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Feature Articles
Find the latest feature articles here! We generally post new articles twice a week, and most of them can be found right here. Click on any headline below to find the full article. And be sure to click the 'view more articles' link at the bottom of the page to read articles you may have missed.
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Natural Talent?
Bob Kille
A few insights into some of the most nagging questions of superiority, or natural talent, can be found in Malcolm Gladwell's new book "Outliers". It did answer a few questions of mine and in the process made me a believer in scheduling for success. I know from my own Home inspection business experience, things don't get done unless there is a deadline of some sorts. This implies a schedule of success, and with it . . . Keep Reading
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Oh, The Places You'll Go
Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to Great Places! You're off and away! You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go. . . . Keep Reading
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Book Review: - The Exceptional Presenter
Bob Kille
We've all heard it before - Presentations are the best way to gain new Realtors or other equally Realtor concentric affiliations. But what if your not any good at it? Well, there's two things you can do.... . . . Keep Reading
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Idea Hurdle- Crowd Dynamics
Bob Kille
The other day I was explaining to a group of home inspectors the very real possibility that all homes in the future will need to have passed a methamphetamine residue test. . . . Keep Reading
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Biggest Mistake - Home Inspection Marketing
Bob Kille
Cruising the message boards the other day and came across an entry that stimulated quite a few posts. Not that I take issue with the responses, but... Agreement will depend almost wholly upon your personal marketing style and past experiences within your market. Myself, I use direct mail, newsletters and networking as the basis of my marketing model. But there's more, a whole lot more that needs to be... . . . Keep Reading
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Pre-Market Inspections - Brokers Wanted
Bob Kille
Most of us, if were active marketers anyway, get hundreds of emails a year touting some sort of free tele-seminar that will make us rich, smarter or better looking. Not to throw the baby out with the bath water I'm going to give you the crux of the latest call (Pre-Market Inspections), in a nutshell. . . . Keep Reading
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Business Card Fodder
Bob Kille
Take a good long hard look at your business card. Your business card is your identity, your unique and distinctive mark on the home inspection profession of your area, how does it stack up. I mean against the competition or for that matter your own sense of creative excellence. . . . Keep Reading
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Introducing the "Guerrilla Minute" podcast
It took a bit of doing but I finally jumped through enough hoops to get my first Guerrilla Marketing Minute podcast posted. Networking 101: Networking boils down to just one crucial element, the mindset of service. Click through and sit back for an insight or two on networking. . . . Keep Reading
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Hard Work
Bob Kille
The hardest part of any business is the "Critical Thinking" aspects. Inspecting a house and the relationship building that might be accomplished during the inspection is not what I would call hard work. There's no creative struggles, or internal conflicts that keep you from progressing to your finish point. The problem with hard work is... . . . Keep Reading
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Where Did It Go?
Home Inspection Seminars and back of the room sales, we've all been there. The speaker paints the scene of success using their product and then motivates us to buy. Oh yeah, for a greatly reduced price for a limited time, like the next 30 minutes. The odds are definitely stacked against your benefiting from the purchase. Why, because - something's missing. . . . Keep Reading
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The Decision Matrix - Speed & Excellence
In almost all of the decisions that you have to make during the growth of your home inspection company, the two main elements or standards by which those decisions are made are speed and excellence. These two elements are pitted against one another in what is called a decision matrix. . . . Keep Reading
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Phase Inspections - Getting Started
A member called the other day to ask about how to get started doing phase inspections. Since I'm trying out my new phone recording equipment I recorded the call. If you have any interest in adding this type of service to your home inspection company - this may be for you. . . . Keep Reading
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Productive Time
Warning, this article is not geared for the sedate, just glad to be a home inspector with a job. In writing this article I started to give an example of the average home inspectors hourly rate- but nixed this route right off, as this article isn't for the average home inspector. . . . Keep Reading
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Creative Whack Pack
I've always had a thing for Tarot cards, so when I stumbled upon the Creative Whack Pack I just had to have them. These aren't so much Tarot cards in the way you normally think of Tarot cards. These cards can give you a needed creative whack!... on the side of your head when you're feeling a bit stuck. . . . Keep Reading
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For Want Of A Nail
What's the next best thing to a notepad at the side of your bed to write down some half baked dream of a home inspection marketing plan gone bad? A chalk board in the shower of course. Honestly, I get some of my best flashes of insight about the time my finger tips start turning white. Unfortunately, it's much like the dream state in that. . . . Keep Reading
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Inspection World Workout
The big SHOW... ASHI Inspection World 2007, didn't quite live up to its billing. This year CREIA and ASHI joined forces for the big meet. I was at the last CREIA conference in Sacramento, CA at the beginning of 2006 and there was a fairly large crowd -- 600 or so "thinking" home inspectors eating up the goodies. I'll bet many of the recent non-attendee's are singing the blues, here's why. . . . Keep Reading
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What's In Your Wallet?
