Contractor Tips: Tips from a Successful Contractor

Contractor Tips: Tips from a Successful Contractor

With pride and admiration I bring you today's blog: "Contractor Tips" straight from my favorite home improvement contractor - My Dad, Barry Eisenberg, owner of Good Housekeeping Construction in Southfield, Michigan.

I am a third generation home improvement gal. In 1966, my grandfather, Meyer Eisenberg, started working in Detroit as a home improvement salesman. Within no time, he evolved into owning his own home improvement company, which my dad began working at right out of high school. To make a long story short, over forty years later, my father has continued the family tradition of top quality, honest construction and renovation services in the City of Detroit and surrounding areas. I am also proud to say that I was part of that tradition for 10 years, first by working in sales and then as the company office manager. It's the best to be able to work for family (well, sometimes) and a great company at the same time.

I grew up living home improvement - there were always window and siding samples in the back seat of my dad's car and roofing shingle samples (along with carpet and paint, etc., samples) in the trunk. Tape measures, linoleum samples, contracts, lead slips...whatever home improvement paraphernalia I could get my hands on I used for playing home improvement designer/sales lady. At a young age, I knew all about vinyl siding being better than aluminum siding and why a 30 year old leaky roofs should be replaced and not repaired.

If you ask me why my dad has been successful all these years, I would say: straight up honesty and being a good person are ultimately what made my grandfather and my father into successful home improvement contractors. Last night I interviewed my dad about what he thinks has made him into a successful contractor. Here is what he had to say:

My Dad's Top 5 Ways to Becoming a Successful Contractor

1. First Impressions

"When somebody calls your company, you must be extremely nice and make a good impression. Even if you have had a bad day, you must be nice to all potential customers. Having a nice person who will really speak with the caller and find out their needs is crucial (I just have to add that for 10 years, I was that nice person answering those calls and making the good impression). If you make the phone call memorable then the potential customer will look forward to seeing you and won't feel threatened."

2. Returning Phone Calls

"A contractor must return all phone calls A.S.A.P. If a customer is calling with a question or concern, you can't ever keep the customer sitting and wondering when you are going to call back. Certainly 24 hours should never pass without returning a phone call."

3. Following Up on Complaints

"No matter how good of a contractor you are, concerns, complaints and real problems arise. A contractor must check all complaints also within 24 hours. Building problems and complaints are hard to assess and solve over the phone. I always go right out to the home to inspect any problem. One of the biggest consumer complaints with home improvement contractors is that customers feel ignored by their contractors when they have questions or concerns. Make sure to pay attention to your customers and always treat them with respect."

4. Advertising

"Spend your advertising dollars wisely. Track your advertising dollars and see if your spending is worth it. Find out what works best for your company and stick to that method. In today's challenging economy, all home improvement contractors are hurting - some more than others. A service like Networx.com is a proven way to increase your business. Get yourself listed on their networks and you'll see an increase in your business". (Contractors: You can sign up to Networx.com right here.)

5. No Cutting Corners

"You can absolutely never even consider cutting corners when building. Either do it the right way or don't do the job".

I want to thank my dad for, taking the time to answer these questions for me and for of course being a great dad and an honest guy. If you need work done on your home in the Metro Detroit area, give my dad a call:(313) 863-9400 or (248) 557-3200. Good Housekeeping Construction: "Where a Promise Made is a Promise Kept." I can personally promise that to you!

Posted by Marcy Tate