Many inspection businesses are in an awful "groove" these days.

They don't know the steps it takes to tap into "bad economy wealth."   There's much more economic activity going on, even now, in the midst of what many are calling the worst economic downtown since the 1930s.

I am going to share with you 7 ideas, real things that successful businesses are doing in order not just to ride out the recession but to grow and flourish as never before.

•·         Break down your numbers.  Not just month to month, year to date, and year to year, but also into categories like how many leads, how many new sales by product, average sale, and average product-source. Then, find your focus by analyzing the data.  You are nimble.  Make the move.

•·         Strategic Process.  Have a systematic, strategic process in place that is designed in a predictable, sustainable, and continuous manner to bring in prospects and first-time buyers.  You know what works and what doesn't.  Now just do it.

•·         Produce not just incremental gains but exponential gains by recognizing how your business really makes money.  Example:   Sam's Club studied its numbers and realized it made more money from selling memberships than from selling goods in its stores!  Now advertising and marketing is designed to bring people back into the stores to purchase on a regular basis...in order to keep their memberships in good standing.

          Is your income on the inspection side of the business and not up-selling.  If that is the case raise your prices and give away a Termite Inspection or Radon Testing.  Try it, market it, track it and evaluate it.  What happened to your schedule?  What happened to your business?  What is the noise?

 •·        Be transparent about all of the factors that affect your business.  Understand and believe that none of the problems are impossible. In fact, the vast majority can be improved upon.   You need to see the potential income in any business situation and how to make it work for you in a most enriching manner.

           When ads no longer work, you know how to get free media. When consumers aren't spending as much money, you know how to find alternative propositions to which they can't say no. If marketing at local events or trade shows stops working for you, then you develop a distribution channel none of your competitors know about.

 •·         Understand your competitors' appeal, advantage, and differentiation in the market.  Research and know how to pre-empt these advantages, or successfully position yourself against them. Take the time and trouble to learn why certain Realtors and clients schedule or buy from your competitors and not from you, and learn how to change that.

 •·        Learn about the alternative products and services that your prospects can buy in lieu of your stuff, including taking no action at all. Focus on proving to your prospects that choosing you represents the most astute decision any buyer could make.   They need you and you want them now as a client.

  •·        Incorporate growth thinking into everything you do, every action you take, every investment you make, every contact you forge with your client, your Realtor and your marketplace. 

 These steps are fundamental to finding your groove.  Now go shake your "groove thing" into the night and back to success!

Maverick Rules!