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Audiobooks Narrated by Michael C Stone
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Few construction companies fail because of poor building practice; they fail because of poor pricing practice. To succeed in construction, you have to price your jobs to cover all labor, material and overhead expenses, pay yourself a decent salary, and make a profit that will keep your company thriving. And a large part of that is knowing how to figure the correct markup for your business.
But calculating markup is only part of the picture. If you're going to beat the odds and stay in business, profitably, you also need to know how to write good contracts, manage your crews, work with subcontractors and collect on your work. The principles outlined here apply to all construction-related businesses.
You'll find tried and tested formulas to guarantee profits, with step-by-step instructions and easy-to-follow examples to help you learn how to operate your business successfully. Information is included on how to access the forms and charts.
In this hands-on manual, Michael Stone, a highly-successful contractor, lecturer and construction consultant, provides the keys to a profitable business. He covers the business basics of running a construction company, whether you're a general or specialty contractor working in remodeling, new construction or commercial work.
Michael's 30+ 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 staffA 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 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.
