Instructed by Bill Erickson

1
The
Marketing Plan
Instructed by Bill Erickson
2
Marketing Agenda
Day 2 A) Class Presentations B) Get
Started Binder 1. Marketing
Implementation 2. Web library
resources 3. E-mail marketing
resources 4. To do lists
Day 1 A) Marketing Plan Presentation 1.
Marketing Strategy 2. Objectives
Tactics B) Selling 101 1. One-on-one
selling skills 2. Open House selling
role play C) Referral Source Marketing
1. Promotions tools
2. Networking/marketing to
agents
3
A Solid Foundation

• 1) Determine your services prices
• 2) Match services to customer segments
• 3) Select promotion strategies for
• obtaining and maintaining customers
• 4) Implement tactics to carry out your
• strategy

Your Marketing Plan
4
Services and Pricing

• Check on your competition, services/fees
  (phone,visit websites)
• Set reasonable inspection fees
• Check with other NPI/GPI franchisees in your
  state/province for their list of services/fees

5
Competitor Analysis
Your Service Features/Benefits
Your Competitors Features/Benefits

• Computerized reporting/ Time saved/ Ease of use
• Training/ Confidence/Reduced liability
  
• State of the art equipment/Thorough inspection
  
• Insured/ Confidence/Peace of mind
• Availability/ Convenience/ Simplicity
• Re-inspection service/ Peace of mind/ Value
• Moderate pricing/ Value

Their reputation Strengths/weaknesses __________
__ ____________ ____________ ____________ ____
________
6
Well-rounded Diversified Business

• Provide a variety of inspection services to
  multiple market segments
• Residential, commercial, buyers, sellers, banks,

• More stable business
• More growth for your business
• More valuable business
• Refer to list of services/Avg. fees

7

• Services

Primary Inspection Services

• Home buyer preclosing
• Home seller prelisting
• Employee relo (origin)
• Builder warranty 11th month
• New construction draw/phase/final
• Commercial inspections for
• owners, buyers, tenants
• 7) Field Service/Misc.

8
Common Add On Services

• These vary by geographic area, licensing, local
  protocol, etc.
• Radon Monitoring
• Well potability test/Sampling
• Septic System inspection
• Pool/Spa
• Termite (WDI or WDO)

9
Home Buyer Inspections
Buyer Pre-closing inspections

• Primarily via Realtors
• Web
• Inspection clause in purchase agreement

10
Home Seller Inspections
Sellers Pre-listing Inspections

• Sells homes faster
• Brings top dollar
• Promote via agents

11
Relo

• Most Relo companies will require you to
• submit the ERC report format
• Usually inspecting homes at point of origin,
• not destination
• Estimate repair costs used to determine
• home value
• Promote by contacting the Relo companies
• on the NPI/GPI Field Service list
• Most companies pay 185-200 to start plus add-ons

Employee Relocation Inspections
12
Builders Warranty Inspections

• 11th month inspections
• For new home owners. All components/workmanship
• Regular home inspection, regular NPI report.
  (Ask homeowner for a list of concerns)
• Promote through direct mail and referrals. Need
  list or door hangers

13
Builders Warranty Inspections

• NPIs Centralized Direct Mail Program
• Mailed from our mail shop in Omaha .70 per
  household complete.
• Pre-printed door hangers for you to distribute.
• Neighborhood referrals from your recent
  customers. Leave them brochures, coupons or cards
  to pass out. Offer a 15 gift card referral
  reward per customer they refer.
• Optional postcards

14
New Construction

• Draw Inspections
• (Progress/Percentage completion)
• Residential Commercial
• For Banks
• National draw inspection companies
• Report forms available in the Web library or
• provided by the bank or company
• Market to banks and sign up with national
• companies (NPI Field Service List)

15
New Construction

• Phase and/or Final Inspections
• Mostly Residential
• Quality of construction
• Local buyers
• Obtain mostly via Realtor referrals
• Market to agents who work with builders!

16
Your Services

• Field Services Industry Inspections
• Residential
• Commercial

• Field service companies act as a clearinghouse
• of inspections for insurance companies, mortgage
  
• servicers and banks.
• Market by signing up with companies on the NPI
• Field Service List.

17
Your Services

• Property Preservation Tasks
• Window replacement board up
• Lock change
• Lawn service
• Debris removal
• Pool covering
• Water pumping
• Bids/Estimates
• Winterization
• Promote by contacting companies on the Field
  Service List.

18
Commercial Property Inspections
Commercial Property Inspections

• Customers are
• 1) Buyers (pre closing due diligence)
• 2) Existing owners (maintenance or lease
  inspections)
• 3) Tenants (leases)
• Triple net leases hold the tenant
  responsible for maintenance and repairs often
  including HVAC.

19
Commercial Property Inspections
Promoting Commercial Inspections

• Web
• Your website.
• NPIs website www.npicommercial.com attracts
  clients and from our corporate Google Adwords
  advertising campaign.
• NPI has a number of national accounts that order
  commercial inspections.
• Contact your local commercial brokers. Unlike
  residential agents, commercial brokers dont
  refer as often. They need education. Offer to
  present to the brokers.

20
Specialties HUD 203(k)
HUD 203(k) Program Consultant

• Property rehab/loan program requiring a HUD
  203(k) consultant/inspector to assist with
  monitoring the construction including draw
  inspections where repairs are over 35,000.
• To become a 203(k) consultant you need training
  (seminar) and a minimum of 3 year construction or
  inspection related experience.

