Pat Curry

Pat Curry's Posts

• Repeat After Me

  by Pat Curry

  While it may take weeks to close a first sale, repeat business often can be wrapped up in a day, because the customer's already sold on your quality and value. Cultivating repeat customers is smart business, says Austin, Texas-based customer loyalty expert Jill Griffin, who consults for corporations such as Microsoft and Sprint. At many businesses, she says, roughly 80% of a company's revenue is generated by 20% of its clientele.

• Whole-Hearted Half-Timers

  by Pat Curry

  It just about killed Ken Moeslein when one of his best salesmen said he was quitting to go to college. The president of Pittsburgh-based Swingline Windows supported his employee 100% because he places a high value on education. But it didn't make it any easier to contemplate the idea of his leaving. So instead, Moeslein offered him a part-time position as sales manager to lure him back.

• Pants on Fire

  by Pat Curry

  To safeguard against the fallout from deceptive salespeople, replacement contractors need to have clearly communicated and fairly enforced policies and procedures that address dishonesty.

• BUILDER Magazine's Top 10 Elements of Style

  by Pat Curry

  Hip, chic, and trendy are great for clothes and cars. But when your product is designed to last for generations, you tend to be a little skeptical about what's hot and what's not. To find out what design elements are resonating with today's buyers, Builder interviewed production, semi-custom, and custom builders, architects, real estate agents, and interior designers nationally, as well as Gopal Ahluwalia, staff vice president of research for the NAHB, to create our own top 10 list.

• Fear Factor

  by Pat Curry

  EIFS is just one of the products that have cost builders millions over the years. That's why virtually every production builder shares the opinion of Randy Luther, vice president of construction technology for Centex Homes, about new products."