Design Build Remodeling Approach Makes Sense

Below is the discussion at a development meeting regarding this potential project illustration.

Homeowner: my architect friend said your design would be nicer with the entry in the center

Design Build Pro: did your friend list all the things that would have to be done to make that happen?

Homeowner: no

Design Build Pro: did your friend tell you how much these things would cost?

Homeowner: no

Design Build Pro: did you tell your friend that you hoped to find ways to have the investment go down, not up?

Homeowner: no

Design Build Pro: what do you plan to do now?

Homeowner: tell our architect friend to mind their own business!

Remodeling Runs in the Parsons Family

by Jason Parsons of Mark of Excellence Remodeling reprinted from the daily5Remodel

My brother Neil, 15 years my senior, has raised me since I was 10 years old. At the time, he was the owner of a small general contracting company, Parsons Construction. During the summer, I went to work with him as a form of “babysitting.” That first summer, he had the cleanest truck and jobsites in town. I started to take an interest in the work soon after.

By the time I was 12, I knew how to frame, hang drywall, trim, install roofing and siding, and work an aluminum break (as well as keep a clean truck). I worked for him through high school, learning not only construction, but communication and work ethic. As we both transcended our careers to sales and design, he continued to (and still does) act as a mentor to me inside and outside of the business. I would not be where I am today without his influence.

My oldest son has already taken an interest in design. He reviews projects I am working on, and tries to recreate them on his easel. I want all three of my boys to pursue a career that they are passionate about, and would welcome an interest in building. It is both a challenging and rewarding field. I only hope I can come close to the guidance and support I have been fortunate enough to receive.


Neil is presently the owner of Design Build Profit

Jason is the top design and build specialist at Mark of Excellence Remodeling and the chief project designer at Design Build Profit

Design Build Profit’s New Webinar to Help Remodeling Professionals Improve Their Entire Sales Process

Remodeling firms seeking to add a design and build division or enhance an existing one can attend a free “Remodeling Selling System” webinar by Design Build Profit (http://www.designbuildprofit.com). This online sales training session, entitled “Sales Process for the Design and Build Remodeler” and hosted by company mentor Neil Parsons, will show attendees how they can speed up the entire sales cycle by effectively handling all the components of the initial meeting for the shared benefit of the homeowner, company, and sales representative.

The free 90-minute webinar will be held on Wednesday, May 18, 2011 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. EDT. Topics will include:

• Setting up an effective sales process
• Creating an interactive presentation
• Getting positive conclusions at each meeting
• Selling more, faster, and with greater profit

Parsons is a member of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry and has been in the remodeling industry since 1980. His experience includes working as a carpenter, remodeling business owner, sales and marketing executive, and a design and build sales specialist. He has appeared on HGTV and was named Remodeler of the Year. He holds awards from the Chrysalis Awards for Remodeling Excellence, Qualified Remodeler Master Design Awards, Innovation in Construction Awards, the Vinyl Siding Institute Awards of Distinction, and has also won Best Marketing Program.

“I have been sharing advice and tips while networking with other companies through social media and our Design Build Profit blog at http://bit.ly/DBPblog,” Parsons said. “Providing online training sessions was part of the natural progression. This particular webinar will help remodelers to sell more, faster, and with greater profit.”

All attendees will be eligible for discounts and promotions from the webinar’s six corporate sponsors. To register for the webinar, interested parties should visit http://bit.ly/DBP-web.

Sales Process for the Design + Build Remodeler

Design Build Profit and six corporate sponsors are hosting a free webinar on Wednesday May 18th at 2:00 PM EST. 


Email info with hyperlinks to registration: http://bit.ly/DBP-web 


FREE sales training session for remodelers that want to add a design and build division or enhance an existing one.

Learn how to speed up the entire sales cycle. See how to control all the components of the initial meeting for the shared benefit of the homeowner, company, and sales representative. Discover how professional consultants are able to define the project scope, time frames, and a 100% accurate budget during the first meeting to the point of being able to write an agreement, but then realize why they choose not to.

There will be discounts and promotions from our corporate sponsors for all those in attendance!

Learn how to sell more, faster, and with greater profit...starting with this webinar.


The corporate sponsors include:

daily5REMODEL
Remodeling industry resource website with new topics daily

Right Coast Marketing

"We get you noticed online by your target market, increasing traffic to your..."

Certified Lead Services

Remodeling lead generation, qualification, and scheduling services

OPT!

Custom solutions at packaged prices! On-time, in-budget, and guaranteed!

Preferred Contractor

Internet lead generation service

Alside

Manufacturer of exterior remodeling products offering factory-trained installation service

Design and Build Remodeling Estimates

How does a homeowner make a thoroughly informed buying decision when it comes to major home renovations? It is quite difficult, mostly confusing, and all too often leads to an unpleasant remodeling experience.

We have a process that have proven to be mutually beneficial and creates a professional beginning to a rewarding remodeling experience for all.


