Why Buy Replacement Windows?

My book Why Buy Replacement Windows? was recently featured on the Home Remodeling Ideas blog from FixTheHome.com. Visit their blog to read an excerpt from my book and order your free copy.

Fix the Home is a website that matches homeowners with local contractors in order to get remodeling estimates, replacement window quotes and bids on other home improvement projects. Check out their site to get several estimates from local contractors.

Your Salespeople Do Not Like to Sell

At seminars this statement attracts flak like a magnet held over iron filings. Salespeople and their managers protest; they evoke their love of selling. Then I ask pointed questions and request that participants raise their hands.

I ask, Have you ever . . .

• Had an appointment where the prospect was an hour late?
• Had a lead where the prospects didn’t show at all?
• Been allotted half the time you anticipated to make your presentation?
• Been promised an order and didn’t get it?
• Lost an order to lower prices?
• Had the contract turned down by the bank/finance company?
• Had a contract canceled by your customer?
• Been required to work (solicit) around an installation?
• Made a call in temperatures over 95 or under 30 degrees, or when it was raining or snowing?

Then I ask, How many of you like or enjoy these tasks or circumstances?

None of these are fun, yet they constitute a major portion of sales responsibility. Why would salespeople enjoy that part of the role? They don’t.

Getting an order, receiving kudos for performance, getting paid sizable commissions, or winning a sales contest are the enjoyable parts of selling, yet they represent a relatively small part of a salesperson’s time and activity. Once a manager recognizes the indisputable truth that most salespeople do not like to perform these tasks, there is a greater possibility of creating advanced training and motivational techniques.

Disciplined salespeople achieve the greatest earnings because they recognize that calling on prospects, staying organized, having appointments or orders canceled, facing the possibility of rejection, and overcoming objections are simply steps in the process that leads to sale success.

In this changing economy, what changes have you made in training your salespeople and/or stimulating their thinking and understanding of the sales role?

The High Cost of Negativity

You’ve got a lead in your hand. An appointment has been set and confirmed by your office. You’re an experienced salesperson. You know your product and you’ve been trained how to present it. If this is a successful sales call, you stand to earn a sizable commission. You believe you’re in the right frame of mind and you hope the customer is also.

But wait. This morning when you arose, you tuned into the local news. They explained how the economy was erratic, the stock market lost some points, unemployment hit a new high and the big box stores weren’t making the amount of money they projected earlier this year. However, you fluffed that off, had breakfast, met with those in your office and discussed last evening’s sales call and the reasons why prospects aren’t buying now.

Before your sales call, you pick up the local newspaper. You receive the same implants that you heard on television: stories of rapes, murders, assaults, robberies, state and local budget problems, potential tax increases and more.

You have been infected. Like it or not, unless you know how to counter this information, it may well affect your ability to sell the lead tonight – why, you ask?

Because whether the information is true or not, it is negative. Psychological studies show that as little as five or ten minutes of negative input can affect your central nervous system for up to twenty hours – reducing your energy and depleting your positivity.

Stay centered. The majority of homeowners are not facing foreclosure or unemployment. The majority of people want to keep their houses in good shape. Concentrate on the sales system. Ask for the order one more time. If they’re not buying, ask “why?” one more time. Don’t buy into the media negativity. Remind yourself, when people retrench, the majority of their spendable income still goes to their homes – and – stop reading the front page of the newspaper, spend less time on television news and spend more time with positivity.

The Prescription. Listen to and read about successful issues. Examine the positives in your life and in your business. Start giving your time to others and work harder on the continuing development of your professionalism.

Some years ago I made a speech to over 4,000 people entitled Yes You Can (Thriving in a Changing Economy). Now, this and other inexpensive recordings are being made available to bring the powerful forces of positive thinking into your life and your business today.

American Clean Energy And Security Act of 2009

The American Clean Energy and Security Act passed through congress without much fanfare over the weekend. After all with Michael Jackson's passing, it was difficult to find any news coverage devoted to another topic.

However, the ramifications of this act if it passes in the Senate will be felt throughout both the home improvement industry and the United States as a whole.

The 1300+ page act passed by a scant 7 votes, and while the stated goal is to: "Cut down on carbon emissions and create 1.7 million jobs in the clean energy industry" - - the true purpose of the act is to standardize energy and emissions laws across the U.S. In effect, the government would have control over these regulations instead of them varying from state to state.

What the act does not present (at least directly) is that this will force homeowners to change the way that they both maintain and sell their homes. A "national standard" similar to the one that currently exists in California will require homeowners to replace outdated windows and other energy-related home products even if they are still in good standing.

