The Master Builders Podcast

How to sell without sounding ”salesy” Part 1 - Sales Skills for Builders with James McGregor from The Blue Tribe Company

In this episode Max Rafferty and Robert Shaw discuss sales and marketing of homes.

Max talks with James McGregor about how to sell sustainable energy efficient homes without sounding salesy using a simple to use sales technique designed for builders.

Now we had so much to cover on this topic that we have made this into a two part podcast episode.  The first part is how to talk to consumers about energy efficient homes which is probably not the way you are doing now and the second part is a simple 4 step sales process to help you sell without sounding salesy.

James is the founder of The Blue Tribe Company and he helps companies to develop and sell products that align profit with purpose - in other words they are financially successful whilst making the world a better place.

Over the past 12 months he has been working with the building industry to develop a sales training program to sell energy efficient homes because he believes that energy efficiency is a great way for builders to differentiate themselves from their competitors.

Lessons from Selling Energy Efficient Homes with Simon Dunstan from SJD Homes

In this episode Max Rafferty and Robert Shaw talk about the challenges of selling energy efficient homes.

Max interviews Simon Dunstan who is the owner of SJD Homes and is a leader in sustainable housing solutions. He is also the man behind Melbourne's first zero energy home.

In this episode he shares his wealth of knowledge on what he has learned on his journey of building and selling energy efficient and sustainable homes.

Discover more at masterbuilders.com.au

The Business of Building with Jock Merrigan from Urban Habitats

In this episode of the Master Builders Podcast, host Max Rafferty and co host Robert Shaw talk about the business of building with Jock Merrigan. 

Jock is the founding Director of Urban Habitats and has over 20 years of experience in the residential building industry.

As an active member of the Master Builders Association of South Australia, Jock chairs the Housing Committee, and is a member of the Council of Management. Jock is also the State Representative for the National Residential Housing Committee.

Jock is passionate about building design and in achieving quality construction outcomes that are unique to each of his clients.

 

This episode is sponsored by Master Builders Insurance Brokers (MBIB)

Master Builders Insurance Brokers (MBIB) is a leading broker in the building and construction industry.

They use their national muscle to leverage great ‘value for money’ insurance arrangements with preferred underwriters, ultimately keeping premiums down and policy coverage broad.

Their brokers help you understand, select and manage the right cover for your business by using their years of experience in the building and construction industry.

So if you’re a builder and want more than just an insurance broker visit mbib.com.au today.

Get in touch with your local Master Builders at masterbuilders.com.au

The Business of Building with Robert Shaw from Daly & Shaw Building

In this episode of the Master Builders Podcast, host Max Rafferty and guest host Jock Merrigan talk about the business of building with industry leader Robert Shaw.   Now if you have been involved with Master Builders for any amount of time the chances are you will have heard about Robert.    Robert joined the National Board in 2015 and is Chair of the National Residential Builders Council.   He is a former President of Master Builders Western Australia and a current member of its Board of Management.  But importantly for the discussion in this episode Robert shares his 37 years of experience and knowledge in the building and construction industry that he has gained as a director of Daly and Shaw which specialises in residential unit development and homes, currently building between 50 to 100 dwellings per year. 

Zero Energy Housing with Josh Byrne and Simon Dunstan

This episode of The Master Builders Podcast is called "Zero Energy Housing", co-hosts Max Rafferty and Robert Shaw discuss the topic in full detail with Josh Byrne and Simon Dunstan.

Josh, who is most known as the West Australian presenter of the ABC's Gardening Australia, started the Josh's House Project, a video series that documents the building process of Josh's zero energy home. Today he shares practical insights on the best ways to harness solar energy into daily life and explores its return on investment.

Simon is the owner of SJD Homes and leader in sustainable housing solutions. He is also the man behind Melbourne's first zero energy home. Today he shares his wealth of information on the differences of building a zero energy home and the unique challenges it comes with, from construction to management to selling.

