Posts

5 Reasons NPI Stands Out Among Other Franchise Opportunities

May 2, 2018

By Celeste Black-Harr, NPI, Inc.’s Recruitment Coordinator National Property Inspections strives to stand out from other home service-based franchise opportunities by continuously offering a lucrative business model with competitive startup costs. Here are some of the key traits that set us apart from the pack: 1. National Property Inspections is built on honesty, integrity and professionalism.At National Property Inspections, we pride ourselves on upholding high standards of professional excellence. We always conduct our business with our motto of “Honesty, Integrity and Professionalism” at front of mind. In fact, our business ethics score us the highest marks in franchisee surveys again and again. These values trickle down through our franchisees and attract some of the country’s most successful realtors as well as thousands of satisfied clients. 2. We’ve been in the business a long time—we can help you achieve marketing success.Founded in 1987, National Property Inspections is the first property inspection franchisor in North America. We know the inspection industry inside and out, and we know the real estate business. Each NPI staff member is uniquely qualified to help you put your best foot forward, from our certified Marketing Coach, Kimberly, to our Marketing Director, Bill. 3. Our franchisees and their

The 6 Biggest Mistakes You Could be Making with Your Google My Business Listing

April 27, 2018

By Stepha Vesper Google processes more than 40,000 searches every second–that’s 3.5 billion searches a day! Needless to say, your Google My Business listing is a key piece (if not THE key piece!) of your digital footprint. Below, we’ll tell you the top six mistakes business owners make with their listing as well as the best ways to optimize Google My Business for happy customers and maximum return. Not Choosing the Right CategoryWhen you first create a Google My Business account, you’ll be prompted to select a category for your business from a drop-down menu. While this tiny task is easy to brush aside, choosing the wrong category has less-than-tiny consequences. That’s because the category feature is one of the primary ways Google accurately indexes your listing in local search results. Accidentally selecting the wrong category can “hide” your business from the right customers and confuse anyone who comes across your listing. If you set up your Google My Business listing years ago, it’s more than worth it to re-confirm your category choice. Google does allow you to add multiple categories to your business listing, but keep in mind that order matters. If you perform multiple services, you’ll want to

Strengthen Your Brand in 5 Easy Steps

April 20, 2018

By Sydney Arp Brand identity can be surprisingly difficult to nail down. It’s often easier to pinpoint what you’re not as a business than it is to articulate what you stand for. And what if you leave something important out? You do a lot of great things, after all. These are just a few reasons why we don’t focus on the face of our businesses as much as the actual doing. (And don’t get us wrong, doing is important!) But the truth is that today, your brand matters more than ever, especially to a millennial marketing audience. Millennials are loyal—once they’re captivated. In fact, 60% of millennials are often or always loyal to brands that have gained their trust, and that means they’re more likely to recommend those brands to friends and family. Word of mouth is still the best brand endorsement for nearly half of all millennials, and online reviews count. So how can you communicate a strong brand message without disrupting your day-to-day duties or overthinking it? Your Identity Starts with Your Perfect CustomerDon’t start with a mirror. Looking outward is actually the perfect place to begin when strengthening your brand identity. Imagine your perfect customer. You can

Your 5-Step Guide to Handling Customer Complaints

April 4, 2018

By Zach Vesper When you’re running your own business, it’s inevitable—there are some people you just can’t please. To make things worse, these customers are almost three times more likely to leave you a review online than happy customers who had a great experience. As scary as they seem, bad customer reviews have their place in the online reputation ecosystem. For example, a business with nothing but rave reviews can seem suspicious, because people live in the real world and expect to see some customer complaints. In this way, the occasional bad review can lend credibility to your overall rating on sites like Google, Facebook and Yelp. The real trick is understanding how to handle bad customer reviews when they do appear. If you react to them the right way, they’ll make your business look more professional and trustworthy. Here are the things you’ll need to remember when you’re addressing a negative review about your business. 1. Enhance your calm.As soon as you see a complaint appear on a review site, your first impulse is probably to get defensive. You believe in what you do and provide a great service that people love, so bad reviews tend to cut right

