http://chasemarketing.blogspot.com/ 

The following post comes from an article I read at www.mytorontohomeimprovement.com

Good contractors are at a premium in Toronto so if you are preparing to invest some funds in updating your home? Here’s what you need to think about from your contractor’s point of view.

1- Define what you want. Start by making lists of what you like and don’t like in your home. Make sure that everyone who lives with you agrees with what’s on the lists. What activities do you do in each room? How do they relate to features you’d like to add? All this will help your contractors understand your goals.

2- Be an informed homeowner. Personal intrusion, noise, distractions, dust and inconveniences are often unavoidable but they can be managed if you prepare yourself and your family for the process of renovation. Make your home accessible to workers, and take time to understand their schedules. Some contractors may want to work from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., others from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Discuss this with them so that their schedule accommodates your lifestyle. Plan some dinners out and a few weekend getaways to give you a break from the craziness around your house.

3- Be a good communicator. You must completely understand what you are getting into before you purchase any products or start any work. This means always asking questions, studying drawings and confirming all details with your contractor. A calendar and message centre can help you, your children, the contractor and tradespeople know what is happening in the house on any given day. Being accessible during the day (via cellphone or a work number) can help your contractor make fast, smart decisions as issues arise.

4- Plan to spend more than you thought. On average, people spend 10 to 20 percent more on their renovations than originally planned. If you expect this at the outset, you’ll feel more at ease when you add a feature you forgot or indulge in a luxury or two.

5- Check about your contractor’s references. Most of us find contractors through recommendations. A good contractor pays attention to details, such as placing drop cloths and cleaning the site each day, is courteous of your time, follows up with your questions and bills on a regular basis. Does he or she have a cellphone or an email address?

6 Use a contract, and be specific. Is there a start and finish date to this project? Are there provisions for extended completion dates, payment schedules and material specifications? Who buys what and who does what? Upon signing, the contractor will probably ask for a deposit - typically 10 to 20 percent of the total job. If he or she insists on something higher, you should consider this a red flag. And it goes without saying that you’d be wise to avoid cash deals.

7 Keep a project log. Use a simple folder to keep track of products you have specified, dates of certain installations and what happens each day at the house. This will become your memory bank of the day-to-day goings-on at a chaotic work site.

8 Plan to visit showrooms alone and with your contractor. When you go on your own, you can dream, get ideas and be creative. When you take your contractor, reality will hit. The contractor can advise you on what will work in your home and the materials that he or she feels comfortable working with.

9 Be accessible during installation times. Confirm that the showrooms you have purchased from can have a contact available. You should also be accessible by phone during the installation dates of products you have chosen. Nothing is more stressful for a contractor than installing a bathtub only to find that a part is missing or wondering how high to hang your wall sconce.

10 Be open to new ideas and changes from your original plan. You may think everything is well thought out and planned but inevitably, changes will need to be made. A good contractor will offer solutions to small problems and use his or her experience from past jobs to recommend what works best.

Toronto Home Improvement

A few weeks back I got an invite to a Barrie Construction Association Dinner Meeting and I was very excited about going. As part of our expansion of the GTA paper we are looking to ad sections on surronding Construction Associations for news coverage. This month we covered the Niagara Construction (NCA) and provided all members with a free copy of the paper.

In the world or construction not always submitting the best or lowest bid gets you the job, it takes a relationship, a referral or a networking event like this to meet the right people. If things go well we should have a profile set up for our July issue.

