Worth reading again!

This blog was originally posted on October 22nd of last year, yet it is the most frequently viewed. Please take a look at it again and let me know what you think. I also have updated #s to share.

Liability Insurance - Is Home Watch being rated correctly?

Even though we are from all over the country, we all share some common problems. Public education, for example. Even after all of these years of repeating myself, there are still people that think Home Watchis nothing more than "house sitting." As a matter of fact, on Google Adwords, "house sitting" provides a lot of hits to this very site. But I digress. This site is getting a huge response from companies who want to ask about their insurance. There are lots of questions being asked about the disparity in premiums. I am also being contacted by new companies, and people looking to form new companies. The insurance question is a constant theme. So...what can the NHWA do for your company? What's in it for you? Is is worth the money? The answers are obvious: A lot; A lot more than meets the eye; and Absolutely!

As a unified group, we can more strongly negotiate with industries that we do business with, insurance companies being one example. How many of you had to educate your insurance broker and still jump through hoops to secure insurance? I believe that with the amount of Home Watch companies that exist, insurance companies should be able to get a handle on what we do and don't do. They should be able to come up with a symbol for our industry.  What about the Yellow Pages? I am willing to bet that most companies are still being listed under "security". We should rate our own description, don't you think? Southwest Florida, which is the center of the  Home Watch universe, has been given a listing for Home Watch.. But for the rest of us, why should we have to hope that a potential customer thinks enough to look under security or guard services or even maintenance?

There are so many reasons to join the National Home Watch Association, not the least of which is the "Big Picture." Being accredited will separate you from the pack, and give your company the access to more qualified, direct leads. If you've ever looked at what advertising costs (I know I look at my bills every month...), the annual cost is quite a value. FYI - since we launched the website on September 7th, there have been over 900 new visitors to it. Given the fact that only 300 or so companies have been contacted, well--do the math. I currently have leads for many states with no representation.

Since this blog was published many more things have become clear. I have spoken with many more people who, in spite of everything, are still having difficulty even securing insurance. I have heard from many brokers who want to get involved, and have gotten input from our growing membership. Not only should we be recognized equally, but our services should qualify homeowners who use our service for discounts on their premiums.

Statistics from the NHWA website:

• 796 visits in the last 30 days (676 unique)
• Average page views per visit: 6.96
• Average time on site: 03.28 minutes
• 6509 page view in last 6 months
• 5178 unique visitors in last 6 months
• 1178 searches for members in Florida in last 6 months
• 696 searches for members in California in last 6 months
• 509 searches for members in Arizona in last 6 months

I can share the rest of the numbers with any members who are interested.

Our membership is growing, as is our mentoring program. Why are you waiting to join?

Much success,

Jack

Welcome Plan B Home Services of Cave Creek, AZ!

Greetings all.

Well, Arizona is back on the map. Pete Playman of Plan B Home Services put us at the NHWA through our paces before agreeing to apply for membership. About two months ago, I got an email from Pete asking: "What gives you the right to form an association?  And more important than that, are the companies that are being accredited held to the standards that I hold my company to?" "Holy @#$%!" I said. And that began our conversation.
Pete is very proud to tell people that in the state of Arizona, he is a licensed contractor. That means that he had to pass tests, get issued an ROC number by the State Registrar, and must also pay into a "recovery fund" with the State of AZ, which pays consumers back for any shoddy work done by a contractor who goes out of business. Pete believes in practicing what he preaches, and therefore he peppered me (for quite a while) with a lot of questions before deciding to align Plan B with the National Home Watch Association and finally join. Plan B Home Services serves the Cave Creek, Carefree, Tromonto, Sonoran Foothills, Anthem, North Scottsdale and North Phoenix areas of Arizona. Welcome!

Our "How To" Guide is now in several states, and being sent to more on a daily basis. Rhode Island, Cape Cod, Monterey, Orlando, Sarasota and Naples FL, the Jersey Shore, Coastal Maryland, and Ohio, just to name a few places. The map is filling up. These guides all represent new members.  C'mon and take advantage of what the NHWA has to offer. Join today.

Much success to all,

Jack

Our "How to" Guide is helping a lot of new companies!

