Increase Your Profits (For Inspectors Only Please)

Look this is not another thread started to be a vendor bashing debate. This is a suggestion for certain Home Inspectors to consider. Keep an open mind and really think about the concept.

For those of you that Do NOT sell your clients data, stay tuned I have an Idea for that as well to make a few extra bucks and still never sell any client information, and it works.

OK so recently there has been much controversy over selling your clients information. So I have been wondering why some people don’t think outside the box more.

Some people are “paying” third parties for some type of product or service that they can do or give to their clients. Some of these products you straight out pay for, but can get reduced prices, maybe even free or other types of consideration/compensation for simply releasing your clients private information to one of these types of vendors or contractors.

OK, seems pretty simple if releasing your clients private information is something that is ok with you.

We all know that these companies make a good portion of their profits from the Client data that you are providing to them. Really the products that they are giving you for this data is simply a means to obtain the very valuable data. I will even admit that some of these products may even be a good thing for the client, but that is not the point here. The data is where the BIG MONEY can be made for these typos of data brokers.

OK so what do you get for all this? sure you get some products or services to use on inspections, or to give to your clients all good things. You even can use these things in your marketing to help get new clients, once again all good stuff for you.

OK here is what I don’t understand. Why would you do all the work in getting the clients, performing the hard work in performing the inspections, writing the reports, taking on all the liability etc… And to do all that you are actually paying something to the vendor for these products and also having to give them your clients information.

OK like I said if releasing your clients private information is something that is ok with you, then why are you selling this extremely Valuable Clients Information so cheap?

Why not make these vendors and contractors Pay a fair price for this information. Like $25.00 to $100.00 per Full set of Client Data?

Seriously, if you are willing to do it for a few products or services that you can get at many other places for free, then why not start cashing in on some of the better money that YOUR clients information is generating anyway?

Jim

You must be a democrat.

LOL, A businessman and an Entrepreneur…:wink:

Jim

Nathan,

Where are your products and service criticized?
Where are inspectors that use them criticized?
Generally speaking, the title is pretty accurate.

You must admit this is an interesting premise. Like a cartel of inspectors who discover that real money can be made through the sale of client data.

Of course, I am against the notion of selling the client’s data. I do recognize, however, that some inspectors are okay with this. In the past, I have also suggested a similar organized approach for those inspectors who provide this data.

Surely this information is worth more than a trinket.

Maybe a generic category on eBay.

The bidding on a lead in Podunk has a reserve of $25. Bidding ends in 2days, 3hours, and 35minutes.

Dude,

I am not worried about this. It is just a concept, but an interesting one.

Those who gather the information may decide to band together and establish rates. If enough take a hard line as to what they believe the data is worth, two things may happen:

They get what they ask for

or

They don’t and the lead information dries up.

I use the vendors services out of convenience.
You have to be able to work on your business not in your business. If you are always the laborer and not the manager you will never advance.

Lets take vendor XYZ offering Service ABC for $10.00 per inspection.

Now I have a choice I can offer each client the option of ABC for $10 or more.
If I feel clients really benefit from ABC then I simply include it in my normal inspection. Fees may or may not increase.

On the other corner of the street. 123 company is offering access to the same ABC for free.

Why do I chose to use XYZ over 123… Lets look at pros and cons

123 I have to do additional work to provide the benefit.
XYZ does the work for me.

Can I pay an employee $10 per inspection to do the same work. Sure but why?
XYZ employee is already trained, and I don’t have to worry about employment laws.

I saw an inspector offering clients car wash tokens. Why not just offer to wash their car for them yourself.
I understand that has nothing to do with client data. however in the sense of work time its the same thing.

Nathan you are lying again. I actually said these products are actually “all good stuff” for the inspectors and their clients. I also never criticized you, your products or anyone that uses them in fact this thread is an Idea to help them.

This is a suggestion to my fellow Inspectors all and your presence is not needed nor wanted.