So, what are you doing different than your competition that puts money in your wallet? If you have been reading my articles, you're building relationships in a systematic and maybe slightly over the top, outrageous way. Let's think a bit about when that "golden" opportunity of a Realtor acquisition presents itself and how we handle it for maximum results. . . . Keep Reading
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Home Inspection Postage Pizzaz
When you're tying to get noticed or generate a bit of buzz - get outrageous with your marketing ideas. Your recipient or target audience has to have something interesting to pass around if you want word of mouth advertising to work. Something novel - like your own postage stamp. . . . Keep Reading
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Home Inspection Marketing "Outrageous" Interview
Tune in for an interview with Jon Spoelstra, author of the number one best seller "Outrageous Marketing". Jon starts out with the question, "what's it gonna take", and then leads you through the action plan. I contacted Jon for an interview after reading his book because I thought there were some nuggets inside that could easily transform the way you market. That is, if you keep an open mind. . . . Keep Reading
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Whatever
Some times people just don't get it, for whatever reason. Here I was at a re-inspection of a nice new big custom home at the pre-drywall stage. Our site supervisor is insisting that I shouldn't ding him for a minor staircase imperfection of 1 inch in height difference between the risers. . . . Keep Reading
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Builders and Site Access
How many times have you heard the builder say "It's our property and all access must be by appointment only". But getting the appointment is all but impossible along with site visit restrictions such as high liability insurance and including the builder as an insured on your policy. What's an inspector to do? Here's how Arizona is handling the issues...... . . . Keep Reading
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Letting Go
Robert Ringer
To a great extent, the guideposts for my life are based on numerous quotes that I've read over the years. There are thousands of great quotes in books and on the Internet, but only a relatively small number have a real impact on an individual's life. These are the quotes that are beyond "Wow!" --- the ones that stick with you forever and help to form the foundation for the way you live. . . . Keep Reading
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20 Elements Of A Successful Brochure
The primary objectives for any brochure is to... 1. Build trust and believability. and... 2. Get the prospect to book an appointment. There are approxamtely 20 "psychological trigger elements" available to create a winning formula for a brochure that accomplishes the above two objectives. . . . Keep Reading
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Home Inspection Startup Primer
Apart from starting (and sticking to) a good plan, I've outlined five secrets to making a start-up business work. Remember, before you invest your time or money in any business (or anything else, for that matter), know exactly how much you are willing to risk including the lost opportunity costs such as what you could have made working for someone else. Factor in all your expenses and what you need to survive your first year. . . . Keep Reading
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Limited Liability Company Basics
Want a simplified explination of what exactly an LLC is and how it can benefit your company? Some states have different ways of treating LLC's as does the IRS if your LLC has only one member. If your still a Sole Proprietorship you might want to reconsider your business entity structure to protect your hard earned assets. . . . Keep Reading
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You - Are Your Brand
Bob Kille
Whether you're selling your expertise or the service, your personal brand directly affects a clients decision to do business with you. You probably don't think of yourself as a brand. In my experience, using the techniques below you can taylor your brand to suit your strengths. This is how most successful home inspectors create and, in fact, become brands. . . . Keep Reading
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How To Handle Site Access Issues
Bob Kille
I recieved an email from a fellow home inspector who asked what to do when being asked to vacate a site by a site supervisor. It is a common question that I get at least once a month so I thought I'd share this particular email and my reply. . . . Keep Reading
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Mental Real Estate
Bob Kille
So what is the single cheapest and arguably best way of getting business? Referrals of course. And what is the best way to get and keep your referral sources? Impressions of course. . . . Keep Reading
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Initiative & Focus - A Message To Garcia
Have you ever been appalled at times by the imbecility of the average man - the inability or unwillingness to concentrate on a thing and do it? Over forty million copies of A Message To Garcia have been printed and after reading it, I wondered why only forty million? Required reading for any home inspector looking for employment. . . . Keep Reading
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