Global Property Inspections Franchisee Spotlight: Greg Mathias

March 26, 2018

Global Property Inspections’ Franchisee Spotlight recognizes our most innovative and successful GPI and NPI franchises. By sharing their stories, helpful tips and lessons learned, every franchisee can learn what it takes to grow their business. For our March spotlight, we’re proud to feature Greg Mathias of Lloydminster, AB. Greg bought his GPI franchise in 2009. He was the first inspector to be named a CCHI (Canadian Certified Home Inspector). In just three short years as a GPI franchisee, Greg earned the title as our GPI top producer for 2013. What was appealing to you about the inspection industry?Greg Mathias: I’m a people person. I really liked the idea that I would be helping someone make the biggest decision of their lives. What skills from your previous job have helped you grow an inspection franchise?GM: I have always been in the construction industry working on full home, commercial buildings and renovations. I use the skills I’ve amassed over 31 years in the trade to market my inspection services. Clients like to know that you have the skills and the expertise to do the job. Why did you decide on GPI?GM: I looked at many franchises before deciding on GPI. The reason

Why It’s Important to Diversify Your Business

March 19, 2018

By Bill Erickson Let’s say you just heard about a great stock you want to invest in. It’s such a great buy, in fact, that you’re planning on putting every last cent you have into it. You go to talk with your financial advisor, and what do you think he says? He tells you that if you do that, there’s a pretty good chance you’ll lose your whole retirement fund. He recommends diversifying your portfolio to minimize the amount of risk you’re taking on. That’s smart investment advice. Just like in the world of investment, business owners need to diversify their services to be successful. We’ll explain what’s so important about diversification and how National Property Inspections, Inc. prepares franchisees for long-term stability and growth in the property inspection industry. What is diversification?Diversification is a business strategy that helps you minimize the risk of capital loss inherent in any industry. If you’ve heard the old saying “don’t put all your eggs in one basket,” you already have a grasp of the concept. To go a little further, though, diversification in business aims to boost your returns by investing resources in related-but-separate areas that would respond differently given a certain event

6 Ways to Know It’s Time to Go into Business for Yourself

March 2, 2018

By Celeste Black-Harr, NPI, Inc.’s Recruitment Coordinator Do you have a feeling you might be cut out for small business ownership? If any of these points describe you, you may be on to something. Here are six ways to know it’s time to go into business for yourself as a National Property Inspections franchise owner. You want to make money.This one is a no-brainer. If you feel as though you’ve maxed out your earning potential according to your current industry’s standards, the best way to make more money may be to go into business for yourself. When you’re your own boss, how much you make is only limited by your own level of dedication. The more time and energy you devote to your business, the more money you can potentially make. You aren’t fulfilled.It’s normal to get into a work rut every once in a while. The daily grind can be tough and we’re only human! But if you’re consistently feeling as though there’s something missing in your professional life, it could be time to make a change. According to a recent Gallup study on the American work place, up to 51 percent of the 100 million full-time employees surveyed

National Property Inspections Franchisee Spotlight: Doug and Margaret Versaw

February 20, 2018

National Property Inspections’ Franchisee Spotlight recognizes our most innovative and successful NPI franchises. By sharing their stories, helpful tips and lessons learned, every franchisee can learn what it takes to grow their business. For our February installment, we’re proud to feature Doug Versaw and Margaret Herrera of Golden, CO. Doug and Margaret started with NPI in February 2012. Doug previously worked as a critical situation manager in the high tech industry before joining the NPI family, while Margaret worked as a marketing professional. Since 2012, National Property Inspections, Inc. has awarded them the Pacesetter Award (2013), the Pinnacle Award (2014-2016) and the President’s Club Award (2017). We asked Doug and Margaret to share their insights on joining NPI and growing their franchise. What was appealing to you about the inspection industry?Doug & Margaret: Doug’s always been interested in homes and structures in general. During his time working in the high tech industry, he kept his sanity by providing remodels and basement build-out services on the side. In New Mexico, we lived in a new development that built custom homes. We befriended one of the builders and in the evenings, Doug would check out home mid-build to learn about the construction

