Any Ideas To mass Promote Home Inspections ?

OK I figured I would concentrate this topic to just 1 thread.

It is time to do a little public awareness announcement to the world and hopefully it can gain a little help by some media.

There are many many ideas that have been tossed around but the whole idea has fizzled out.hey maybe it will never happen who knows. Also first we would need to decide if we would be trying to bring to light Home Inspections as an Important industry ? or would we be separating the industry to InterNACHI Inspectors vs all the others?

Some have suggested the Idea of picking out 1 specific day or week that all Inspectors across the world would donate 1 Free inspection of any type (Full, maintenance, safety etc…) to a particular group say Elderly or whatever. I personally think that would go over well in the publics eyes and with the media.

Nick suggested free ce units to agents. Well in my opinion that is useless for this type off Mass media public awareness. It centers on agents, and also as of right now is limited to very few states, and also promotes NACHI for its free education to agents Rather than Us the actual Inspectors and the importance of our Profession including all of the ancillary services that we perform. Like Radon Gass Testing, Mold testing, Allergy Testing, Dust mites, Limited inspections, roofs, decks, pools, wind mits, pre drywall etc…

I am actually working on something like this right now in my areas for a mass Radon Testing Awareness. Have been getting it ready for a few months now and I believe I have some media outlets with me…

OK, Lets Discuss, or let it die?

Jim

I donated two inspections this past year one to the chamber of commerce and one to a church both were auctioned off to the highest bidder. I get a lot of milage out of those

First, the number of inspections is a constant. Public awareness doesn’t increase the number of inspections performed. There is nothing there to be gained. Public awareness programs are for things the public isn’t aware of.

Second, why would you want to spend your resources to help your competitors get business? Use your resources to take their market share away from them.

Third, the free CEs to agents promotes individual InterNACHI members because agents can’t access their free CE without the ID# of an InterNACHI member. Read: http://www.nachi.org/real-estate-agent-continuing-education.htm

Fourth, I’m not interested in helping non-members because as I explained, the number of inspections is a constant. Anything I would do to help a non-member get an inspection means I’ve helped a member lose an inspection. I want members to use their resources to help themselves, InterNACHI to use its resources to help members, and non-members to use their resources to help the industry as a whole.

“Third, the free CEs to agents promotes individual InterNACHI members because agents can’t access their free CE without the ID# of an InterNACHI member.”

TV and social media ads targeting realtors that only INACHI inspectors can give them free education

Tomorrow morning, 19 InterNACHI staffers will be on the job scraping market share away from non-members and pushing it toward members.

Those 19 people are good at what they do. Members have made a decision to have those 19 people work FOR them and their families. Non-members have made a decision to have those 19 people work AGAINST them and their families. Let’s not do anything to counter those decisions.

Jim…lets work this in reverse. Lets start with the actual “goal” and work backwards.’

What is the ultimate goal and be very specific. Without knowing the exact place you want to end, there is no way to define the proper steps to get there. Make sense?

There are twenty of us. You forgot yourself Nick.

One team, one fight. … LOL

InterNACHI rocks.

Charley, that is a fantastic Idea and I have done a few sililar things as well. Now if we could just take that worldwide. Well that would be awesome for the industry and each inspector individually in their own territory.

Jim

Thanks for your opinions Nick and I hope you will contribute to the cause.

Jim

That is a valid thought Russell.

In my opinion, and I am willing to listen to others Ideas, I would like to start getting the public to realize that Home Inspections are not JUSTY for buying a home. But that we can offer other very important services such as Mold and Radon testing. Limited inspections, such as Deck Inspections ( I do many of those here), oversea building and remodeling projects, Pool and hot tub inspections, electrical … the list is endless depending on the Inspectors skill set and background.

Also it would be nice to have all this new public awareness and new knowledge be directed towards only InterNACHI Inspectors.

OK well that is my basic goal at this time.

Jim

So your not promoting just HOME inspection, in the traditional sense, but other avenues of revenue and other way to increase income. I like that!

But here is the situation I see. If you promote this, how do you differentiate professionals from people who dabble in it? What I am saying is lets get them to see that there are those of us out there who view what we do as a valid PROFESSION and not just a job.

Once people see that this can be a professional trade, I think they will pay us professional pay. I already have about 70 annual inspections to perform. Meaning, every year they pay me to inspect their homes to tell them what they need, so they can get a handle on it early instead of reacting to the defects, they can prevent the defects.

But my area is different than most, so not all areas will be applicable. I like the idea of showing them we are more than just a profession when your going to purchase a house.

OK, since you brought up Radon, why not National Radon Awareness day? I probably can get Radalink and EMSL to help. Nick can probably get Prolab to help. But this is not a HOME INSPECTORS job, per say. Not ALL home inspectors provide this service.

“Hey I don’t even use Nathans products, but still some do, and some in many different associations. Nate is a smart little guy, I would tend to bet even he would be for helping promote the Industry as he would benefit from all inspectors gain more business whether NAVHI or ashi or mahi or whoever. Nate may be a lot of things but he sure is no dummy.”

From a previous thread, don’t make the bet! Similar suggestion soundly dismissed.

Disapproved. Awareness campaign would amount to nothing but wasted money.

P. Nathan Thornberry
Inspector Services Group

“Did you have an idea? The purpose of this thread was to request project ideas from you. I saw your “A council of Home Inspector Associations, who’s function it is to increase & promote the awarness of the home inspector profession at large” post, but there is only one other national association and it is fairly small.”

Nick Gromicko,

Based on your response to Nick, it sounds like this has been decided in favor of all inspectors. Is that correct?

Personally, I would push for this only including InterNACHI inspectors because the resources and connections are huge.

Also it seems it would be best to start with basic home inspection services and then branch out to ancillary services using what you’ve learned in the beginning.

Hey if this public awareness never makes it world wide as a campaign, it can always work in all our own local markets. I know I am just about to launch a major Radon awareness campaign I have been working on for a few months now.

Look it is just another way to market, same as knocking on realtor doors, websites referrals etc… Now we (me at least) are thinking of other ways to get my name and the whole Home Inspector Profession out to those that may not know exactly all of the important and valuable services that we can offer them.

Jim

That’s OK Kenneth. If I am wrong about them doesn’t really matter in the least. All the help we can get is great, but no 1 person alone will make the difference. Also Like I said if this never pans out to be a group effort, the Ideas alone will help individual Inspectors in their own areas.

Like in my above post, I have this Radon Awareness Public campaign in the works. I am doing it on my own and I can tell you right now it is and will be a very lucrative project for me, as well as an extremely valuable service to my community.

Jim

The bottom line is that all of us would be getting more/different business IF the public (our main client base) was informed of ALL that we can offer them aside from just a good home inspection. Think OUT of the box here.

Jim

Don’t forget… January is National Radon Action Month

Shhhh jeff, if you read my post, I said I am about to do a big campaign. Jan is just around the corner, It is also My B-Day month, also my 26th anniversary month, so put it all together and you figured it out. I have worked on this for awhile and have some heavy weight companies and media working with me. I wanted other in other areas to do something as well. Well really I wanted NAVCHI as a whole to do it, but seems like that wont happen, so it will be solo inspectors who will get all the benefits.

Jim