Basement finishing services in

TEAM Caravan Recap! Days 3 & 4

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:31:33 -0500

DAY 3, Part I: Keith Trembley Builders

Portland, Maine

Mark, Dan and Ron got an early start to see Keith Trembley. Mike Hyde is a one-man team who sees the sale through to installation. Mike is dialed into Total Basement Finishing with a $5,800 ADL and a 28% close ratio. Lead conversion will be the focus for 2012.

As you might be able to tell from the above picture, they're using Total Basement Finishing as an add-on business to supplement their existing restoration & remodeling company.

DAY 3, Part II: Northern Basement Systems

Plainfield, Vermont

Owners Matt and Alelia Clark have only been in business for a year, but they're off to an amazing start! They exceeded their goal for 2011.

Their outlook on 2012? "We're not settling for good. We want great!"

DAY 4, Part I: Basement Systems Quebec

Montreal, Canada

Owner Michel Haydamous and his Basement Systems Quebec team are centrally located in Montreal, close to all major highways, and able to efficiently service their territory. They are branding bilingual and able to successfully capture market share from both demographics!

Michel finished strong in the last quarter, putting him comfortably over a million dollars in sales. He hopes to DOUBLE that in 2012. To do so, he wants to focus on putting the right people on the bus, in the right seats.

"1:00PM. Heading away from Montreal, with a destination of the country's capital city - Ottawa! With an ETA of 3:00 pm, we look forward to meeting with the capital region's Basement Systems dealer, Atlantic Basement Systems. The snow stopped, clear roads, crisp Canadian air, and our eyes peeled watching for moose (or at least deer) as we roll westward on RT 40W." -Dan

DAY 4, Part II: Atlantic Basement Systems

Ottawa, Canada

Atlantic Basement Systems is primed to be one of our next "breakout stars." Corey and his partner Chris have exceeded their goals for last year, and with a little tweaking, could double that with spending little to no money. The focus for Atlantic will be hiring a salesperson.

With the money Corey saved by jumping on board with the National Yellow Pages Pay-Per-Inquiry program (negotiated here at Basement Systems HQ), he will also be able to hire a second call center rep to ensure he doesn't lose another call!

Stay tuned for details from today's visits to Murray's Basement Systems and Adirondack Basement Systems!

Updates from the TEAM Basement Systems Caravan!

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 11:26:55 -0500

As you may know, we kicked off our TEAM Basement Systems Caravan RV tour this week. For the next couple of months, we will be racing around North America meeting with as many of you as we can! The new year has given us all a renewed enthusiasm to help our dealers grow their business, which is the whole idea and driving force behind this tour.

Three reps from our dealer support team will be on the RV at all times: one sales expert, one marketing expert, and one operations expert. Mark Daconto, Dan Fitzgerald, and Ron Canelli have taken these roles on this first leg.

Here's a look back at this first week, and some highlights from our meetings with the 4 dealers we visited with on Monday and Tuesday.

DAY 1, Part I: Dry Zone Basement Systems

Taunton, Massachusetts

"We had a great visit with Todd and Erica. They are very excited about 2012, and are preparing for a big year," says Mark Daconto.

They just set their goals for the year based on some of the teachings from the recent Manager's Training at Basement Systems. Several of their employees attended, and returned to Massachusetts with new enthusiasm and ideas to improve their departments and the entire company. Melissa Wilcox said it was the best training she'd ever been to, and that it gave them real motivation and direction in making improvements. They said that, from now on, they will be at that training once a year.

DAY 1, Part II: Leader Basement Systems

Sterling, Massachusetts

Craig just finished with his best year ever. He has a new office space, expanded warehouse, and his first full-time production manager. With lessons learned from the past, Craig has committed himself to hiring great employees.

Check out Craig's new office space!

DAY 2, Part I: Basement Systems New Hampshire

Plaistow, New Hampshire

Owners Jim and Julie Berube met with Dan on Tuesday morning to discuss how they can increase the consistency and frequency of their marketing efforts. In order to be succcessful in that plan, they need to start gathering reviews and testimonials to feed into the TreeHouse's widgets. Steve Simon has inspired BSNH's sales team to get as many as possible from their customers.

New Hampshire is primed for a breakout year, as Ron coached their sales team and saw huge potential. Mark and Dan crunched numbers with Jim & Julie, mapping out a strategy for increased lead generation and new processes for added efficiency.

DAY 2, Part II: TC Hafford Basement Systems

Wells, Maine

Upon their arrival in Maine, Dan, Ron, & Mark quickly realized why Tony Hafford and his team were our #8 dealer last year. Heather, his "go-to" person and rising star, had BizWiz up and running with all their numbers at her fingertips! We came to several strategic conclusions that Tony and Heather felt will propel them back into the top 10 in 2012.

ABOVE: The Caravan parked at TC Hafford's to get some rest after a very successful first 2 days on the road!

Stay tuned to see when the Caravan will be headed for YOU!

The Basement Systems RV Tour is Underway!

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 09:18:41 -0500

Basement Systems Wants to Visit YOUR Dealership!

For the next couple of months, staff members will take turns traveling across North America in an RV visiting as many Basement Systems dealerships as they can. They'll travel in groups of three, with experts in Marketing, Sales and Operations in each group. They'll be averaging about two dealerships per day so your time with them will be limited. Be prepared for their arrival so that you can make the best use of your time with them!

Stay tuned to find out when the RV will be heading your way!

The First Stops

Mark Daconto, Ron Canelli and Dan Fitzgerald have started the RV tour by visiting dealerships around New England, including Basement Systems of New Hampshire and TC Hafford Basement Systems. They recently had a great visit with Dry Zone Basement Systems in Taunton, MA.

"They are very excited about 2012 and are preparing for a big year," said Mark Daconto. "They just set their goals for the year based on some of the teachings from the recent Managers Training at Basement Systems. Several of their employees attended the training and have gone back with new ideas and entusiasm about improving their departments and the entire company. Melissa Wilcox said it was the best training she has ever been to and gave them real motivation and direction in making improvements. They said that they will be attending once a year from now on."

Mark, Ron and Dan will continue winding their way through New England for the next few days until the next group takes over for the second leg of the trip.

Mark Daconto and Dan Fitzgerald with the Dry Zone Basement Systems crew in Massachusetts.

Sign Up for Management Training!

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 09:46:34 -0500

February 22 to 24, 2012!

Human capital expenses account for one of the top expenses in any business, so it is vitally important that this asset is managed well. Why? A well-managed staff results in happy employees, which results in happy customers – and THAT means a profitable and productive business.

In our upcoming Management Training, Feb. 22 to 24, we will cover:

Your primary leadership style and the strengths and weaknesses associated with that style
Four primary leadership principles and why they are important
Finding good, talented people to come to work for you
Conducting an effective interview and confidently handling difficult interviewing situations
Creating a simple and informative orientation program to help new employees become productive more quickly
Coaching and delegating to high performing, medium performing and low performing employees
Handling employees with performance and attitude problems
Evaluating each employee’s contributions and performance

Who should attend:
Supervisors, managers, those in a leadership role

Location:
Foundation Supportworks
12330 Cary Circle, Omaha, NE 68128
Phone: 800-281-8545
http://www.foundationsupportworks.com

Register:
To sign up for Management Training, visit the Dealers Only website at www.teambasementsystems.com and click on the banner on top!

Owners Meeting is Coming Soon!

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:31:18 -0500

Register NOW!

This year's Owners Meeting is coming up fast! It will be held at the Sonesta Maho Beach Resort and Casino in St. Maarten from March 22 to 25, 2012. Register today to reserve your spot!

