To educate clients about his company, Kirk Development, and to set it apart from other Phoenix remodeling companies, president Tom Sertich uses a presentation book during his first sales meeting with a prospective client. The book is filled with information about the company including: a company fact sheet; photos of the sales and design teams; a photo of the company’s office; pages that illustrate the company’s design software; a list of awards and certifications; the company’s contractor license; before-and-after project photos; testimonials; newsletters; a list of affiliated companies; and samples of the company’s contract, change orders, and invoices.
Not all of this information is included for every prospect. Instead, Sertich and his salespeople tailor the book to showcase what they think will appeal to a particular client. They then spend time reviewing the presentation book with potential clients. “How long we spend on it depends on the customer,” Sertich says. “We tell them we have a process that we go through when we first meet them, and this is just one [part of it]. They need to know who we are and what we do — we’re not working out of the back of a truck. ... We’re building up education about the company during the first few contacts.”
To that end, the book helps emphasize the company’s longevity and founding principles. When Sertich reviews the company’s license and insurance information with a prospect, he alerts them to the importance of checking the license of anyone they hire. He also recently added information about lead certification and informs homeowners about the lead rule.
Before the first visit, Sertich sends the homeowner some information about the company. After reviewing the presentation book with them, he leaves them with a folder of more detailed information to keep.
—Nina Patel, senior editor, REMODELING.