Sorry to inform you but there is no inspector here in my area that is eating me alive. I am quite happy with my volume in the past and the present. Take you BS and shove it.

You are the reason I asked for Inspectors only. You are always the only vendor that will not allow Inspectors to talk. if you can’t respect that you are one insecure individual.

This is an Idea for some inspectors. NICK himself recently posted that anyone wants to start a thread without vendors in it to say it in the title. I did, and look the scared salesman has to come in and start making derogatory statements again towards me. You are pathetic. You can’t stand it for a second that other people have Ideas that just happen to go against yours. Sorry dude but you are not the only businessman here.

I’ll tell you what. Go start a thread and put in the title, nicely
For Vendors Only. I promise you I will not make 1 single post in it. I am a Man of my word and would respect your wish.

Jim

John, I appreciate you taking the time to actually read and give a valid reply. As you even stated it is not really related to my concept but I see your point.

This does not have to take up anytime at all other than adding more time for your new found bank deposits …LOL

It is simply a matter of assessing a fair value for both the inspector and the vendors/contractors etc… and then basically getting paid for each qualified lead. FYI by qualified I am protecting the vendors from fake made up clients.

This system has been around for years and years in many different industries so why not in ours? The inspectors win, the vendors still win, just not quite as much as they have been, and their is no difference at all for the client.

This is simply, a very easy and doable way for “Some” Inspectors to increase their bottom line by not having to change anything that they are currently doing.

Jim

I see where you guys are going with this and see no harm in the process either.

You may be able to further validate each lead with a simple question sheet.
You see it all the time Check for each service you would like more information about.

Jim I like how you approached this. I like the idea of checking for recalled products for safety. Just had someone here locally have a fire start from a recalled dishwasher that was never caught. My problem is I looked at the wemakeitsafer site. It s*cks. Horribly. I ran more than a few test inspections through it vs Recallchek and it was coming back with all kinds of recalls…until you clicked on things and found out the recall was for a gas water heater, when I input electric, just off the wall stuff that was horrible. Difficult to input, difficult to use. Not good. The government site is too cumbersome as well. I really don’t like the whole ‘alarm call’ deal, but I also understand ISG is a business, like me, and like John, its the convenience. I tell clients you have 3 options, if you don’t care, no worries. If you want a recall report on your appliances for your safety, either pay me the extra to order it, I tack on a bit more for the trouble, or I go through the alarm call deal. About 40% of the clients don't see a use for it, the other 50% don't mind the call, and about 10% don't mind paying the extra . In the end everyone wins and I can run my business as I am comfortable running it and letting the clients decide what is best for them. No bubbles, no troubles

If you made enough arrangements, and could demand a good fee for the client data, you could completely change your business revenue. You could charge $75 for home inspections and make up the rest in compensation for leads you provide to various companies.

You could do the inspection, and hand the checklist to your clients. They could check if they wanted to hear more info about discounted alarm systems, home owners insurance, moving companies, kitchen remodelers, cleaning companies, landscapers etc. If they check enough them, you’d be set.

A home inspector who made lead generation his primary revenue source, with the home inspection as a means to acquire the leads for interested parties, may actually be able to run a profitable businesses.

His fees would be a fraction of his competitors’.

Or you can pimp your wife and sit at home and don’t do any inspections. The only problem you may have is identifying the daddy of your new babies as she starts spitting them out.:wink:

Got a link?

Can we have one section of the message board where vendors are not allowed to post?

Just one?

How about it Nick?

Thanks John. You are on the right track with qualifying the lead and at the same time it would help comply with the current COE. It would get explicit consent to the client.

Jim

Glen, I fully understand, and let me say this again, none of that needs to change at all. The only thing to change is the way the money gets handled. This way the inspector can now get a little bit more of the pie so to speak and the client still gets whatever the inspector was giving them. Still a win win for all just a little of the vendors and contractors profit will now be going to the inspectors. Not all of course, but a little.

Jim