Home Inspector Pro Inspection Software Forum

I posted a reply to another inspector* and had some things to say about marketing.  How do you all market your businesses?  I would be interested not only in seeing what you do, but in getting new ideas that might boost my business.  Thank you in advance for replies and ideas that you think might help us all.

*  It follows below:

In business development, there are lots of keys, all under the heading of organization and marketing.

Here is what you market:
1.  Yourself - consistent contact with clients - agents, brokers, loan officers - personal contact, monthly emails like newsletters, ads dropped off into agent's mailboxes, mailings.  The key word is consistent.  Personal grooming and how you dress should NOT be underrated.  How you speak generally and with clients is certainly NOT to be underrated.  If your vocabulary lacks, work on it.  If you use the words "like" or "um" or "you know" or "I mean" a lot, alter your phraseology.
2.  Your company - diversify your services.  Make it known to your client agents or brokers everything you do and demonstrate that you do them well.  Home inspections offers a wide array of service possibilities.
3.  Your abilities - if you aren't learning and growing, you aren't learning and growing, and constantly falling behind those who are.  This should be obvious.  One of my favorite quotes, hanging in my office, is from Michelangelo, written when he was 87 (he died at 93), "I am still learning."  If you aren't familiar with his bio you should be.  And HE wanted to grow more.  The home inspection business is a GREAT way to develop abilities.   A general education is important too.  Education is useless if not shared.  If you don't know how to do something, find someone who is good at it, learn from them, and work at it.
4.  Your product and presentation - my opinion is that only about 30% of the home inspection business is construction knowledge.  Another 30% would be your ability to communicate, educate and inform your clients during an inspection.  If you don't do that well, believe me, the agents will notice and it will get around their office tomorrow.  Another 30% would be the quality of your reporting - easy to understand yet comprehensive, complete yet not overwhelming - very, very important not only to the client but to YOU.  The last 10% would be people skills, which are hard to teach.
5.  Anything else that sets you aside from the pack.  A slight edge is everything.  Tiger Woods has an average score that is less than 1 stroke ahead of #50 on the PGA Tour.  Can you name #50?  You may not have ever heard of him.  ANYTHING slightly different about you can work to your favor and impress.

If you don't think marketing is important, there are 20 mountains in North America higher than Pike's Peak.  How many can you name?

As to organization, there are as many kinds of organizations as there are people.  You have to organize in a way that complements you and who you are.

I am very busy, 2 or 3 inspections every day, 6 days a week - in English and in Spanish.  I am booked days in advance, and my agent clients put extra time on their contracts to try to schedule me.  I get LOTS of referrals from people who know someone I did an inspection for.  No brag, just fact.  It has taken years to get there.  But I have been busy, even recently, where other inspectors (and realtors) in my area (Northern Virginia just outside DC) have gone way out of business.  Contrary to Dominic's Southern CA friends, I have no bling, preferring investments.  Bling you pay for, investments pay you.

If you desire to get rich, go get rich...  you may have to work for it however.

I love ya, my brutha...  keep on keeping on.  You can get there.

Postcards from Vistaprint.com  has great ideas for our business. I pass them out to Realtors, and I drop them in there mail box to give to their clients, with discount offers. It works.

Join a Realtor members list with your local Realtor Board. They add you to there site which all affiliates and Real Estate Industry looks at, and also add that to your site, that your on there affiliate members list. It also gives you a chance to go to their education courses, you do pay the members price but remember Realtors are there for the course, so your chance in meeting Realtors are great, this is what I do twice a month, and you meet new people every time. If the Realtors see you and start get comfortable seeing you there, you find another realtor to work with.

Take care and good luck...Autm

Thanks Aram!  I thought to pose this question to the general forum after replying to a post under Inspection Questions today by Dominic.  I hope a marketing question is useful for everyone.  You have some great ideas.   Jay

Marketing questions are always great for everyone. Once traffic here picks up some more I'll start a separate marketing section.

Good plan Dominic

How does everyone here feel about post cards do they get peoples attention, do people actually tell you that a friend gave me your Post card to do an inspection..

As cheap as I been paying for them at vistaprint with great design and simple english wording, Realtors are pleased the way they look, and professional looking.

Any comments on how you guys market your business, and to who.