A few weeks back, I told you all about the large amount of people that contacted us asking for help in starting their new business. So we put together a no-nonsense, real world and easy to follow "how-to" guide. Our goal was to come up with a way for new companies to know the questions for which they need to know the answers, in order to build a solid foundation to grow their businesses as smoothly as possible. Now to be perfectly frank, the information that is shared is based upon a lot of mistakes, miscues and just plain old screw ups that I made while building and operating Coastal Carolina Home Watch (and those made by some other Home Watch companies that shall remain anonymous).  And so, this guide is a compilation of  ideas that worked, and ones that either didn't or did after a lot of trial and error. The guide focuses more on the start-up than the actual operation of your company. The feedback we have gotten on it has been great. After sharing it with all of our members, it was brought to my attention by a few, that the guide gave them lot of ideas that they had not pursued. Having spoken to potential members whose businesses are not performing as they had hoped, I shared some ideas with them that I considered basics, only to find that they were not only not being used, but never even considered. Sometimes just going back to the basics will renew your enthusiasm and creativity, and "spark" a new thought on how to increase your client base and profitability.

I you have anything to add or would like to share, I would love to see your comment.

The NHWA website is getting a  bunch of requests for accredited members in Arizona, California, Florida, Toronto, Cape Cod and the Washington, DC area. I can share the numbers with you. Give us a call if you are interested in learning more about these leads. Clients are waiting for you.

Much success to all.

Jack

We are looking for candidates for the Advisory Board.

Greetings and Salutations to all.

I hope you all survived April Fools Day. I had friends trying to tell me that my hair was starting to grow again. Well, I was born at night...but not last night. The reason for my blog today is that I need to add members to the NHWA Advisory Board. I am looking for representatives from the Southwest, Pacific, Northwest, Midwest, Northeast, and Canada. The stronger the Advisory Board, the more influential we will be in representing the best interests of our members. One of the goals is to work with insurance companies and become recognized as a legitimate reason to lower rates for both our industry, and our clients. Please consider it. It can grow standing in the industry as well as your own business.

Homewatch tip of the day

Add a little olive oil to a garbage disposal every couple of visits to a client's home. This will keep it lubricated during the client's absence.

I am traveling to Augusta, GA to see the Masters. This has been on my "bucket list" for a long time. I think I'll bring my clubs in case one of the players doesn't show................


Much Success,

Jack

Happy April to all!

Greetings and Salutations,

Is Spring really here? You could have fooled me. Only got to low 60's in South Carolina today. The Northeast is getting pounded with snow once again. It is getting hard to figure. It seems that you can't count on "sure things" anymore. Usually with April, the snowbirds begin to migrate north (always a sure thing). Well that may not happen until the weather has definitely gotten more friendly. This may cut in to your productive (income earning) time.  So, why not take that time to go and secure a few more clients. I have gotten word that some Home Watch companies are not accepting new customers. Wow! Now that is some problem to have. Too many clients. So... there are plenty of opportunities to meet people and bolster you client baser. Are you making the right decisions regarding advertising and marketing? Is your website getting looked at, or are you so far down the list that you'll never be found? You need to be honest with yourself. To paraphrase a famous quote: " The definition of insanity is when you keep doing the same thing over and over but keep expecting a different outcome." If your business has hit a plateau or is starting to stagnate, contact the NHWA. We are here to help you grow your business, enhance your reputation and solidify the membership with good, quality people and ethically responsible Home Watch businesses. If you join now, you'll even receive our new guide on how to set up a Home Watch business. It is no fluff, just good solid ideas. So what if you already have a business? Even Tiger and Phil have swing coaches. If you are just starting up, purchase the guide, and the cost will be applied to your membership once you qualify.

Our members are privy to shared information that only helps the way we do and don't do business. I had a conversation today with NHWA member Wanda Rogers of Allegiant Property Watch in California. She is about to try something that I started a few months ago. We shared ideas, and I think that we each learned something. I spoke with Debbie in Arizona. She knows that she can do better. Kevin in Florida has taken a side job, because his business is not working out. So I asked him some basic questions. His answers tell me that we can help him! Let us re-energize you with ideas and shared knowledge from all over the country. The Home Watch industry is growing so fast that if we are not careful, bad things might happen due to unscrupulous companies, and we will all be affected. Join us. The NHWA is good for our industry.Thanks for reading.

Become a follower. Become a Member.


Jack

PS - I will be at the Masters next week. No...I am not playing! And that is NO April Fools!