Michael's 30-plus years of experience in residential remodeling and specialty sales is shared in Profitable Sales, A Contractor's Guide. The information provided is valuable for both the construction-related business owner and their sales staff.

In this book, you'll discover how to:

• determine if a lead is worth your time before you set the appointment
• establish ground rules with a potential client during the initial phone call
• help customers make selections
• know when to walk away
• address the three fears of every customer
• successfully ask the four questions you need answered
• navigate through design agreements, letters of intent, and other documents that prevent you from wasting time
• lay the groundwork for a detailed contract with specific payment schedules
• turn a cancellation into a positive event
• find, train, motivate and compensate sales staff

A significant portion of the book is devoted to “What if?” scenarios. What if the customer wants you to fix something in their home during the appointment? What if they are distracted by the TV, by unruly kids, by neighbors who stop by? Michael discusses insurance calls, dealing with other professionals (attorneys, architects and designers, realtors, engineers, lenders) and issues that can arise after the contract is signed. The scenarios range from mildly humorous (arriving at a home to find homeowners inappropriately dressed) to frightening (homeowners handling firearms on a sales call).

Sample downloadable forms are available as word processing (.rtf) or spreadsheet (.csv) files for use in your business.

Michael Stone is the author of Markup & Profit; A Contractor's Guide Revisited, a top-selling business management book for the construction industry.