Category
Marketing & Sales
Will Ontario introduce their version of the Home Renovation Tax Credit?
Ottawa’s Home Renovation Tax Credit, in 2009, pumped $4.3-billion of extra work into our industry. Now, a similar idea for Ontario has at least reached the conversation stage.
From tools to trucks: Home Hardware Pro Contractor trade shows pump up the prizes
There were prizes being announced almost every 5 minutes last night at the Home Hardware Contractor Pro Show in London, Ont.
Got a bad review on HomeStars? Read this interview with their CEO on what NOT to do about it
HomeStars won’t help you out with getting bad reviews taken down, simply because you advertise with them.
(VIDEO) How to Stop Wasting Time on Bad Leads
As a professional renovator or custom home builder, you don’t have a second to waste on prospective customers who are really just tire-kickers. Watch this video to learn how to “qualify” all sales leads before you drive out to see them.
Goodbye Holmes Referred, hello Baeumler Approved
There are 300 contractors and other firms associated with the Baeumler Approved contractor referral program, Bryan Baeumler’s folks tell us
Contractor referral model… is flawed and not sustainable
“The costs are too high and quality standards are not uniform,” says Alec Beraskow.
42 per cent interest on overdue Yellow Pages advertising payments?
Reader Kevin Smith says that billings for Yellow Pages advertising show up on Bell Canada bills, potentially triggering 42 per cent (annualized) interest rates to contractors who want to advertise their services in the Yellow Pages – and who are late paying their advertising bills.
Home Depot shows its Pride
Home Depot was a major sponsor (a “bronze partner”) of Toronto’s 34th annual Pride parade held last Sunday. In fact this was “World Pride,” bringing participants from around the globe.
Strategies for competing with Fly-By-Nighters
Fly-By-Nighters, Trunk Slammers, Cash Guys, The Underground… whatever you call them, they are everywhere these days – trying to outbid you by 30 to 40 per cent. Here are some ways that established, above-board, legitimate contractors are competing with this hidden marketplace.
Lethbridge, Alta.'s Bezooyen Contracting is latest builder to partner up with the (Mike) Holmes Approved Homes program
Holmes Approved Homes was launched in 2011 and has steadily signed up builders who want to partner up with Mike Holmes to ensure that their clients know they are getting a quality build
Yellow Pages, the book, is a dinosaur. Yellow Pages on-line gets us customers on a daily basis.
It seems the Yellow Pages might have to rebrand itself as the “Yellow Screen” – or something like that
Six myths about customer financing of home improvement projects
Financing a project stimulates opportunities for renovators, but traditional methods of doing so can slow down or kill that sale.
Salary Survey result: 51% of contractors under $250,000 billings now have websites
The more money contractors are billing, the more likely they are to have websites. Or is that the other way around?
Canada's top renovators and builders honoured at CHBA Conference in Whistler, B.C.
The award for “Whole House Renovation” (more than $500,000) went to Eurodale Developments, Toronto
Alberta contractors report most sales increases in country, Atlantic Canada places second
Ontario and B.C. have the least optimistic contractors – when asked about sales increases in their region – in Canada.
Grow your contractor business: Get an advisory board
Small businesses that added an advisory board grew an…
VIDEO: Interview with PROBUILT's Mike Upshall: How to structure your renovation firm
Mike Upshall, a veteran homebuilder and renovator, talks about how he runs his firm using a lead carpenter system that puts on-the-tools carpenters into front line roles with full budgetary responsibilities
American renovators talk about a boycott of Angie's List
Renovation contractors can find it much harder to close a sale once negative reviews of their work appear online. Angie’s List, based in Indianapolis, has angered so many contractors that a boycott is now a possibility.