By the way here are the event details for tonight:

Robert Simpson Brewing Company

107 Dunlop Street East, Barrie

Date: Thursday, May 8th, 2008 – 6:30pm

$30.00/person + GST

Any questions or other

information required please contact us at

Barrie Construction Association Tel: (705) 726-5864

I found this interesting service yesterday online that allows you to create personalized Google Links search pages using your name, business name or anything you want. It may be an interesting way to communicat to existing or new clients by sending them the link or do it for a family member for fun.

http://www.pimpmysearch.com/home.html?gname=GTA%20Construction%20Report

http://www.pimpmysearch.com/home.html?gname=Ottawa%20Construction%20News

http://www.pimpmysearch.com/home.html?gname=NHBA%20Structures

http://www.pimpmysearch.com/home.html?gname=OntarioConstructionReport

http://www.pimpmysearch.com/home.html?gname=ConstructionNewsReportGroup

10 Reasons to Hire a RenoMark™ Renovator

Whether you’re re-doing your kitchen or adding a new addition to your home, the Niagara Home Builders’ Association encourages you to do it right the first time. No job is too small to call on a professional renovator. Most renovators do a whole range of projects from small to massive. In fact, “Do it right” is the battle cry of our parent association, the Canadian Home Builders’ Association, as together our goal is to make you aware that dealing with a professional is the right way to approach any renovation job.

But how do you go about finding a reliable and reputable renovator? Look to the NHBA RenoMark^TM  program for the answer — and look for our logos. 

Here are 10 great reasons why you should hire a RenoMark^TM  professional for your home renovation projects:

1. RenoMark^TM  members believe in professionalism. They are committed to their industry and to their businesses and are willing to pay annual dues to keep informed and to help educate consumers as well.
2. RenoMark^TM  members have legitimate business licences. They do not support the underground economy of renovators who avoid paying taxes and operate ”fly-by-night” and “cash only” businesses.
3. RenoMark^TM members are informed. Information and education are important benefits of membership. Our members are the first to know about changes in building codes, municipal requirements, health and safety regulations and more through our courses, information sessions, and communications program. Our NHBA Renovators Council meets monthly for industry updates and information exchange sessions.
4. RenoMark^TM members are “in-the-loop”. It makes sense to hire a renovator that is part of an extensive home building and renovating industry network. Our members are in touch with manufacturers, suppliers, and experienced sub-contractors. They know what’s new and where to get it.
5. RenoMark^TM members offer peace-of-mind. Joining our program is your sign that a renovator is concerned about fair and honest quotes and reliable start and finish dates. They understand that keeping the lines of communication wide open is the key to a successful job.
6. RenoMark^TM members comply with the association’s general code of ethics applicable to all members plus a renovation-specific code of conduct. It’s all about integrity. Our members believe in treating not only their clients appropriately, but also deal fairly with sub-contractors and employees.
7. RenoMark^TM members offer a wealth of advice. Put them to work for you in the planning stages of your renovation. Our members can offer design and technical advice to achieve designs you may not have thought possible. They are one call away.
8. RenoMark^TM members take care of the details. Hiring a professional means that the details like ensuring all sub-contractors have Workers Compensation Board coverage, necessary approvals and permits are in place, and obtaining the appropriate insurance are not only taken care of, they are readily available to you for your assurance.
9. RenoMark^TM members offer a warranty. A contractor committed to professionalism will offer you the coverage you need. Under the table deals leave you no recourse - so make sure your renovator spells it out on paper. Our members can also provide you with a written list of referrals so you can check on their performance and expertise.
10. RenoMark^TM  members are part of the NHBA – a crucial first step in knowing that you’ve hired a professional.

With the launch of our second Home Builders Publication in Niagara this past March we have started down the road of developing a new structured theme schedule to increase the coverage we provide locally as well as nationally. The Theme Schedule for the remainder of 2008 and set forth for 2009 will be rolled out by the end of June.

The goal is provide a stage for national companies to reach the targeted market of home builders and help use expand where and to whom we delivery our papers. Running for over 15 years now our original publication Impact! for the Greater Ottawa Carleton Home Builders Association has seen its greatest growth in the past year between the work that Dan Smith and I have focused on expanding our coverage and increasing the brand awareness of a “Best Kept Secret” type of product. It is funny looking back to see how we missed expanding one of our greatest assets.

As part of moving into the national coverage this June we are doing a great feature on the Canadian Window and Door Manufactures Association for the two Home Builder Publications and looking to expand to a provincial feature this Fall on their conference in Toronto Ontario.

