All I want as much as I can get for as little as possible

by | Aug 26, 2014 | Remodeling Budget | 0 comments

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Three quarters

Three quarters

In talking with my siding subcontractor Ed Lacey, I was trying to describe what my client wanted in the way of siding upgrades to his investment property. “It’s simple”, Ed said, “Just like everyone else, they want as much as they can get, for as little as possible.” Wow I thought, that probably describes 75% of the population’s spending habits. The others are captured in “Lowest bid” and “Cost no object” neither of which are a good fit for Levco.

In other words these “75%’er” folks are looking for a great value which I find refreshing. My duty and challenge is to make my company be a great fit for them.

The 75% ‘ers

If I really think about it, I am a “75% ‘er” too. In looking at the remodeling industry as a whole, trust and expertise is the key to selling jobs. Pricing comes in third or fourth on the purchasing public’s priority list according to all the surveys. Who can argue with the glee achieved when a good deal is penned?

When I buy goods or services, I am looking for value. Real or perceived, that is what buying is all about for me. If the brand can exude value, strength, durability, trouble free operation, easy access to replacement parts, and hassle free warranty, if necessary, I will likely make the purchase.

At Levco, we have made a mark on the local remodeling community by offering those services and carving out a niche in deeds, not hype.

As a company, Levco takes a risk every time a contract is signed. When we agree to a fixed price proposal, we are saying that we can accomplish the assigned tasks for the funds allotted and not a penny more. We average a pretty darn good success rate with our estimating experience. Remodeling is in our estimation more of an art than a repeated task or commodity item. I found this to be true in the world of pizzas too. Our duty to ourselves is to establish what defines us as unique and protect that with every ounce of our being.

That is too much, I’ll do “IT” myself

Too Much

Too Much

Every so often, a client comes along that says, “That’s too much, I think I’ll do “IT” myself. I think of these folks of having a “Champagne taste on a beer budget”. Your “IT” is not the same as our “IT” for starters. What we do as artisan and a full time remodeling team is different in every aspect from your “IT”. In these cases, I have not succeeded in establishing what makes our “IT” a better value than your “IT” does.

The overlap

For these folks I want to say that we need either to reduce the scope of work or increase the budget until we find the overlap that makes it worth the risk we are accepting by taking on your project. I also keep this Aldo Gucci quote near. “The bitterness of poor quality is remembered long after the sweetness of low price has faded from memory.”

What you get

In an effort to better explain our value I post all sorts of information about our philosophy, results, and legendary service. I also shine a light on the imperfect process of remodeling through our fantastic finished project, foibles, challenges to overcome, fixes, and testimonials.

My company is evolving right in front of you. From my humble roots of building tall-tall buildings on the living room floor, to helping dad for the summers in High School, to house flipping on the side, to a real remodeling show that is going on in 6 local homes simultaneously right now.

Vive la différence

Our humble goal is to “Create Enthusiastic referrals.” Levco is doing everything we can to make our services a great value to the 75% of the remodeling purchasing population. We get that it is nearly impossible to compare companies because remodeling is a rare occurrence. We will have to rely on communicating our value and establishing great word of mouth advertising that comes with years of service.

In a related story, we just finished a new benchmark by completing the fourth project on the same home for a client. If you or someone you know is considering remodeling or just wants to speak to a trustworthy remodeling contractor please contact me, you’ll be glad you did.

Your comments are welcome. To ask questions or get more information about remodeling, click here to email me directly, or call 208-947-7261

Disclaimer: Some of these images came from the WEB. If they are yours, and you object to them being used, please claim them and I will gladly remove and replace them at once.

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