PowerTips Unscripted

Have you ever heard of SCRUM? SCRUM is a workflow management technique that accelerates projects, and while it is mostly used by software development teams, its principles and lessons can be applied to all kinds of industries.  Guest Dean Tompkins is here to explain how SCRUM is useful in his remodeling business, and how it can benefit you as well. Dean Tompkins is the owner and Vice President of Payne and Payne Renovations and Design, a firm that specializes in renovation and design projects in the Greater Cleveland area.  Dean was also named president of The Greater Cleveland Home Builders Association in 2019 and is dedicated to providing a full scope of services to his clients. Victoria, Mark, and Dean talk more about: SCRUM How SCRUM can be applied to remodeling The benefits of working with SCRUM And more… The post How SCRUM Can Strengthen Your Design Process with Dean Tompkins – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.

In this episode, we take a closer look at the sales process. We are always looking for fresh ideas and concepts that apply specifically to remodelers and those in the building community. Our guest Jen Neige is adamant that you should be selling to design, NOT designing to sell, and she shares how you can improve your closing ratio, gain more control of the sales cycle and earn a design fee within two hours. Jan Neiges is a National Kitchen and Bath certified Kitchen Designer and on the nine-member board for NKBA. Jan brings her 20 years of experience as a kitchen and bath designer and her 40 years of sales experience to share the selling process that she has developed. Victoria, Mark and Jan talk more about: Background on how Jan began working on this process. Why this process is so important for remodelers to consider. What some of the issues are within the industry faces that drives the need for using this process. And more… The post Selling to Design, Not Designing to Sell with Jan Neiges – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.

Are you looking for innovative tax strategies to reduce you or your clients’ tax burden?  Or, simply sick of paying more than you need to in taxes? Then tune into this episode to hear vital information that you won’t want to miss! Guest Shauna Wekherlien, CPA provides proven, legal, effective, and easy strategies that any audience member can implement to keep more of their hard-earned money.   Shauna is the founder and business owner of Tax Goddess, a company ranked in the top 1% of all tax strategists in the USA. The team at Tax Goddess is committed to helping clients reduce their tax burden to the bare legal minimum with proven strategies that are guaranteed to save thousands off of tax bills each year. Victoria, Mark, and Shauna talk more about: The difference between a CPA and a Tax Strategist The most commonly missed deductions The types of business owners that can benefit from a Strategic Tax Coaching Program And more… The post The Top 3 Deductions Your CPA Never Told You About with “The Tax Goddess” – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.

Sales management can be one of the hardest jobs in a company, especially if you are both a player and coach. Sales managers are constantly focusing on how to improve their business, their team and themselves, and could use some tips along the way.  Guest David Mattson joins Victoria and Mark in this episode to share the best practices to incorporate into succeeding as a sales manager. David Mattson is the CEO of Sandler Training and also a former speaker for the Remodelers Advantage Roundtables.  David has written 5 best selling books on sales management and is also releasing another called, “Scaling Sales Success -16 Principles for Sales Leaders.”  As a distinguished author and CEO, David brings his knowledge of world-class sales, sales management tactics and actionable strategies into this episode. Victoria, Mark and David talk more about: Onboarding salespeople as a small business Tips on coaching Advice for new sales managers What it means to “Tap Into Their Why” And more… Documents Mentioned During this Episode:  The Onboarder (PDF) The Playbook Creator (PDF) Explore More Sandler Books The post The Three Most Important Skills in Sales Management with David Mattson – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.

Current events have created an environment of incredible stress for homeowners across the globe. Remodelers have an opportunity to tap into their dissatisfaction with their home environments by using an empathy-based marketing approach to make an emotional connection. On this episode of Best of Powertips Unscripted, Tanya Bamford joins Victoria and Mark to share how using the right messaging, imagery, and delivery channels can allow remodelers to present themselves as conduits for creating retreats from stress at home.  These tips can help them fill their pipelines with homeowners who are hungry for a reprieve.   Tanya Bamford is the Managing Director of R/A Marketing–a full-service agency providing creative, yet straightforward marketing solutions for remodeling companies across the United States. This episode will cover: What empathy marketing is. Practical ways to incorporate empathy into your marketing messages. How this is this different than leveraging “pain points.” The challenge of making an emotional connection with a stranger and how empathy marketing bridges that gap. How remodeling companies can begin to incorporate empathy into their marketing. The post Making powerful emotional connections using empathy-based marketing with Tanya Bamford – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.