To register, visit the Dealers Only website at www.teambasementsystems.com and click the banner on top, or contact our representative at Rotary Travel:
Aimee Mejias • Phone: 203-375-1399 • Email: info@rotarytravel.com

To see the official Owners Meeting flyer with all the information, click here!

The Video Coach: Copyright Infringement

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 10:55:01 -0500

WARNING: You may be guilty of copyright infringement. I'll get to that later, though.

The Fish On program has brought many new and old ideas into focus as we try to create brand awareness in your marketplace. One of the facets of the program is video promotion. That strategy plays out through YouTube and Vimeo online video, educational and instructional video, and in TV commercials.

I have made it my personal mission to help coach business owners on how to start promoting themselves through the media (primarily through video). I have been encouraged as I see owners taking this advice and instruction and actually implementing these strategies to build brand awareness for their businesses. But, it also has raised a major concern.

Lots of owners have captured video of their events and testimonials and have sent the footage into the Eye Star Station for editing to be used for their website and in the VideoBlaster program sending the videos out by way of YouTube, Vimeo and other social media outlets. This is all good. Also, some businesses have even taken it upon themselves to go to the next step and edit their own videos. This is good as well.

However, there is the huge concern looming in the shadows. If you create a video and use royalty-free music on your video, you are okay – keep doing what you are doing. If you are using video or music created by someone else, you have to pay for the rights to use that media or get written permission. The use of any media you do not own that you put your logo on is a clear violation of copyright law. Also, any manufacturer of products that you use (including BSI) that provides a video for you to use does not give you permission to use them on YouTube and in a broadcast setting. Do not assume you can take a product video, stick your logo on it and fire it out to the web. Do not take anyone's verbal permission as authorization to go forward and use the media. If you use that media and somewhere down the road someone cries foul, you could be liable with up to a six-figure fine!

What happens if the person who gave you verbal permission no longer works for the license holder of the media? What happens if the company changes their position on use of company media and the verbal permission you received is no longer valid? Having the written permission precludes anything that may happen after that: a change of company philosophy, change of management, etc. Without documentation in writing it can be costly, so don't do it.

Lastly, you may have heard of SOPA. SOPA is an acronym for "Stop Online Piracy Act." This is a bill currently being considered by the United States Congress. If this bill goes through, any videos you have out on YouTube, Vimeo and in other marketing endeavors had better have non-copyrighted video and music on it or the SOPA police will come down hard on you. The last thing we want is a regulating agency of the United States government to make an example out of us.

Our hope is that the SOPA just goes away. But if SOPA passes, BSI will require written permission to post any YouTube or web videos (that are not produced by you) in order to be SOPA compliant for all sites we manage. Regardless, we must understand that we have to own the rights to any media we use by purchasing the rights or having written permission. It's plain and simple, really, but many of us do not stop to consider the consequences. Now you know. If you need help finding media that is not copyrighted to use in a video project, please give us a call. We are happy to help.

Basement Systems Updates

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 10:43:27 -0500

NEW WaterGuard Corner Port
-Larry Janesky

We have an interesting and cool little part ready to ship for WaterGuard. Now you can put a port in every corner if you wanted to with our new corner ports. It replaces the standard WaterGuard corners and has a removable lid with knockouts like the existing port does.

The lid and hold under it is much bigger than the regular port we have now, which could come in handy. They are not available for outside corners, so you'll still need some of the old ports for outside corners even if you decided to put a port in every corner. Plus, putting a port in every inside corner when there are a lot of jogs in the foundation could be distracting. But by using these, you shouldn't need the in-line ports anymore, which basically eliminates a part or two per job and should make it that much faster. They are available for WaterGuard and WaterGuard XL.

And don't forget, my advice is to use WaterGuard XL. Since it came out, Connecticut Basement Systems has been using it exclusively. We simply don't have ANY WaterGuard in the shop. XL is 1" wider and ¼" taller, and has 47" more free area in the pipe. It's really no more extra work, and to get more drainage it seems like a no brainer to me. Currently about half of the dealers are using XL, but all should. Why not?

Basement Systems Edmonton Expands Building

The team at Basement Systems Edmonton is excited to announce that they have expanded their building. They have nearly tripled their office space by utilizing the building next door!

The new building is a 6,400 sq. ft. office space, which will bring their operation to 8,800 sq. ft.! Renovations are underway and they will be moving into their new space in the spring.

"We're very excited to be expanding our operation," said owner Glen Suprovich.

The Umbrella Man Army Grows

Ayers Basement Systems has switched over to "All Things Basementy." This is their first truck with the new logo and they have 5 other trucks getting lettered right now. The trucks were designed by Wendy Vandersluis.

Television Features

In the month of January, Connecticut Basement Systems was featured on local TV stations twice. Marketing Director Dan Fitzgerald was interviewed on the daytime shows "Connecticut Style" and "Better Connecticut."

Click here for the Connecticut Style segment:
http://www.wtnh.com/generic/ct_style/home/connecticut-basement-systems

Click here for the Better Connecticut segment:
http://youtu.be/Zbd5i1mYG8k

The Benefits of a Master Plumber on the Team

Anything that sets you apart from the competition is a benefit. This includes having staff members that are advanced in their craft and elicit trust from homeowners through their experience. Advanced Basement Systems in Ontario, Canada, has a Master Plumber on staff named Rene Plourde and he has found that the title gives him an advantage.

Plourde is a registered Master Plumber who owned his own plumbing company for 11 years. He is able to perform all plumbing for homeowners and runs service calls, sales leads, and even CleanSpace and waterproofing leads. After just 23 service calls his ADL is at $3,610 and total sales are at $13,000.

"We find what makes Rene so successful in selling – other than a great personality and being very positive towards customers – is that homeowners see his registered Master Plumber number and really trust what he says, as they should," said Ben Bates from Advanced. "Rene is a true expert regarding all sump pump upgrades/issues."

His creditable title has enabled him to upsell easily, as well as point out old or malfunctioning plumbing to homeowners in their basements.

"Only a few months into his career with us he's shown that he can sell our products and miscellaneous plumbing, service, deal with problem customers professionally, install products, and learn whatever it is he needs to quickly and with a positive attitude," Bates said.

Touring America

After the 2011 Convention, Island Basement Systems owner Chris Schmidt decided to take the long way home. He had his motorcycle shipped to Seymour, CT, and drove it all the way across the United States and back up to Vancouver, Canada.

The trip measured 7,462 km (roughly 4600 miles) but only lasted 6 days. Schmidt rode for 14 hours at a time stopping at landmarks along the way in Michigan, Colorado, Utah and Idaho.

"It's a great way to see the country," he said. "I met a lot of cool people and, of course, showed off the Basement Systems name."

Check out some photos from his trip. And in case you were wondering, yes, he plans to do it again at this year's convention!

How Much WaterGuard Does the Network Install Each Year?
–Larry Janesky

The answer is 1,500,000 feet! This grows each year. That doesn't include how much FlowGuard, Combination systems, FlowGuard SS, DryTrak, SmartPipe and flangeless WaterGuard we sell.

In addition, we all put in over 17,000 sump pump systems, and 11,500 of them were UltraSump back-up equipped (UltraSumps and TripleSafes).

Overall, the dealers continue to grow and break new ground using our products, our marketing, our sales tools, our software, and our training! What we are all doing is working! We will continue to look for areas where we can improve and innovate. So far, we're not short of things we need to do!

New MillCreek Colors Are In

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:45:48 -0500

The new MillCreek flooring colors are now here (January 18, 2012). Please note that the flooring has new part numbers, and although the color names are the same the colors themselves are slightly different. The new MillCreek will NOT color match the old version.

