Professional Remodeler articles from November 2005

Professional Remodeler archives from November 2005

Bring the Business Plan to Life.
November 1, 2005... Alan Hanbury Jr., Contributing Editor Last in a Series on Benchmarking Over the course of nine columns, we have talked about some 25 business metrics that one can track and benchmark against. After we collect them for a period of time,...

Winners Offer Competitive Advantage.
November 1, 2005... Cheryl Dangel Cullen, Contributing Editor Product makers strive to give remodelers what they want, but are they succeeding? In today's competitive marketplace, building product manufacturers have to work hard at establishing...

Best in Class Helping Remodelers Succeed.
November 1, 2005... Niles D. Crum, Publisher Congratulations to all the great companies that won Professional Remodeler's Best in Class 2005. You can't buy an honor such as this -- it can only be earned. The Best in Class winners who received this distinction...

The Basics of Universal Design.
November 1, 2005... By Scott T. Shepherd, PATH Partners Simple home modifications for an aging consumer base Whether it's a kitchen, a bathroom or an entire home, universal design improves the living space for everyone: the young, disabled, aging or --...

The Golden Rule.
November 1, 2005... By Kimberly Sweet, Editor Achieving excellence in service and referrals requires a customer-first culture Service is what separates the truly professional remodeler from the rest. Remodelers who not only get the job done but also...

Treat People Right.
November 1, 2005... By Kimberly Sweet, Editor It's all personal for John Bratton, starting with the decision to put his name on the business. His wife, Lynne, and son Jim helped him start JW Bratton Design/Build in 1994. John met Lynne 20 years ago when he...

Engineer the Ideal Customer Experience.
November 1, 2005... By Kimberly Sweet, Editor Bowers Design Build, a 15-year-old company in the Washington, D.C., area, takes a scientific approach to customer satisfaction. Which is not to say that the management team isn't concerned about the human touch....

Secrets to Recruiting "A" Players.
November 1, 2005... Doug Dwyer, Contributing Editor Hiring new employees is not the same as recruiting. You can hire anyone. Recruiting is going out and finding the best person for the pay, benefits, culture and opportunity your company provides. Think...

Getting the lead out.
November 1, 2005... Michael Morris, Editor in Chief I'm not usually the type of person who worries until there's actually something tangible to worry about. When I started to investigate what all the fuss was about concerning the EPA's impending rule...

Employee Relations.
November 1, 2005... Staff Treat your people well and you'll experience less turnover Incentives 101 Agreat way to show your employees their hard work is appreciated is to implement a system of incentive-based rewards. Whether structured in the form...

Self-Expression Showcase.
November 1, 2005... Renee Young and Jena Peterson Architect-homeowners put forth their own modern designs to renovate a personal display case When the owners of this 1920s home moved from San Diego to the Berkeley area, they needed to make a statement....

Energy-Efficient Selections.
November 1, 2005... Staff With more and more people using more and more energy, we're in a high-cost energy cycle that's not going to end soon, if ever. So, it's time to help your customers curb those costs by offering them smart choices when you remodel...

Leave No Stone Unturned.
November 1, 2005... Jud Motsenbocker, Contributing Editor Great employees may be found in the unlikeliest places Putting a help-wanted ad in the newspaper is one of the first ideas to come to mind when you need to fill an open position. So is asking...

Searched and Found on the Web.
November 1, 2005... Dave Taraboletti, Contributing Editor Repeat and referral clients probably already have seen your company's Web site. If not, it's easy to send them the URL. Ditto for leads that come in thanks to other marketing methods. Either your job...