Today on PowerTips Unscripted, Lane Cooper joins the show to discuss the large project sales process. Price is a process like design. Setting our clients up for a successful pricing process is critical to large remodeling projects moving forward through design into construction. Lane walks us through his pricing process to manage clients’ price expectations. Lane Cooper is the President and founder of COOPER Design Build in Portland, OR., and is a valued Roundtables member. COOPER Design Build specializes in large remodeling and addition projects. Victoria, Mark, and Lane talk more about… Scope Creep Challenges of selling and pricing major additions and whole house remodels Determining if the project is suitable for your company And more…  The post Exploring a Large Project Sales Process with Lane Cooper – [PowerTips Unscripted S4 E11] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.

As remodeling companies grow, owners face the challenges of deciding when leaders are needed, how to find them, and train them to be good leaders. In this episode of PowerTips Unscripted, Wayne Ottum discusses these challenges and provides tools and methodologies for facing these challenges head-on. In addition, he talks about how he helps owners create a business that works for them. Wayne Ottum is a senior consultant at Remodelers Advantage. Wayne has over 30 years of experience, with 15 of those years specializing in the remodeling industry. He helps create clear and compelling paths for owners to meet their goals. Wayne, Victoria, and Mark talk more about: Checklist of leadership skills How to know when to develop or hire leaders Managers vs. Leaders And more… The post Solving the Challenges of Leadership Development in Remodeling Companies with Wayne Ottum – [PowerTips Unscripted] S4 E10 appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.

Today on PowerTips Unscripted, Mark and Victoria are joined by Michael Hodgin to discuss using the financial review to pivot to profitability. A complete understanding and review of your company’s financials is a practice that requires a disciplined effort. However, with this practice in place, an owner will be able to use the information from these reviews to pivot when and where necessary to be more profitable year over year. Using his expertise as a former business owner and a business coach, Michael talks about how he examines a company’s financial statements, including what KPIs to review and whom to review the financials with. Michael was an owner of a successful remodeling company for over 22 years. He has since left and is the owner of Maestro’s Toolbox, where he works with owners of design-build companies across the country to help them build better companies and, therefore, better lives. In addition, Michael has been part of the roundtables as an owner, a facilitator for roundtables meetings, and part of the Remodelers Advantage Business Coaching team. Victoria, Mark, and Michael talk more about: When is it best to review financials What should be getting reviewed What is the next step after reviewing And more… The post Using the Financial Review to Pivot to Profitability with Michael Hodgin – [PowerTips Unscripted S4 E9] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.

In this episode, Pete Blank shares customer-service strategies from Disney with Victoria and Mark, and discusses how to apply these lessons to your remodeling company to boost your own team’s customer-service performance.  Pete has been developing leaders and improving service levels of organizations for the past 25 years — 13 of those with the Walt Disney Co. and the past 12 in local government. He loves inspiring others with ways to enhance their organizational culture. You can learn more about Pete Blank at his website: www.peteblank.com, or on his LinkedIn page.  Growing up near Disney World in Orlando, FL., Pete says he knew he always wanted to work there. After a few years as a sportscaster in Alabama, Pete went to Florida and began working for Disney. After 13 years, he and his family moved back to Alabama so he could start working in the local government. Blank said that the biggest challenges to providing outstanding customer service and experiences are speed and expectations. Technology has changed the speed and convenience with which goods and services can be delivered, so you have to align your client’s expectations with what you can actually deliver.  Mark, Victoria, and Pete talk more about: The difference between customer service and customer experience How social media amplifies all experiences —good and bad Making customer service part of your mission How emotional connections create relationships How to measure your customer-service success The power of follow-up surveys And more … Listen Now The post The Magic of Disney’s Customer-Service Strategies with Pete Blank – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.

The demand and absence of skilled labor is a huge challenge for remodelers across North America. We hear it from our Roundtables Members as well as from our associates, sponsors and Podcast guests. In this episode Victoria and Mark explore different ways to tackle the issue, and welcome Dan Hurst to the show to talk about how his firm effectively creates a culture and career path that provides opportunities for his staff to learn and develop new skills. Dan is the President / General Manager of Hurst Design Build Remodel in Westlake, OH and is actively involved in NARI as well as a Master Certified Remodeler and Certified Lead Carpenter. Dan, Victoria and Mark talk more about: Things you can do to create a culture and provide a path to grow your own skilled workforce Why there is a need to develop your own staff vs. hiring Creating opportunities for your employees to learn and develop new skills What a typical career path might look like Managing and helping your staff achieve their career goals The fear of investing time and energy into developing someone, only to have them leave The post Fighting the Labor Shortage with In-house Training with Dan Hurst – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.