As a lot of you know, one of our longtime, well respected members Willie T, had a stroke and will be recovering in the hospital for at least month and doing rehabilitation for even longer. So, as requested by many, we are going to set up a couple of way's for anyone that want's to Don'te, can. Don'te whatever you can afford ,whether it's $10 or $500 it doesn't matter. Every little bit can help relieve any financial pressure that bills can cause.
This is the latest message from Bill's wife:
[QUOTE]re: Bill's progress. The last couple of weeks have been extremely busy with juggling hospital, job, confused pooch, etc.

Finally got a diagnosis...sub arachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) on the right side of the cerebellum. Cause is unknown at this point. In a couple of months, Bill will have an MRI. By that time, the pooled blood from the bleed in his brain will have been absorbed by the body and they can take a look to see how things are in his punkin' head. The dizziness and extreme headaches are subsiding as that pooled blood gradually dissipates.

Over the weekend he was transferred from the neuro ICU to rehab, so that is very encouraging. The cerebellum's function is balance, so that will be a major factor of his physical therapy. He will also have speech therapy and occupational therapy. I can understand him fine...just sounds like he has had few belts! They are working with him several hours daily. The Dr. said they approve the therapy on a weekly basis and decide about extending the time. Usually patients are there around 4 weeks, then continue therapy at home or out patient.

There probably won't be much to report for a while. I haven't been on the forum since my first post, and will save all of your encouraging replies for him to read personally when he comes home. Again, many, many thanks from both of us for all of your prayers and well wishes.[/QUOTE]

Don'te to--> Willie-T's PayPal Fund

If you wish to Don'te by check, Private message me Sir Mixalot and I will Pm you the address that you can send your Don'tion check to. :thumbsup:

Note: If you have more then 250 post's, you can go to the P&R section and see all of the Don'tion info there.

it's frightening how many contractors want growth, but aren't "all in" with pay per click (PPC) advertising and search engine optimization (SEO). But, What's more frightening is that the window of opportunity to drive profitable growth with strategies like PPC and SEO is closing - fast.

You see, at the highest level, Google is a real estate game. Depending on which study you'reference, something like 80-85 percent of the available clicks (for a given keyword phrase) go to one of the businesses with a listing in the first page of search results. Most of those clicks go to the organic listings (likely 70-75 percent) with about 10-15 percent going to the paid ads (PPC ads - located in the highlighted portion of the page at the very top, along the right side and sometimes at the very bottom of the page). According to some studies, a staggering 30-40 percent of available clicks go to the top organic listing (read: so, if your business is listed fifth on the first page, it's worth continuing to fight to move up to the second or first spot)!

So, the more first page real estate you have, the more clicks, leads and sales you're going to get (and it's worth noting that PPC ads do not significantly cannibalize traffic from the organic listings). Are you starting to see the problem, and why the window of opportunity is closing? There are roughly ten organic listings (excluding the map listings) and ten paid (PPC) ads. How many competitors are there in your market? How many of them are investing in PPC and SEO? Out of those, how many really know what They are doing (or have hired someone that does)?

In most markets, there are far more contractors than there are first page organic or paid search listings. Two or three years ago, most contractors had no idea what PPC and SEO stood for, let alone how to execute an effective strategy for each. Even those investing in either PPC or SEO were doing so via their current or former yellow page rep (based on this sentence, you can infer how I feel about the effectiveness of this approach). The point is, in the past, even though there were more contractors than available first page positions, most contractors were either clueless or lightly investing in strategies like PPC and SEO.

Today, in most markets, things are far more competitive. As a result, the cost-per-click for PPC advertising has risen (Don't believe Google's recent report that overall cost-per-click numbers are down... for the home services worth, the costs are going up, up, up - that's my prediction). When you have more competitors actively investing in SEO, the amount of SEO work needed to leap-frog them is going to increase. And this is exactly what has - and continues - to happen.

