Thread: Marketing Implementation System

I really suck at Marketing and could use help, I was wounding if anyone could share their experiences with Ken Compton ( Home Inspection Startup & Growth).

A friend of mine joined and paid the first few months, he thought it was a good program but he dropped out and didn’t apply anything he learned from the program to his HI business. I did look into Michael Crow (Millionaire Inspector Community), I just could not justify the $300 a month! My biggest problem is, I absolutely hate giving presentations to Real Estate Offices, I have a phobia of speaking to large groups, (Yes – after you did a few you get over your fear, I was a Trainer at McDonnell Douglas for a two years, never got over the fear and had to go into a different field)!
If anyone has had experience with Home Inspection Startup & Growth and wouldn’t mind sharing their experience, that would be great!

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If there was a $500 a month program that made us all busy we'd all be doing it. There's no silver bullet.... you just have to do it. Whatever it is - mailers, coupons, website, presentations. Everything you do will pay off. Slowly at times... especiallly in a slow market but it will pay off.

The last place I'd be putting my eggs these days is with a slick and glossy program promising the moon.... especially one that requires you to give presentations to large real estate offices.

Think of marketing as a diet - you can't just do it some of the time. You have to do it everyday.

Never ever give one dime to any one for any marketing crap.

You need a good kick in the but. get over your problems fast... focus on you and how you look at your self. get some Tony Robinson DVDs then put together a great web site. get some good looking cards and hit the pavement.

If you don't act fast this market is going walk all over you and your Family...

Get over you problems fast... Your just like every one else. study hard believe in what you do that you are better then any other wack job out there.

Best

Ron

Hi Nick.
One of the most important things I've learned over the years, with my other business's, that I applied to my HI marketing was.
Instead of doing what everybody thats selling you with marketing gimmicks is, just be yourself, and look at yourself as a consummer first, then ask yourself if you would buy or use the the product your offering. If you would not, or am not sure if you would , change it, I found for every inspection that you do, there are 2-3 other poential customers that are interviewing you..

From what I've gathered , Mike C,s program is a revised verson of a local carpet cleaning geru's program [ Pirrana Marketing] that's been around for years.
My little brother used to use that program for his carpet cleaning, at one point he was spending $1000 a month, a lot of it was feel good stuff, some of it, mass marketing via mailers and phone calls did get him some work.

In the end, his best results were just being himself, and offering the best service to every customer he got.

OBTW. Your 1st best option is attend every local az ashi seminar, and pick our brains

Nick, you need to have a site up that looks clean and well presented but more important than that is figuring out what your Unique Selling Position is. Once you have that figured out and are confident with customers you should get enough referrals.

Allison Property Inspection does mold testing in Los Angeles and Home inspection in Riverside.

Originally Posted by Nick J. Alati

I really suck at Marketing and could use help, I was wounding if anyone could share their experiences with Ken Compton ( Home Inspection Startup & Growth).

A friend of mine joined and paid the first few months, he thought it was a good program but he dropped out and didn’t apply anything he learned from the program to his HI business. I did look into Michael Crow (Millionaire Inspector Community), I just could not justify the $300 a month! My biggest problem is, I absolutely hate giving presentations to Real Estate Offices, I have a phobia of speaking to large groups, (Yes – after you did a few you get over your fear, I was a Trainer at McDonnell Douglas for a two years, never got over the fear and had to go into a different field)!
If anyone has had experience with Home Inspection Startup & Growth and wouldn’t mind sharing their experience, that would be great!

Nick how will joining a guy like Mike Crow (met him but will leave it there) help you get over your phobia of speaking in public?

Here is your free first lesson.
You are speaking in public right now! Just typing instead of moving your mouth....right?
Also who told you that the only way to succeed is to go to Brokers meetings?

Have you already maximized your website?
Is it in the top 3 for your market?

Do you market a little to Agents while inspecting?

Do you get referrals?

Have you expanded into aux services?,Draws? or preservation fields?

Do you blog a lot?

You ever go to association meetings?

Ever volunteer to speak at a neighborhood function?(no sweat inducing sales pressure).

Offer to write for the local paper?

Do you really need some vampire to give your cash to for what I just told you for free?

Some things I have been doing for about 3 years

I make a main water shut off valve tag...Install it at the water shut off

Make a furnace safety shut off swith tag...Install it at the furnace

Make a furnace air filter air flow direction label...Install it at the filter area

I make these up in microsoft publisher & print them out on card stock & label sheets.
Punch a 1 1/8" hole in the door hanger type tags & cut a slit.
They look like a door hanger.

I have had homes that i have previously inspected being re-sold & potential buyers go thru & see the label or tags & i have got calls from these people to schedule an inspection on this or another property.

Its marketing without even opening your mouth.

I like the things Bob has added as well...Good point!

The tags are a great idea!

Home Inspector Riverside, Riverside Home Inspections, Mold Inspections in Riverside CA

Bruce you just need to focus on more meaningful marketing.Furnace tags for who?
They already used you.

Think better exposure than that.(keep doing it though)

Who is your audience?

(Up late because my android fried on update tonight and just went back to my old BB Curve till I get a replacement.
Took all night up till now.)

Bob

Tags for who? My Client
As the post previously stated some houses have re-sold
Realtors hold open houses & open house visitors see the tags / advertisement...So there is business there.

Who is your audience?
The client that I am working for
Remember Todays Business is tomorrows advertisement.
Educate these people & put them in a comfort zone...They are your best source of advertisement!

Bad news spreads like wildfire!
Good news just creeps down the street.

