Part of the unsaid agreement most contractors live by is that every client is cherished and every project is a blessing. They sometimes live day to day. Hand to mouth. That’s why, given the legal entanglements of deductibles and how they can ultimately make a project fall apart, it is important to understand the benefits of giving their clients and insurance policyholders financial help and structure. Contractors need to comprehend the value of affordable payments for homeowners, for their clients.
Home improvement payments
The consensus is that, once the deductible is paid and an insurance claim is approved, money flows like spring water into a contractor’s account. That’s the general and overall mechanics of the whole cycle.
Insurance companies’ main concern is that they honor their contractual obligations to the lender on their policy. This ultimately means that they are listed as the insured and are the only ones liable to make or build a claim. All third parties, contractors, coops or condominiums management companies, mortgage companies, everyone is second fiddle to the owner of the property and, more importantly, the person with a claim over the policy.
Whether or not a claim check is for the repairs, replacement, or the reason why it was issued remains – at best – a second motive for the insurance company. They only want to doll out a check and be able to decree that they have, in part, honored their contract.
Depending on the circumstance, and with the aforementioned approval of the policyholder, claim checks can be made out to other people of entities besides the homeowner. A third party, for example, a contractor, can be the ultimate recipient of the money and claim… But that is rarely the case.
In most circumstances, homeowners receive the check and they are the ones who administer it. Which as anyone will tell you is a recipe for disaster. Why? Money has a bad habit of turning to smoke in a person’s palm. A homeowner might have other obligations or desires for that claim and that money.
That’s why it is beneficial, for a contractor – who still desires and wants the project – and a homeowner – who wants repair to their property – to come to a mutually agreed compromise. To negotiate. This helps both parties and essentially influences a contractor’s customer flow and reputation.
Affordable Financing For your clients
It’s important to comprehend that a truly efficient business is one that not only makes a loyal consumer base but one that galvanized one of the best sales techniques… word of mouth. Contractors that allow reasonable payments and help their clients and policyholders administer their claim and money in a way that is more efficacious to them are investing, not only in their current financial stature but in their future. They are promoting the one thing Google Adwords, SEO tactics, and advertising can’t give them… referrals.
Studies have shown that clients that come by referrals have a 70% more chance of finalizing a deal and reaching a negotiation. Clients that come to a contractor because they have been introduced by an acquaintance and have an excellent yardstick by rich to judge a contractor are 3/4 more likely to finalize a deal than their counterparts.
How to make home insurance payments more affordable.
Reduce Payments for clients
If possible, a contractor can in fact reduce payments for their clients. Sometimes their profit margin is too much and in focusing their gain/loss barometer on one client they are allowing others to getaway. Contractors that have a more competitive price-range have more clients and leads. By lowering your price range or cost contractors might in fact gain a better footing in their local market.
Negotiate
It’s important to sit down with your client and understand not only their needs but their expectations. Sometimes a good round of heated mediation and debate can be advantageous to both parties. Bargaining, in many cases, is the key to successfully capping a transaction and finding the necessary funding for a project.
Audit
Some contractors need to reevaluate their supply chain and their bottom line. Maybe they are overcharging for products and services that can be found – give today’s standards – at a cheaper price without sacrificing their quality. Times have changed and with the digital revolution, manufacturing procedures have become more efficient, more optimized, more labor-intensive, and more competitive.
It’s possible for a contractor to not only reduce payments, and not suffer any financial loss, but actually, obtain an extra revenue stream in the process. To use this tactic to come out the winner.
Coming Up Aces.
Apps like Fund My Deductible not only help by safeguarding and creating a stature for a contractor- homeowner relationship but also benefit both parties. They help homeowners meet the demands of the state, their insurance company, and local legislation requirements. They help contractors make insurance payments more affordable, while also earning a percentage from the transaction.
Fund My Deductible allows, due to payment flexibility, zero financing fees, affordable rates, and zero risk for contractors. It allows homeowners to meet their demands and hire a contractor that is flexible enough to understand their hardship and come to them with a perfect solution to their woes. No need to pay upfront, everything on credit.