legal citizens, you pull permits, you stand behind your work, you pay your taxes and your bills, you are part of a contractor organization and you are active in the community. All evidence points to the fact that you are a quality residential construction company.

A residential home owner calls you to assess and estimate a kitchen renovation project. You set up the appointment, show up on time and begin to ask some questions about the project. The homeowner greets you at the door with the arms folded. He leads you into the kitchen and says here it is. You ask some questions and try to find some common ground. You begin to sense that the owner is guarded. Their answers are cordial yet short and to the point. You try to ask questions that will allow you to understand exactly what they want before you can begin to recommend solutions. You feel like you're at the dentist pulling teeth and the owner is holding back. So the owner says please give me a price and let me know when you can start. You respond I have more questions and will need to know how you want to use the space, and of course what is your budget range. The home owner is reluctant to share. Why do home owners put up walls when contractors ask them questions relative to their projects? Why does it appear that they don't really trust contractors?

A possible explanation of this scenario can be found in the study of the how consumers view the reputation of service industries in the United States. According to the Consumer Federation of America The industries with the most complaints from consumers are home improvements and automotive services. Contractors and used car salesman types have been the most commonly complained about industries going back 10 years. So when a contractor shows up to see a homeowner he is viewed as a contractor and a salesman in one body. So what can a contractor who sells his own work do to earn the trust and confidence of the home owner?

The solution to this dilemma is solved by learning and using  a consultative sales process. Professional sales training teaches contractors how to develop and ask questions to earn the trust and confidence of the potential customer.

Many contractors are good at building things but have not been exposed to the basic necessary training that is needed to win business from today's savvy and careful consumer. Contractors who learn how to use systems and best practices, consistent with the most successful contractor companies will earn the trust and confidence of the home owner. Professional consultative sales training will teach the contractor how to neutralize the home owner's distrust of the industry so that there is a mutual exchange of information between service provider and consumer.

Mark Paskell

The Contractor Coaching Partnership     

On 8/28/08 The Contractor Coaching Partnership and Sandler Training are hosting a complimentary seminar specifically designed for contractors. The seminar will be held from 3:30-5:30 PM at the Sandler Training facility on route 20 in Marlboro. The program is for remodelers, kitchen and bath companies, custom home builders, handyman, roofers, siding contractors, painters, landscapers, electricians, plumbers and small trades who service the residential home owner construction market. Sandler Trainer Joe Holm will share his cutting edge approach to blending Sandler principles with best practice systems for residential contractors.

Thank you network friends and contractor clients

When I started my coaching service earlier this year I knew at some point that an alliance with a professional training facility would be neccessary. I just didn't expect it to happen this fast. I left Francis Harvey & Sons in February, to start my coaching service, and thanks to my networking friends and contractor clients I have reached this milestone 6 months early. This combination will greatly enhance the service The Contractor Coaching Partnership provides for residential contractors. 

We will be announcing other programs specifically designed for the residential contractor at the seminar. We look forward to seeing you on the 28th.

Please use the link below to register for this FREE event.

Mark

Complimentary Seminar "Growing your business & taking it to the summit"   Remodelers, Replacement Contractors, and Small Trades    Invest two hours discussing these and other important  issues with your peers   You are spending too much time working IN your business and not enought time spent working ON your business The fear that you will not have enough sales to pay your bills and prevent employee loss and bankruptcy. How to prevent home owners from stealing and using your expert information to scope work and hire low ball contractors You're sick and tired of communication problems between your employees and customers Thursday August 28th, 2008 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm Sandler Training Center Summit-Place 420 Lakeside ave Marlborough, MA 01752   To Reserve a Seat contact Joe Holm 508-449-3861 JHolm@sandler.com   Or    Mark Paskell at 508-847-0162 Mark@thecontractorcoachingpartnership.com		Profit From Other People's Experience Other people's experience can be enormously helpful. With it we can often overcome both time constraints and lack of training. But this experience can only be helpful if it is used. Most people, mainly because of pride, cannot make use of other people's experience. Many cannot accept expertise or help. Most people cannot even listen to others' advice - or rather they seem to be listening but cannot make use of it. To learn to listen to, evaluate, and use the wisdom of others is an invaluable aid to being successful. This takes receptivity and is born of humility and self-confidence. Many of us resist using other people's experience because we are afraid of our own potential dependence and compliance. To the extent that we can assert ourselves, we can overcome this fear and use other people's expertise as we do that of doctors' and lawyers'. People who have strong ideas of their own are less reluctant to make use of expert consultation. Someone else may already have paid a price you need not pay. Look to your associates for lessons already learned.   Click here to register for the Free Seminar
The Contractor Coaching Partnership & Sandler Training 420 Lakeside Ave-suite 103 · Marlborough, MA 01752 · 508-449-3861 http://www.adventus.sandler.com/ Authorized Licensee Refer a Business Associate! This email is an advertisement or solicitation. To unsubscribe, click here
Copyright ©2007 Sandler Systems Inc. All Rights Reserved.   Legal Notices

