The way Christopher Brown sees it, it’s better to eat the cost of a mistake or a complaint than to have an unhappy customer. “We really don’t mind spending money to make the customer satisfied,” says Brown, CEO of Rescon Basement Solutions. “The money we spend indirectly goes to positive reviews.”
Earning credibility is important to Brown, since he specializes in such a niche market and must have a larger market to draw from than other remodelers. But even though he’s serving most of southern New Hampshire and Massachusetts, he takes a neighborhood approach to lead generation.
“We really try to promote an area when we’re in it and maximize our exposure there,” he says. “I’m a big believer that most homeowners like to do business with companies they see in their neighborhood.”
That belief has produced some pretty impressive results: Typically, one job turns into three in each neighborhood, Brown says.
Brown chalks up Rescon’s 40% close ratio to well-educated sales and estimating teams who aren’t just trying to sell a project. “It’s drilled into their heads that their job is to help the client,” he says.
Brown also has high expectations for his workers, including seeing a minimum number of change orders. A suite of technological tools, from iPad estimating to 3D design to cloud-based files, ensures that customers get a clear, itemized list of work.
“So there are not a lot of unforeseens. It’s all there in front of you,” he says. “That’s how you eliminate change orders."