This all sounds ridiculous to me. Nothing is stopping anyone from putting full time inspector on their website or materials now. I don’t think it will make any difference to the customers but go for it if you think it will set you apart. I do think something like telling how many years you have been in the inspecting business might make a small difference unless you are relatively new in the business. I know some “part time” inspectors who do a lot, and I mean a lot more business than some full time guys. Do they advertise they are part time…hell no. No one looks at all that fruit salad logo mess on the websites anyway. It may have some passing interest but much of it means nothing to the average customer who isn’t impressed nearly as much with these accomplishments as the inspector is with himself.
Instead of trying to get iNachi to do something about your marketing dilemmas do something yourself. If the phone ain’t ringing is has little or nothing to do with you being full time or part time.
BTW, those part time inspectors get most of their work due to their reputation and word of mouth referrals, not depending so much on agent referrals. When the caller asks for you by your first name you can pretty much bet they got your name from someone else.
I think I know where you are going with that post. There will not be a marketable change. I just won’t have to stay up until 2:am doing Nachi online classes and creating mass emails, writing blog posts, researching ancillary services and all of the other things that I didn’t do before.
What is keeping you from committing all of the time and energy to the profession (instead of your present full time job) and spending more time with your family?
Wisdom, Honesty, Integrity speaking!!
The sheer number of inspections.
I have admitted that this is my own fault. I seriously let the ball drop on my marketing. The pie around here is very small and I am trying (with a small amount of success) to gain MY piece of it. I figured that a website was enough, and it is not. I get face time with agents three times a week, the problem is there are very few buyers…and I am trying to pry these agents away from their current inspectors. That is hard to do, since I bring a sample report with me to the interview and I am not the cheapest guy.:mad:
Are you saying that there is no advantage to a consumer when he decides to hire you after you are performing inspections on a regular basis as opposed to your present irregular status?
Are the agents you are trying to impress full time salesmen? Sometimes, real estate brokers will hire part time housewives to use as a lead sources…getting a sale once every or every other year.
No the benefit is to me. I will be able to dedicate a more “NORMAL” time frame to my education, marketing and family.
With mobile broadband, I am always checking my emails, answering questions, and hell, posting here.
I market to ALL agents. Some are a waste of time and may be out of business tomorrow. Some may be the next top producers. The ones that are out of business tomorrow may have a friend buying, or a former associate selling a home. I hope I impressed them.
I service all (agents and clients) better than the competition in my area based upon the feed-back I get. I fully expect to be leaving my other job once homes start to sell again.
I hear there are many more home sales than inspectors can handle in Tampa. Florida inspectors with not enough on their plate should head down to Tampa and name your price!
Imagine if NACHI guys all have it (FTL) as a potential client scrolls through sites but ASHI members do not.:):)
Drew,
Don’t bring a sample report then… bring something else! We as inspectors get really excited about reports, quite honestly, no one else does. And the fact that many of our reports are getting longer and longer… the presentation and how we communicate on site is going to be our edge. Not a 70 page report.
What will you do as a full time inspector who depends upon these referrals you are working so hard to get, when killing a deal could cost you the income you need to avoid returning to your present full time job? Do you see these relationships with real estate salesmen as being key to your success as a home inspector?
ALL relationships, with clients or used house salespeople are important. I used to follow the sermon that says “all inspectors that market to agents are soft report writing, sellouts to the profession”. Well…I can say first hand that that is B. S! I now will market to a dead tree if I thought an inspection would come from it. I said “market to it” not kiss its *****, lower my prices, or compromise my services for it. I f I do not see ROI from it, I move on.
People who do not try all forms of marketing at least once, are leaving money on the table. I spent two of my three years in business doing that and I am over that now.
My suggestion, (if I am allowed to have one) is to listen to the marketing and business advice of Russ Hensel, there is a great deal to be learned through him.
You didn’t answer the question.
I have killed three already this year and it really didn’t affect me. Two of the three clients hired me for the next house.
I have a Pru-Fox and Roach used house dealership right in my hometown that will not use me because they don’t like the way I word some of my narratives. My answer to that is…so. There is a Remax dealership in my town that wanted to lease a desk in their office to me. When I said no, I knew I was done with them. I will move on. There are plenty of dealerships out there and “loads” of salespeople. There is no need to hang on to any of them.
Does that answer your question?
No, it doesn’t…because today you have a full time job to back you up when they stop referring you for your part time work as an inspector.
Read my question(s) again.
I know that I said this in multiple posts before, but I will reiterate again.
NOTHING will change with my with my flip over to full time. I don’t need now, nor will I need later an agent, or a price shopper that will not refer me or use me. I have been the Service Magic (price shopper) route before and gave them up (when I was full time) because there was no ROI.
I am more accessible and service all that use me better than any of my so called competitors. I will have it no other way. (I think I have said this before also) Whether full or part time, the way I run my business will not change. The retail job that I have, pays squat anyway, so I need the inspection business. When the market increases I will go back full time and continue to excel over what used to be my competitors, who should master “spell check” before working on their reporting software.
Tampa will soon be the proud parents of the $99 Home Inspection. Tampa Bay Inspectors are battling each other to get to that unlofty goal and with Nick’s help in attracting out of work contractors (who think they are better than home inspectors) to our fold it should be a reality by Christmas… God bless us all, everyone of us.
“This is not a diploma mill!!”
Where have I heard that before!!
can you think of a better way for an inspector to stay on top of current building standards then being on a job site from 7-3:30 every single day? That’s what I do. I am able to schedule inspections for after 3:30 and on weekends because that’s when most clients want to schedule it so they don’t have to miss work either. I dont have to charge $500.00 per inspection because i need that money to pay my bills. I do the inspections because I make a little extra money and enjoy helping/ educating people and sharing my 22 years of building knowledge. I mean sure they could hire one of those franchise guys that has never owned a hammer CAUSE he’s full time.
I have to agree.