marketing
Ep.68: Teaming Up with Manufacturers with Aaron Wingert
While you’re trying to please your clients, hit your schedules and margins, and juggle everything else, you can use all the help you can get. One way to bring in some assistance is by reaching out to your product manufacturers.
In this episode, Aaron Wingert discusses the benefits of having a relationship with your manufacturers with Tim and Steve. He gives us a view from the manufacturer’s perspective and insight into how a manufacturer’s representative can improve a remodeler’s business.
Aaron has been a market development manager for Louisiana Pacific for two and a half years, and his territory includes parts of Kansas and Missouri. LP is the largest engineered wood building products manufacturer in the world. Prior to working for LP, he spent nearly 16 years as a building codes inspector in the Kansas City area.
Builders and remodelers are his main responsibility, and Aaron finds himself on job sites almost every day. Some of his visits are more like sales calls, but often it’s to troubleshoot an installation or answer a question about the materials. The biggest benefit to a remodeler to establishing a relationship with a manufacturer is understanding the products you’re selling as part of the entire project, as well as:
- The questions to ask your reps
- How plant visits can help your company’s sales
- Taking advantage of rebate programs
- Getting leads from your manufacturing partners
- Training and education opportunities for your team
- Cutting down on errors in building
- Using co-op dollars in your marketing
- Getting SEO and social media help
- Tapping into a manufacturer’s data
- Best practices in handling product issues
- And more …
Set yourself up for success by creating relationships with your manufacturer’s reps, take advantage of what they offer, and put yourself ahead of your competition.
Meet These Manufacturers at The Annual Remodelers Summit
Speaking of Manufacturers… Come meet these amazing companies at the Remodelers Summit in Orlando, FL on September 24-25!

Ep.67: Using Your Company For Charitable Giving with Russell Fuller
For many, caring for other people is just part of our world view — whether you give to charity through your church, through private donations, or through other methods like sponsored bike rides or other fundraisers. But if you haven’t considered involving your business, you should.
Russell Fuller’s first foray into giving to charity was a happy accident, he says. But then it became something more. He found that committing his company to support a non-profit’s mission wasn’t just a good deed, it turned out to be an effective marketing tool, as well
In this episode, Russell talks to Tim and Steve about what his involvement in a local non-profit means to him individually, and the positive effects it’s had on his business and team.
Russell founded Fuller Living Construction in Seattle 10 years ago, and now employs 19 people. FLC specializes in custom remodels in older homes. FLC provides for charities such as Aurora Commons and Wintergrass in Seattle.
Russell’s first five years in business were lean, but about three years ago the business found its financial footing, and he found himself with some excess money with no idea what to do with it. He accumulated $10,000 in cash in a Folger’s can in his basement. After visiting a friend involved with the Aurora Commons non-profit, which in need of funds or it would shut down. He was called to give that money. He went home and got the can and gave it to the charity (instead of fixing the clutch in his old Subaru). Russell gives 10 percent of his net profit to non-profits. He talks about the lasting impact of doing this in your business, including:
- Why you should consider charitable giving a fixed cost
- Giving confidently
- The benefits in community outreach to your business
- Why you need a page on your website talking about it
- How speaking at the organization’s gala brings him business
- Involving your subcontractors in giving
- The benefits of giving early in the year
- The gratification of knowing what your money does
- How to involve your team members
- The impact of giving on recruitment and hiring
- And more …
Russell also gives great advice about how to stick to your commitment, choosing a charity, how to publicize it, and how to involve other small business donors.
Ep.53: Make Your Project Manager a Marketing Machine with Doug Panozzo
Of all the things you have in your marketing toolbox — your website, email and direct mail, or social media — there’s one you may have overlooked.
Positioning your Production team to be aware of sales and marketing can be an overlooked marketing strategy, and also help align the office and field teams.
In this episode, Tim and Steve talk to Doug Panozzo, who is a human marketing machine. We discuss how to make that switch in mindset for your Production team, and how it can boost your sales and profits.
Doug Panozzo is a Project Manager for Hogan Design & Construction in Geneva, IL. He’s been with Hogan since October 2017. He came from outside of the industry, from a tech company, and moved into a Project Manager role with Hogan almost a year and a half ago. Since then, he has grown familiar with the industry, became efficient with Hogan’s systems, hasn’t gone over budget on a single one of his projects, and has brought in over $100,000 in sales in the last year.
Sharing the big picture with your team is the start. Doug says working on marketing or sales is job security for him — the more work he can help bring in, the longer he has a job. He talks about how he does it, and how you can get your team involved, including:
- Selling the company throughout the project
- Sparking new leads
- Following up with customers to touch base
- Finding the incentive — referrals and bonuses
- Asking for social media posts with tags and reviews
- Wearing and being the brand everywhere
- How to start those conversations
- Picking the right customers to keep in touch with
- Making the questions subtle and helpful
- Keeping good notes and setting reminders
- Building relationships and working the neighborhood
- Finding the way for different personalities to market and sell
- How to set the expectations in hiring
- Giving Production the tools, training, and materials to do it
- Getting the timing right
- And much more …
Including why your Project Manager or Lead Carpenter should talk to the neighbors’ cleaning people, and how many leads can come from it.
Let’s Keep It Up
This episode was another spurred by a suggestion from our listeners. If you’ve got an idea for a guest or topic, send Tim an email at tim@remodelersadvantage.com.