“Whether you are a new restoration business owner or have  20-plus years of experience, a sound marketing foundation is needed to ensure success. This foundation should include a well-defined marketing plan, with customer personas, all target audiences, an ADA-complaint website and promotional plans, with a total of 7 to 8% of sales revenue allocated to marketing,” Nia Sherrema Pearson writes.

“How can we prospect on LinkedIn and make more seincere connections with LinkedIn members whom we would like to become our customers? One approach not to use are automated systems that send out connection messages every day,” Robert Kravitz writes.

One of the most challenging hurdles in the crime, trauma and death scene cleaning industry is helping a client navigate a life-changing, traumatic event. The other challenge is marketing such a sensitive service without being offensive, appearing non-sensitive or overbearing. For almost four decades, Gordy Powell has tried to reinvent how to market this industry in a tasteful, yet practical and successful way. Here, he shares a new approach.

At some point, you will run into situations where your livelihood may be threatened. This is when you will need advice from someone who may have experienced a similar situation or knows how to navigate through the challenges. So, what is a restoration coach and how can they bring value to your company?

Decision-making is one of the most important skills we have as leaders. It is also a skill we need to cultivate in our team members. And yet, most business owners have no strategy in place for analyzing and optimizing their decision-making process. To truly master the art of decision-making, start asking yourself these five questions on a regular basis.

There is one universal key that, Jennifer Sharpe found, will always lead to an increase of success. That is your own commitment to personal development.

“We are so focused on the physical aspects of everything we do in our business and personal lives, we sometimes forget the importance of the emotional connection, a basic human need. We have become transactional and no longer personal. The most successful companies handle problem resolution with a human voice and a can-do attitude to service, while others deal with problem resolution with software and a list of options,” Barry Costa writes.

“We have reached an inflection point,” Andrew Zavodney writes. “We can choose to evolve, carefully striking a balance between innovation and margins, or choose complacency, watching operational costs tick upward and diminish earnings. So for those looking to spark positive change across your organization, here are the headwinds that should be on your radar.”

Remote or third-party estimating companies focus only on estimating. Their specialist teams are made up of estimate writing wizards, geniuses of graphical estimating and magicians of macros. These dedicated estimators may have gravitated away from managing trades and keeping up with client communication, while leaning toward the technical aspects and nuts-and-bolts of how each trade handles tasks. Could remote estimating enhance your business?