21
Specialties Expert Witness

• Lend Your expertise as a home inspector To
  attorneys, for law suits, arbitration and
  mediation services. Charge a fee for your expert
  opinion. (Over phone, in court, etc.) Sign up at
  www.lawcheck.net
• Example
• A homeowner sues their home builder for repairs
  for poor workmanship. Their attorney needs your
  expert opinion or testimony.
• .

Expert Witness
22
Marketing Strategy

• How do you Obtain and Maintain Inspection
  Clients?

• 1) You gain Referrals from professionals
• and past customers
• 2) You obtain business Directly from
• consumers

23
Marketing Strategy
Who are your Referral sources?

• 1) Real estate agents
• 2) Banks/lenders
• 3) Past customers
• 4) Other professionals (attorneys,
• insurance agents, networking
• groups, etc.)

24
Marketing Strategy

• Why Referral Source Marketing?

• 1) Provides repeat business
• 2) Economical Targeted
• no mass advertising

25
Marketing Strategy
Obtaining Initial Referrals

• 1) Requires constant contact/communication
• 2) Email, print, personal contact
• 3) Getting to know your leads, building trust
• 4) TRUST leads to REFERRALS

26
Marketing to Agents

• Strategy for marketing to agents is
• Positive Attitude. We Partner with agents to
  assist them in completing transactions while
  providing an unbiased inspection service to their
  clients. We help to reduce agents liability.
• 2. Maintain constant contact by email, print, and
  in person w/ potential and existing referring
  agents.
• 3. As a result, potential referring agents will
  think of you when they are looking for a new
  inspector and existing referring agents wont
  forget you.

27
Marketing to Agents

• Agent marketing (cont.)
• 4) The more they trust you the more they will
  refer you.
• 5) Network with agents to meet other agents.
• 6) Better to get introduced by an existing
  referring agent or office mgr. than to cold call
  them.
• See Kims Promotion training for tactics for
  working with agents.

28
Marketing Strategy

• Maintaining Ongoing Referrals

1) Requires constant contact and
communication 2) Depends on your performance
and customer satisfaction
29
Marketing to Banks
Commercial Banks

• 1) Draw inspections on new home construction
• 2) Commercial mortgage underwriting
• 3) REOs (Real Estate Owned) foreclosure
  Inspections and property preservation services.

Call and survey each bank to identify the
decision maker. Mail intro letter/brochure,
follow up to set a meeting. See How to Market to
Banks in web library.
30
Networking
Learn to Network

• 1) Read/study how to network, to promote
• yourself.
• 2) Network within the real estate community,
• to meet real estate professionals.
• 3) Join your local real estate association
• and volunteer to assist them.
• 4) Join a formal networking group (e.g. BNI) to
• improve your networking skills, to
• broaden your network beyond just real
• estate professionals.

31
Marketing Strategy

• Obtaining business directly from customers (not
  referred)

1) Customers who respond to your
advertising 2) Customers who find you on
the web
32
Marketing Strategy

• Advertising to consumers

• 1) Should be targeted--avoid mass
• marketing
• 2) Example builder warranty
• Inspection marketing (mail list)
• 3) Google Adwords (web) for those looking
• for your services

33
Advertising to Consumers

• 
  
• Web
• Your Web site at
• www.npiweb.com/your name
• See examples of inspector home pages at
  www.npiweb.com/test

34
Advertising to Consumers

• 
  
• Promote your business online
• Google local
• providers (Listed above regular search results)
• Yahoo Local (top of regular search results)
• MSN Local

FREE sign up with the above. See your back
folder in this manual for instructions on
signing up with directories.
35
Online Directories

• 1) www.homeinspections-usa.com (largest and most
  effective) 250/yr. (1st yr. 50-Discount with
  marketing code NPI)
• 2) Inspector directory www.inspectopia.com
• 3) See the NPI/GPI list of various other online
  directories such as superpages, etc.
• 3) AOL and Yahoo free yellow pages. You must
  submit.

36
Advertising on Internet

• Ads on Google, Yahoo, Bing (PPC Pay per click).
• Keyword driven Campaigns for each service
  Home, commercial Inspections, radon testing,
  etc.
• Drive visitors to your NPI Web site
• Target your local area and those searching for
  inspectors in your area from out of area
• NPI Marketing Dept. can help set up your
  campaigns
  

37
Advertising to Consumers

• Recommended Print Publications
• 1. Yellow page directories (not as popular
  as web)
• 2. FSBO publications (homes 4sale by owner)
• 3. Local Realtor Association Newsletters
  (targeted at agents)

IMPORTANT - MANDATORY!!!! ALL OF YOUR PRINT
ADS/FLIERS/COUPONS/E-BROCHURES AND ANY OTHER
PRINTED MATERIALS DISTRIBUTED MUST INCLUDE THE
PHRASE INDEPENDENTLY OWNED AND OPERATED
38
Advertising to Consumers

• Tip
• Consumers typically only respond to
  inspectors ads after they have found a home and
  realize they need an inspector, not when they are
  searching for a home.

NOTE Be cautious of other home for sale
publications as traditionally they havent
produced business. Also avoid newspaper ads.
However, if you run an ad, be sure to include a
25 or 50 coupon to compel the consumer to take
action!