Any MillCreek flooring purchased prior to January 19, 2012, will be a different shade than the new flooring so it is imperative that you do not mix old and new flooring when installing.

NEW Flooring Part Numbers:
#07792: Light Oak
#07793: Mahogany

Call customer service today to order!

Sales, Marketing and SaniDry Training in Detroit!

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 11:50:17 -0500

March 5th & 6th at the Westin Detroit Metropolitan Airport we will host a two-day Basement Systems sales training. On March 5th Dan Fitzgerald will host a one-day Fish On Marketing program for owners and marketing managers, and on March 6th Mark Domogala will host a one-day SaniDry training for field techs and service people.

Please register online because the training is just several weeks away and space is limited at this venue. We do not want to turn anyone away so PLEASE register soon!

March 5th Day One:

Basement Systems sales training – all day room one
Fish-On Marketing program – all day room two

March 6th Day Two:

Basement Systems sales training continued – all day room one
SaniDry service & warranty training – all day room two

All training sessions will start at 8:30 each day, and end at 5pm. Please plan on attending the full session(s).

You can register online at TeamBasementSystems.com!

Hotel Info:
The Westin Detroit Metropolitan Airport
2501 Worldgateway Place, Detroit, Michigan 48242 • 734-942-6500

For reservations go to:
www.starwoodmeeting.com/StarGroupsWeb/res?id=1201098668&key=5748A

Top 100 Dealers

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 10:51:59 -0500

Here are the Top 100 Basement Systems Dealers based on total sales from July to December 2011.

Top Dealers

Connecticut Basement Systems. Inc.
Quality 1st Basement Systems
Thrasher Basement Systems
JES Basement Systems
Woods Basement Systems
B.Q. Basement Systems, Inc.
Adirondack Basement Systems
Midwest Basement Systems, Inc.
T.C. Hafford Waterproofing Inc.
Alabama Foundation Specialist
Ayers Basement Systems
Master Dry, LLC
J&D Basement Systems
Blackburn Basement Repair
ITG Basement Systems
Foundation Systems of Michigan
Perma-Seal Basement Systems
Basement Systems of New Hampshire
Innovative Basement Systems
Dry Zone Basement Systems
Healthy Basement Systems
DryZone LLC
Omni Basement Systems
Basement Systems of WV
Basement Systems USA
Mr. Basement
MidAmerica Basement Systems
Basement Systems Calgary
CO-Complete Basement Systems
Dry Pro Basement Systems
AquaGuard Basement Systems
Leader Basement Systems
Bakers Waterproofing Co. Inc.
Frontier Basement Systems
Badger Basement Systems
Evergreen Basement Systems
Clarke Basement Systems
Tar Heel Basement Systems LLC
American Waterworks
Advanced Basement Systems
Sure Dry Basement Systems
Indiana Foundation Service
Dry Guys LLC
John's Waterproofing
Basement Systems Vancouver, Inc
Basement Systems Quebec Inc.
NY-Complete Basement Systems of LI
J&D Basement Systems of Cincinnati
Century Masonry & Waterproofing,LLC
Healhy Spaces
Ohio Basement Systems
Terra Firma Foundation Repair
Northern Basement Systems
MN-Complete Basement Systems
All Dry of the Carolinas
Aqueous Basement Systems
Basement Systems of NY
ABS Foundation Services
Enviro Pro
Regional Waterproofing Co.
Bay Area Moisture Control
Nova Foundation Repair Services
Pep Waterproofing
Waterproofing Specialties Inc.
Basement Systems Edmonton, Inc
Island Basement Systems
SST Basement Systems
Frank's Basement Systems
Klein Basement Systems
Kansas Basement & Foundation
Bix Service
Wilcox Basement Systems
Redeemers Group, LLC
Utah Basement Systems
J&D Basement Systems Northwest, LLC
Rainy Day Basement Systems
Basement and Drainage Systems Ltd.
Atlantic Basement Systems
McInroy Maintenance
Superior Basement Systems, Inc.
Northern States Basement Systems
Kenmar Basement Systems
Peak Basement Systems
ACCA Basement Systems
J.L. Waterproofing
A&R Waterproofing
Low Country Basement Systems
Carolina Basement Systems
Gibbons Basement Systems
Basement Systems Winnipeg
Tomorrow's Home Solutions
High Tech Basement Systems
Basement Systems Saskatchewan Inc.
Murray's Basement Systems
North American Basement Systems
J.L. Basement Water Control
Hi-Line Flood Solutions
Foundation Specialties, Inc
Davenport Foundation Repair
Bowman Masonry

Some Updates from Larry

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 10:15:50 -0500

Recently a dealer had an idea that we make battery stands to keep the batteries off the floor so they don't short out on the concrete. This is not necessary for a few reasons. The new modern batteries we use are not wet cell batteries like we grew up with, where you can take caps off and add distilled water. These old wet cells could boil over and some fluid could run down to the floor and cause the battery to short. This is where many of us learned we couldn't put batteries on concrete, I guess. The new modern designs are sealed, however, and there is no need to put them on a stand of in a battery box. (There is no battery box big enough to fit our powerhouse monsters in!)

Another consideration is heat. Heat damages a battery and reduces its life. We have this part going in our favor when we set the battery down on a floor that is 55 degrees all the time! It keeps the battery nice and cool – far cooler than it would be if it were running some computer back-up equipment in a utility room somewhere. So setting our batteries on the floor is a good thing!
(Too bad! We'd love to make some cool colorful stand design and sell them to you. But, we do have a few other new accessory products coming out that you will love!)

New Building at Basement Systems
We are building a new 9,000-square-foot building here at Basement Systems – in the front of our building! Where in front, you ask? As you look at the main entrance of building one, it will be to the far left. We bought the dilapidated house next door that was falling down and got 60 more feet of road frontage. We are shoehorning a 9,000-square-foot garage in there with six 12-foot-wide doors that are 75 feet deep, and extra space to the side of the doors. The building will not be attached to our main building, but the corners are very close. We will use it for Connecticut Basement Systems FSI and TBF operations, and just to overall loosen the load at buildings one and two. They are pouring footings now. It should be done by spring.

Miscellaneous

We are working on several new projects to be released at the convention already. Great projects take a lot of time.
Don't ignore Everlast Window INSERTS. This development makes it SOOOOOO much easier to replace windows in poured walls. Try it!
We are looking forward to the Owners Meeting again this year, and have a lot of great topics to talk about.
Dr. Energy Saver Connecticut is gaining steam. Applied effort and focus is always the key – isn't it?
A TBF training in mid January was packed! Lots of dealers looking to crack the TBF code – and many are! Pete Westera sold two $55,000 jobs and both were very profitable! Ben Bayless has a $60,000 TBF job that looks good.
If you're ever in Vegas, don't discount a 2/3 of a day trip to the Hoover Dam. Pretty cool break from the visual overload of the strip.
Besides a horrendous Halloween snowstorm up here, we haven't had much since – and it's the middle of January. This means, so far, we will have at least five weeks less of snow on the ground here than last year. Spring is only 62 days away! I'm to credit for this – I bought a plow truck this year.

Reinvest in Sales Training

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 14:09:36 -0500

Lately, I've been talking with salespeople who have taken the initiative to reinvest in themselves.

How can you do that? By reviewing the 9, 10, and 11 Steps to a Sale. Randy Pantano from Woods Basement Systems has the best story of the New Year so far. Randy recently went on a lead where the homeowner reported a slight moisture problem. The homeowner already had a competitor who proposed a dehumidifier to solve the problem.