The day of or after a home inspection, I send a little thank you postcard to whoever referred me.  It basically says that referring me is the sincerest form of flattery, and that I hope to see them over and over again.  It has my phone number and logo.  I have been on inspections with a "new" realtor I have never met, and he/she has a postcard I sent to someone else.  I have also seen my cards in realtor's offices thumbtacked onto a bulletin board.  That way they don't have to look up my number. It's another form of regular, personal contact...

Thank you cards are appreciated, always.  I purchase different types thru vistaprint, with about 400 Realtors in our area that I cover, it only cost me 50.00 to order anything i want writen..

My plans are going little further this time..im going to the local paper and have them insert my post cards in the sunday paper so every residence would get one. It would cost about 300-400 to get the cards and have them in the papers... thats about 1,500 cards. if I get 2% of that i'll be in great shape. Since I do energy auditing and other environmental services the percentage maybe close to 5% .  ;D ;D

Aram - I went to the vistaprint site but did not see the $50 bulk thing to which you refer.  It seemed they were expensive, and I am doing a lot of my own printing at home (thanks you's, business cards, brochures).  Do you get a good price once you get involved with them?  Thanks,   Jay

If you go to the Marketing section on there list it comes out with special prices once you design a card, put a fake company name and a number and follow it to the end, like to the check out section, it will ask you the qty that you want, then just cont until u ckout ..always pay the cheapest shipping cost.. even if it says 21 days .I always get mine in about 4 days NO joke, they have tons of other items they want to sell you just keep saying NO until the end..then ck out the price how cheap it is...i wll be in Az tonight for a class with Kaplan if you want I can call you and direct you in that direction. I been buying from them for the past 2 years..they always send specials but I never buy them lol..everyone gets a discount..

catch me tonight once I settle in..

I know this is a bit late, but vista will send you offers for free stuff all the time after  you make your first order.

Advice worth repeating is do not pay for express shipping. I get eveything within a week, no matter the shipping choice. Of course now that I post that someone won;t get their stuff for 3 wks.  How bout *Results not typical*
 ;)

hey Rick you added the slide show to your website right? can u do me a favor and call me when u get a chance also..vote for my website in Inachi june webpole..www.arrowepi.com
i need to understand how to add pic's to a slide show..would appreciate it very much

Have a great week

Aram - When you get a minute, be sure to link your site to mine!  You are already on mine now.  Saaayy, it might be worth a vote...  that's the carrot - here's the stick -
www.jaymarinspect.com
Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC
Serving all of Northern Virginia, Washington DC and suburban Maryland

Haven't done slide show yet - still looking into it.  Sorry, can't help with that aspect yet.  I need to carve out some time to get back to work on my site!

I thought I had written a tutorial on it, I'll write one up in more detail.

Jay,

I'm a fairly new inspector. I, too, am located in Virginia.  I'm in the midst of getting established and getting off the ground  and my biggest dilema has been how to market (especially in these times) and grow the business as a new inspector?  I fully agree with your marketing startegies.  My problem has been tracking the real estate folks down, seems like no one is ever around.  My next strategy is to send an introductory e-mail out stating who I am and what I'm about.  I'm also going to send the same type of introductory letter out the same through the mail.  Looking back how did you market as a new inspector?  Just curious?  Out this way things have been very slow and being new to the game doesn't seem to be helping.  Any advice would be appreciated.

You guys should check out RRs Marketing forum at http://www.gogetforum.com/?mforum=marketing for very detailed advice. 

As a side note, Dominic, you may want to ask Russel if he would post some of his stuff here for HIP users to peruse.

Hello Jay
The best thing that you can do is find out if the Realtor have an association, like here in my city it's called Columbia Board of realtors it has over 700 realtors listed on there roaster. Once you become a member your name goes on the list for inspections. I does not stop there to wait for a call, get involved with them and see what the affiliate do to get recognized, I serve muffins once a month for their MLS meetings on Wed. I gave a company presentaion of you i am,, 1may2 might show up, but you have to make a great impresstion like you had a room full of people. I served a Free lunch. I had out of 18 emails that would be there 12 came by, also join an investors group that involve brokers contractors, realtors, title Co, Mortgage Co and so on. This is how i started to get noticed, and also get certified in every way you can in different areas of the housing industry. I am now certified energy auditor, and i give them away for Free with every home inspection, a $200.00 value but im makin money from the inspection and it also takes me 20 extra min while im performing an inspection..my cost for energy audit 20.00 big deal lol.. www.vistaprint.com is the best and cheapest placce to get you business cards and post cards for the business. If you have any questions or assistance email me at mo.homeinspections@gmail.com

