Remodeling Mastery by Mark Richardson

Thank you for listening to Remodeling Mastery. Subscribe today to ensure you never miss a new episode by searching for Remodeling Mastery using your favorite podcast app. PART 1: Culture Changes Your business has a certain culture, has certain beliefs, has certain ways of doing things that ultimately define its identity. This culture acts as a magnet that attracts qualified people to work for you. The pandemic is changing the cultures of remodeling companies all across the country. More and more companies have a remote workforce. More and more customers are working from home. More and more people are prioritizing health and safety. In today’s podcast, Mark Richardson will give you strategic and tactical information that will keep you from falling behind the wave of change that’s happening right now. The Client - Customers have hunkered down for quite some time now and this has led to changes in how they think about their home and how they evaluate remodeling companies. Homeowners want to find and develop a relationship with their remodeler. They also highly prioritize health and safety. Marketing - Remodeling companies typically have a high-touch way of generating leads. Moving forward, there’s going to be a lot more focus on digital marketing efforts. Clients now want to find you, more than they want you to find them. You need to put yourself out there now more than ever. Virtual Relationships - The reality is that we have been forced to have more virtual relationships in the past few months. These relationships can be very different from the ones that we’re used to offline. You’ll need to learn the best practices in creating and maintaining virtual relationships with your employees and customers. Work Environment - Many companies are looking to reduce their office footprint by as much as 50-75%. You’ll need to ask yourself what your work environment will look like in the future. Remote working and flexible hours might become a big part of what you do. You - How will you go about making your decisions in the future? Will you be focused on leadership policies or on dialogue and conversation with your team? Now’s the right time to focus on improving your leadership qualities. PART 2: Thought Leader Interview With Brian Gottlieb Brian Gottlieb is the CEO and President of Tundraland, one of the top remodeling companies in the country. Brian and Mark share insights about the changing business dynamics and culture in the remodeling industry. Tune in to learn about the fundamental changes and challenges that his company experienced during this pandemic.

Thank you for listening to Remodeling Mastery! Subscribe now and keep up with our newest episodes by looking for Remodeling Mastery at your favorite podcast app. Mark Richardson opines that 80% of the reason there’s increased interest in home remodeling is because of the current environment and dynamic created by the COVID-19 pandemic. Part 1. Homeowners and Their Current Situation. With homeowners now spending most of their time indoors, they are more likely to notice the things that are wrong inside their home. This is the opposite compared to months ago, when everyone is too busy to make remodeling a priority. Now that they have more time in their hands, this also means they are free to research and pursue their remodeling goals. You’ll notice this by the amount of online search traffic. What’s more, remodeling gives homeowners something to be excited about, something to spend their time and energy on. This active mindset makes them more likely to pick up the phone and call their local remodeler. The pandemic has made travel almost impossible, so they’ll be focusing on projects that improve comfort, enjoyment, and safety, and emphasize the family-gathering element. You may also notice an increase in home office upgrades, given how most of them may be working from home. Basically, homeowners now see their homes as a sanctuary--something of greater value instead of just a roof over their heads. Part 2. Investment of Remodeling Today (Thought Interview with Kermit Baker, Project Director for Remodeling Futures Program at Harvard University). According to Kermit Baker, he expected a dramatic slowdown in home remodeling because it’s an industry that’s typically tied to the economy. While there is no hard data on why remodeling is so popular right now, there is considerable anecdotal information from contractors saying their business is going a lot better than expected--although this may depend on the type of work they specialize in and their service area. Part 3. Ideal Project Types in This Situation (Thought Interview with Kermit Baker, Project Director for Remodeling Futures Program at Harvard University). Kermit shares that projects focusing on outdoor living and landscaping are doing well--basically upgrades where the contractor doesn’t have to enter the home. The same goes for roofing, siding, and window projects. With most people not being able to go beyond their fence unless necessary, homeowners aim to improve their backyard--a contrast to traditional home improvements like room additions. Mark and Kermit further discuss the economic side of home improvement.

