Building Relationships in our industry

I think it is important in 2022 to think about and evaluate the importance of building relationships in our industry. Some of the “old head” inspectors may be thinking, “I don’t need a relationship. I’ve been married for 43 years, and I am perfectly happy where I am.” No, no—relationship building is a relatively newer term.

Remember when you turned in a job application to the personnel department? Now that department is called Human Resources, and relationship building is along the lines of advertising, marketing, and promoting yourself and your business.

My relationship building (marketing) plan has always been the handshake and the one-on-one, person-to-person type of business plan. Twitter, tweeter, LinkedIn, or Linked Out has never been part of my modus operandi. I know Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and all the other social media platforms are out there; I just never used them to build my business. I do have to admit, though. If I was just starting out, I would probably need to integrate the old with new.

But back to relationship building—or advertising, marketing, and promoting yourself and your business. Keep in mind that the following opinions on marketing and building a business come from a construction guy born in 1949. My first construction job was in roofing in the summer of 1966. From 1967 to 1972 I served in the US Navy Seabees building firebases for the Marines as well as airports, bridges, and road construction projects. I came into the inspection industry in 1997, and I am fortunate to be still going strong inspecting homes and buildings.

I was fascinated by the inspection industry and quickly realized I could work this career well past the average retirement age if my health held up and I didn’t take a spill off a roof. Well, I’ve had no spills, I haven’t been electrocuted, and my health has held strong over the years. I am grateful, fortunate, and lucky.

I do very little marketing and relationship building now, but that was not the case when I first started in the industry. I knew several inspectors, both public and private, and spent about six months doing research on the real estate inspection industry before I took the plunge. I knew I had the basic technical skills, but I needed some work and a plan to get a one-man operation off the ground.

My first step was to join ASHI. A week later I joined St. Louis ASHI Chapter. I knew from the beginning this is where I would learn not only the technical ins and outs of the business, but the relationship building aspect of the industry, too. I can remember three to four other inspectors in the chapter who were just starting out as well. None of us were certified yet, and we hadn’t even performed our first inspections. We all had a lot in common, and we stayed late after meetings to bounce ideas and opinions off each other over coffee or lunch every week.

Our chapter allowed non-certified members to be on committees as well. We could not vote or chair a committee until we were certified, but that didn’t matter to me; I loved being involved. My relationship building brought me into close contact with senior inspectors who loved the industry and built successful businesses. It wasn’t long after that I was doing inspection ride-alongs. This was well before the parallel inspection program ASHI initiated years ago. Senior inspectors did not necessarily like rookies tagging along on their inspections. Inspectors were very helpful in answering any technical questions, but when it came time to ask the secrets of their marketing and promoting business, it was like, “Sorry young man. You are on your own.” It really was not that difficult finding out the secrets of marketing. I just kept my mouth shut and watched the masters at work. I had excellent relationships with these senior inspectors and ended up being their #2 for their clients and real estate agents. Again, it’s called building relationships. Most all have since left the industry and are enjoying a well-deserved retirement.

Getting certified through being involved with the chapter took one to two years. I have not stopped being involved to this day. I have held all the elected board positions, including three times as President. I have chaired the education committee six times and currently chair the legislative committee. Serving the chapter always comes first, but I can’t remember a time when I haven’t picked up a referral by just being around at a meeting or an event. Arranging and meeting with educational speakers and contractors for our seminars and monthly meetings has directly or indirectly led to referrals. Going to the state capitol four times a year with the Missouri Housing Industry Alliance and representing our chapter on legislative issues has led to multiple referrals, indirect or direct, too.

I have worked with real estate agents, brokers, lawyers, investors, mortgage bankers, and contractors on a regular basis for more than 20 years. I provided one REALTOR® with an inspection on her very first transaction. We have been working together since 1998.

The inspection industry in my opinion is the ultimate small business. I know there are many fine multi inspector firms out there, but the industry is dominated by one- and two-person shops. The folks who send me business like our one-on-one relationship. They want to hear about how I conduct my business from me, not from a brochure or Instagram. And yes, I do have a website where clients can schedule an inspection. But there are still real estate agents out there who want to hear your voice. They want to know that if a complaint comes rolling down the road, you have the skills to put that fire out—and that means today, not next week. One of my favorite lines I use with my real estate agents is: “My goal is a smooth transaction with no lawsuits.” Of course, the other side of this statement is that when an inspection goes smoothly, whether it was a clean house or a house with major defects, the buyer will be happy with the finished product.

From a baby boomer to the many millennials out there, use that social media as much as you can, but don’t forget about those one-on-one, eyeball-to-eyeball, handshake-to-handshake connections and the gift of gab. Let it be the cherry on top of your business relationships.

Opinions of authors are solely their own and do not necessarily represent the opinions or positions of ASHI, its agents, or editors. Always check with your local governmental agency and independently verify for accuracy, completeness, and reliability.