Good luck

Mark - I did not do emails 27 years ago and letters are not very personal.  I did marketing in person, in person, in person.  Among many other things, I created a small 1/2 page topical note, on colored paper.  One month it was foundation, next exterior, next roof, and so forth - and I printed them and dropped them off at each realty office (around here I could do 6 or 7,000 in a week) and had them placed in each agent's mailbox.  I used the same color each month and the agents got used to that color coming from me.  After seeing these different topics each month they began looking forward to the next month.  They began to call.  The first agent to call me in Oct 1981 still calls!  What does that tell you?  Since then she has her own office and I am on the "Diamond List" of vendors suggested by them.  I don't know where you are, but make a routine of visiting and cultivating relationships.

I am an old guy and email does nothing for me.  Maybe to keep in touch when something good happens, but not for marketing.  As Scoutmaster, I use it in my Boy Scout troop to keep everyone informed as to calendars, events, meeting agendas, etc., but not for critical notifications or one-on-one meetings.  When I got my MBA 300 years ago, communication was defined as - Input, Function, Output, Feedback.  Email does not meet those criteria unless someone notifies you that they got it (input), are working on your input (function) and then get back to you with a report of result (output).  Then you measure the result (feedback).  THAT is communication!  In person meetings with agents, from office to office, I think is critical.

Aram has some good suggestions too.  I think they may be meant for you.

Some ideas work and some don't.  But don't be afraid to throw them out there.  AND, what works with some people does not with others, and so forth.  So try it all...

You are a package, which I suggested in a marketing post a while ago.  Wrap yourself up pretty, present yourself well, and do a job that others recognize as having value!  There isn't another of you - so you do have value!!

I read a book, maybe written before you were born but applies today, called "Jonathan Livingston Seagull."  You might consider it.  There is a line in there that says something like, "You are never given a dream without also being given the power to make it come true.  You may have to work for it however..."  Also, ANYTHING written by Og Mandino is so cool your socks will curl (Markanich gives him 10 toes up!).  Try "The Greatest Salesman in the World" first.  If you like it, move on from there.  Starting out in business, I had the 10 scroll titles on my wall...  Mr. Mandino is dead now, but had a very interesting life story.

I have a plaque in my office, of a quote by Michaelangelo, that says, "I am still learning."  He was 87 when he said that and died at 93.  THERE is another incredible life history.

Starting out in business is difficult at best.  You need really big cajones (cajón is a Spanish word for big holder or big box and the plural has a street slang meaning).  You get it I'm sure.  Being in business for yourself is hard work.  People sometimes say to me how cool it must be to set my own hours, do my own thing, control my own time.  Um, no...  you work harder for yourself than you would EVER work for someone else.  I know I do!

Call me any time.  My cell is 703-585-7560.

Mark,

 One tip I've seen guys use is to make a really nice Sample Report and drop off copies in all the local offices. Make it looks sharp, nice photos, document things well. Real Estate agents respond very well to our report designs. Just ask any of the guys here.

Aram/Jay/Dominic,

Thanks very much for the constructive responses.  I think I get it .  I've got to get more aggressive and probably creative (like you Jay with the topicl notes).  I'm confident that once I let people know that I'm available and the service I offer things will pick up.  Probably trying a number of different methodologies will prove successful.  Being I'm located in a rural area (Jay, I'm located in Rappahannock County, approx. 20 miles from Warrenton and/or Culpeper), I'm just trying to find the most cost-effective way to market myself and reach people given gas prices and the state of the economy.  But I also realize you have to spend money - to make money!!

Dom, great idea.  I'm in the midst of creating a sample report not only for my website but also to present to the real estate folks.       

I go to Culpeper and Warrenton all the time for inspections.  Bristow is just up 29 from Warrenton, about 15 minutes.  As to the report, I think a real report has more to say than a made up one, but when you make up one you can be creative and add commentary and/or pictures you want. 

The report I have posted on my web site is a real inspection - horrific house, turned by an illegal into three apartments (one for each floor) and then turned back into a "house."  It was frightful, as you can see on the report...!

Jay, you have some outstanding ideas.  One idea that I've been thinking of trying (not sure that this will work) is to offer a discount to persons that volunteer their time.  I’m going to test run this idea with my church.  We have a group that does prison ministries.  I would offer people a discount if they would go and volunteer their time one day in the prison ministry.  Then have the head ministry guy sign off on a form and bam... they get a discount, the church gets volunteers, they get a good feeling for helping others and hopefully they or a prisoner finds God.  How can anyone loose with this idea.  You can do this for cleaning roads, Jesus House, homeless shelters, etc.

