#i sent our hvac people a service request and they called me within like 10 minutes and the tech is on their way immediately | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

creek-cryptid-deluxe · 3 years

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So you guys remember last Tuesday when The Chaos Demon went full Kyle & put her head through a window as though she was on a 4 day coke binge & was asked to leave an establishment?

Well my dad put in a maintenance request that day. We were told they would be out to look/repair either Wed between noon-5 or Thursday between 10-5. Then we never saw or heard from anyone. Dad tried to call the property manager & the emergency maintenance line Friday but got nobody.

So today, with still experiencing radio silence & half out window being missing for a week as of tomorrow, Dad let me handle it because I am not a pushover who prioritizes politeness over getting shit done.

I called the property manager's office & got the voicemail. I left the following message:

"Hello, this is [Dr. Morrissey], [dad]'s daughter, at [address]. Last Tuesday we reported that a baseball went through one of our windows. We were told maintenance would be out [day & time] or [day & time] but never heard from or saw anyone. As of tomorrow half our living room window will have been missing for A WEEK. Someone from your office or maintenance department NEEDS to call either myself or my father TODAY. Our numbers are..."

All said in a scathing tone that made it clear I was barely containing my rage and only doing so for the sake of social civility. The voicemail message gives an emergency maintenance number. I called it. I was directed back to THE SAME FUCKING VOICEMAIL. So I left another message.

"Hello, this is [Dr Morrissey] again. Your emergency maintenance number apparently also goes to this voicemail, which doesn't seem terribly effective for emergencies. So let me reiterate that half of our living room window has been missing for a week & nothing has been done, nobody has been heard from. You WILL call me or my father back today & it WILL be handled today. Thank you & have a nice day!"

Same tone, except the 'thank you have a nice day' was in my customer service tone. And wouldn't you know it, within an hour they called me & said that as soon as any maintenance dude is done with his current task, they will be sent over.

As Mr. Nancy on that TRAVESTY of an attempt at an American Gods tv series said: "Angry gets shit done." (He was literally the only good thing about that show, aside from amazing casting. Goddamn they fucked that shit up. I rage quit after season 1.)

Now, I wouldn't be so angry about this except that they just notified us that as of next month our rent is being raised $300 due to 'maintenance costs'. I could see this being feasible except that the only time maintenance is ever called is for the HVAC system or the time kids shot BBs through 2 windows. Every 6 months or so for the last 7 years we've put in a work order for my dad's bedroom (which overhangs the back patio & is LITERALLY & obviously falling off the fucking house). This, along with his master bath no longer working because it leaks into the kitchen and only 3 outlets in my bed/living room working, have never even been assessed.

Everything else, we've fixed ourselves. Hell, Dad remodeled the upstairs guest bath, redid all the floors, and replaced all the lower kitchen cabinets & countertop with upgrades. He also had a prolific rat problem on the lower floor for about 3 yrs that he battled at his own expense. We handle lawn maintenance. We handle pest control. We've never talked about how thin the windows are & that the 2 paynes they replaced after the BB incident are now legitimately thin sheets of plastic like you'd use on the wooden dollhouse kits.

But ohhh mAiNtEnAnCe CoStS. The month rent goes up, dad is submitting a list of every problem & for how long it's been a problem with a note stating that if he's paying the same rent as the people who have had their units gutted & upgraded, then he's no longer willing to ignore these issues. That the property isn't worth what they are now charging with these issues.

And he intends to resubmit it every 2 weeks with every issue that hasn't been resolved until they all are.

A note about his room: it's not structurally sound. You can tell both from the outside & inside that it is cracking in half, with the half that overhangs the patio falling off. Some of the posts meant to help support it from underneath don't even connect to the ground anymore. We had to put up a post (as best we could at the time) in the hopes it would bandaid the issue. The Spawn & I refuse to go in there & yes, he still uses it as a bedroom. He just always makes sure his bed is on the wall that isn't over the patio. It heebies my jeebies.

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constructionaccounting · 7 years

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0219: Unique Proven Marketing Tips For Your Contracting Company

This Podcast Is Episode Number 0219, And It Will Be About Unique Proven Marketing Tips For Your Contracting Company

For Most Construction Contractors Your World Is “Hurry Up” And “Wait.”

