Tag: small business

Why You Should Consider Using a Call Center

August 21, 2018

By Zach Vesper, NPI, Inc.’s Marketing & SEO Specialist This might seem like a familiar situation: you’re out on an inspection, and while talking to your client, your business phone rings. Now you have a dilemma—do you risk looking unprofessional by stepping away from your client to take the phone call, or do you ignore it and hope they leave a voicemail? If this happens often for you, there’s a simple solution: making use of a call center. Call centers can make your inspection business run more smoothly while delivering a host of other benefits, too. 1. You’ll stop missing phone calls.Imagine never having to be in that difficult situation again. Using a call center to answer calls to your business and book inspections allows you to give your full attention to each client, all while ensuring you don’t lose out on future inspections. Here’s a statistic that should worry any small business owner: of all the people who call your business and can’t get through, 85 percent won’t call back, and 75 percent of those people won’t leave a message. Instead, they’ll just move on to the next company, which is likely your direct competition. The bottom line is

How to Hire Employees and Help Them Succeed

May 9, 2018

By David Stamper, NPI, Inc.’s President & CFO So your business has grown to the point that you simply have too much work and can’t do it all yourself—congratulations! This is a great problem to have, but hiring employees to help your business grow can be daunting. Whether you’re bringing on your first employee or your 10th, it’s important to follow a few simple guidelines to avoid bad hires and set your new employee on a path to success. Define the role you’re hiring for.Before you even start thinking about looking at resumes, you need to know exactly what position you’re trying to fill. This starts by defining what your new hire will be in charge of and what their day-to-day responsibilities will be. It helps to be as specific as possible at this point—if you’re hiring another inspector, you’ll want to include details about what they’ll be expected to do in the field, like climbing ladders, going into crawlspaces or operating specialized equipment. If you’re hiring a marketing person, be clear about which marketing and social media platforms they should be familiar with (Google AdWords, Facebook, Instagram, etc.) and what you want them do be able to do, whether

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

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

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

7 Tips to Lower Your Stress

March 22, 2022

By Kimberly Stevens, NPI, Inc.’s Marketing Coach Dealing with the everyday challenges of running your own business can result in high stress levels. In order to keep yourself and your business healthy, you should always be actively trying to reduce your stress. Here are some ways you can keep your cool as you operate your business. Figure out what’s stressing you. The first step in treating your stress is identifying what’s making you feel overwhelmed. Take a step back and look at everything you have to deal with in a day. Make a note of everything that makes you feel like you’re stretched thin. Knowing what’s causing your stress will help you develop better techniques to deal with it. You might even start to feel more relaxed just by pinpointing your stressors. Build a more solid schedule. It may be easier said than done to create a concrete schedule as an entrepreneur. You could have a client schedule a meeting last minute or maybe that “quick” project ends up taking longer than you thought. While you can’t predict the unexpected, developing a schedule around your typical day will help manage your stress. If you find it hard to nail down

Going Up? Staying Safe When Inspecting a Roof

March 15, 2022

By Jon McCreath, NPI, Inc.’s Technical Supervisor & Training Administrator As an inspector, your job is to give as much detail about the home as possible. That means going into every nook and cranny you can to try to spot problem areas. However, there may be times when accessing a section of the home just isn’t possible. In fact, inspecting it could even put you in harm’s way. One such portion of the home where you always need to exercise caution is on the roof. Roofs and Falls Roofs can be extremely dangerous if you aren’t careful. Over 150,000 people each year require emergency care due to falling off a roof. Nearly 10 percent of those either result in life-threatening injuries or are fatal. All it takes is one mistake and you could find yourself needing medical assistance. But with some preemptive assessments, your risk of falling off a roof can be greatly reduced. Examine the Roof’s Condition Before you even get on top of the building you’re inspecting, try to get a visual from the ground. Look for potential hazards such as growth on tiles, missing or severely worn sections, and even any signs of water or ice. These

Handling Claims Made Easy

March 8, 2022

By Bill Erickson, NPI, Inc.’s Executive VP Every inspector fears the day when they’ll have a claim filed against them. Whether it’s clearly your fault or not, it can feel like a giant weight coming down on you. You can quickly find yourself exhausted from spending time and money trying to resolve the problem. However, just a bit of preemptive work on your end could make claims not as scary. Expect to get a claim at some point. Try as you might to avoid a claim altogether, it’s unlikely you’ll dodge one forever. But don’t worry, you’re not the first and certainly not the last person to deal with a claim from a disappointed customer. You can’t control every situation, so the best thing you can do is try to prepare for what you can. Preparing for the fact you’ll face a claim one day will give you a head start when you’re actually faced with one. Claims are intimidating, but proper preparation will make them less overwhelming. Don’t push a claim to the back burner. The worst thing you can do after you’ve received a claim is to put it off. It’s likely that your insurance provider details the

Properly Incentivizing Your Employees for Growth

March 1, 2022

By David Stamper, NPI, Inc.’s President & CFO Your employees are the most valuable asset you have for your business. And the more motivated they are, the more productive they’ll be to help grow your business. Here are some ways you can incentivize your employees. Why Incentivizing is Important Properly rewarding your employees for their hard work is important for a number of reasons. First, it makes them feel like they are a valued member of the company. Employees that feel they are needed are more likely to contribute. That willingness to contribute also leads to better teamwork and collaboration. Overall, there’s sure to be a boost in morale when your employees feel as if they’re valued members of the team. Pay Benefits Money is a common incentive most business owners use. It can motivate both newer and longer tenured employees. You of course want to give adequate bonuses based on how long an employee has worked for you, quality of work, and likelihood they’ll stay with you. You can use either a one-time bonus or bump their salary permanently. If you can afford it, doing these annually will further motivate employees. Vacation Time As much as we may love

