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My Competitor Just Paid My Membership Dues

Actually every year since our company joined in 1995, I have found a different remodeler — usually a Certified Graduate Remodelor (CGR) — to pay my membership for the coming year. And in Houston, that cost is substantial: $550 ($75 for the Remodelers™ Council and $475 for the HBA).

I know what you’re thinking, “How is this possible?” No, I did not win a bet to find myself the beneficiary of such largesse. I just shared my knowledge and experience, as I have ever since I joined. And my fellow remodeler, like every other remodeler in our council, did the same.

In my particular case this year, I sought her recommendation for a tile contractor, and the advice she gave me saved me more money than the cost of my dues — and that's after only one project. Here’s what happened.

Our firm’s relationship with our regular tile contractor was waning. We had been with him for a number of years, but we felt his quality was not keeping pace with the needs and desires for more sophisticated and intricate designs from our increasingly affluent clientele. We wanted to find a new tile installer and knew that the Yellow Pages was not an effective option. So we asked council members if they could recommend someone and they responded.

Our first contract using the recommended contractor was for more than $8,000. We expected a slippage of some 4% (which amounts to about half the cost of our membership), based on the labor problems that we experienced with our former tile contractor, but there were no problems and no extra costs. Add to that the good will we accrued with out client, the time we saved because our project manager did not have to solve any tile-related quality issues and — “boom!” — our coming dues again were paid in full for another year.

Today, 90% of trade contractors and more than 90% of our vendors are members of the Remodelers™ Council. Most important of all, however, through the sharing and mentoring atmosphere that permeates our council, 90% of those partnerships came about through the referral from a fellow remodeler.

If you think you are too busy to renew your membership, or that you can afford not to do so, you are completely wrong. You can’t afford not to.

Michael Strong, CGR, is vice president of Brothers Strong, Inc. in Houston. The company was voted as the 2003 Houston and Texas Remodeler of the Year. For more information, contact Strong via e-mail.

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