I recently met someone who spent over $8,000.00 for a website that they were told was done with the latest and greatest SEO practices. They got less than 10 leads over a three month period even though they had adwords ad campaigns and professionally done SEO. The website designer said they were the best and they were experts at SEO. Unfortunately it didn't work.

Separately, I started a basic website a few months ago and honestly had no idea what was required for setting one up that actually works.

So I called an expert.

Like website designers that call themselves experts at SEO, I know many residential contractors who have adopted the key phrase "Design/Build" even though they don't have the first clue about how to provide the service properly. The ones who do understand design/build call an experienced residential contractor coach to mentor them.

The point here is that consumers should be very wary of website designers who claim to be SEO experts, when they really are not. I hired Hubspot to coach and mentor me on how I could effectively develop a website that got ranked on the top pages using specific key words that will attract the customers I want. My site isn't pretty (neither am I) but within three weeks of using the tools from Hubspot and listening to their coaching my site came up on the first page for my chosen keywords. In less than one month, I am listed on Google with three of the top contractor coaches in the country!!! I almost crapped my pants when I saw this. I wonder what will happen when I really get good at this SEO thing under the mentorship of Pete Caputa and his Hubspot team?

Thank you Pete for doing what you said you would do. Deliver!

When should I plan for the home show?

Before you know it contractors will be in the midst of the winter and spring home show season. Typically January through May is the main season for these major home shows. Most contractors don't start planning for the home shows until the end of the year or week before the set up. If this describes you then do yourself a favor a don't waste your money, stay home. Improperly planned trade shows will cost you thousands of dollars in wasted time rushing to put everything together, missed lead opportunities, stressed out staff, the wrong type of lead and more.

The time to start planning for your home show is 5-6 months before you go. You need to plan everything down to smallest detail. You only have 3-8 seconds to capture the interest of the homeowner. You need to determine if the show is right for you. What are your goals for the show? How many leads do you want? Who will set up and take down the booth? Do you have a professional looking booth? Do you have a booth? Who will work the show and will they know what to stay? What is your message?

If you don't have experience planning for trade shows you can hire a trade show expert. In my coaching business I see so many contractors who just shoot from the hip when it comes time for a show. Last year I spoke to a contractor who the week before a major Boston Trade Show said he was going to jump in and do the show. His partner and himself spent three days the week before running around getting stuff for the show. They stopped all their jobs to pull it together. Then they worked the show themselves with no literature, no strategy, unprofessional looking signs and booth and a notebook to take prospect information. I saw them a few months later and asked them if they did well. They said they got one small job that they broke even on. Do the math; 6 days for two owners at say 600.00 a day, the cost of the booth, 2000.00, crappy signs and one sloppy handout, 400.00 and a couple dozen leads of clients they didn't really want to work for leading to one job that didn't even generate a profit! Estimated cost to run 20 leads in an area one hour from their home base, 80 hours or 10 days at 600 per day. Hours for each to work the show; 64 hours or 8 man days at 600.00 per day. Add it all up and you get a whopping 3600.00 +2,000.00 + 400.00 + 6,000.00 + 4800 = $16,800.00!!!!!!!!!!!! Now this is what they told me however I suspect they lost more due to stopping their jobs and dealing with upset customers. Adding insult to injury they told me they ran a yellow page add earlier in the year for their company for 12,000.00 that didn't generate one sale.   

So are you going to plan for your home show?

If you need an trade show expert check out EXPOVANTAGE

http://www.expovantage.com/

and speak to Jason Kallio. He does a great job and will save you thousands.

