|
Member Profile: Customer Outreach Grows Business
The latest in a series that profiles members of local NAHB Remodelers who are strengthening their local councils through networking and recruiting new members. The grassroots champions who are being highlighted in this series have collectively recruited more than 400 new members for the NAHB Remodelers to date.
 Craig Deimler, CGR, CAPS, RCS
Vice-President, Deimler & Sons Construction
Harrisburg, Pa.
Craig Deimler’s company has succeeded through the years for two key reasons: the company has built a reputation for doing excellent work and he has followed a strategic and determined path to building his business by working on a wide variety of projects and through customer outreach.
Deimler first began working in his father’s business at the age of 12. When it was time to join his dad at Deimler & Sons Construction full time, he moved into sales and design.
“Design and sales were aspects of the business that my dad didn’t like to do as much,” he recalls. “It was a natural fit for me.”
Weathering a Down Market
The new-home market in Harrisburg, Pa. where the business is based, is in a downturn much like it is in many parts of the country as a whole, according to Deimler, but the remodeling market there is on the rebound.
“Our local remodeling market dropped about 20% last year but it’s made up all of that this year, and then some,” Deimler says.
One reason Deimler’s company has been able to weather the downturn is that it has never specialized in any particular types of remodeling projects.
“We’ve never been a specialty-type company, other than that we do one-of-a-kinds for clients,” Deimler says. “We’ve done everything from a $200 repair to the job we’re working on now — a $3.2 million new build of six luxury apartments.”
“Whether we’re working on kitchens, bathrooms, decks or other projects, we focus more on the relationship with the client than on the size of a given project,” he adds.
Another strategy that has helped Deimler & Sons navigate the downturn is its ongoing program of following up with customers.
A year ago, the company took the first step in creating the program by launching a monthly newsletter that it sent to past customers. Then, based on an employee’s suggestion, the company made a concerted effort to call every one of its former customers ― about 1,500 people.
“We began calling every single person in our database to touch base with them,” Deimler says. “We now contact them every four to five months to let them know about new things we have going on and to see if they have any other needs, or if they have friends or family who might need our services.”
Since the program began, Deimler says referrals have climbed from 52% of the company’s annual business to 79%.
Deimler & Sons is a member of the Home Builders Association of Metropolitan Harrisburg and its Remodelors Council.
Holding Seminars to Address Audience Needs
Deimler says that Pennsylvania trails only Florida in the percentage of residents who are 65 and over. As a result, he has seen aging-in-place portion of his company’s remodeling business continue to grow.
To help address the needs of that population segment, Deimler has hosted a series of informational seminars focusing on such topics as universal design and preparing homes for future needs.
Based on the success of that effort, Deimler is about to launch a more ambitious series of quarterly seminars on home remodeling topics for the community at large.
“We’re going to charge a nominal fee to attend and donate it to Habitat for Humanity. I actually stole that idea from my friend Todd Jackson out in San Diego,” Deimler says.
Creating the Very Best Customer Experience
Another key to the company’s success is its focus on creating the very best customer experience.
“I call it the ‘Starbucks scenario,’” says Deimler. “Anyone can go into a McDonald’s and buy a cup of coffee for a buck fifty. So why do so many choose to go to Starbucks instead and pay $5 for essentially the same thing?”
“It’s largely because of the better experience they get,” he points out. “We want to be the Starbucks of remodeling in our market.”
Creating that experience in the remodeling business is no accident, Deimler says. “Our process is very methodical. We give our clients a lot of information at the front end of a project to let them know how easy we’re going to be to work with.”
“Not everyone wants that much information,” Deimler admits, “but the ones who do will keep coming back for more.”
 Increase Your Professional Credibility
The Certified Graduate Remodeler (CGR) designation emphasizes business management skills as the key to a professional remodeling operation.
Remodelers who earn the CGR become members of an exclusive national program and gain recognition as industry leaders.
To learn more about the CGR designation, visit www.nahb.org/CGRinfo, or call The Professional Designation Help Line at 800-368-5242 x8154.
'How to Find a Professional Remodeler' Available at BuilderBooks.com
"How to Find a Professional Remodeler," available at BuilderBooks.com, promotes the professionalism of your remodeling business by offering valuable advice to your customers on the process of selecting a remodeler.
The brochure guides consumers from the dream to the reality of having their homes remodeled by skilled and trained professionals. Sections include what to look for in a professional remodeler and what questions to ask.
To view or puchase this publication online, click here, or call 800-223-2665 to order.
|