So, what did Randy do? He conducted his Warm Up, went through the Customer Fact Sheet, created an Accomplish List with the homeowner, made a compelling presentation, went down the Closing Trail, presented the Preferred Customer Discount, and closed the job for $28,000 at the kitchen table (a whopping $25,000 more than what the competitor presented)!

How can that be? Randy discovered exactly what the customer wanted and how the homeowner planned to use his basement space. The competitor proposed what he thought the customer needed. A Basement Systems salesperson knows that they're not selling to a house but rather they're selling to the person that owns the house. The person that owns the house will always buy more of what they want rather than what they need. That makes for larger sales. In addition, Randy knocked out the competitor because the competitor didn't give the homeowner what they wanted.

What did Randy say? Randy confessed that if he reverted to his old sales habits he would have went toe-to-toe with the competitor over who could provide a dehumidifier for the lowest cost. This success story would have never been possible if Randy did not commit to reinvesting time and energy into sales training. He skillfully changed the game from "who has the best price?" to "who can give homeowners what they want?"

Way to go, Randy! Basement Systems is offering a full schedule of trainings starting this month. Check the Team Basement Systems website and click the Training Calendar icon for the schedule.

Service Vision Bulletin
Service Vision will work with iPad 1 or 2. We recommend that you use an iPad 2 with at least 16 gigs of memory. Although the iPad 1 will work, it may run a little slow. Also, invest in a protective cover such as the Griffin Survivor. Click the link below to check it out:

http://store.griffintechnology.com/ipad/ipad-2

NEW Basement Systems Brochures!

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 09:28:58 -0500

Out with the Old, in with the New
The company brochure has a new, updated look. You may also notice another difference: there's two. Our Basement Systems dealers do a variety of services so we couldn't make just one brochure that would encompass everything for everyone. We decided to create two new brochures.

Part #11120 Replaces the old company brochure for Basement Systems dealers who waterproof basements and encapsulate crawl spaces. You'll notice the front and back of the brochure reflect Basement Systems and CleanSpace®:

Part # 11121 is the "All Things Basementy!" Brochure for the "everything" dealer. The front and back of the brochure reflect all of our services: Total Basement Finishing, Basement Systems, CleanSpace®, and Foundation Supportworks. If you're marketing "All Things Basementy!" then this brochure is for you:

The inside of both brochures is identical:

The brochures are available to purchase through Customer Service and cost $35 for 100 brochures. There's a space on the back to customize the brochure with a 30-up mailing label.

If you're strapped for time due to an upcoming home show, or simply can't justify customizing a brochure for your dealership, this is the way to go. Order yours TODAY!

Service Vision is on its Way!

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 11:26:12 -0500

Happy New Year!

To start off 2012 with a bang, we're excited to announce that we've officially launched our new iPad software Service Vision! As you read this message, Service Vision is on its way to your dealership.

Service Vision is a presentation software that our software developers have specifically designed to help service technicians upsell products and services to existing customers.

Remember, it can only be used on an Apple iPad. Print out the "Read Me" file from the installation DVD and follow the installation directions.

Service technicians should also be sure to listen to the Service For Life audio CDs that come with our Service For Life Handbook.

I look forward to hearing your feedback on this great new software!

Thanks,
Mike Lane

mlane@basementsystems.com
1-800-640-1500 ext. 9324

Paying it Forward

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 14:05:30 -0500

Convincing potential customers to put faith in you and your company can be tough. Years of bad contractor experiences are engrained in their minds, so it's your responsibility to change their perception. Cause-related marketing is a good way to accomplish this, as it moves your company to the forefront of the community's mind while at the same time helping those in need.

Advanced Basement Systems Owner Martin Bates decided to start the "Pay it Forward" program in order to help people in need in his local community. Each year, Advanced Basement Systems, located in Ontario, Canada, chooses a family that desperately needs work done on their home but can't afford the work. Then, they perform the work to help the needy family (and reap the benefits of being responsible corporate citizens).

"We live and do business in a wonderful community, a large community made up of many smaller ones where the spirit of helping each other is something to be very proud of," Bates said.

This year the company helped out the Devereaux family from Windsor who had a dirt floor basement. The dirt floor was causing moisture to form in the basement, which resulted in mold growth that became a serious health issue in the home. Advanced first discovered the home when Gordon Pickel, production manager at Advanced, went to their home to provide an estimate to repair the basement.

"I could tell when I met with Debbie and Brian that things were not good," Pickel said, "and when I gave them the news on how extensive the repair would need to be and the associated cost, they were devastated. I immediately came back to the office and explained to Martin that the Devereauxs would be a great candidate to become the recipient of our 'Pay it Forward' program this year."

On November 23 and 24, the Advanced team went to the home to encapsulate the basement and isolate the interior space from the earth, reduce humidity, and install drainage. They used CleanSpace on the floor and ThermalDry walls, and the job was worth about $9,500 (but cost much less to Advanced in donating the products and labor). Not only were they able to help a homeowner in severe need, but also they were able to make a splash, getting their name out to the community for being good Samaritans. Doing a free job for a needy family could pay off in the end for your dealership.

TBF News

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 11:44:24 -0500

Before and After TBF Job

These before and after photos came from a finishing job performed by Connecticut Basement Systems.

Before:

After:

Wall Restoration Feedback

Here is some happy feedback from a customer in Ossining, NY, that Connecticut Basement Systems installed an EverLast Wall Restoration System for:

Dear Louis,

Adam did a totally splendid job of finishing off the basement! He and Roy stayed here late into the night last night to complete the work. It looks fantastic, a whole new basement. Thank you so much for the great work, you guys.

Regards,
Mark

Chicagoland Had a Great December

-Scott Stolzenburg

John Tibbetts, the current "Rookie" at Chicagoland Total Basement Finishing, sold three great jobs in December for a total of $79,238. Not bad for his first full month running leads! Competing (for business now) is not a new thing for John… he was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles right out of college and played professional baseball in their farm system for several years.

Customers are sure to mention how knowledgeable John is and how well he helped them understand the importance of doing their basement right the first time. We look forward to continued success from Mr. Tibbetts.

While our Rookie had a solid month, our veteran Production Coordinator Kevin Topping added to our net sales by reeling in a 60 pounder ($59,747)! As Sales Reps are busy following the "Closing Trail," Kevin specializes in "Opening" relationships of confidence and trust with our customers. These relationships often win repeat business for our company. This large add-on remodeling project comes from a customer who loved working with Kevin and our "Team TBF" crew earlier in the year. Nice job, gentlemen!

Before:

After:

Here are some more great photos of basements by Chicagoland TBF:

Circa 1972:

Circa 2012:

The Mold Takeover

These frightening mold photos came from Pete Westera, owner of Basement Systems USA in Maryland. This house suffered major flooding from Hurricane Irene.

Free Finished Basement Sweepstakes

The deadline to submit your entries for the "Win a FREE Finished Basement Sweepstakes" is March 31, 2012. We will pick the winner of the Sweepstakes on April 1, 2012 and will notify the Total Basement Finishing Dealer if their submission won the FREE Finished Basement.

Remember to promote the "Win a FREE Finished Basement Sweepstakes" at your shows and events up until March 31, 2012. Send in all your copied home show slips to: Total Basement Finishing Attention: Free Basement Giveaway, 60 Silvermine Road, Seymour, CT 06483.

One lucky homeowner will win a FREE Finished Basement by Total Basement Finishing. Total Basement Finishing (Corporate) will supply the materials up to $25,000, and the dealership provides the labor, electric, and any plumbing. (bathrooms are not included.) If the customer would like to add on to the project after the $25,000 then they can do so, but at their cost. Please note: EverLast Wall Restoration, Basement to Beautiful Paneling, and/or SilverGlo cannot be substituted. It is a Total Basement Finishing Finishing System ONLY.