Mark Paskell

"a coach for residential contractors"

The Contractor Coaching Partnership

www.thecontractorcoachingpartnership.com

I got a call today from a homeowner looking for some guidance on a problem with product they bought from a wholesaler that was installed by their contractor. The homeowner bought a whirlpool tub that was installed into a custom base and then the plumber installed the drains and other items neccessary. The rough wiring was installed. The tile was installed around the perimeter, the faucets were installed and the last item to wrap  up was the final electrical connections. When the electrical was connected there was a problem with the motor and factory wiring of the unit. Turns out the motor and wiring would not work and was defective.

The homeowner asked the contractor to fix the problem. The contractor said it will cost  more money to fix it because the homeowner supplied a defective product.  The homeowner told the contractor that was not acceptable and an argument ensued. The contractor said if you paid me to supply the product I would have to fix it for free but since you (the homeowner) supplied it you are responsible to pay me to remove and reinstall it, replumb it and rewire it or you can have the wholesale supplier pay for the repairs.

The homeowner called the wholesale supplier who said it must be the contractor who broke it. Sounds like alot of finger pointing going on here.

If a homeowner wants to save money and supply products to be installed by a contractor most contractors will not warranty products they did not supply for the job. A contractor who supplies material and labor has to back them up for a one year period. The amount for carrying this risk is the small difference between the contractor price and the homeowner price. Usually the savings are only 10 to 20% of the cost of the unit.

If you are going to supply products to be installed by a contractor make sure you know the risks associated with supplying those products. Who will be responsible if the product is defective? Sometimes the savings you get buying wholesale may not be worth it if you receive a defective product. The cost to repair this item will be more than 10 times the savings the homeowner received buying the unit wholesale. Was it worth it?

Mark 

In today’s challenging economy consumers are faced with the task of deciding if they should hire the one man show or the larger more established contracting companies. The money that can be saved hiring the smaller contractor can be very attractive. Smaller companies tend to have little overhead often working out of their home. Also they are usually the chief cook and bottle washer of the company. They sell, manage, install and service their work. If they need help they usually hire as needed. The advantages are significant savings on price and the man hired is usually the installer you bought the job from. The disadvantages are the project will usually take much longer and if something happens to the one man contractor the consumer usually ends up with an unfinished project having to be redone. The ultimate cost may exceed the cost of hiring the established contractor in the first place. 

The larger more established remodeling contractor will usually have a place of business other than his home. They will rely on systems and best practices in the industry. Their people will be trained on how to deliver the remodeling service. Projects will be managed and systematically produced in a shorter amount of time than the smaller one man company. If something happens to a carpenter working on the job the established firm will have a backup in place. In the beginning it will appear that this contractor will cost more than the one man show. However, just think what happens to the homeowner who hires the small one man contractor who underbids the job, can’t finish it because he is hurt or ran out of money to run his business. 

One man contractors who are careful that they don’t take on too much work and are good at what they do can be a real bargain. The smaller contractor is usually a safe bet for smaller projects like handyman work, windows, decks, doors and painting.

Larger more established contractors usually have more resources for the larger remodeling projects like additions, kitchens, and large scale remodeling.

Whatever you do be sure to know the capability of your contractor so you don’t become a contractor nightmare story. You usually get what you pay for!!!  

Mark

For the past 20 plus years I have been helping homeowners find cost effective solutions remodeling their homes. As a design build and exterior renovation expert, I met many homeowners who were looking for a professional and ethical company to renovate their home. Thankfully, I worked for great companies who always did what was right for the customer who received the best possible craftmanship and quality materials.

Also in my 20 plus year career, I had the unfortunate experience of meeting many homeowners who were treated poorly by contractors. The poor treatment left homeowners with shoddy workmanship, unfinished projects, wrong materials, projects that had to be ripped out because they didn’t meet code, mechanics liens for unpaid material bills, messy work sites, lawsuits from uninsured workers and more.

In a former post, I mentioned that contractors are the most complained about industry in the country according to the Consumer Federation of America. Since 1999 the contracting industry has more complaints against it than used car salesman. Is it any wonder that homeowners are wary and scared when it comes time to hire a contractor to work on their most valuable investment, their home.

It has been one year since I gave seminars on How to Hire A Contractor at the DCU Worcester Spring Home Show. I presented this seminar with a panel of professionals from the Better Business Bureau, The Mass Attorney Generals Office, a consumer advocate and an attorney. It was apparent, that most people were concerned about hiring a contractor. Many contractor nightmare stories were brought up and discussions were held to find ways to protect the homeowner from these tragedies.

