Profitable Sales: A Contractor's Guide

Michael’s 30-plus years of experience in residential remodeling and specialty sales is shared in Profitable Sales, A Contractor’s Guide. The information provided is valuable for both the construction-related business owner and their sales staff.

In this book, you’ll discover how to:
determine if a lead is worth your time before you set the appointmentestablish ground rules with a potential client during the initial phone callhelp customers make selectionsknow when to walk awayaddress the three fears of every customersuccessfully ask the four questions you need answerednavigate through design agreements, letters of intent, and other documents that prevent you from wasting timelay the groundwork for a detailed contract with specific payment schedulesturn a cancellation into a positive eventfind, train, motivate and compensate sales staff
A significant portion of the book is devoted to “What if?” scenarios. What if the customer wants you to fix something in their home during the appointment? What if they are distracted by the TV, by unruly kids, by neighbors who stop by? Michael discusses insurance calls, dealing with other professionals (attorneys, architects and designers, realtors, engineers, lenders) and issues that can arise after the contract is signed. The scenarios range from mildly humorous (arriving at a home to find homeowners inappropriately dressed) to frightening (homeowners handling firearms on a sales call).

Sample downloadable forms are available as word processing (.rtf) or spreadsheet (.csv) files for use in your business.

Michael Stone is the author of Markup & Profit; A Contractor’s Guide Revisited, a top-selling business management book for the construction industry.