As a representative of the home improvement industry, I am excited about the positive impact that this may have on many businesses. However, like most of you I am also a homeowner and I see a problem with the government trying to regulate the maintenance of our homes to this degree.

While there are many homes that are in need of energy efficient products, a large majority of the populous lives in homes that are not that old, and have windows which while they are relatively new, will not meet the requirements under this new act. So if they cannot afford to replace these windows before they put the house on the market, this act puts them in very bad situation.

Furthermore, the cap and trade act will likely lead to a sharp increase in the cost per household.

I encourage home improvement businesses throughout the industry to monitor this act closely, because the ramifications on your company could be tremendous if this is passed.

Regardless, for homeowners and businesses alike this complimentary e-book on replacement windows will be a huge asset moving forward.

The Next Economic Summit

Due to overwhelming demand from customers and clients we have decided to reprise the Economic Summit that was such a big success in April.

It will take place in Indianapolis in conjunction with the Remodeling Show in October.

While it is still relatively early we would like to hear your suggestions for topics you would like us to discuss. You may either submit a comment on this blog or you can e-mail your suggestions to admin@daveyoho.com.

Also, don't forget to check out the complimentary mp3 of the last Economic Summit. You would hate to miss out on a wealth of information from one of the most knowledgeable industry figures: Rick Strachan Executive Director at Hanley Wood as he gives his keynote address.

Bathroom Remodeling Remains High on ROI Lists

According to a recent article from the ARA – while foreclosures are at record rates the vast majority of homeowners are still current with their mortgages. Between the low interest rates and the fact that most of these homeowners are opting to remain in their current houses, it is providing more opportunities for home improvement and remodeling businesses.

There are several very distinct advantages for people to have various home improvements and remodeling projects done and upgrading one or more bathrooms are high on the list. Among the advantages are:

*People want to improve the value of their property during these recessionary times.

*People want to enjoy the benefits of a more luxurious living environment.

*People can recoup as much as 75% of a bathroom remodeling project’s costs when they resell their home as indicated in Remodeling Magazine’s 2008-2009 Cost vs. Value Report.

*People can realize savings in energy and resources consumption through upgraded “green” materials including ceramic tile, water-conserving fixtures and energy-efficient lighting

*People find that investing in baths and fixtures that create a spa-like environment provide a more relaxing experience in their own home, reducing stress and saving them the time and expenses of visits to spas and massage therapists. According to Steven Deland of Acryline Bath Systems, “Demand remains strong for tub experiences that really underscore hat feeling of spa like relaxation in the home bath.”

The U.S. has continually experienced cycles of economic upturn and downturn since World War II. On average, despite these cycles most homeowners have realized a doubling of their home value about every 11 years. Deland says, “Investing in your home is still one of the most sensible ways to spend your money and improve your life.”

There are always opportunities in every adversity. A solid plan, flexibility and innovation are important cornerstones of not only surviving, but also thriving during these challenging economic times.

Best Regards,
Dave Yoho

Follow-up Failure

When we go into a client’s operation one of the things that we frequently hear is that they are doing their best to follow up with prospects who have expressed an interested in their business. Yet despite this, we have yet to interact with a client who has the time or resources to follow up with all interested parties on a consistent basis.

Sure, many do it better than others, but the fact remains that everyone would like to improve their prospect conversion rate.

So how do you accomplish this task?

What we have found is that the majority of our clients and customers do an excellent job following up with prospects and customers via phone calls and person-to-person contact and these both remain the most effective methods of interaction. However, the reality is that many homeowners are very inaccessible in today’s society and this is why e-mail communication can be so effective if it is done correctly.

Now before you stop and say that:

a) You have tried this before and it was not very effective
b) E-mail is treated as spam from most homeowners

I would like to ask you to rethink your opinion.

First of all, while these two points might be inherently true, the fact remains that most e-mail communication is composed in an ineffective manner. There are services or individuals that can be hired at extremely low rates (particularly in today’s economy) to write effective copy for you. Let other people handle the tasks that you do not specialize in.

Second, what are you doing to build your database? Are you attempting to double opt-in all of your prospects/customers? Do you realize how dramatically this will reduce your e-mail bounce rate?

Once these two tasks are accomplished then you need to consider investing in a software service that can automate your follow-up process. There are inexpensive services out there that can accomplish the task of multiple phone sales representatives simply by continuously following up with homeowners.

Why does it work so well? Because it keeps your company in the forefront of the prospect/customer’s mind. Studies show that it takes an average of 5 contacts before an individual processes the information that you are presenting them with.

The culture of our society is changing and it is vital that you do everything you can to stay in front of your potential customer.