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Is It Time to Remodel Your Reputation?

Only about 1,000 remodelers across the country have earned NAHB’s Certified Graduate Remodelor™ (CGR) designation, and if you’re one of them, that puts you at the very top of the nation’s 750,000 remodelers.

But do your prospects know that you are the cream of the crop? Are you maximizing the potential of NAHB’s professional designations to benefit your business?

First and foremost, your prospects need to understand how earning the CGR is their guarantee that they are hiring a professional who has proven expertise in the remodeling industry and the ability to provide them with top-notch products and services.

Start with the basics:

• Do you list your designation on all marketing materials — from your Web site and business cards to your company vehicles and membership listings?
• Do you link your Web site to the certifying organizations? Do those links lead readers to designation descriptions and your name? For example, CAPS members are listed by state within the CAPS section of www.nahb.org.

• Do you provide quick, clear descriptions of your designations on your Web site and your sales materials?
• Do you and your sales team explain your designations on sales calls?
• Do you list the cumulative hours you’ve spent on designations and continuing education alongside your number of years in business?
• Have you offered to teach a class or seminar on how to select a good builder or remodeler? Start with community education classes, real estate agency seminars, your building products dealer and Chamber of Commerce. Then check with NAHB and your local council for materials that will assist you in making these presentations.
• Have you contacted your newspaper’s “home” section editor to show them various CAPS features you’re using? How about a before, during and after story to illustrate your company’s professionalism, the CAPS program, its benefits to home owners and how uncomplicated CAPS modifications can be?
• Have you pitched “visitability” — a home’s accessibility to people with wheelchairs, etc.? In addition to expanding your target audience, “visitability” adds value to any home construction project. Make sure your media and prospects know that.
• Have you introduced a satisfied customer to the editor? Let your client show the media what your CGR and/or CAPS renovation has done for them.

These ideas will get you started. Just remember, however, that without explaining your designation, those acronyms are simply random letters behind your business name.

Jeff Williams, marketing communications manager at Weather Shield Windows & Doors, has been marketing in the building industry for more than 10 years. He is a frequent participant in Remodelors™ Council national meetings and events, most notably, America’s Best Remodeling Hall of Fame, sponsored by Weather Shield.

BuilderBooks.com Offers Publications for Remodelers

BuilderBooks.com offers a variety of publications about remodeling. To view or puchase these publications online, click here, or call 800-223-2665 to order by phone.

University of Housing Offers Courses and Designation Programs

The NAHB University of Housing offers a variety of business management courses and professional designation programs that set builders and remodelers apart from the competition. For a complete list of current offerings, click here.

'PREP: Your First Step to CGR' Offered at IBS

PREP is your first step to becoming a Certified Graduate Remodelor™ (CGR). For more information on PREP offerings at the International Builders' Show in Las Vegas, Jan. 18 and 22, click here.

Make Your Connection With www.nahb.org

Make your connection to the latest housing industry news and information with www.nahb.org — the official public and members-only Web site of NAHB.

Log in today to register for educational seminars, meetings and networking events; find important economic and housing data; and learn the latest developments in NAHB’s efforts to promote housing. It’s all available to you 24 hours a day at www.nahb.org. Just click the "Member Log In" button to get started.

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