Wayne Ottum joins us to talk about the 9 components of extraordinary leadership and outlines some basic steps to help businesses owners become more effective leaders. Wayne discusses the importance of creating a company vision, building the right culture, and the difference between leadership and management.
Wayne is a senior consultant at Remodelers Advantage and is the president of his own consulting firm Ottum Enterprises LLC. Wayne has over 30+ years of consulting experience and has over 15 years of experience working with Remodelers Advantage.
High interest rates and other market conditions have caused the remodeling market to contract across many regions, resulting in lack luster lead flow for home remodeling companies. As the U.S. heads into a presidential election year, which has the potential to cause further market erosion, remodelers need to protect their market share. By taking steps now to boost their online reputations, home remodeling companies can keep their pipelines full and successfully weather these adverse market conditions.
In this Podcast interview, we chat with Tanya Bamford, Managing Director of R/A Marketing, about the steps remodelers should take to improve their lead generation by leveraging the voice of their clients in an effective reputation marketing program.
Tanya Bamford is the Managing Director of R/A Marketing–A Remodeler’s Best Friend. Exclusively serving home remodeling companies across North America, R/A Marketing helps remodelers grow and thrive by delivering marketing programs which yield a positive return on investment.
Tanya, Mark, and Victoria talk more about:
What are they reporting in terms of market conditions? Is there cause for remodelers to be concerned?
Many remodelers have cultivated reviews on Houzz or Guild Quality and are concerned about review fatigue. How real is this concern, and what can remodelers do to overcome this challenge?
Today on Powertips Unscripted, Dan Hurst joins the show to discuss the handoff from design to production. Dan talks about how to define the minimum standard of completeness and quality for each function or role involved in preparing the handoff packet. Dan also discusses how to use checklists for each role to ensure that quality standards are met.
Dan Hurst is the COO and part owner of Hurst Design Build Remodel in Cleveland Ohio. Dan and his brother Pat have been a part of Roundtables since 2006.
Are you concerned that college tuition fees will deplete your savings? In today’s episode of PowerTips Unscripted, we have Brad Baldridge on the show to assist business owners in planning for their children’s college education without sacrificing their retirement funds. Brad discusses how owning a business can impact college finances and whether there are any benefits that business owners can leverage to aid in paying for college expenses.
Brad Baldridge is one of the nation’s leading college financial experts. He teaches families the best ways to plan, save, and pay for college so they can make their children’s college dreams come true without wiping out their finances or their retirement.
Brad, Vicotria, and Mark talk more about:
Are things different for business owners when it comes to planning and paying for college?
Is your company struggling to attract top-tier employees? Joining us today on PowerTips Unscripted is Erin Longmoon, the founder of Zephyr Connect. Erin will share some valuable insights into how to hire people who align with your company’s culture. She will discuss the strategies and tactics that have played a pivotal role in Zephyr’s 98% placement rate for their Residential Remodeling clients.
Erin Longmoon is the founder of Zephyr Connects. After a number of years as an Interior Designer, then turned business coach, Erin designed Zephyr Connects to solve the grueling hiring challenges of the Residential Remodeling industry. Zephyr is also an RA Preferred Member Benefit Partner.
Erin, Victoria, and Mark talk more about:
Why hiring for culture fit so important?
Can we really hire carpenters and laborers for culture fit?
Dave Pollard, Co-Founder & Design Director of Liv Companies outside of Chicago, joins the show to talk more about how his firm utilizes 3D renderings in almost every aspect of their business.
Leading LivCo’s design team, Dave’s process quickly takes hand sketches to full-blown renderings and walk-throughs, and they are even leveraging the power of quick video editing to help clients and prospects truly feel what their home can be, and leave every meeting feeling inspired.
LivCo has been leveraging the power of 3D design since they began design/build back in 2012. Initially used simply as a creative tool for developing ideas, they quickly learned that the 3D output could take them to a higher level in sales, efficiency of communication, and marketing.
Victoria, Mark and Dave talk more about:
The software LivCo uses and why they use it.
An overview of LivCo’s general design workflow.
Using 3D visualization for more than just client presentations.
The time it takes to make deliverables to the client.
In this episode of PowerTips Unscripted, Victoria and Mark are joined by Pete McDowell to discuss succession planning and how business owners can exit their company. According to Pete, there are four primary ways for a business owner to leave their company: selling the company, transferring the company to family or employees, or ESOP. He also highlights some of the basics of a succession plan, regardless of the option the business owner chooses.
Pete McDowell is a Partner at ActionCOACH Columbus. Pete, alongside his partner, Peg Buehrle have recently joined Remodelers Advantage as Consultants. They help people evaluate each of these options and select the best path. Along the way, they assist their clients to work less and build the value of their business. In this way, you can enjoy life NOW and look forward to a comfortable next chapter!
Today on PowerTips Unscripted, Doug Howard joins the show to discuss the importance of demanding success by 2024. There are various external factors, such as uncertainty, economic slowdowns, and slower processes, that are affecting the pre-construction and construction workflow, ultimately impacting profitability. Therefore, owners of remodeling companies need to come up with effective strategies and practices to overcome these challenges instead of accepting them.
Doug has been a senior consultant with Remodelers Advantage since 2017 and facilitates 8 Roundtables meetings per year. He has worked with several hundred remodeling clients to help them develop strategies, understand financials, improve processes, and enhance profitability.
Victoria, Mark, and Doug talk more about:
What are a few specific examples of ways to improve the preconstruction process?
How does team alignment and thinking “Upstream” impact workflow and profitability?
What are companies using as measures to better drive performance?
When it comes to the employees who are responsible for onboarding and managing your clients, providing consistent coaching and training to your team is crucial for achieving success. One of the most effective techniques for training your team is through the ‘ride along’ or shadowing method. Although this process can be time-consuming, Jef Forward has introduced a new approach to the ride-along. Additionally, he discusses how he employs AI during training and the sales process to help improve the effectiveness of their sales team.
Jef is the Owner of Forward Design Build located in Ann Arbor, MI. He has been a facilitator for Remodelers Advantage Roundtables for numerous years and has been a member of the Roundtables family for even longer. Jef is known as a visionary, an idea guy, and ahead of the curve in most things tech.
Sometimes it may feel that kindness is in short supply. That’s why it’s so important to take the initiative to remain vigilant and recognize kindness whenever you can. Guest Chris Stebnitz shares something he does weekly, that results in a huge impact on those around him.
Chris is a third-generation remodeling company owner in Elkhorn, Wisconsin with over 30 years of experience in the industry. Stebnitz Builders’ focus is to be the very best listening company, translating into a wonderful experience for their clients and a project completed to its highest standards with the greatest rewards for their clients and business partners.