Take a look at these numbers:

These numbers are from a local residential plumbing, heating and air conditioning company. They are currently investing $1,500 per month in SEO and (roughly) $3,500 per month in PPC. For them, $46 per direct lead (as opposed to a lead sent from a third party source like Service Magic) is fantastic! it's about a third or a fourth of what they'd be willing to pay (considering the percentage of inquiries They areceive for replacement work, their lead-to-sale conversion rate and the average margin associated with the various jobs they do).

Their PPC budget is exhausted on most days and $1,500 for SEO is very low (relative to their larger competitors). With cost per lead numbers that are so favorable - and the willingness to grow - they should turn both dials UP. At the same time, they should continue to monitor their ROI very carefully. As more competitors enter the PPC and SEO market they'll need to make adjustments. For example, if they can increase their lead-to-sale conversion rates by training their sales reps, they will be able to (continue to) make money even with higher lead costs.

At some point, I predict that the ROI associated with with search marketing - PPC in particular - will decrease to the point that many contractors start seeking greener pastures elsewhere. Why? Because there are too many business owners that Don't (accurately) understand how much they should be willing to pay to acquire a new sale, customer, lead, web visit, etc. When these folks enter the PPC / SEO game, you get this huge glut of people willing (because they Don't know any better) to overpay for each click or focusing on increasing traffic when they'd be better served thinking about how to convert more visitors into leads. If this happens, PPC and SEO may become less profitable/productive. Savvy contractors will already be testing and moving their marketing dollars over to something new (maybe that will be PPC ads on other types of sit's or more organic word of mouth efforts on social media sit's, who knows).

Isn't this exactly what happened with the yellow pages? A whole bunch of contractors - mostly those that were accurately tracking the return of their ads - dumped their print ads altogether in favor of testing the web. Another group of contractors, mostly those that never accurately tracked their ads, stayed in the books. I remember one company telling me, "I can't cancel my yellow page ad because my competitor is still in there - if They are there, I have to be there." If I remember correctly, I think I almost started laughing and incredulously asked, "you're joking, right?" (they weren't joking). (Note: to be clear - in some industries and markets, print YP ads continue to work like a charm - the key is to track your ad.)

In conclusion, I track advertising for over 100 companies - the vast majority of which are home service contractors - so I can tell you that very few marketing strategies can rival SEO and PPC when it comes to measurable ROI. Over time, as I've stated above, I believe this will change. The more contractors that enter the search marketing arena, the harder it will be to make a profit and concurrently generate a decent number of leads.

So if you want growth and have the capacity for it, consider going "all in" with PPC and SEO. Track everything and grab as many new customers as you can. While you're doing that, Don't forget to keep your eyes peeled for the next wave (cause this one ain't gonna last forever!).

Any family or business owner can tell you that when you have a home or business that is going to see a large amount of traffic it can be extremely difficult to keep clean. No matter what type of flooring that you choose it will be facing a large amount of cleanings, and a great deal of time will be spent trying to keep it clean. This is when tile is the perfect option. It is much easier to keep clean and will stand the test of time with wear and tear, but this does not mean that it cannot be damaged or worn.

Some people feel that since tile is made of such tough material that it does not need the tender touch that carpet or other flooring does, but that could not be further from the truth. Anyone who has ever heard of someone getting a staph infection from a hospital knows exactly how dirty tile can get.

Cleaning tile is not the easiest project to conduct. There are quite a few issues that can cause problems that will not allow your tile to receive the proper cleaning. While tiles themselves do not tend to be difficult to clean the grout that surrounds the tile is the exact opposite. The porous nature of the grouts makes it extremely difficult to clean properly, and makes it the prime place for germs, bacteria, dirt, grime, mold, and mildew to hide. These are often the contaminants that are hiding in the grout that cause the unsightly appearance and unsanitary smell.

Tile prices vary greatly depending on the style and type of tile that you choose to purchase. This means that replacing tile can not only be time consuming, but extremely expensive as well. This is why many people try to find as many options as possible for properly cleaning their tile before they actually go through with replacing it.

