George Clark, the Vice President of WMGB Home Improvement, recently celebrated his company’s 35-year anniversary of the contracting business. Over these 35 years, WMBG has grown from a niche company providing people with glass block basement windows to an award-winning company with a combined staff experience of performing nearly 7,000 home audits and 2,000 retrofits a year.
Clark has learned some things along the way. As a member of the elite Pearl Contractor Network, Clark has been at the cutting edge when it comes to developing ways to leverage Pearl to grow his business. He has been quick to share these insights and best practices with the other Pearl Partners located across Michigan.
Engaging a Pearl Contractor Network in Michigan
There are nine elite Pearl Contractors and one rater in the Pearl Michigan Network:
- GeoFurnace
- Building Performance Solutions
- Lakeside Service Co.
- Ecotelligent Homes
- Bartholomew Heating and Cooling
- Better World Builders, LLC
- Schaafsma Heating and Cooling
- WMGB Inc
- Michigan Solar Solutions
- Mac MacCabe, Rater
Clark keeps a list of these contractors on his desk alongside a note on his calendar to reach out to each business once a month. He discusses things like the most effective and compelling messaging to existing mailing lists, how to strategically deliver Pearl Certification Reports, and tactical ways to engage REALTOR groups.
"I’m the one that benefits the most by working with my fellow Pearl Contractors ... And my, has Pearl selected an unbelievable group of contractors!"
“We have plans at Pearl to support contractor-to-contractor lead gen with new software tools. But it’s great to see that, even without our software tools, Network Contractors are creating win-win opportunities for each other through old-fashioned networking and referrals, said Pearl’s Co-founder and President Robin LeBaron. “It’s a testament to the maturity and business sense of the Pearl Network members. And it’s a huge opportunity for the future that has barely begun to be tapped.”
Clark collects what he learns from his team, his customers, and his fellow contractors and then disseminates it to the larger Pearl Network group. “I’m the one that always benefits the most by working with my fellow Pearl Contractors. The least I can do is collect and distribute the information to everybody.”
“And my, has Pearl selected an unbelievable group of contractors,” Clark said. WMGB’s commitment to quality and their ethical approach to sales has earned them a place among the elite Pearl Network.
When asked if he’s afraid of losing a market edge by sharing these tips, Clark explained, “Once we have market saturation, it’ll be a big plus. As long as Pearl keeps exclusivity in the Contractor Network, we are going to have wonderful momentum and that will help us further differentiate ourselves.”
Transforming the Market, One Monthly Call at a Time
One of the things that excites Clark about being a part of the elite Pearl Network is the value it brings not only to his clients but to everyone involved in the industry. He credits the Pearl Network for much of this.
“Pearl Certification is like a Carfax for your house. People naturally light up to that. Any time you can include a strong value-added proposition like Pearl, when pitching a new customer, and that customer understands their potential added value, it really helps move the needle on close and conversion rates,” Clark said. ”For good progressive companies looking to differentiate themselves, being part of the elite Pearl Network is a win.”
“Every partner, every stakeholder, has an interest. Lenders want to lend more, sellers and Realtors want to sell for more, and appraisers want to price it higher. There’s high motivation there but tying all those things together can be complicated,” Clark said.
And that’s where Pearl shines!
Pearl Certification is like a Carfax for your house ... For good, progressive companies looking to differentiate themselves, being part of the elite Pearl Network is a win.
Pearl’s Certification Reports drive demand for homes high-performing home features by making them visible at time of sale. Pearl enables home sellers to capture the value of their investments and buyers to find the homes they want.
In fact, when marketed correctly, Pearl Certified homes can sell for 5% or more and solar installations can add $4 per watt of installed photovoltaic capacity to the sales price.
“Pearl benefits each and every stakeholder [lenders, sellers, Realtors] and it has been jaw dropping to experience Pearl’s value proposition first hand!” said Clark. “The truth is, we need to get as many homes certified as we possibly can. That is going to drive and inspire all other stakeholders to come to market,” Clark said. “In just about six months of doing this, our growth rate of certified homes in Michigan has significantly increased. It’s nutty,” he said. “We’ve got to keep doing everything we can to get as many homes certified. The long gain is to get every Realtor to embrace this. The advantage now is to those early adopters.”
In closing, we asked Clark what he thought of Pearl and it almost makes us blush. “The Pearl team is committed, attentive, responsive, open to change, and looks at things differently. They’re a group of rockstars in our niche industry,” he said.