I am in a community of 45,000 people & another 30,000 in sourrounding areas.
6-7 total inspectors in this area & I pound out 250 inspections per year
not including 200+ radon test.

I do not live in Metro America Bob where most buyers instantly want inspections & the incomes are big...It doesnt come that easy here.

Are there better forms of exposure than what I listed above...Sure & I have others internet etc....But I perfer my past customers doing my advertising...Referral jobs are the easiest to book.
I look at every anvenue I can think of to help produce work.

I like the tags because they keep my company name and phone number in front of the client for years.

As part of my 'you'll learn more about this house than the previous owner knows' tour, I point out gas shut-offs for furnace, HWT and at the meter outside (no label outside), the water shut offs for outside taps (if present), HWT, humidifier, main shut off, the electrical disconnect for furnace, the main electrical disconnect and anything else I can see, tagging/labeling as I go. Will have to make some stickers for airflow - good idea.

The labeling is a service I provide, I just use my company logo on the other side.

Every time they enter the furnace room there is my company logo. Its a couple of dollars that reminds them of me, and maybe when they know someone who needs an inspection, they know where my name and number are.

Originally Posted by Bruce Hutton

Bob

Tags for who? My Client
As the post previously stated some houses have re-sold
Realtors hold open houses & open house visitors see the tags / advertisement...So there is business there.

Who is your audience?
The client that I am working for
Remember Todays Business is tomorrows advertisement.
Educate these people & put them in a comfort zone...They are your best source of advertisement!

Bad news spreads like wildfire!
Good news just creeps down the street.

I am in a community of 45,000 people & another 30,000 in sourrounding areas.
6-7 total inspectors in this area & I pound out 250 inspections per year
not including 200+ radon test.

I do not live in Metro America Bob where most buyers instantly want inspections & the incomes are big...It doesnt come that easy here.

Are there better forms of exposure than what I listed above...Sure & I have others internet etc....But I perfer my past customers doing my advertising...Referral jobs are the easiest to book.
I look at every anvenue I can think of to help produce work.

If I lived in a small town I would have a large sign wrap on my vehicle and park in front of the brokers office every day

Yes I agree a big city is different and do not even bother to mark my vehicle.
You need to stay friendly with the Agents.(like it or not)

Originally Posted by Egbert Jager

As part of my 'you'll learn more about this house than the previous owner knows' tour

The labeling is a service I provide, I just use my company logo on the other side.

Every time they enter the furnace room there is my company logo. Its a couple of dollars that reminds them of me, and maybe when they know someone who needs an inspection, they know where my name and number are.

Nice!!!...Comfort zone, closed mouth advertising, I totally agree!

Hi Nick,
I'm not the best marketer, but I have found that being professional, courteous to everyone involved and doing a thorough job is the best source of marketing. I have tried various attemps at marketing and none of them seem to work better than being honest and thorough.

I loose business all the time being honest and thorough. Generally known locally as the "deal killer" I love it.

Hi Nick,

I like many of the answers and tips given in this post, but since your question was directed at those who use Ken Compton's services, let me offer a few things.

Some of the responses suggest that you should just try various things with the idea that some of it will stick. In truth, some of it might. But you'd do much better with a well thought out plan.

Ken Compton is the best marketing pro I have run across. I do use his services and he does have a great toolbox of things to help you grow your home inspection business. One of the things he will show you how to do is to create a sound business plan and work through all of the obstacles to meet your goals.

Is the monthly fee worth it?

I know one thing for sure. Ken wants you to succeed and takes a personal interest in all of his clients.

I have a degree in Business/Marketing myself and run a one man HI shop. I also owned a Home Health Company for 10 years. I understand how to run a business, but Ken understands how to market a business to draw in customers. He also knows the Home Inspection business better than most.

I think for the kind of access Ken gives you, which includes call in's with personal coaching, his membership fees are a bargain.

***and no, I wasn't paid anything to say this. I appreciate what Ken has done for me...that simple.

I had a website built in June that has really paid off with the Realtors. WWW.MARTINEXTERMINATING.COM Check it out. Click on Realtor Resources. Realtors like to do things the simplest way and this is it.
Jerry Martin

Jerry, clicking on your link takes one to the About page of your site. Once there the Home button and the About button have the same URL so which ever is selected it always goes to the About page. Never did see your Home page. Even the logo link is the About page URL. FYI.

Thanks Bob but it is a work in progress. Thr realtor support is the main area right now. My web guy is working on a lot of info I gave him for the rest of it and we are a couple of weeks out from completion. The realtors I have worked with like the new system and I am getting some new ones also. The info I get on the clients helps in case the deal falls through and the client does not want to pay my fees.

JERRY

deal falls thru and you don't get paid. no money no report.

cvf

Not so much the inspection fees but when I do a treatment it will be paid out of closing. Could be $500.00 to $1,000.00. I do get their credit card number and tell them that if it does not close in 60 days I will run their card.

TPREIA, the Texas Professional Real Estate Inspectors Association is hosting a free Advanced Marketing Strategies for Inspectors seminar in Houston next week. Maybe you could take a road trip down there and attend.

I am brand new at this, as a matter of fact the Great State of Texas should be telling me what my license number is in the next few days (since I have passed the test, sent in the Recovery fund money and proof of E&O).

A couple of months ago I attended a Marketing class in Dallas and had the chance to meet Ken. There is no doubt that I will taking advantage of his service as a marketing coach. All I have been waiting on is my TREC #.

What part of Texas are you in? We hope you can make it to Houston. If you can't come down, read this. It's the next best thing.