There are many ways that people believe they can properly clean their tile, and the majority of those ways do not truly work. One of the go to answers for almost every cleaning dilemma is bleach, and while bleach might help to clean-up the appearance it does not truly clean the tile and the smell will return. The only way to properly clean your tile is to have the contaminants extracted and have the grout sealed off in order to prevent recontamination.

There are several reasons for why restoration is better that replacing your tile and here are just a few:

1. Ahead of the Game

Replacing tile does not avoid the same problem in the future, so unless you plan on repeatedly changing the tiles every single time that they begin to look dingy then you will want to have it cleaned and sealed in the future anyway. There is also the fact that you may not be able to afford tile that is as nice as what you currently have and then you will be trading in for an inferior product.

2. Cost Effective

When you choose to restore your tile you are investing in the product that is already paid in full. It is a product that you know fits in your home, and you originally were very pleased with the appearance. Think about it this way, when your house is dirty you do not move to a new house, you simply clean it.

3. Save Time

You will not have to waste time removing the old tile and then replacing it. The only time that you will be out is the time for a professional crew to come in and clean and seal your grout.

4. Easy Upkeep

You will not have to worry about the porous grout attracting so many contaminants in the future. Sealing the surface will provide it with a smoother surface that is extremely easy to clean.

Not every restoration crew is reliable. It is important to be careful when selecting a crew and to make sure that you choose a reliable company to provide restoration services to you:

When a promise seems too good to be true it probably is

I am sure there are few people that actually believe that a company will be able to restore tile that will be maintenance free. This means that while a company may claim that their restoration will make your flooring maintenance free than you need to keep in mind that you will still need to clean and take care of the flooring.

Make sure your restoration works for the future

You may eventually choose to remove a tile or two here and there due to scratching or breakage. Some restoration will make it incredibly difficult to remove a single tile without tearing up the grout or the other tiles.

Excuse my delayed indulgence into the world of ABC?s ?Lost.? Gratitude to Netflix carrying every episode ever made, as I wind my way through the first season at a snail?s pace. If this show is unfamiliar, it can be summarized in one clichÈ situation and one ultimate truth about humanity:

Some survivors play well with others; some never learned how to share toys in the sandbox. Care to guess who survives? Without coexistence between the castaways chances of survival are none to even less. An effective social media marketing campaign faces the same ultimate truth. Your contracting/home improvement/design business is probably not staring down a rabid polar bear with nothing more than a rock tied to a stick. However without collaboration with surrounding companies a social media mix stands the same chance of survival.

Online relationships are paramount to getting off the social media island where your brand and messages are completely lost on their audience. Consistent interaction with other accounts, formal and informal partnerships, and cross promotions will bring you to potential customers and an eager audience. The first step is identifying businesses that are not in competition with your own, and reaching out for first contact. If they know what is good for them they will respond (and usually they do.)

Many think that social media is less ?Lost? and more ?Field of Dreams.? If you post it, they will come. This could not be further from the truth. The necessity for collaboration cannot be overstated. Over the next few weeks the following pieces will detail how and why survival will not be attained solo:

These steps will make your accounts infinitely more dynamic, appealing, and of course FOLLOWED. Disregard these sage words? Your social accounts and viral presence will be stranded on an island alone with little chance of prosperity.

OK, here are some items you won't find in any book. First step in controlling risk when bidding a job is. Don't hire contractors who are low, knowing that they will not perform to your expectations. Pretty simple. More risk should always lead to more reward.

Now, if you are going to hire these types of contractors then here are three steps to help you manage your risk.

1. Recognize and identify risks and who can best manage it on your team. Part of this step is, walk away from inequitable situations.

2. Measure degree of exposure, your cost vs. your risk.Part of this step is minimize the risks that are controllable, like material orders.

3. Decide how to protect yourself against the losses. Part of this step is to use insurance to manage some of those risks.

How do you judge a contractor risk? Use this formula, it is the Experience Modifier Risk method.

Bottom line is a safe contractor has a 4.7% advantage over an average contractor and a 9.1% advantage over an unsafe contractor. Add it all up and you could possible have a substantial monetary advantage. Based on the fact that a less than average sub contractor will cost you money!