Hurry up and answer the Call from the Customer.

Wait to make the appointment.

Hurry up and get to the job.

Wait for the Customer to come home, to be available.

Hurry up and create the proposal.

Wait for a decision.

In some cases, the Customer says “Yes” and then it is Wait for the Job Deposit.

Wait to Start The Job

Contractors doing Insurance Work are expecting to wait for Approval from the Insurance Company

Wait for the 1st Installment from Insurance Company

Wait for Inspection By Insurance Company

Wait to collect Homeowner’s Deductible

Wait for Final Payment By Insurance Company

All of this Hurry Up and Wait for activity makes it hard for The Contractor to schedule other jobs. Many contractors are only holding a place open for the customer once a job deposit has been received.

There Is A Better Way - Fill The Funnel And Let Them Clamor To Get On Your Schedule!

Unless your Construction Contracting Company has lots of work stacked up, there will be times when there is nothing to do, and that is the best time to think about Strategic Marketing and following the adage:

"Dig Your Well Before You Are Thirsty"

Everyone over a certain age remembers the Big Telephone Book with Lots of Yellow Pages

The Telephone Books was so thick that it was the first thing used as a “Booster Seat” for little kids at Holiday Dinners. Those days are gone along with the Full Page – Triple Truck Ads. Today’s telephone book is small, thin and looks closer to an oversized paperback book. Remember the Thomas Guide Map Books. Everyone had them and bought a new copy every year. Today it is the world of internet marketing and phone apps. When in doubt – Google It, Bing, Safari, or search on Yahoo. There are other places, but these are the most common.

While waiting for something to happen here are few companies that may help generate leads Here are a few of my favorite companies that provide services that are helpful to contractors

Home Advisor – Marketing Nationwide - http://www.homeadvisor.com/

The best part is that you choose the areas you want to work and the types of projects you'll service.

They have resources on the pricing your construction services HomeAdvisor is the place to be found - here's why:

• Over 12 million project requests in the last 12 months • More than 5 million reviews submitted by homeowners • Nearly 140,000 service pros in their network

Houzz.com - Marketing Nationwide - https://www.houzz.com

The website for Contactors to Market to Homeowners and upload pictures of past project

Footwork Express – Marketing to Real Estate Agents - http://www.footworkflyers.com

Real Estate Agents need the assistance of contractors to put their listing in the best light

Footwork Express Provides Real Estate Marketing in King & Snohomish Counties

They deliver flyers, postcards, counter card promotions to Real Estate Offices

They work with Builders, Agents, Marketing Cos, & Companies with Services which Help Agents List & Sell Homes

Deliveries are Posted on their Home Page with the link to our client's website if available

They also post the Flyers on their Facebook, LinkedIn & Twitter

Postcard Mania – Marketing Nationwide - http://www.postcardmania.com/

Business Cards and Matching Postcards that you can pass out or mail

Business cards never go out of style – the just seem old fashioned

When the internet goes down, or customers do not have Smart Phone that trusty business card comes in handy

Your Construction Company Business Card Should Have:

Your Company Name

Your Company Address

Your Contact Info

Your Company Web Address

Your Company Phone Number

A business card is two sided – print something on both sides. Add a Flyer-like the one you used with Footwork Express and do a little “toe & heel work.” In other words Market, Market, Market.

Pick a neighborhood that is profitable to you.

Pick a neighborhood you know.

Pick a neighborhood that is developed with sidewalks.

Get in the Habit of passing out cards.

Our Marketing Favorite is called “Six Pack Marketing.”

Warning! Contractor Six Pack Marketing Can Put You In A Higher Tax Bracket!

Because of all the money, it can make you if you do it right...which means if you do it at all!

Contractor Six Pack Marketing is extremely powerful so be very careful with this one...several years ago in one of our construction companies we would send a crew to do a small two or three-day project, and they would wind up staying in the area for several months at a time.