If you need a Win A FREE Finished Basement Bundle (Part Number GIVEAWAY) please contact Vicky Theobald at vicky@totalbasementfinishing.com and we will get a packet to you.

Good luck, and Happy New Year!

Top 5 TBF Dealers of December 2011:

Connecticut Basement Systems
Chicagoland Total Basement Finishing
Total Basement Solutions of New Hampshire
Phillips Home Solutions
Frontier Basement Systems

Top Dealer in Ceiling Sales: Connecticut Basement Systems
Top Dealer in Flooring Sales: Connecticut Basement Systems

See you next time!

~Francine Maglione

Communications Coordinator
Basement Systems, Inc.
francine@basementsystems.com
1-800-640-1500 ext. 9484

Send me any company news, jobs you're proud of and photos to share with the network in the e-newsletter!

Basement Systems Updates

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 11:39:22 -0500

Upcoming Trainings
January 23 & 24 – Sales & Marketing Training in CT
February 8 & 9 – CleanSpace Training in CT
February 22 - 24 – Management Training in NE
March 5 & 6 – Sales & Marketing Training in Detroit

To register for a training, visit the Training Calendar on the Dealers Only website: www.teambasementsystems.com

I Just Made Myself Famous Using Star Power Pro
-Richard Fencil

Google loves reviews. And they scrape other websites that have reviews and post them on their search results pages. Recently, we were able to get Google to scrape the reviews that come in from the Star Power Pro widget on our Supercharged sites.

Look at the number of reviews with the stars next to them:

On this page, there are 17 reviews on Google about Connecticut Basement Systems, 5 on CitySearch, and 167 on ConnecticutBasementSystems.com.

Ayers has been using Star Power Pro for new reviews as well as taking their old We "Heart" Referrals sheets and entering those in through the widget. Having 496 reviews with a 5-star rating makes them look pretty good!

One more…

For this result, Google switched to showing individual results with the star ratings – in this case, 5 Stars on both.

There are other reasons for using Star Power Pro, but this new benefit is pretty powerful. Are you using it? Ask your account manager today how to use it.

Evergreen Golf Outing Benefits Local School
Evergreen Basement Systems in Virginia is looking to help out an Appomattox school they really believe in. The Evergreen team is excited to announce their sponsorship of a golf tournament this spring to benefit the Cornerstone Christian Academy. The tournament will take place on May 11, 2012 at 8 a.m. at the Falling River Country Club in Appomattox.

Evergreen is now accepting registrations, which cost $75 for individual golfers and $300 for groups of four. Following the golf tournament, the event will feature a 4-person best ball, lunch and awards receptions. To register for the golf tournament click here: http://www.golfdigestplanner.com/19979-Evergreen_Golf_Tourn_for_CCA/index.html

"Evergreen Basement Systems is proud to sponsor this golf tournament for Cornerstone Christian Academy," said Shauna Parsons, owner of Evergreen Basement Systems. "CCA is an exceptional school that focuses on classical education in a family-like environment and we have been impressed with their results."

Some Updates from Quality 1st
The team at Quality 1st Basement Systems has had a busy past few months.

Instead of giving each other gifts this year, the team decided to give back to the community by sponsoring a few families in their headquarters of Perth Amboy. They were given the "wish lists" of each child and everyone brought in a few toys. They presented the toys to the mayor and the town representative.

Quality 1st is going to be featured on two episodes of the next season of the DIY Network's "Man Caves." The themes of the episodes are a secret at the moment but "we had a blast doing them," said Lily Szabo from Quality 1st.

The team also just brought on a new member, Jack Jamison, as field supervisor. He's been a part of the Basement Systems network for over 10 years but is new to Quality 1st.

"Jack will be an extremely valuable member of our team," said Bob Cherry, general manager of Quality 1st. "With his background in Basement Systems, his passion for training and his drive for top-notch service, he's going to bring all of our team to the next level."

DryZone LLC Helps Habitat for Humanity
The crew at DryZone LLC in Delaware has a goal of helping every Habitat for Humanity organization on the Delmarva peninsula. While they normally help out in the construction of the homes, this time they decided to go a different route. On October 25 they held a fundraiser at local restaurant Greene Turtle to raise money for Habitat for Humanity of Sussex County.

This is the first time DryZone held a fundraiser for the nonprofit group. For their first project with Habitat for Humanity of Worcester County they encapsulated a crawl space for the house. Working with Habitat seemed like a natural step for DryZone and now they help out a different county's branch every year.

"With us it just made sense," said Bill Anderson, owner of DryZone LLC. "We're builders, so we should do something for homes. We can make the most impact that way."

DryZone and Habitat for Humanity set up booths at the Greene Turtle collecting money from patrons. The restaurant also donated 10% of their profits for the day to the cause. Their radio station 101.7 The Duck was at the event as well, and all DryZone employees showed up throughout the day. DryZone and other local companies got together and matched the funds raised that day. In total, the event raised over $1,000 for Habitat for Humanity.

Adding to the turtle theme of the restaurant DryZone brought their "Turtl car" with them to park in front of the restaurant. DryZone won the decal-wrapped Smart Car at this year’s Basement Systems Convention in Connecticut because they sold the most Turtl crawl space entry systems in the entire Basement Systems network.

Aqueous Tackles Mold in an Apartment Building
Aqueous Basement Solutions of Tukwila, WA, was recently featured in a local newspaper for their work on Eernisse Apartments, where water was pooling in crawl spaces and mold was growing on many of the walls. Aqueous encapsulated the crawl spaces using CleanSpace. The Beachcomber covers local news on the island of Vashon, Washington. Here's an excerpt from the article:

"Remediation work by Aqueous Basement Solutions started Nov. 1 and is now about two-thirds complete. The work has caused some disruption, according to some tenants, and when the insulation beneath their apartments was torn out, they could feel a chill through the ground-level floors. In those buildings where the work is complete, however, they say their apartments are now much warmer."

To read the whole story, click here: http://www.vashonbeachcomber.com/news/136622673.html

Omni Takes Home a Diamond Award
Omni Basement Systems is excited to announce that for the second year in a row they have been given a Reader's Choice Award from the Flamborough Review. This year Omni took home a Diamond award in the service category.

The winners of these awards are determined by votes. Readers of the Flamborough Review are asked to select their favorite local businesses in around 200 different categories in four main groups. The groups include Best Business/Service, Best Food and Drink, Best People and Best Shopping, with categories such as hair salons, gas stations, laundromats, dentists, camera stores, and private schools.

In 2010, Omni was given the Platinum award for service companies. The Diamond award is ranked higher than Platinum awards.

A New Addition
Congratulations to Ryan Dierkes, salesman at AquaGuard Basement Systems in Georgia. He and his wife recently welcomed a son, John Ryan. Weighing in at 8 pounds, 12 ounces and 22.5 inches long, he is one healthy little baby.

"We are both very blessed and super excited that he's finally here," he said.

Winning the Bet
Last year Connecticut Basement Systems and Thrasher Basement Systems held a friendly competition to see which dealership would have the best year. Thrasher won, which meant the CTBS sales team had to don pink t-shirts that read "We're good but Thrasher is better." This year the two dealerships continued the bet but this time Connecticut won. The Thrasher sales team wore their pink shirts with pride:

Truckload Orders December 2011:
12/5: Foundation Systems of Michigan
12/5: Perma-Seal Basement Systems
12/9: Thrasher Basement Systems
12/16: JES Basement Systems Manassas
12/19: Midwest Basement Systems
12/19: BQ Basement Systems
12/21: Adirondack Basement Systems

See you next time!

