The latest news from GuildQuality.

Congratulations to Normandy Builders of Hinsdale, Illinois: Professional Remodeler’s 2007 Remodeler of the Year. The good folks at Professional Remodeler selected Normandy Builders because of their successful execution of a growth rebound strategy. After a 20% decline in sales from 2005 to 2006, the team huddled up and crafted a new growth strategy. They’ve not only made up their lost ground, but they’re on track to outperform their best year ever by nearly 20%.

I was very pleased to read that a key component of Normandy’s strategy involved GuildQuality’s customer satisfaction surveying. They originally came to us seeking to verify that their lost ground was not a product of diminished service. Their 95% recommendation rate from 200 surveys gave them some solid reassurance. But they got a lot more than affirmation from the surveying. Reg Marzec, who co-founded the company in 1979 elaborates:

But it’s not just about whether we’ve got happy customers. It’s also about finding out if we’re doing something wrong and having the chance and the ability to correct what we might be doing wrong. If we have a weak link, we should try to do something about it. And that has been a real side benefit that I never really thought of.

After getting a handle on the strength of their service, and identifying who were among their most passionate customers, Normandy took the extra step to develop a “Referral Rewards Program” that leveraged “the relationship they had developed with hundreds of satisfied past clients over the years.” The referral program contributed to a whopping 25% increase in leads.

According to their Marketing Director, Laurie Camp, their 2007 strategy is “more of a rifle shot approach than a shotgun approach in targeting potential clients. We’ve actually spent less on marketing than in the past, but we’ve increased our marketing effectiveness.”

I’ve just touched on the customer satisfaction components of their successful strategy. Visit Professional Remodeler to read the entire article.

Congratulations again to all the people at Normandy Builders for their well-deserved recognition, and best wishes for an equally successful 2008.

P.S. If you’re interested in more of Normandy Builders’ stats, they publish their summary Customer Report, and link to it from their website.