What a scheduling nightmare! We had to hire more workers, train them using our documented process and send them out to a new project in a new neighborhood and BANG! More often than not they would plant the flag and set up operations and be there for a very long time.

Here is how it works: Your crew shows up to a house to do construction project and before things get really busy you go to three houses on each side of the place where you are working (six pack) and introduce yourself to the people living there by handing them a business card and in your own words say something like "Hello, my name is ----- and we are doing a construction project for your neighbor ------ and I just wanted to let you know that if any of our trucks or vans get parked in your way or if you have any concerns about what we are doing you can contact me personally and I will handle it."

WOW! You will amaze and delight them! Now do the same for the six houses across the street and when you are finished if nobody has asked for you to "stop by and see about a construction project" at their house you re-visit them and ask if he or she were inconvenienced in any way. This works because most people are curious about what is going on their neighborhood.

Numbers, Numbers, Numbers! In baseball, if somebody hit home runs 30% of the time they went up to bat they would earn a lot of money. Most of the time you will not find new work in the neighborhood; however, if it works just 10% of the time and one more person hires you then repeat the six pack again, and in most cases, human nature is "Me Too, Me Too!" Nobody wants to be left out, and very quickly you are getting a backache hauling all your money to the bank!

Now for the big news Figure out how much money it costs to "Mobilize" get your vehicles, labor, material, tools and equipment to a job site and how much does it cost to "Demobilize" or reverse the process. Now add an increased efficiency of at least 1% to the bottom line because the crew is familiar with the people and the neighborhood.

Every time your contractor six pack works you just put that "Mobilize and Demobilize" money and the 1% increase to the bottom line in your "vacation, retirement, kids college fund or whatever makes you smile fund."

If you would like to try the contractor six pack but need someone to do it with you and if you are within 20 minutes driving distance from my office in Lynnwood Washington and offer to buy me breakfast ahead of time I could be persuaded to do it with you at no additional charge other than breakfast because I always enjoy a good meal with a contractor! Contact Sharie 206-361-3950 or by email [email protected] and let her know you are interested in Six Pack Marketing.

Alternate Method For Six Pack Marketing

If it is a nice friendly neighborhood, the neighbors will be watching your work and come over. Why they might want something done at their house. Neighborhood with sidewalks – walk the block. Years ago we made up packets that consisted of a Door hanger, Flyer, Free Marketing pieces from the supplier, business card and a coupon. Paper-clipped together and bundled in groups of ten:

Hired High school kids to work in pairs put out door hangers

One driver and one person to pass out

They changed who drove and who walked or parked the vehicle

Sometimes both of them walked depending on the neighborhood

Gave them a street map, a highlighter to keep track of where they had been

Usually worked 2-3 Hours productively several days a week

Be sure your truck is lettered because it and mobile billboard advertising your contracting company

Add a few Yard Signs for the job sites

When you see a New Construction Project, there are signs everywhere on the project

Why – The Contractors want to have a “Next Job” to go to before this one is finished

Coolfront – Invoicing Software Nationwide - http://www.coolfront.com/

The World's Smartest Service Businesses Use Coolfront Mobile.Coolfront is a Mobile Flat Rate Pricing App for Plumbing, Electrical, HVAC. Has the ability to customize for additional services. Designed for especially the Mechanical Trades doing Service and Repair. Anyone who has had to build a Flat Rate Pricing Guide appreciates all the built-in features.

Construction Document Collection and Management System

We are always looking for a software to use internally, and you help you. Clients love the new Document Management System that links to their Bank Account, Credit Cards and can send other documents to it and they can view 24/7 previous documents sent.

Hubdoc automatically pulls your bills and statements into one secure hub. This means you have one login to view and manage the documents from all of your accounts. No more logging into ten different sites each month to gather your recurring bills.

Already A Client? Click The Logo Below

To Login To Your Hubdoc

Three ways to collect paperwork to Hubdoc:

1. Snap a Photo with the App

Simply take a photo of your receipt, invoice or bill with the mobile app. Hubdoc scans, extracts, and stores your documents, ready to be published.

2. Forward your Email Paperwork

When you become a client, Hubdoc automatically creates a personalized email address just for you. Email in your documents, and we'll do the rest.

