3 minute read
I am continually amazed at the self-proclaimed restoration consultants jockeying for recognition and fame in our industry. These alleged “guru’s” have exploded on the unsuspecting restoration industry and many of them are damaging the good reputations of those that are truly skilled and qualified.
Often, we almost laugh at the tall stories and absurd promises being made by these fakers (some who have only been in our industry for 2 or 3 years) who pull in and bluff unsuspecting contractors. Many of these contractors do need very qualified help on a restoration project or guidance on managing their business. The sad part about this topic is when these scammers do get called and offer their “advice,” for the contractor, it can come at a terrible price for our industry – and the restoration company.
I personally know of a client that first reached out to a claimed restoration consultant about a large water-damage project in the Northeast. Without giving away details that would be embarrassing to the contractor, I’ll tell you that the alleged “consultant” may have been fairly accurate on the equipment, but seriously hurt this contractor with his lack of advice on the forms to use and a total lack of documentation. Because there wasn’t proper written documentation and supporting evidence, the adjuster offered him only 40% of his invoice! Almost $265,000 less than billed! (I’d love to call out the ill-qualified consultant, but I believe he will be exposed on his own).
When the restoration owner finally realized his mistake, he turned to The CREST Network™ for help. Although we couldn’t go back and generate ALL the needed documentation, we were able to piece together enough accurate data to convince the adjuster to up his offer by $144,000.
If you think about what this means in terms of actual dollars and cents… Superbly accurate documentation, in our many years of experience, almost always wins out with full or near full payment of the invoice. In the case above, failure of the consultant to establish and help the restoration company generate complete and accurate documentation almost cost the owner more than a quarter of a million dollars (all would have gone to the bottom line)!
Fortunately, he reached out to us and we were able to help him get $144k more that he most likely wasn’t going to get from that adjuster. (And, yes, the “guru” still charged him for his “consulting efforts)!
Moral of this story: Research and investigate every coach, consultant, and advisor you are considering. Ask for referrals from people you completely trust. Check out the track record of this “expert!”. A little time investigating your potential consultant can save you tens (or hundreds) of thousands of dollars. Good consultants should help you earn as much as a hundred-fold ROI.
Contact me at 419-202-6745 or [email protected]
By Dick Wagner, Co-Founder The CREST Network, LLC
Nationally recognized coach, consultant, trainer, and speaker
Creator of the renowned PREP™ pre-disaster program
Owner of AskDickWagner.com BLOG
Co-Founder of TheCRESTLibrary.com
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