~Francine Maglione

Communications Coordinator
Basement Systems, Inc.
francine@basementsystems.com
1-800-640-1500 ext. 9484

Send me any company news, jobs you're proud of and photos to share with the network in the e-newsletters!

The 2012 Owners Meeting is Coming Soon!

Tue, 27 Dec 2011 12:11:50 -0500

Have You Registered Yet?

This year's Owners Meeting will be held at the Sonesta Maho Beach Resort and Casino in St. Maarten from March 22 to 25, 2012.

To see the official Owners Meeting flyer with all the information, click here!

Last week to order Foundation Repair Science at discounted price!

Tue, 27 Dec 2011 09:15:50 -0500

Our 3rd Edition of Foundation Repair Science is hot off the press and literally just arrived in our warehouse a couple of weeks ago. This edition includes the following new additions:

A new section on "Foundation Maintenance," including information on SentrySeal™ Waterproofing Membrane and SilverGlo™ insulation (pgs 40-41)
A new section on "Carbon Fiber" solutions for failing foundation walls, including the CarbonArmor™ Wall Reinforcing System and information on other less-successful carbon fiber repair options (pgs 79-81)
Updates to the "Steel Beam" section, including more information on why PowerBrace™ is the best beam solution (pgs 82-85)
Enhanced content and photos on Hide-A-Way™ Anchor Covers and C-Channel Support Brackets (pg 89)
A new section on "Extreme Wall Problems," featuring photos and information on the Shotcrete Wall Restoration System (pgs 91-92)
Three new case studies added for CarbonArmor™, PowerBrace™ and Shotcrete (pgs 94, 95 & 97)
Updated content and photos throughout all chapters

This newest edition of Foundation Repair Science contains the most updated and thorough information to date, and we are excited to get it into your hands, and ultimately, into the hands of the homeowners you work with each day. So…

From now until December 31st, we are offering $1 off of each Foundation Repair Science book you purchase, when you order in package quantities of 52!

Call our customer support team to order yours today. Don't miss out on this opportunity to reduce pre-mailer costs and get this valuable tool in front of your customers!

All About the New Fish On Marketing Training

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 13:03:28 -0500

The latest marketing training was held in Connecticut the last week of October. There were 35 people in attendance representing 16 dealerships, from Oregon to Cape Cod. This marketing training had a few unique differences than past trainings, as it was opened up to Basement Systems dealers, Foundation Supportworks dealers, and Dr. Energy Saver Franchisees. The Fish On marketing strategies and philosophy towards prioritizing advertising expenditures was incorporated into the structure of the two-day event. Feedback was extremely positive, as the attendees felt the new format was easier to follow, and seemed to simplify the planning of their marketing and advertising calendars (and there will be another Fish On Marketing Training here in Seymour, CT, on January 23).

One of the key fundamental differences in the Fish On approach is the "Ready, Aim, Fire" format.

Ready...is the company branding that each dealer or franchisee will use to create a consistant corporate identity – a unique brand that cannot be copied by competitors to confuse homeowners in their markets. This is the first step in preparing a comprehensive marketing plan that will create the foundation for company growth for many years to come. It is imperative that a home improvement contractor consider and implement a strong, memorable identity that will become the brand or "face" of the company far into the future. The best brands are the ones that stand out from the masses and are truly memorable to prospective customers through all ongoing marketing efforts.

Many Basement Systems dealers are embracing the "All Things Basementy!" headline and incorporating an "Umbrella Man" photo and video shoot, performed by the Eye Star Media Team, as their new company brand. This approach has been proven successful in Connecticut over the past two years and has now been embraced by more than 20 dealers, and the numbers continue to grow each week. Other dealers have come up with unique brands that are natural strategies based on their location and ownership history, i.e., Evergreen Basement Systems, which is a female-owned company that Shauna Parsons took over from her father and kept in the family. This is a story that has become the foundation of her company brand, creating consistency moving forward in their marketing efforts.

Aim...is the planning, analysis, tracking and adjusting that is necessary prior to the implementation of an annual marketing program. Setting goals, planning specific marketing campaigns with benchmarks to track success, and making adjustments on the fly are extremely important components in a successful marketing program. Many home improvement companies make this critical mistake of spending money on expensive advertising campaigns without first creating a tracking system and setting an achievable expectation of results within a specific timeframe for the campaign. Without this planning, tracking and goal setting, the campaign will be running blind with no discernable way to accurately determine its return on investment (ROI). Simply getting the phones to ring or increasing website leads emailed to us is NOT enough to conclusively know if an advertising campaign is working for us or not. Where we allocate our marketing budget and the success of these campaigns to generate a sufficient number of leads at or below our allowable cost has a direct correlation to our company's profit margin.

Another function of the Aim section in our Fish On Marketing Program is to delegate and empower the right people to take responsibility for the planning, tracking, implementation and adjustments throughout the year of your marketing campaigns. Hiring a marketing manager or coordinator (depending on the size of your company) is a key component to have in place before you move onto the implementation part of your annual marketing program. A way to justify the additional salary required for a dedicated marketing person is to consider their monthly pay to be a marketing expense. Actually take their salary out of your monthly marketing budget, as if it were an advertising expense (i.e., if you are paying $50,000 per yearto a marketing manager, divide that figure by 12 months and take $4,166 off the top of your monthly marketing budget). The positive impact made by a dedicated marketing person on all aspects of your marketing program will more than pay for the monthly expense incurred by their salary. This theory has been proven by numerous dealers throughout the Team Basement Systems network.

Fire...is the action plan and actual implementation of advertising campaigns, networking programs, trade show exhibitions, and Internet SEO/SEM, with the goal of creating lead generation at or below our allowable cost. The key to the Fire portion of the Fish On Marketing Program is that the campaigns are prioritized, from least amount of risk to more risk, as you work your way down the marketing check list. An interactive Power Planner has been developed to assist in the prioritization and tracking of all marketing campaigns to ensure a positive ROI.

Fire, Fire, Fire...are the lowest risk advertising ventures available, and therefore should be the first implemented on the Power Planner.

The Internet, which consists of The Lead Bank, Supercharged Website, or the optional Nitrocharged Website. All lead generation from these internet sources are NO RISK, PI AdVenture Programs, where you pay an agreed upon fee per lead far below your allowable cost per lead. Lead Bank leads are generated through large hub sites for each division and specific product sites, all stemming from the Treehouse Internet Team. Supercharged website leads are generated through your own site, geo-targeted, optimized and maintained by your account manager and the resources in the Treehouse. A Nitrocharged website maximizes the efforts of the Treehouse Internet Team by providing them with an increase in lead cost. This increased budget gives them maximum resources to increase Pay Per Click (PPC) campaigns, link building, geo-targeted social media, and other SEO strategies available to increase the amount of leads your site is capable of generating under the Supercharged Program. A Nitrocharged website will generate the maximum amount of leads from your local website below your allowable cost guaranteed, and with NO RISK to you!
The PI AdVenture Program is a NO RISK advertising method where the media you are working with assumes the risk of whether their media campaign will be successful or not. The program is based on a pay-per-inquiry (PPI) reimbursement plan instead of conventional rate card negotiation payment plans. The media typically wants payment based on number of impressions, clicks, homes reached, or times a spot airs. The PI AdVenture Program changes the way we pay the media for their campaigns. This program takes savvy negotiation to convince the media to accept this unique way of reimbursement. A dedicated toll free number and domain name (url) are provided for each campaign, and are tracked through My Lead Tracking software. This powerful tracking software is the key to presenting the program to the media. It provides completely transparent tracking and recording capabilities, eliminating any "trust" issues involved in paying for inquiries instead of pre-payment.
Networking is a fundimental method to build relationships, generate referrals, and establish your company as experts in your industry and leaders in your community. By determining the groups, associations, and non-profits that are most capable of referring you over and over again, you will establish a community of "raving fans," and ongoing NO RISK lead generation. In the Team Basement Systems industries, Home Inspectors, Real Estate Agents, Property Managers, Restoration Contractors, Engineers/Architects, and Homeowners Associations are the main groups to focus on in our networking programs and awareness campaigns. You may establish co-op marketing campaigns with other affinity partners (companies with like-minded goals and a similar demographic of homeowners), where co-branded promotions are shared. These partnerships can be successful and, again, come with little to no risk to you.