Stay tuned for more updates on our new theme schedule. Also if you have any recommendations for features contact me at chasemarketing@sympatico.ca

Last year I set up a profile on LinkedIn after we found a new Client Services Manager for the Ottawa area and at first I was expecting another Facebook like application, I found the complete opposite. I figured it must be a great place to look for other candidates and old friends. On Facebook just about anyone can join your network or search through your friends and get to know you, on LinkedIn it is like you are a business networking event and you can only meet someone through an introduction.

Slowly I would look for previous business relationships, get new people to join my network and look for new contacts. Unlike Facebook, LinkedIn requires you build a relationship with someone or find some common interest or to look for contacts through posting or responding to questions in fields of your interest. It was fun at first but it kept asking me for more information to have a complete profile.

A year later I am only at 95% out of 100% for having a complete profile, this is after posting photos, jobs, inviting people to my network and then getting recommendations from current and past relationships. So far I have two and have been searching for a third. So now I feel like I have failed knowing I have note crossed the finish line, made it past the goal line or sunk the final basket to beat the buzzer.

I have to ask….

Will you be my third recommendation on LinkedIn?

Check out my profile here:
http://www.linkedin.com/in/gtaconstructionreport

Check out the other recommendations I have gotten:

Recommendations For Chase

Let me know if you have used this networking tool or other online sites, I would be interested in exploring them and maybe even giving you a recommendation.

Online branding today’s consumer gospel

    Company websites most trusted source of information for auto, banking,

    tech junkies

    TORONTO , April 23 /CNW/ - Consumers looking for information on new

products are putting aside their healthy cynicism of corporate branding and

gravitating toward company websites, which some consumers believe to be more

credible than news media.

    According to the APEX PR Influencer Report, a comprehensive study of

consumer trends conducted by Leger Marketing, company websites as they relate

to automobiles, banking, electronics and appliances, are more trusted compared

to television news and programs, family and friends, and traditional

advertising. Overall, company websites - viewed by 42 per cent of consumers

weekly - ranked 38 per cent on the credibility scale, behind news media and

friends and family.

    “Brands have come a long way in how they present corporate and product

information and as a result we are seeing consumers gravitating towards

company websites for information,” said Pat McNamara, president of APEX Public

Relations, which commissioned the study. “The company website is a powerful

medium that we can use to communicate with a captivated audience - we need to

ensure we are doing so with maximum impact.”

    The data supports recently released research from the APEX PR Influencer

Report that identified industry experts as more significant when it comes to

influencing purchasing decisions than celebrities and journalists. Those who

lend credence to corporate website information are mostly trendy individuals

with a strong knowledge of new technologies and products, but who tend to

purchase products after they have been on the market for some time.

    The trend toward corporate websites is more prevalent in the eastern

provinces than out west where consumers tend to place greater scrutiny on big

brands. Not surprisingly, younger audiences were most likely to believe

information from corporate websites than are middle-aged Canadians or seniors.

    “Young adults, particularly those in their university years, represent

the first generation to have had access to the Internet throughout their

formative years, and they have learned to gravitate toward company websites

for quick and reliable information on the products that interest them,” said

McNamara.

    The study was conducted between September 7 and 18, 2007, and surveyed

1,517 adults across Canada . It is considered accurate within +/- 2.5

percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

As we get closer to the relaunch of our website I am noticing more articles supporting the importance of a strong online presence and brand awareness.

We have been working very hard to develop our brand while the web site is being rebuilt much like the 6 million dollar man, (We can rebuild him, we have the technology…better than he was before, better, stronger, faster.. ) by focusing on things like Facebook , Here is  a link to our GTA profile http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1056974314 and here is a link to our Construction News and Report Group Page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ottawa-ON/Construction-News-and-Report-Group/9798714306?ref=s

We have also developed a strong following with our Construction Markering Ideas Blog and bi-weekly newsletter that has paid off to companies wanting to advertise before we even considered asking. The greatest thing that developing your brand online has done is levelling the playing field between small/medium sized businesses and large corporations. You are as big as you appear to be online or as small depending on the effort put into your deisgn. Is this a good or bad thing?