3. Scan/Upload your Documents

If you've already scanned your receipts, invoices, statements or bills, you can upload them directly to Hubdoc and the software will extract the key data for you.

Safe and Secure!

Hubdoc uses bank-level security to ensure your data is safe. This includes 256-bit encryption, SSL/TLS, and a Premium Extended Validation certificate -- as well as monitoring and verification from McAfee & TRUSTe, the trusted industry standards in data security.

Simplify and Go Paperless!

Your important financial records are organized automatically for you, backed up forever and available on any device. Hubdoc is your digital filing cabinet in the cloud.

TSheets – Time Cards Construction Contractors And Their Empolyees Love - http://www.tsheets.com/

Whenever possible, we try to use the services before recommending them so yes, We use T-Sheets.

Coming Soon

We are currently testing a Dispatch Software with built in estimates, invoices and merchant services. It is a game-changer in the world of dispatch software because IT ACTUALLY WORKS! This particular dispatch software works with QuickBooks Desktop on your desk or in our QuickBooks Desktop in the cloud, and it will be a help to all contractors and the technicians and customers.

Fast Easy Accounting Store - QuickBooks Setup and QuickBooks Chart of Accounts For Construction Contractors

We are adding content to www.FastEasyAccountingStore.com to meet the needs of the Do-It-Yourself Contractor. This is helpful to our US, Canadian and other international contractor friends who want to purchase QuickBooks setup Templates and QuickBooks Chart of Accounts for their specific construction company.

Short List Construction Contractors We Serve

Brand New Construction Company Handyman Company

Cabinet Installer HVAC Contractor

Carpentry Contractor Insulation Contractor

Carpet And Tile Contractor Interior Designer

Commercial Tenant Improvement Contractor Land Development Company

Concrete Contractor Landscape Contractor

Construction Company Masonry Contractor

Construction Manager Mold Remediation Company

Contracting Company Moss Removal Company

Contractor Painting Contractor

Custom Deck Builder Plumbing Contractor

Custom Home Builder Pressure Washing Company

Demolition Contractor Remodel Construction Company

Drywall Contractor Renovation Contractor

Electrical Contractor Restoration Contractor

Emerging Contractor Roofing Contractor

Excavation Contractor Spec Home Builder

Finish Millwork Contractor Specialty Contractor

Flipper House Contractor Subcontractor

Flooring Contractor Trade Contractor

Framing Contractor Underground Contractor

General Contractor Utility Contractor

Glass Installation Contractor Construction Employees

Gutter Installation Company Construction Support Specialist

Additional QuickBooks Templates, Resources, And Services

QuickBooks Set Up Templates Solopreneur

QuickBooks Chart Of Accounts Free Stuff

QuickBooks Item Lists Templates Consulting

We Serve Over 100 Types Of Contractors So If Your Type Of Company Is Not Listed

Please Do Not Be Concerned Because If You Are A Contractor

There Is A Good Chance We Can Help You!

Call Now: 206-361-3950

We Serve Over 100 Types Of Contractors So If Your Type Of Company Is Not Listed

Please Do Not Be Concerned Because If You Are A Contractor

There Is A Good Chance We Can Help You!

Call Now: 206-361-3950

As summer is approaching here is wishing you a safe trip as you go about your adventures.

Enjoy your day.

Sharie

About The Author:

Sharie DeHart, QPA is the co-founder of Business Consulting And Accounting in Lynnwood Washington. She is the leading expert in managing outsourced construction bookkeeping and accounting services companies and cash management accounting for small construction companies across the USA. She encourages Contractors and Construction Company Owners to stay current on their tax obligations and offers insights on how to manage the remaining cash flow to operate and grow their construction company sales and profits so they can put more money in the bank. http://www.fasteasyaccounting.com/sharie-dehart/ 206-361-3950 or [email protected]

I trust this podcast helps you understand that outsourcing your contractor's bookkeeping services to us is about more than just “doing the bookkeeping”; it is about taking a holistic approach to your entire construction company and helping support you as a contractor and as a person.

