Transcript Slide 1

The
Marketing Plan
Instructed by Bill Erickson
Marketing Agenda
Day 1:
A) Marketing Plan Presentation
1. Marketing Strategy
2. Objectives & Tactics
B) Selling 101
1. One-on-one selling skills
2. Open House selling
role play
C) Referral Source Marketing
1. Promotions & tools
2. Networking/marketing to
agents
Day 2:
A) Class Presentations
B) Get Started Binder
1. Marketing
Implementation
2. Web library resources
3. E-mail marketing
resources
4. To do lists
A Solid Foundation
Your Marketing Plan
1) Determine your services & prices
2) Match services to customer segments
3) Select promotion strategies for
obtaining and maintaining customers
4) Implement tactics to carry out your
strategy
Services and Pricing
• Check on your competition,
services/fees (phone,visit websites)
• Set reasonable inspection fees
• Check with other NPI/GPI franchisees
in your state/province for their list of
services/fees
Competitor Analysis
Your Service
Features/Benefits
o
o
Computerized reporting/ Time
saved/ Ease of use
Training/ Confidence/Reduced
liability
Your Competitors’
Features/Benefits
Their reputation
Strengths/weaknesses
____________
o
State of the art
equipment/Thorough inspection
____________
o
Insured/ Confidence/Peace of mind
____________
o
Availability/ Convenience/ Simplicity
____________
o
Re-inspection service/ Peace of
mind/ Value
____________
o
Moderate pricing/ Value
“Well-rounded” Diversified Business
Provide a variety of inspection services to
multiple market segments:
Residential, commercial, buyers, sellers, banks,
•
More stable business
• More growth for your business
• More valuable business
Refer to list of services/Avg. fees
Services
Primary Inspection Services:
1) Home buyer preclosing
2) Home seller prelisting
3) Employee relo (origin)
4) Builder warranty 11th month
5) New construction
draw/phase/final
6) Commercial inspections for
owners, buyers, tenants
7) Field Service/Misc.
Common Add On Services
These vary by geographic area, licensing,
local protocol, etc.
•
Radon Monitoring
•
Well potability test/Sampling
•
Septic System inspection
•
Pool/Spa
•
Termite (WDI or WDO)
Home Buyer Inspections
Buyer Pre-closing inspections
•Primarily via Realtors
•Web
•Inspection clause in purchase agreement
Home Seller Inspections
Seller’s Pre-listing
Inspections
• Sells homes faster
• Brings top dollar
• Promote via agents
Relo
Employee Relocation Inspections
• Most Relo companies will require you to
submit the ERC report format
• Usually inspecting homes at point of origin,
not destination
• Estimate repair costs used to determine
home value
• Promote by contacting the Relo companies
on the NPI/GPI Field Service list
Most companies pay $185-200 to
start plus add-ons
Builder’s Warranty Inspections
• “11th month” inspections
• For new home owners. All
components/workmanship
• Regular home inspection, regular
NPI report. (Ask homeowner for a list
of concerns)
• Promote through direct mail and
referrals. Need list or door
hangers
Builder’s Warranty Inspections
• NPI’s Centralized Direct Mail
Program
• Mailed from our mail shop in Omaha
$.70 per household complete.
• Pre-printed door hangers for you to
distribute.
• Neighborhood referrals from your
recent customers. Leave them
brochures, coupons or cards to pass
out. Offer a $15 gift card referral
reward per customer they refer.
• Optional postcards
New Construction
Draw Inspections
(Progress/Percentage completion)
• Residential & Commercial
• For Banks
• National draw inspection companies
• Report forms available in the Web library or
provided by the bank or company
• Market to banks and sign up with national
companies (NPI Field Service List)
New Construction
Phase and/or Final Inspections
• Mostly Residential
• Quality of construction
• Local buyers
Obtain mostly via Realtor referrals
Market to agents who work with builders!
Your Services
Field Services Industry Inspections
•Residential
•Commercial
•Field service companies act as a clearinghouse
of inspections for insurance companies, mortgage
servicers and banks.
•Market by signing up with companies on the NPI
Field Service List.
Your Services
Property Preservation Tasks:
• Window replacement board up
• Lock change
• Lawn service
• Debris removal
• Pool covering
• Water pumping
• Bids/Estimates
• Winterization
Promote by contacting companies on the Field Service List.
Commercial Property Inspections
Commercial Property Inspections
Customers are:
1) Buyers (pre closing due diligence)
2) Existing owners (maintenance or lease
inspections)*
3) Tenants (leases)*
*Triple net leases hold the tenant responsible for
maintenance and repairs often including HVAC.
Commercial Property Inspections
Promoting Commercial Inspections
Web:
1. Your website.
2. NPI’s website www.npicommercial.com attracts
clients and from our corporate Google Adwords
advertising campaign.
3. NPI has a number of national accounts that order
commercial inspections.
4. Contact your local commercial brokers. Unlike
residential agents, commercial brokers don’t refer
as often. They need education. Offer to present
to the brokers.