The Hidden Benefits of Starting Your Own Business

February 22, 2022

By Sammi Marcellus, NPI, Inc.’s Recruitment Coordinator There are many clear incentives to starting your own business. More free time, no pressure from a boss, and being able to make more money are just a few of the benefits that attract people the most. But there are other pros to venturing out on your own as well. Here are some of the added benefits to running your own business. Build your own self confidence. You may find that as you start to grow your business, you’ll also start growing as a person. You’ll have to break out of your comfort zone a bit and strengthen your belief in your own abilities. It’s easy to doubt if you’ll be successful, but the more you improve, the bigger boost you’ll give yourself. Soon you might notice that speaking to new people or trying new strategies isn’t as scary as before. Your clients will also notice how confident you are, and they’ll be impressed by it! Make new connections. Going on your own sometimes means leaving your old social circles. But that’s not always a bad thing. Soon, you’ll start meeting new people, whether they be clients or fellow business owners. Building a

Flipped Upside Down: What to Expect When Inspecting a Remodeled Home

February 15, 2022

By Jon McCreath, NPI, Inc.’s Technical Supervisor & Training Administrator Flipped homes are becoming more and more common on the housing market. Nearly 6 percent of all home sales in 2020 were from flipped homes, with many counties and states seeing continued increases. It comes as no surprise with the popularity of home remodeling shows and flipping becoming a popular choice for people looking for additional income. But they can oftentimes be troublesome for you and your clients. Flips Fraught with Issues Like professionally constructed homes, flips can have a variety of issues. Some of the most common involve structural defects, faults in the plumbing or HVAC systems, insect infestations, and improper wiring or other repairs. All of these can lead to a buyer racking up thousands of dollars in repairs on top of their already expensive purchase. Usually, first-timer flips have more problems, but rushed remodels are also notorious for flaws. As a flip project goes on, the investor will start losing money and might cut corners to try and break even. This comes at the expense of a future buyer. Legal Gray Areas Along with rushing a job, some flips may not have all the right paperwork. While

Why You Should Add a First-Aid Kit to Your Toolbox

February 8, 2022

By Jon McCreath, NPI, Inc.’s Technical Supervisor & Training Administrator While on the job as an inspector, you’ll have lots of different tools with you. Each one has its own purpose so you can do an effective job for your client. Some of them are also designed to keep you safe. Before you head out for work, make sure you’re keeping yourself protected. Lowering Risk Inspecting a property can be a riskier business than most people think. Heights, air pollutants, and even animals mean you have to be alert at all times on the jobsite. The equipment that you use will help lower your chances of a risky situation ending poorly. One tool that you should incorporate in your practice is a first-aid kit. If you ever get injured while working, you should tend to it as quickly as possible. (Of course for more severe injuries, calling for medical assistance is the best route.) Don’t Be Overconfident If you consider yourself lucky and haven’t ever been injured while working, don’t let your ego make you careless. You may not think you need to carry a first-aid kit with you, but anything can happen. Close to 3 million workplace injuries happen

Gearing Up for Tax Season

February 1, 2022

By David Stamper, NPI, Inc.’s President & CFO As we head into February, we move one step closer to that all important time of year– tax season. If you let out a small groan every time you hear those words, you certainly aren’t alone. It can be a headache to file taxes and be sure that you do it correctly. A small mistake or simply not getting your return in on time could cost you. Nearly 10 million people each year incorrectly file their income tax form. To avoid being one of that group and paying fines, get a head start! Know Deadlines To avoid panicking at the last minute and trying to get your taxes in order, make sure you know when you have to file. The dates will vary depending on your business structure and if you use the calendar or fiscal year. In the U.S.: For more information on your state’s tax deadline, check their tax division website here. In Canada: More information about Canada’s tax deadlines can be found on the government website. Keep Your Receipts Being a business owner means you’ll now incur a variety of expenses. Travel, tools, and additional training are all purchases

The Top Qualities REALTORS Look for in Inspectors

January 25, 2022

By Kimberly Stevens, NPI, Inc.’s Marketing Coach As an inspector, you might already have an idea of the perfect client you want to work with. And when you get the chance to work with someone that fits it, it makes your job that much easier. The same holds true for your clients. Real estate agents have an idea of the inspector that they want to work with, and they always want to try and find the closest match. Good Communication You most likely prefer a client who is responsive, so it’s only natural that agents want the same thing from you. Agents handle multiple transactions each month and need to move quickly between each one. If the inspector they’re working with is hard to reach, it can delay the buying or selling process and result in a lost sale. While you can’t be available 24/7 running your business, do your best to promptly reply to agents. Set up your voicemail or consider a call center so that agents can leave you a message when you can’t answer the phone. If you plan on leaving town for a vacation, let them know ahead of time and set up your out of

Another Dollar: How to Save Money While Growing Your Business

January 18, 2022

By David Stamper, NPI, Inc.’s President & CFO Correctly managing your finances is necessary to be a successful business owner, yet it isn’t always the easiest thing to do. Close to 80 percent of entrepreneurs fail due to poor money management. If you’ve never owned your own business before, you might have a million questions about how much to save and what’s the best use of your money. Luckily, you can get things sorted out with a few tips. Common signs you have a money problem. Figuring out that you’ve got a problem with your accounting will help you know the right steps to take. You’ll know right away when you run into a cash flow issue. If you’re struggling to pay for your expenses and finding that you’re dipping into your savings, you’re probably hemorrhaging cash faster than is sustainable. When you first start out, you might not turn a major profit as you get set up. But the important thing is to not let yourself get behind in accounting for every dollar that comes in and goes out. Don’t try to outrun your spending. At first, the simple solution to not having enough money coming in is trying