Fire, Fire...is a very low risk marketing venture, and therefore should be the next campaign implemented on the Power Planner. Exhibiting at trade shows, home shows, fairs, carnivals, and other events and exhibitions are a great way to generate immediate leads, even in down times. Often shows fall during slow times, when qualified leads are at a premium and other advertising does not work as well. An early Spring home show can be a lifesaver at the end of a long winter, when leads are scarce. As a rule, you can count on your shows and events generating more than enough leads to cover your expenses, below your allowable cost per lead. Another benefit of exhibiting at as many shows as you can is the residual awareness generated by thousands and thousands of homeowners seeing your brand. The same people attend these shows year after year, and they get accustomed to seeing you and your branding each year. A recognition value is created, and this helps all of your other advertising work better!

Fire, Check?, Fire...is our Dual AdVenture Program. This is where you are assuming SOME of the risk, and the media is assuming some of the risk. This is a true partnering with the media, which is easier to negotiate than a straight PI AdVenture Program. Realistically, most of your advertising campaigns will probably be negotiated through some type of Dual AdVentureProgram. The benefit of sharing the risk with the media is it keeps them participating longer if they are not generating the desired amount of leads at the beginning of the program. It also aligns their goals with your goals, so they have a tendancy to provide better service, better time slots, etc. This helps to create a successful campaign that works for both parties. Flexibility in reimbursement is the key to this program, but this is one particular negotiation method that seems to work extremely well with the media.

To register for the next Fish On Marketing Training on January 23 in Connecticut, visit the Dealers Only website at www.teambasementsystems.com and click the banner on top of the page!

Is it really more leads that you need right now?

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 12:17:46 -0500

So, you think you need more leads to grow your business and increase your profit margins? Are you sure about that? Before you invest more time, manpower and resources while throwing good money into the marketing gear of the "Your Business as a Machine" exercise, take this little challenge.

#1. Phone System
First, let's take a look at your phone system. How many phone lines do you have available for incoming calls? Whatever you presently have, consider doubling it! That's right. A common mistake made by contractors large and small from coast to coast is believing they have enough phone lines to capture every call from prospective customers. In reality, that is rarely the case.

You never realize how many calls you are missing, because you never get the opportunity to speak to those customers. "You don't know what you don't know!" In this case, you don't know how many prospects have hung up due to a busy signal, waiting too long on the line, or hearing a machine answering their call. They are at their peak of enthusiasm when they are phoning you to set an appointment. If you are unable to capitalize on these "hot" prospects, you may never get another opportunity. If they don't get through to you, but DO get a couple of your competitors to answer the phone and schedule an appointment, do they even need YOU now? You have paid to get that prospect to call you through your marketing efforts, but you didn't capture the call and didn't set the appointment.

Question: Do you really want to spend more time and money on marketing if you are not capturing EVERY call that comes into your phone system? Double your phone lines and watch your lead generation grow!

#2. Call Center
Second, let's take a look at your call center. How many people do you have in your call center answering phones and setting appointments? Does your receptionist set appointments, too? If not, do you have only one person trained to schedule appointments for your sales staff? Do you have the phones ring to your personal cell phone when you are out of the office?

If you answered "YES" to any of the last three questions, you have a problem in your company call center and you are losing valuable prospects that you have already paid for. Think about all of the calls that you receive during the day that are NOT sales leads. Employees calling in, family members trying to reach internal employees, suppliers calling in, solicitors calling for your business, etc. If you are trying to schedule all new leads with a receptionist who is answering all these other calls, or if you are a larger company and you expect one scheduler to effectively set ALL of your new appointments, you are definitely missing calls and losing work. And the biggest mistake you can make is having the phones ring to your cell phone. That is unless you are doing nothing in your life except waiting for your cell to ring. What if you are at a sales appointment and your cell phone rings with a new prospect wanting to schedule an appointment? You miss them! What if you are talking to someone on your cell and a new prospect calls? You miss them! Not to mention, are you the best person to schedule your sales appointments, anyway? If so, you definitely need to hire more call center people, if you want to grow your business. A highly trained call center, effectively staffed to capture every inbound call and convert web-based email leads and show/event leads into set appointments, is a relatively inexpensive proposition compared to wasting good money on un-captured prospects.

Question: Do you really want to spend more time and money on marketing, if your call center is unable to capture EVERY prospect your marketing efforts have created? Build and train your call center for inbound and outbound calls, and watch your lead generation grow!

"Remember, your call center should be built to capture every call during extremely busy times, not for the average call volume." Studies show that approximately 33% of your annual appointments will be scheduled during two to three major acts of nature each year, and we never know when these natural events will occur. So, we must be prepared to capitalize when these storms hit, or we are stunting our growth and wasting our marketing efforts.

#3. Company ADL
Third, let's take a look at your sales team and their company Average Dollar per Lead. Does your sales department have a blended ADL of $2,000 or more? How about $3,000 or more, or $4,000 or more? The higher your company ADL is, the better your marketing will work because you will have more money to invest in lead generation. The more leads you are funneling into the second gear of the "Your Business as a Machine" exercise, the faster you can build your sales team, the more homes you will be in, presentations you will give, jobs you will sell, and work you will schedule for your production crews.

However, if your company ADL is below $2,000, there is no sense in adding to your marketing efforts, be it spending more money or allocating more time. If you are able to generate leads at or below your allowable cost, capture those leads and set the appointments in your call center. But if you are selling the jobs at a $1,200 ADL, you are squandering those valuable prospects. You are also allowing your competitors to thrive, and increase market share in YOUR territory at YOUR expense. It is extremely difficult to be successful in the home improvement industry and to create a decent profit margin with a company ADL below $2,000.

Question: Do you really want to spend more time and money on marketing if your sales team is incapable of closing the qualified prospects at an average dollar per lead of at least $2,000? I don't think you do. Fix your sales problem first, then increase your marketing efforts and your profits will grow.

How do you fix your sales problem?

Recruit more salespeople and train them to follow the program
Give less leads to your existing sales team
Train, train, train...In your sales meetings, re-set expectations of $3,000+ ADLs
Remove the dead wood by providing less leads (a salesperson never gets fired, they just receive no leads)

#4. Marketing Manager/Coordinator
Fourth, let's take a look at who is responsible for the success of your annual marketing program. Does your company have a marketing person who is held accountable for an increased number of leads generated each year at or below your allowable cost? Is that person you, while you are doing all of the other tasks and responsibilities you have as owner? If so, don't you think that lead generation, the lifeblood of your company, justifies having a dedicated person to oversee, evaluate, adjust, network, and report back to you with the findings? Of course it is. No matter what size your company is today, you NEED a marketing person to "drive the bus." If you do not have this person on staff yet, we can provide you with a job description and recruitment ad that will help you to secure this invaluable employee. This is one of those positions that once you have recruited and hired the right person, you will look back a year later, and say, "How did I ever get by without my marketing guy/gal?"

