Taking the Mystery Out of Lead Generation

Canvassing isn’t the only thing in the lead generation arsenal, and, in fact, both Hoty and Musch advise against a single-focus lead-generation campaign. Having a variety of lead sources, both inbound and outbound, is important. Hoty mentions traditional direct mail, radio and TV and home shows as part of that mix, as well as in-store programs in partnership with local big-box stores or other local retailers. Mall marketing is still working for people in the kitchen and bath arena. Sweepstakes marketing is another avenue remodelers might consider exploring.

“The biggest missed opportunity in the remodeling business is the inability to nurture small jobs into larger jobs,” Hoty continues. “Most remodelers have job minimums of around $1,500, below which they would never dream of sending someone out on a project where they weren’t going to make their margins. But there is a huge opportunity in going out on handyman-type repair and then turning it over to your sales department to develop a much larger scenario. The entire plumbing and HVAC industry operates in this fashion,” he says.

“There’s a big opportunity in upselling and nurturing clients, but if contractors are so concerned about serving themselves, they don’t have the serve-the-customer-and-you-will-be-rewarded mentality,” Hoty concludes.