More
Competition is a fact of being in business. Everyone has competition, but not everyone knows how to compete effectively.
The same is true in the disaster restoration industry. Everyone wants more work, wants to work with adjusters, get referrals from them and increase profitability.
Throughout the country, competition for the attention of adjusters and the business they can refer is extremely stiff. The service your company delivers has to be near flawless, the turnaround time has to be quick, the pricing competitive, and yuou personally have to be at the top of your game.
Understanding how adjusters choose vendors, an adjuster’s expectations, work methods, authority, and personal interests is the path to breaking barriers and building relationships with them.
To gain this understanding you need to be immersed in the adjuster culture and that takes three things:
1. Educating yourself — spend the time and money necessary on seminars and workshops, reading books, watching videos and whatever it takes so that you are an expert in your local market.
2. Extending yourself — do this at claims association meetings, where you will find valuable resources (adjusters). This is a great opportunity to build network relationships.
3. Promoting your image — smart adjusters want to do business with resources they can trust and rely on, and you want to be that contractor. So work on your image, promoting your company as the best resource available in your local market.
Peter Crosa has been a licensed independent adjuster for more than 35 years, handling insurance claims throughout the United States and Latin America. Since 2000, he has traveled across the country conducting seminars and speeches on the topic of marketing restoration services to the insurance claims industry. He is author of the 2012 Restoration Contractors Guide to Insurance Repair. Visit his website at www.sshca.net or e-mail him your question at peter@sshca.net.
