….. AND Shaping the one you got.
So here I am again re-examining the business aspect of my business. Coupla things
Missed an opportunity to shape my business with customer contact by simply turning down 2 opportunitys to bid on roofs today. I should’ve explained to the potential customers that I am interested in roofing as part of bigger remodel and addition projects but that I really don’t do roofs as part of the every day TMO package.
Question #1 Agree or disgree with the way I am looking at the turning down of roof jobs. Anybody bid one items jobs like roofing and look to sub it out?
Hired a payroll service. It seems paychex has a local rep who travels down this way. Got my first official payroll check delivered to be signed today. Seem to be saving a few dollars a week.
Will be making my first SCA type offer to spec a job, design it, and build it, this week.
Looking for more business shaping suggestions.
Was asked by a customer to get my Lead Abatement certification. The customer is a quasi-government authority that I do handicap bath remodels for. The suggestion was that I could likely recoup the cost of the certification class in the first hour of work. Any certified lead abatement specialists here?
As always thanks for the great thoughts and inputs
Replies
We advertise roofing but only sub them out. I do this on a few items. The only areas I won't at least submit a bid in an area we don't do is if I don't have a good sub. Don't get many of them but the ones you do sure make you feel good to make money on that markup without driving nails. We do still manage it and deal with the customer of course and stop out and check on the work and how they are handling themselves. DanT
I'm a bit leary of the exposure to liability especially when it comes to roofing. I've had very few problems when I did roofs but just taking a job to sub it out to someone else seems problematic for me. Probably my problem with it is lack of subs in roofing. Bunch of roofers around here but most don't have the proper insurance comp wise. If I have a bigger project that includes the roof the liabilty seems less cause I'm on the job and can be pretty directly involved in the job.
I might try it though.
I understand your concerns and I share them. That is why I don't push the items that I may sub I just act as an opurtunist. If someone calls for say a roof and I happen to have someone I feel good about then I will do a quote. If not then I simply tell them that I don't have anyone I feel good about and suggest a roofer with a good reputation.
But anyone that I sub to has to do the work in my opinion in the same manner and quality that I would and I have to feel assured of that. But when it happens it sure it nice money for little effort. :-) DanT
Missed an opportunity to shape my business with customer contact by simply turning down 2 opportunitys to bid on roofs today. I should've explained to the potential customers that I am interested in roofing as part of bigger remodel and addition projects but that I really don't do roofs as part of the every day TMO package.
Theres two lines of thought here. Specialize and focus, or expand.
Since you already do roofing, it's not a big stretch to include it as one of your products, but I'd be wary of getting caught up doing them without a solid business plan.
We have lined up a roofing sub and we would package and sell the roof job. I'm not particulary focused on that component at this time, but it will be part of our agenda. When we get to creating our roofing game plan, I'm sure it will be only upscale roofs, meaning 40 or 50 year warranty type stuff with every known underlayment installed in redundant layers of inpentrable barriers. If they are getting prices of 20k, we'll be at 30k.
I wouldn't go for the lead cert unless I was starting up a specialty division, which I'm not, at this time. It sounds like it's a fit for what your already doing, so it might be something you should do.
blue
Just because you can, doesn't mean you should!
Warning! Be cautious when taking any framing advice from me. There are some in here who think I'm a hackmeister...they might be right! Of course, they might be wrong too!