We Remove Contractor's Unique Paperwork Frustrations

We understand the good, bad and the ugly about owning and operating construction companies because we have had several of them and we sincerely care about you and your construction company!

That is all I have for now, and if you have listened to this far please do me the honor of commenting and rating podcast www.FastEasyAccounting.com/podcast Tell me what you liked, did not like, tell it as you see it because your feedback is crucial and I thank you in advance.

You Deserve To Be Wealthy Because You Bring Value To Other People's Lives!

I trust this will be of value to you and your feedback is always welcome at www.FastEasyAccounting.com/podcast

One more example of how Fast Easy Accounting is helping construction company owners across the USA including Alaska and Hawaii put more money in the bank to operate and grow your construction company. Construction accounting is not rocket science; it is a lot harder than that, and a lot more valuable to construction contractors like you so stop missing out and call Sharie 206-361-3950 or email [email protected]

Contractor Bookkeeping Done For You!

Thinking About Outsourcing Your Contractors Bookkeeping Services?

Click On The Link Below:

www.FastEasyAccounting.com/hs

This guide will help you learn what to look for in outsourced construction accounting.

Need Help Now?

Call Sharie 206-361-3950

[email protected]

Thank you very much, and I hope you understand we do care about you and all contractors regardless of whether or not you ever hire our services. Bye for now until our next episode here on the Contractors Success MAP Podcast.

Warm Regards,

Randal DeHart | The Contractors Accountant

Our Workflow Removes Your Paperwork Frustrations

For Contractors Who Prefer

To Do Your Bookkeeping

Fast Easy Accounting Do-It-Yourself Construction Accounting Store Is Open

Most Contractors Setup QuickBooks Desktop Version In One Of Three Ways:

#1 EZ Step Interview inside QuickBooks Setup #2 Asked Their Tax Accountant To Setup QuickBooks #3 They Attended A How To Setup QuickBooks Class Or Seminar

And QuickBooks Does Not Work The Way They Want It Too!

The Answer:

#1 Click Here To Buy An Entire QuickBooks Setup For Your Specific Contracting Company

#2 Click Here To Buy Just The Chart Of Accounts For Your Specific Contracting Company

Short List Construction Contractors We Serve

Brand New Construction Company Handyman Company

Cabinet Installer HVAC Contractor

Carpentry Contractor Insulation Contractor

Carpet And Tile Contractor Interior Designer

Commercial Tenant Improvement Contractor Land Development Company

Concrete Contractor Landscape Contractor

Construction Company Masonry Contractor

Construction Manager Mold Remediation Company

Contracting Company Moss Removal Company

Contractor Painting Contractor

Custom Deck Builder Plumbing Contractor

Custom Home Builder Pressure Washing Company

Demolition Contractor Remodel Construction Company

Drywall Contractor Renovation Contractor

Electrical Contractor Restoration Contractor

Emerging Contractor Roofing Contractor

Excavation Contractor Spec Home Builder

Finish Millwork Contractor Specialty Contractor

Flipper House Contractor Subcontractor

Flooring Contractor Trade Contractor

Framing Contractor Underground Contractor

General Contractor Utility Contractor

Glass Installation Contractor Construction Employees

Gutter Installation Company Construction Support Specialist

Additional QuickBooks Templates, Resources, And Services

QuickBooks Set Up Templates Solopreneur

QuickBooks Chart Of Accounts Free Stuff

QuickBooks Item Lists Templates Consulting

We Serve Over 100 Types Of Contractors So If Your Type Of Company Is Not Listed

Please Do Not Be Concerned Because If You Are A Contractor

There Is A Good Chance We Can Help You!

Call Now: 206-361-3950

If you are a blogger, who writes about construction we would like to hear from you.

https://www.fasteasyaccounting.com/guestblogger

Contractors_Success_MAP, Contractors_Success_Marketing_Accounting_Production, Contractor_Bookkeeping_Services, QuickBooks_For_Contractors, QuickBooks_For_Contractors,Contractors_Success_Map_Unique_Proven_Marketing_Tips_For_Your_Contracting_Company

Check out this episode about Contractors Marketing - Accounting - Production (M.A.P.)!

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