Smarter Remodeling lives up to its name in more ways than one. Technologically, the company uses an online scheduling and selection system that shows customers exactly who’s coming to their home and when.
“One of the most important keys to success is to keep the customer informed at all times,” says Fabian Videla, the firm’s CEO and president. “Our relationship with the customer is always great.”
Even though Smarter Remodeling uses subs, Videla puts everyone through the same training program and on the same systems. “We don’t have a lot of miscommunication,” he says.
Videla even bought smartphones and tablets for subs who didn’t already have them. An investment, certainly, but a smart one. Now, instead of only being able to manage three or four jobs on a white board, the company can manage up to 12.
“We have all the information at our fingertips,” Videla says. “We don’t have to run from job site to job site.”
Videla approaches lead generation in a smart way, too. Like a lot of remodeling firms, he sponsors sports teams to get his name out, but he takes it a step further. He uses his sponsorship to get box seats to games and then invites potential referral sources—mortgage brokers, real estate agents, and the like—along with past customers.
“Associating ourselves with sports teams whose names are bigger than ours has started opening doors that were closed before,” he says. “We just talk for about 10 minutes about who we are and the rest happens organically. I think our past customers are our best salespeople.”