I have always wondered how can I help protect homeowners from having a bad experience with a contractor. Giving these seminars and providing homeowners with the tools to properly hire a contractor is a start. I have always thought wouldn’t it be good to offer training to the contractor?

So how can I help homeowners by coaching contractors?

In February of this year I decided it was time to start the Contractor Coaching Partnership. I spent the last 16 years working for a great contractor in the residential remodeling industry learning how to help homeowners have good experiences remodeling their homes.  We did kitchens, baths, additions and roofing. I believe the success we attained was due to the team we had and the committment to industry best practices. We were big on educating and training our people using systems based on industry best practices. I helped develop a company that last year was ranked in the top 150 companies in America. Thankfully, I will be able to use this great experience and training to coach contractors servicing the residential homeowner.

The cost of entry into the residential construction industry is low. There are many excellent craftsman in the business.

However, if you truly look into to the residential construction industry you will find that most residential contractors are not well versed in the subject of how to run a business.

I will be helping homeowners by coaching and training residential contractors on the subject of using systems and best practices to better serve their customer and employees.

I am going to use this blog as a forum for homeowners and contractors to discuss issues concerning the residential homeowner construction industry.

I welcome any and all comments from homeowners and contractors.

If you know a homeowner having issues with a contractor please let them know about this blog. If you know a contractor who is struggling please let them know about this blog.

A goal of this blog is to better the homeowner/contractor experience. Please spread the word.

Thank you

Mark Paskell

The Contractor Coaching Partnership

mark@thecontractorcoachingpartnership 

On 12/9/07 the Telegram and Gazette reported that the Federal US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency arrested 15 illegal aliens in Milford, MA. The illegal aliens worked for a company called Same Day Roofing and Construction. The article goes on to say that the owner of the roofing company bought a house and illegally jammed them into the property where there were numerous life safety issues. The house was a fire trap with individual rooms set up with makeshift kitchens. The building Commissioner claims that the house was used as an illegal boarding house.

So what does this have to do with hiring a contractor?

Well just imagine that you hired this company and work was completed a few months ago. Then we have a rain storm and the roof leaks - destroying your ceilings. You call the company you hired only to learn that the feds just shut them down because they used illegal alien labor. Now they are out of business and you are up the creek without a paddle. Or worse you hire a company like this and a roofer gets hurt and the contractor has no worker’s compensation insurance and you get sued!

I have worked for legitimate “follow the rules” contractors my entire career and I have run into unethical contractors often. I run into to them when I am quoting residential projects to homeowners. They are usually half the price of the legitimate contractor. The companies I have worked for have always hired legal workers and provided the proper insurance and tools to do a professional job. In addition, the workers are always paid above the table, not under.

When homeowners hire companies who don’t play by the rules they usually get burnt when something goes wrong on the job. Unfortunately, there are too many contractor crooks who elect to hire illegal aliens. These contractors prey on these aliens and take advantage of them. They usually pay them under the table, don’t provide insurance, don’t pay taxes, do sub standard work, have unsafe equipment and aren’t there to service their work when something goes wrong. And of course, the homeowner blames the industry for allowing this to happen. According to the government, home improvement contractors are the most complained about industry in the entire country. Worse than used car salesman.

One of the biggest reason why homeowners hire these illegitamate contractors is low price. A famous British author named Ruskin once said “you get what you pay for”.

As far as immigration is concerned, I am all for it provided legal channels are followed. Everyone has the right to apply to come here legally. We are all descendants of legal immigrants in one way or another. America is a great melting pot.

As far as illegal immigration is concerned, I’ll leave that to the politicians. However this is a huge problem in the trades. Contractors who hire illegal aliens should be shut down. Legitimate law abiding contractors have to play by the rules. And playing by the rules costs money. When homeowners allow illegitimate contractors to do home improvements, they are supporting the black market construction industry just to save a buck!

So when you consider hiring a contractor ask him if he uses legal labor to perform his work. If he has legal immigrants ask him to verify that they are really legal. If he has a problem with verification then he is probably hiding something. And that may only be the tip of the iceberg!

Do you really want to take a chance with your most valuable investments - your family and your home - by allowing people who you don’t know to work on your property?

You decide!