Thank you for listening to Remodeling Mastery. Subscribe today to ensure you never miss a new episode by searching for Remodeling Mastery using your favorite podcast app. In this episode: PART 1: New Habits According to studies, it takes 66 days to form a new habit. We’ve been dealing with our current crisis for about three months now, and this is more than enough time for you and your customers to form new habits regarding this situation. In today’s podcast, Mark Richardson shares insights on some of the things that can become new habits in the coming months. 1) Working Remotely - If your customers and clients are working remotely, then they have the skills to utilize video conferencing and other similar technologies. Your company should know how to leverage that. Customers that work remotely also use the spaces inside their home differently. Accessory dwelling units, for example, are beginning to be used as separate working areas. If your employees are working remotely, then you need to make sure that your company culture can adapt to that. 2) Going Virtual - Consider how online shopping has changed the way people buy products. Most people buy their things from both physical stores and from websites. There’s going to be a hybrid of high-touch and high-tech in the remodeling industry and you will need to be prepared for the change. How much time are you spending learning how to make your business go virtual? 3) Work Life Balance - The notion of work time and play time is currently being disrupted. You have an opportunity to develop good habits that can allow you to prioritize the things that matter the most to you. It is critical that you learn how to control and map out your day in order to maintain a good work life balance. PART 2: Thought Leader Interview With Tony Mancini Tony Mancini is the publisher of Professional Remodeler and many other publications. Together, Tony and Mark share the latest insights about the remodeling and construction industry and how it is changing in response to the current crisis. Tune in to learn about health and safety, how to use virtual technology properly, and more.

Thank you for listening to Remodeling Mastery. Subscribe today to ensure you never miss a new episode by searching for Remodeling Mastery using your favorite podcast app. In this episode: PART 1: Ten Ways to Invest in Yourself Mark Richardson shares insights into 10 ways on how to best use the extra time during this period. 1) Develop the Right Mindset - You now have the time and opportunity to have access to insights and information that can help you succeed with your business. Think of it like attending a virtual university. Set aside some time every day to improve your knowledge and skills. 2) Take Inventory - Take inventory of yourself and figure out your own personal and professional fitness. Score yourself on different criteria and then focus on improving your weaknesses bit by bit. 3) Improve Your Technology Skills - Technology has already revolutionized our business. Take some time to sharpen your technology skills. We suggest developing your acumen and your speed. 4) Focus on Your Relationships - Make a list of all of your meaningful family, personal and professional relationships. Take some time out of your day to reach out in a meaningful way to one person from your list. Do this every day. Your relationships are what people will remember about you. 5) Practice Your Hobbies - Take the time to slow down and get back into your hobbies. Investing the time and energy into your hobbies can be therapeutic. You’ll be better at the end of it. 6) Improve the Processes and Systems of Your Business - You need to analyze your business processes and figure out ways to make them more efficient. 7) Engage With Your Community - This is not the time to make an island out of yourself. Reach out to your communities. 8) Develop Technology Tools - Develop new tools or take old tools and push them to the limit. Think about how you can integrate technology into your business and how it can take your business to the next level. 9) Improve Your Leadership Skills - The biggest and most important thing that can lead your business through all this is your leadership. 10) Focus on Your Health and Fitness - If you can focus on getting on a good path as it relates to your health and fitness then you will feel better and you will be able to position yourself better after this period. PART 2: Thought Leader Interview With Erika Taylor Erika Taylor is the chief of content for one of the top construction and remodeling trade publications in the country: Professional Remodeler. Together, she and Mark share the latest insights on how COVID-19 has affected the home services industry and economy and discuss the surprising opportunities that have arisen during this time.