Question: Do you really want to spend more time and money on marketing if you don't have a marketing manager to ensure your marketing expenditures and time allocation is paying dividends? Recruit, interview, and hire a marketing person. Train them, empower them, and incentivize them to increase your company lead generation, at or below your allowable cost, and watch your leads increase as well as your market share and profits!

Basement Systems Updates

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 09:57:59 -0500

Register Now!
There will be a sales training in Seymour, CT, on January 23 and 24 with a marketing training for "Fish On" on the 23rd. To register, visit the Dealers Only website at www.teambasementsystems.com and click on the Training Calendar icon.

Are Realtors Still Important?
–Larry Janesky

We have been marketing to real estate agents since day one. Why? Because while many people live with a problem that they will tolerate so they don't have to spend the money on it, when they sell their home, it's not their standards that count anymore. The buyer is now calling the shots because they don't want to buy a problem, and because it's not likely their money that will be used to fix it. A seller, who really didn't have the money to fix it before, will now – out of the proceeds of the sale.

37.5 million people in the U.S. moved from one house to another last year, with 4.3 million moving between states. That's 12% of the population moving each year! I'd say it's still important for us to be very visible to the people who are involved with buying and selling homes. Wouldn't you?

Basement Systems Vancouver Helps the Needy
To help feed the hungry in the local community this holiday season, Basement Systems Vancouver collected donations for the Surrey Food Bank. They collected both monetary and food donations at their office in Delta until December 16.

The food bank works with financially struggling families, who must register to join the food bank, by providing 3 to 4 days worth of food in a 14-day period. Rather than just being a free handout, the Surrey Food Bank temporarily gives families some support allowing them to free up money in their weekly budgets for other living expenses such as clothing, transportation and school costs.

Advanced Moves to a New Location
Advanced Basement Systems is excited to announce its move into a new larger office. After outgrowing the old 4,100-square-foot location, the team made the move on December 15 to a 19,500-square-foot office. The new office is located at 23576 Prince Albert Road in Chatham, Ontario in Canada.

A Holiday Recess with Mr. Basement

To help make the holidays a little brighter for sick children and their families, Mr. Basement and several other local companies sponsored the University of Maryland Children's Hospital's Holiday Recess at Port Discovery Children's Museum on December 12. The event allowed the siblings of sick children to pick out gifts for their ailing siblings while enjoying dinner with their parents. They were also able to meet Ravens players and mascots.

"Having two daughters, one with special needs, I have a great appreciation for what siblings have to go through," said Ron Greenbaum. "It's with great pleasure that we can participate in this wonderful cause."

Complete Takes Home an ACE Award
Complete Basement Systems is proud to announce that they been honored with an Association of General Contractors ACE award. The foundation repair company in Denver, CO, was given the silver award for "Meeting the Challenge of a Difficult Job" from their work installing helical piles on the Alta Vista Charter School in southeast Colorado. It was presented to them on November 4 at the 2011 AGC Colorado ACE Awards banquet. The 36 entries in 14 categories, submitted by 27 AGC/C member companies, demonstrate the outstanding creativity, skill and excellence of Colorado's builders, architects, engineers and subcontractors.

The Alta Vista Charter School was constructed in 1917. In 2011, the school planned a renovation to 6,240 square feet of the existing building and a new addition of 18,000 square feet. Complete used helical piles for foundation support for this site given the subsurface conditions, groundwater levels, ease of installation and ability to efficiently size the piles for the design working loads ranging from 18.5 to 45 kips.

AFS Completes Construction of New Building
Alabama Foundation Specialists has offices in Birmingham and Huntsville, AL, and they recently completed construction of a new building at their Huntsville location. The new building was strategically laid out to maximize space and allow their operation to continue expanding in the future.

The 15,000-square-foot building sits on 4.5 acres of land and has tons of space for outside storage and parking on the back side of the building. The shop was built with a loading dock, an office for the production manager and lots of racking for indoor inventory stocking. The office portion of the building has been outfitted with dozens of work stations and has a HUGE training room that will work great for company meetings.

Truckload Orders November 2011:
11/1, 11/8 & 11/28: Thrasher Basement Systems
11/1: Blackburn Basement Systems
11/2 & 11/29: Midwest and MidAmerica Basement Systems
11/4: Clarke Basement Systems
11/4: Quality 1st Basement Systems
11/8: Badger Basement Systems
11/10: Basement Systems Calgary
11/14: Omni Basement Systems
11/17: Adirondack Basement Systems
11/22: JES Basement Systems – Manassas
11/22: Innovative Basement Systems
11/28: BQ Basement Systems

See you next time!

~Francine Maglione

Communications Coordinator
Basement Systems, Inc.
francine@basementsystems.com
1-800-640-1500 ext. 9484

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Significant Price Reduction on Laser Levels While Supplies Last!

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 16:25:45 -0500

At last year's Owners Meeting we unveiled a new laser level system that utilizes green-beam technology, which is the perfect tool for diagnosing foundation repair leads. The Pacific Laser Systems (PLS) green beam laser is three times brighter than traditional red beam lasers and is much easier to see outdoors in direct sunlight. Since we rolled them out in March, we have sold dozens of these lasers and have received nothing but positive feedback about their performance.

The only negative aspect of these lasers is the price tag… they retail at construction supply houses for around $1,500.00. To reduce the price for dealers, FSI became a PLS distributor and we sell the lasers just above our cost at $1,125.00. The price of $1,125.00 is below the "floor price" set by PLS and is against their distribution policy, so please do not share this information outside the FSI dealer network.

While supplies last, we are selling the lasers for only $700.00. When PLS came out with a redesign of the level earlier this month, they offered to sell us the remainder of their "old" inventory at a significant discount. To take advantage of the discount, we cleared out the manufacturer's entire inventory and now have 104 of these levels in stock. We really believe this is the best laser on the market for our type of work, and we're excited to pass along this discount to you. You will never see a price this low again – ANYWHERE!

The lowest price for a PLS 505-G currently available online is at Amazon.com for $1,214.00, which illustrates what a great deal this is: http://www.amazon.com/PLS-Laser-PLS-60547-HVR-System/dp/B001F0C5X4.

We don't expect the 104 lasers we currently have in inventory to last long, so call us at 800-281-8545 or email us at rich.garcia@foundationsupportworks.com right away to place your order. We will keep the price at $700 while supplies last, but when they are gone, they're gone!

Disregard the MillCreek Email

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 10:36:59 -0500

Please disregard the previous email regarding MillCreek flooring for the moment. After receiving our shipment of flooring we found that the product numbers and colors have remained the same for now.

The colors and part numbers WILL be changing in the near future, however, and we will inform you of that when it happens.

But until then, the situation will be "business as usual" regarding the flooring. The colors will remain the same for now. Just make sure that when you receive a flooring shipment that the color and finish match what you already have.

New MillCreek Flooring Colors

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 08:06:02 -0500

Basement Systems will be offering new MillCreek flooring colors starting today, December 8, 2011. Please note that the flooring has new part numbers, and although the color names are the same the colors themselves are slightly different. The new MillCreek will NOT color match the old version.

Any MillCreek flooring purchased prior to December 9, 2011, will be a different shade than the new flooring so it is imperative that you do not mix old and new flooring when installing.

NEW Flooring Part Numbers:
#07792: Light Oak
#07793: Mahogany

Call customer service today to order!