Commercial marketing

[briddle]

Does anybody out there in NACHILAND have any GOOD ideas on how to market commercial inspections? Do you add a commercial page to your exsisting website?

[Matthew M. Berman]

I have stickers made that says WE INSPECT COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS with my phone number. I stick them on the door of any building i see for sale while driving around. I also take the name and number of the real estate agent on the for sale sign and make a call. Sometimes it works fast and sometimes they take awhile and sometimes it dont work at all but its worth the effort. Matt.

[briddle]

That is an interesting idea, Matt. Does it actually work? Have you gotten many inspections this way?

[afrost]

Originally Posted by mberman

I have stickers made that says WE INSPECT COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS with my phone number. I stick them on the door of any building i see for sale while driving around. I also take the name and number of the real estate agent on the for sale sign and make a call. Sometimes it works fast and sometimes they take awhile and sometimes it dont work at all but its worth the effort. Matt.

nice idea about the stickers. i've tried to leave my biz card, but there's usually no place to put them.. but what kind of stickers? like peel and stick pretty permanent stickers? something like an avery label from your computer's printer? maybe i should try some double stick tape with a biz card.

[Matthew M. Berman]

A local printer can do them for you, but i just have my wife print up about 25 at a time on the computor. That way i can change the verbage if needed.I have booked many inspections over the past few years that i have been sticking them on doors.Matt.

[Dan Bowers, CMI]

A lot of the commercial buildings and their property that we inspect will have price tags of $1,000,000 to $16,000,000 (2 or 3 story medical bldgs, a car dealership, a 10 story - 100 year old warehouse going to end up a condo conversion, a 20,000 sf funeral home with several other buildings on the grounds, a 150 year old bread & breakfast, an old abandoned elementary school, a strip center with 5 individual businesses there, a huge office warehouse manufacturing facility, OR just a failed 7-11 or Quik Trip being bought to convert into a restaurant or office).

That means commissions of $60,000 & way the heck up from there. The boys and girls selling those want to make damn sure the inspector(s) thats hired has heavy duty commercial experience.

They're not often gonna gamble that kinda money on a sweet song, a 5 color brochure talking about how we've passed the NHIE, NAHI CRI or NACHI exam. They're not much impressed with our 20 years experience as a customer service rep at the phone company, etc, etc. They want to see credentials OR real world experience in commercial, etc.

My lead inspector for commercial has over 20 years experience and a background in things like: Field Director of Construction for the Midwest YMCA; VP of Construction for a commercial contractor specializing in building and renovating commercial buildings.

My other commercial inspectors background was 30 years as: a factory rep for a Major HVAC mfg company on commercial A/C & heating; a commercial roofing mfg rep; and a commercial electrician.

I don't count apartments in commercial - we do about 4-5 commercial buildings a month.

[George P. Wells]

Architects

[troberts1]

A lot of the commercial buildings and their property that we inspect will have price tags of $1,000,000 to $16,000,000 (2 or 3 story medical bldgs, a car dealership, a 10 story - 100 year old warehouse going to end up a condo conversion, a 20,000 sf funeral home with several other buildings on the grounds, a 150 year old bread & breakfast, an old abandoned elementary school, a strip center with 5 individual businesses there, a huge office warehouse manufacturing facility, OR just a failed 7-11 or Quik Trip being bought to convert into a restaurant or office).

That means commissions of $60,000 & way the heck up from there. The boys and girls selling those want to make damn sure the inspector(s) thats hired has heavy duty commercial experience.

They're not often gonna gamble that kinda money on a sweet song, a 5 color brochure talking about how we've passed the NHIE, NAHI CRI or NACHI exam. They're not much impressed with our 20 years experience as a customer service rep at the phone company, etc, etc. They want to see credentials OR real world experience in commercial, etc.

My lead inspector for commercial has over 20 years experience and a background in things like: Field Director of Construction for the Midwest YMCA; VP of Construction for a commercial contractor specializing in building and renovating commercial buildings.

My other commercial inspectors background was 30 years as: a factory rep for a Major HVAC mfg company on commercial A/C & heating; a commercial roofing mfg rep; and a commercial electrician.

I don't count apartments in commercial - we do about 4-5 commercial buildings a month.



How do you price these inspections? How do you set the pay scale for your inspectors? I have been thinking of hireing a commercial inspector but do not know what is a far wage.

[troberts1]

A lot of the commercial buildings and their property that we inspect will have price tags of $1,000,000 to $16,000,000 (2 or 3 story medical bldgs, a car dealership, a 10 story - 100 year old warehouse going to end up a condo conversion, a 20,000 sf funeral home with several other buildings on the grounds, a 150 year old bread & breakfast, an old abandoned elementary school, a strip center with 5 individual businesses there, a huge office warehouse manufacturing facility, OR just a failed 7-11 or Quik Trip being bought to convert into a restaurant or office).

That means commissions of $60,000 & way the heck up from there. The boys and girls selling those want to make damn sure the inspector(s) thats hired has heavy duty commercial experience.

They're not often gonna gamble that kinda money on a sweet song, a 5 color brochure talking about how we've passed the NHIE, NAHI CRI or NACHI exam. They're not much impressed with our 20 years experience as a customer service rep at the phone company, etc, etc. They want to see credentials OR real world experience in commercial, etc.

My lead inspector for commercial has over 20 years experience and a background in things like: Field Director of Construction for the Midwest YMCA; VP of Construction for a commercial contractor specializing in building and renovating commercial buildings.

My other commercial inspectors background was 30 years as: a factory rep for a Major HVAC mfg company on commercial A/C & heating; a commercial roofing mfg rep; and a commercial electrician.

I don't count apartments in commercial - we do about 4-5 commercial buildings a month.



How do you price these inspections? How do you set the pay scale for your inspectors? I have been thinking of hireing a commercial inspector but do not know what is a far wage.

[Scott Gilligan, CMI]

I'm looking for a good generalized write up for commercial inspections that I can post on my website. Anyone have something they would be willing to share?

Thanks

[Brian E. Kelly]

Put either a completed commercial report or a mock commercial report, on your site.

[Michael R. Boyett]

Several home inspections and 16,000 square feet of light commercial inspections this week has resulted in my best financial week ever. I think I'm gonna focus even moreso now than ever before on the commercial work.