Specialties: HUD 203(k)
HUD 203(k) Program Consultant:
Property rehab/loan program
requiring a HUD 203(k)
consultant/inspector to assist with
monitoring the construction
including draw inspections where
repairs are over $35,000.
•To become a 203(k) consultant
you need training (seminar) and a
minimum of 3 year construction
or inspection related
experience.
Specialties: Expert Witness
Expert Witness
Lend Your expertise as a home
inspector: To attorneys, for law suits,
arbitration and mediation services. Charge a
fee for your expert opinion. (Over phone, in
court, etc.) Sign up at www.lawcheck.net
Example:
A homeowner sues their home
builder for repairs for poor
workmanship. Their attorney needs
your expert opinion or testimony.
.
Marketing Strategy
How do you Obtain and Maintain
Inspection Clients?
1) You gain Referrals from professionals
and past customers
2) You obtain business Directly from
consumers
Marketing Strategy
Who are your Referral sources?
1) Real estate agents
2) Banks/lenders
3) Past customers
4) Other professionals (attorneys,
insurance agents, networking
groups, etc.)
Marketing Strategy
Why Referral Source Marketing?
1) Provides repeat business
2) Economical & Targeted:
no mass advertising
Marketing Strategy
Obtaining Initial Referrals:
1) Requires constant contact/communication
2) Email, print, personal contact
3) Getting to know your leads, building trust
4) TRUST leads to REFERRALS
Marketing to Agents
Strategy for marketing to agents is:
1. Positive Attitude. We “Partner” with
agents to assist them in completing
transactions while providing an unbiased
inspection service to their clients. We
help to reduce agents’ liability.
2. Maintain constant contact by email, print,
and in person w/ potential and existing
referring agents.
3. As a result, potential referring agents will
think of you when they are looking for a
new inspector and existing referring
agents won’t forget you.
Marketing to Agents
Agent marketing (cont.):
4) The more they trust you the more they
will refer you.
5) Network with agents to meet other
agents.
6) Better to get introduced by an existing
referring agent or office mgr. than to cold
call them.
See Kim’s Promotion training for tactics for working with agents.
Marketing Strategy
Maintaining Ongoing Referrals
1) Requires constant contact
and communication
2) Depends on your performance
and customer satisfaction
Marketing to Banks
Commercial Banks
1) Draw inspections on new home construction
2) Commercial mortgage underwriting
3) REOs (Real Estate Owned) foreclosure
Inspections and property preservation services.
Call and survey each bank to identify the
decision maker. Mail intro letter/brochure,
follow up to set a meeting. See How to
Market to Banks in web library.
Networking
Learn to Network
1) Read/study “how to network,” to promote
yourself.
2) Network within the real estate community,
to meet real estate professionals.
3) Join your local real estate association
and volunteer to assist them.
4) Join a formal networking group (e.g. BNI) to
improve your networking skills, to
broaden your network beyond just real
estate professionals.
Marketing Strategy
Obtaining business directly from
customers (not referred)
1) Customers who respond
to your advertising
2) Customers who find you on
the web
Marketing Strategy
Advertising to consumers
1) Should be targeted--avoid mass
marketing
2) Example: builder warranty
Inspection marketing (mail list)
3) Google Adwords (web) for those looking
for your services
Advertising to Consumers
Web:
Your Web site at
www.npiweb.com/your name
See examples of inspector home pages
at: www.npiweb.com/test
Advertising to Consumers
Promote your business online
Google local
providers (Listed above regular search results)
Yahoo Local (top of regular search results)
MSN Local
*** FREE sign up with the above. See your back folder in
this manual for instructions on signing up with directories.
Online Directories
1) www.homeinspections-usa.com
(largest and most effective) $250/yr. (1st yr.
$50-Discount with marketing code “NPI”)
2) Inspector directory:
www.inspectopia.com
3) See the NPI/GPI list of various other
online directories such as superpages,
etc.
3) AOL and Yahoo free yellow pages.
You must submit.
Advertising on Internet
Ads on Google, Yahoo,
Bing (PPC Pay per click).
driven –Campaigns for
each service: ”Home, commercial
• Keyword
Inspections, radon testing, etc.”
• Drive visitors to your NPI Web site
• Target your local area and those
searching for inspectors in your area
from out of area
• NPI Marketing Dept. can help set
up your campaigns
Advertising to Consumers
Recommended Print Publications:
1. Yellow page directories (not as popular as web)
2. FSBO publications (homes 4sale by owner)
3. Local Realtor Association Newsletters (targeted at
agents)
IMPORTANT - MANDATORY!!!! ALL OF YOUR PRINT
ADS/FLIERS/COUPONS/E-BROCHURES AND ANY OTHER PRINTED
MATERIALS DISTRIBUTED MUST INCLUDE THE PHRASE:
“INDEPENDENTLY OWNED AND OPERATED”
Advertising to Consumers
Tip:
Consumers typically only respond to inspector’s
ads after they have found a home and realize
they need an inspector, not when they are
searching for a home.
NOTE: Be cautious of other “home for sale”
publications as traditionally they haven’t
produced business. Also avoid newspaper ads.
However, if you run an ad, be sure to include a $25
or $50 coupon to compel the consumer to take
action!