Spring 2013 Table of Contents

Featured Articles
Take 'Maybe' off the Kitchen Table in In-Home Selling

Clearing the air with homeowners about possible outcomes will eliminate the fear that prevents them from being able to make a decision about a project or product. Read more

Exteriors: New Products

New products from around the world of exteriors. Read more

How To Track Gross Margin Loss

The gross margin dollars you need to fund your company and pay yourself begin to erode the minute the sale is complete. Here's how, and how to stop that from happening. Read more

Women Bring Key Advantages To Selling Home Improvement

What women who sell construction projects to homeowners should be aware of when it comes to their own feelings and the expectations that homeowners have. Read more

Finding Success as a Next-Generation Owner

In family-owned home improvement companies, the next-generation owner has to earn his or her stripes, often by sales success and outside education. Read more

Sales Metrics That Matter in Home Improvement Selling

The five key measurements that allow you see if a salesperson is producing for your company or not. Read more

Really Get Homeowners in Touch With What You Sell

Make in-home selling a sensual experience and you'll soon be closing more business. Read more

Applying the Same Rules for All Salespeople

What happens when your star sales rep starts to get out of hand? You can avoid diva behavior by laying down ground rules early. Read more

OSHA Pushes Enhanced Fall Protection Rules

In the past, having a job safety plan on a residential roofing job might have been enough to meet OSHA fall safety requirements. Not any more. Read more

Tapping Into Mobile

As more and more Web traffic originates with mobile devices, apps allowing customers to connect with you and do business via smartphone or tablet will be as critical to your business as your website itself. Read more

Extra Hands: the Benefits of Internships

Internships, whether paid or unpaid, work when you outline the tasks involved, set expectations, and manage your intern day-by-day. Read more

Test the Waters Before Selecting Media

Media leads are the most expensive part of an ongoing home improvement marketing campaign. Here's what to look for in testing to see which medium will work best for your company. Read more

Steady Backlog Keeps Crews Busy

Setting and maintaining a backlog goal helps home improvement companies keep crews busy year-round. Read more

Name of the Game: Bidding on Keywords to Market Your Company

How effective is the practice of bidding on competitors' names as keywords so that a homeowner looking for the competing company will also find an ad for yours? Read more

How To Convert Website Visitors to Leads

Your website should be set up to anticipate and convert at some level every kind of visitor, regardless of where he or she is in the buying cycle. Read more

Planning Prepares You for Deck Jobs of Any Size

Prep work up front can make that daunting six-figure deck-and-more job fully manageable. Read more

Be Aware of Who's Allowed To Tear Off Old Asbestos Siding

Many older homes in some states have asbestos shingle or board siding, which can -- under some circumstances -- be a health hazard if removed. Read more

Hail Tracking Is Key To Swift Storm Damage Response by Roofers

The increasing sophistication of computerized hail-tracking systems enables a handful of roofers specializing in storm work to get to neighborhoods, and jobs, first. Read more

Sell Decorative Shutters To Enhance a Window or Siding Project

An expansive category with many materials, colors, and finishes, decorative shutters are an enhancement easy to sell using virtual imaging. Read more

Chest Pains: What Happens When a Key Employee Is Suddenly Gone

Systems and processes become particularly important when your company suddenly loses a key employee. Read more

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