Fundamentally I’m trying to get people involved in their communities and help other. Some will love this idea, and others will snub their nose at the mere thought of volunteering.

I also offer a discount for emergency personnel, teachers, and military.  They serve our communities every day or put up with our wild and crazy kids.  So why not give a little back. 

Thanks, John - you do too!  Remember, you are charging others for a service that you render them.  Hopefully your service saves them a lot of headache or money or affords them the opportunity to make a decision they would be unable to make without you - either way, you are "giving back."  Prior to us home inspectors, the real estate industry was caveat emptor.  Now it is caveat sellor...  okay, the "sellor" word is my invention, but point made!

As to this concept of giving back - I think the people who need to give back are the burglars, rapists, thieves, cheats, murderers, con artists, and on and on ad nauseum.  You get what I mean...

Oh yes, I get ya.

I am a new inspector in Oregon, Luckily in a well populated area. I shouldn't say new as I have been in buisness now for about 6 months, so pretty new. I have been slowly moving along, the one thing that I have noticed to work is realtors prefered providers list. This is where I have found my cheapest best buisness, and repeat buisness. My question is though I do not have a website, where has everyone else done a website? What's worked the best? What's the cheapest way to do a website?

Hey Scott,

Welcome to the message board!

I think you'll find most of the guys on this site get their website through us. David Macy (who is on this board) told me yesterday he received 3 calls through his site during the day. I know many inspectors who get 75%-90% of their business through the web. To find out more info click on Website hosting at the top of this site. All inspectors get 3 months free to try it out so you really have nothing to lose. It's $19.99 a month after that since you use Home Inspector Pro. You can see lots of other inspectors sites listed on the Website Hosting page, or check out the last board on this forum which is for website hosting and look in the link exchange thread, lots of guys have posted their site info there.

Hey everyone, I've been working hard on getting my web site up and running, Its almost done.  My site is www.oklahomahomeinspector.biz, feel free to give me some input if you like.

Hey John,

The sites looking great, especially since you've just had it for a few days! I like the sample report too. Once you get started on search engine optimization you'll be able to get nice rankings with your site and domain name. I like your logo, lol.

Oh ya, I like that too.  It fits well for my company.  The HLC stands for Hairy legged Cowboy.  My fiance's mom calls me a cowboy because I live here in Oklahoma (she lives in Cali).  Then her boss tells her to watch out for those hairy legged boys.  So I combined the two and made a HLC!!!  lol

HAHAHA. I can see your full name being on the report. "Hairy Legged Cowboy Inspections, LLC"

LMAO  Man I shoulda done it that way.  I bet people wouldn't forget me!!!

LMAO ??

Laughing My Arse Off. Come on Jay get with the geek speak.

Sorry Jay, thats from working the last 4 or 5 years in a lab all by myself.  I had to stay sane by texting people.  lol (laugh out loud) Oh and by the way, I linked your website!!!  Mines www.oklahomahomeinspector.biz

Yo no geeko...~

~  See my next post...

Okay, John - you are linked.  IOMWT*

* It's On My Website Too#

# How'd I do?+

+ Yo no geeko...%

%  See my previous post.

Postscript - John Sopher - I like your logo.  I your heading you should replace the bug-eyed guy with Hop-A-Long there...  love it!

OKAY!!!  I love that idea!  I'll talk to wizard Dominic, he can do anything.  lol  ;)

Lol, you can do it yourself. Go to Themes and change the logo. Also, add your website to your profile and your signature here. Very important as the search engines will pick you up. Set your location too so every knows where you're from!

Ya I tried it.  It was too small to even think about looking good.  It just looked like a bunch of scribbles.

Ahh I just looked at the theme you're using. Have you ever used a photo editor such as GIMP or Photoscape? With the theme you are using, you can replace the entire top green bar with your own image. You can download the green bar from the Website Image Downloads on the home page here, then open it in Photoscape (free) and simply to a layover image where you lay your logo on top of the green bar. Then on your theme configuration page you can upload the new image. If you need help with this, let me know.

Hmmm Ive never done anything like that before but I have paint shop pro which is a pretty good program.

Paint shop pro will work fine. Play around with it and let me know how it goes. You can also just right click on the green top bar and click save image as and save it to your computer.