Tips on Marketing to Millennials

February 5, 2018

By Sydney Arp Millennials. Generation Y. It’s the age group that marketers across the country are endlessly analyzing. Let’s [try to] begin with a definition. Major publications label a millennial as someone who came of age around the time of the millennium (2000). Born between 1980 and 1995, Millennials range from 22-38. Yeah, you read that right. Some “Millennials” are nearly 40 years old. Surprised? The fact is, Millennials make up 25% of the American population. In the real estate industry, if you’re not marketing toward the millennial age group, you’re completely overlooking what should be your target market. Here are some insightful tips from a Millennial herself: 1. User-generated content is what we trust.43% of Millennials rank authenticity over traditional marketing tactics. We want to hear from a service user not a service provider. Think about it: our generation is more likely to trust news that comes from friends on our social media feeds than news we see from random sources or companies. In today’s world, the never-ending stream of promotions has transformed us into walking ad-detectors. Simply put, we know genuine content when we see it. Thus, brands that boast generalized, impersonal verbiage such as “the best” or

National Property Inspections Franchisee Spotlight: Stephen Fotiades

January 29, 2018

National Property Inspections’ Franchisee Spotlight recognizes our most innovative and successful NPI franchises. By sharing their stories, helpful tips and lessons learned, every franchisee can learn what it takes to grow their business. For our first installment, we’re proud to feature Stephen Fotiades of Cheyenne, Wyoming. Stephen Fotiades first started with NPI in 2015 after purchasing an existing franchise. Stephen previously worked as a commercial real estate agent and business owner before joining the NPI family. He runs his franchise with his wife, Taylor, and also has two children, Hayden (age 4) and Callan (age 16 months) with another on the way this year. We asked Stephen to share his insights on joining National Property Inspections and growing his franchise. What was appealing to you about the inspection industry?Stephen Fotiades: Without knowing a whole lot about the inspection industry, the first two aspects that I found appealing were that I didn’t have to spend all day in an office, and I was able to constantly interact with and meet new people. I have always had an outgoing personality and enjoy being around people so making sure that I was not confined to an office all day was an absolute necessity

5 Reasons NPI Stands Out Among Other Franchise Opportunities

May 2, 2018

The 6 Biggest Mistakes You Could be Making with Your Google My Business Listing

April 27, 2018

Strengthen Your Brand in 5 Easy Steps

April 20, 2018

Your 5-Step Guide to Handling Customer Complaints

April 4, 2018

Global Property Inspections Franchisee Spotlight: Greg Mathias

March 26, 2018

Why It’s Important to Diversify Your Business

March 19, 2018

6 Ways to Know It’s Time to Go into Business for Yourself

March 2, 2018

National Property Inspections Franchisee Spotlight: Doug and Margaret Versaw

February 20, 2018

Tips on Marketing to Millennials

February 5, 2018

National Property Inspections Franchisee Spotlight: Stephen Fotiades

January 29, 2018

National Property Inspections’ Franchisee Spotlight recognizes our most innovative and successful NPI franchises. By sharing their stories, helpful tips and lessons learned, every franchisee can learn what it takes to grow their business. For our first installment, we’re proud to feature Stephen Fotiades of Cheyenne, Wyoming. Stephen Fotiades first started with NPI in 2015 after purchasing an existing franchise. Stephen previously worked as a commercial real estate agent and business owner before joining the NPI family. He runs his franchise with his wife, Taylor, and also has two children, Hayden (age 4) and Callan (age 16 months) with another on the way this year. We asked Stephen to share his insights on joining National Property Inspections and growing his franchise. What was appealing to you about the inspection industry?Stephen Fotiades: Without knowing a whole lot about the inspection industry, the first two aspects that I found appealing were that I didn’t have to spend all day in an office, and I was able to constantly interact with and meet new people. I have always had an outgoing personality and enjoy being around people so making sure that I was not confined to an office all day was an absolute necessity