Thank you for listening to Remodeling Mastery. Subscribe today to ensure you never miss a new episode by searching for Remodeling Mastery using your favorite podcast app. In this episode: Part 1: False Positives Mark Richardson shares insights into 5 false positives that he encourages small business owners to have on their radar to help position their businesses for success. 1) Lead Flow: While many businesses are starting to see an uptick in leads, Mark stresses caution on thinking that it also means it's safe to scale back marketing and advertising. The unpredictability of the pandemic could create another period of uncertainty if a second outbreak should occur and those that stop marketing will find themselves in trouble once again. 2) Online Engagement Rates: Just because open rates and engagement on social media are higher, it doesn't necessarily equate to better marketing. Mark stresses the importance of understanding the environment and how it affects your performance when determining which activities are yielding the greatest ROI. 3) Close Rates: While businesses are seeing a 5% to 10% increase in close rates, that could be more of a representation of the buyers' sense of urgency than anything else. It's always critical that you review and improve your sales processes on an ongoing basis. 4) Virtual vs Face-to-Face Interactions: Virtual sales consultations will become the new normal, but for right now at least, many customers still expect in-home visits because that's all they've ever known. However, the businesses that don't make it a priority now to focus on virtual selling and mastering the art, will soon start to see opportunities lost to those that have. 5) Balancing Your Project Portfolio: While home services contractors are starting to see customers resume their "big ticket" projects, it's important to still accommodate smaller-scale projects to keep a balanced portfolio in the event of another outbreak creating another period of uncertainty. Part 2: Thought Leader Interview with Kermit Baker (Chief Economist for the American Institute of Architects and Project Director of the Remodeling Futures Program at Harvard University) Mark and Kermit discuss what's happening and share the latest insights on how COVID-19 continues to impact the home services industry and economy.

In unprecedented and challenging times, it's important to understand the environment your business operates in and how it's evolving. What is the new normal? How does it impact your ability to grow your business? In this episode, Mark Richardson breaks down the new normal by looking at 5 core aspects: 1. How consumer behaviors are changing 2. What will be the accepted health and safety measures 3. The business models that will help you thrive 4. How going virtual now will give you a competitive edge 5. The mindset you need to grow your business during uncertain times

Thank you for listening to Remodeling Mastery! Become a subscriber today—just search for ‘Remodeling Mastery’ on your podcast app of choice. (1:06) In This Episode: How Are You Feeling? Over the past few weeks, we focused on the fact that now is the time to lead. This topic shifts gears to discuss the actions that you can take to help you navigate the experience that we're having today. In this episode of Remodeling Mastery, Mark will discuss the four things that you can do during this time that will help you improve your business. Focusing on actions that you can take can help you reduce your anxiety and give you a clearer picture of how you can deal with the coming months ahead. (12:27) Thought Leader Interview with David Pickle, CEO of The National Association of the Remodeling Industry David Pickle is the CEO of The National Association of the Remodeling Industry. NARI assists with business development, serves as a platform for advocacy and helps connect homeowners with its professional members. It's the only professional trade organization dedicated to the remodeling industry. Join David and Mark as they share insights about the industry and discuss what NARI does for its members. "I think one of the strongest intangibles is what you just touched on. The validation that you're not terminally unique. And that I think is the struggle for a lot of us that are out there in the marketplace whether we are in our first year or in our fifteenth year." —David Pickle

The night is always darkest before the dawn. No matter how dark things may appear, there will always be light at the end of the tunnel. It's just a matter of when, not if. In this special episode of Remodeling Mastery, Mark Richardson shares 10 actionable steps that can help put your behavior and mindset in the right place to reclaim your mojo.

Mark Richardson shares why now is the time to work on improving your business amongst all the uncertainty and chaos. Over the course of 15 minutes, Mark shares 10 areas he believes all business owners and professionals should focus their time and energy on that can have the greatest change and ultimately make their businesses stronger. 1. Be proactive, not reactive with how you spend your time 2. Prepare for a challenging few months 3. Get your priorities in order; what's right and what's most important? 4. Know your numbers Keep listening to learn more! *The interview with Andrew Sherman that Mark Richardson mentions at times during this episode is coming soon.

In this episode, Mark Richardson suggests businesses take a glass half full approach as it relates to the COVID-19 pandemic. Take a listen to discover 10 ideas for how you can position your business to come out of this period of uncertainty better than you were before it started. These ideas are inspired by conversations Mark has had over the past week as he speaks with business owners and leaders across the country on what they're seeing and thinking and will help you set the stage for your business to thrive 6 months, 9 months, a year from now.