The initial meeting starts with a complimentary Tier-1 project plan and budget consultation. Here is the slide show that we send in advance of the initial meeting:

http://tinyurl.com/T-1Estimate

Then we firmly believe that the only way to accurately compare estimates is through our Tier-2 level of development. Anything short of that is just a price. At our initial Tier-1 meeting we pride ourselves in providing valuable, in-depth information about your project, investments, and how the process should be before, during, and well after the work. 

Here is a the link to a YouTube slide-show video illustrating our Tier-2 Design and Development  process:

http://bit.ly/DBP-T2

Our Tier-2 level of development includes: three design/layout options, detailed floor plan, 3-D color elevation views, overviews, furniture placement, 47-category scope of work, 50-category breakdown of pricing by project phase, plus and minus options for specifically discussed scope options, breakout of product selection items (both those included with order plus any item that may need to be purchased directly by the homeowner), material list (for certain projects), calendar showing start, duration, and guaranteed completion dates, 300+ job references including project description, addresses, names, and phone numbers. 

This process was not created by us alone. It was actually developed through suggestions made by previous clients at our annual Homeowners Advisory Council. We hold a this dinner to obtain ideas and feedback in order to continually improve the pleasant, rewarding remodeling experience which we provide.

For homeowners that attempt to make comparisons without Tier-2, we do offer our Price Match Guarantee for their protection. At no cost to you, we will review the information you were provide by other remodelers and highlight where differences or shortfalls might be. If the proposal is a worthy match to our company status, quality products, skilled installations and exceptional services then we gladly will match that price! This program was designed specifically for homeowners that expect a positive, ultra-professional remodeling experience, not willing to settle for less, but also want the best price possible.

For more information please contact us at INFO@DesignBuildPros.com 

How expensive is FREE in home remodeling?

Other than advice, a remodeler should never give a homeowner anything for free. Doing so potentially lessens the value of all you do and opens the door for constant negotiations, and even worse, re-negotiations of established costs.

Please do not misunderstand. This should not be confused with the concept of "under promising and over delivering." Let's face the facts. There is no one that works for free. Each person and trade gets compensated for their efforts. This compensation is a part of your job costing and affects a project's gross profit if not accounted for when calculating the client's investment amount.

However, not doing or providing something for free doesn't necessarily mean charging money, but there needs to be a value exchange. What you receive in return may be a personalized recommendation letter, a video testimonial, an introduction to a few neighbors...etc. While these extras may not get recouped in the project cost, what you get in return helps create additional business and will offset some marketing costs.

Furthermore, if a client asks for something extra and you provide it without getting anything in return, often the client feels that perhaps they didn't ask for enough. They wonder if there may have been more product, service, and/or discount available from you. Plus this can add an air of distrust. They may ask themselves, "What would have happened if I didn't ask for..."

In conclusion, set up a program and build a client relationship that is mutually rewarding, fair, and equitable for all parties involved. 

Botched Projects: Who is to Blame?

Unfortunately, in these past few years of poor economic times, we have seen and heard of increased numbers of botched projects and poor remodeling experiences. Whether the shoddy workmanship comes from an unqualified contractor or an inexperienced homeowner, a.k.a. Do-It-Yourselfer (DIY), upon further inspection we discover that frequently the problem begins well before the work actually starts.

In the estimate gathering process, the homeowners, who typically have no life experience in purchasing the remodeling project at hand, are faced with ultra-professional remodelers as well as the lower echelon of the industry. The former will portray a process that is a great advantage to the homeowner while the later will lead with the virtue of a very low price. The quandary begins. The low price is as tempting as low-hanging, forbidden fruit, but the homeowner's level of expectation has been raised by the education provided the ultra-professional. This divide leads to either the client settling for the low price or deciding to perform the work themselves.

The low price comes with a charade, played by all parties up front, that the process and project will be quite similar to the one depicted by the ultra-professional sans the lofty price tag. As the project progresses the "hidden" extra costs rear their ugly head and the warts of lower quality work appear. At this point, halfway through the journey and one foot in quicksand make turning back rather difficult and very costly.

Being wise to this potential dilemma, leads many homeowners to the DIY option to keep the costs as low as possible while hiring someone they trust - themselves. Today, scores of homeowners take this route, frequently fueled by the notion that the renovation is not that daunting of a task. Where does this come from? Courtesy of the many home improvement shows aired on cable TV that depict projects done by other DIYs, with allusions of an unrealistic investment, and completed in a 30-minute episode. Do you also wonder what happens during the commercials?

With this new residential remodeling pattern, we have changed the focus of our initial consultation to act as an industry advocate to inform the client of how the process should be viewed and addressed from concept to completion on their part. We also offer a low-investment, detailed design and development service for a homeowner that can be used as a reference and guideline to enhance their decision process even if we are not the remodeler for this particular project. This information often acts as a safe-guard so they can quickly and easily recognize the short-comings of the low-priced remodeler that is either inexperienced, unqualified, or a wolf in sheep's clothing looking for prey.

The two following links illustrate our initial meeting process and then our design and development services:

http://tinyurl.com/T-1Estimate

http://tinyurl.com/T-2Design

We invite comments and remodeling project experiences, both positive and negative.