HIGHLIGHTS

02:28 Josh Byrne defines a net-zero energy home

06:15 Building a cost-effective utilization of solar energy and batteries

12:19 John's recommended resources

16:20 Simon Dunstan builds Melbourne's first zero energy home

20:26 Differences and challenges in building a zero energy home

27:08 Trades, management & services

32:15 Consumer reaction to the display houses

34:42 Simon's advice and resources to builders

RESOURCES

https://joshshouse.com.au/ - The Josh's House Project

http://builtbetter.org/ - CIC Knowledge Guide

https://www.cleanenergycouncil.org.au/ - Clean Energy Council

https://www.sustainability.vic.gov.au/ - Sustainability Victoria

https://www.masterbuilders.com.au - The Master Builders Australia

https://www.sjdhomes.com.au/ - SJD Homes Website

Email - marketing@sjdhomes.com.au

 

QUOTES

03:53 "But a more accurate term is net-zero energy homes and what it means is that a home is designed and built to meet its own energy requirements on an annual net basis. So when you have a home and you understand what its energy demand is, its matched with a rooftop PV system typically is the common renewable energy source for residential dwellings but that system is sized to meet the annual net demand of that home."

07:33 "Not only are these very efficient so that cost-effective and they demonstrate good return on investment for people who are putting these features into their home, but it also means that you can often time their operation, in particular with the water heating which can be programmed for during the day. You can time that with available solar."

07:50 "And so again it's not anything necessarily more difficult for the builder, it's just having the right approach to design; good quality construction to make sure you got a good airtight, well-sealed home; all the insulation detailing is done properly; all the things that should be done well."

10:31 "The payback period, in terms of return on investment of these batteries, is typically just outside their warranty period. Typically, warranty period being ten years for batteries and the payback periods for a typical home tends to be ten to twelve years. Now we're seeing that change very quickly as batteries become more popular, production volumes increase, and the cost is coming down rapidly."

20:31 "It's twofold. So the first part of it is really improving the house that is being built. So there's a lot of ways we're doing that but it's actually the build from itself so we try to do what we can in that space. So that is obviously things like the integrity, the insulation, the insulation itself, and the build itself, and the various products that we put in there. The other thing is also some of the appliances that we're using are going to be as efficient as we possibly can."

21:05 "So the other part of the equation is we need... to be able to produce our own energy. So in the particular house, we had a 5-kilowatt system and we also had a 9.8-kilowatt battery on it. So battery is one of the new, exciting parts because their consumption of power."

28:55 "That's the most encouraging part of the whole thing. We're not rediscovering the wheel and we're not asking a big cost... it's not costing us anything more other than the insulation to do these things. It's just a bit of care."

33:36 "We have also made a conscious decision that, as in the retail section that we're putting some of these extras in at cost price, we had great amount of uptake early on in the pace but in more recent times we've had a rebate in place there. That rebate is we sold 30 homes in a very short period of time."

34:47 "Guys, I would just say embrace it, be at the front of it, and don't be reactive with this because our involvement with various government departments and organisations... we've been moving to this for several years... It is going to be with us. So I think I would love the industry as a whole to be more proactive and reactive and really be at the table."

Open for Business with Mario Biasin from Metricon

SUMMARY

This episode of The Master Builders Podcast is called "Open for Business with Mario Biasin from Metricon", co-hosts Max Rafferty and Robert Shaw talk about how builders can keep running their businesses during the current COVID-19 pandemic with Mario Baisin who is the CEO and one of the founders of Metricon, Australia’s leading residential builder. 

In this interview Mario Biasin discusses some of the practical things Metricon have been doing during this COVID-19 pandemic - everything from working on site, to working with clients, all the way through to digital marketing to keep sales going.

But Max also took the opportunity to learn from one of most successful builders in Australia to get his advice and business insights on the types of things you can be doing to not only manage the current situation but to also build your own successful business - because as you will hear, Metricon started out as a small home builder in Victoria and with some of the knowledge he shares in this interview Mario shaped Metricon into Australia’s leading home builder.  

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HIGHLIGHTS

03:35 Introduction to Mario Biasin

05:07 The origin story of Metricon

07:07 How Metricon is managing COVID-19

13:05 Importance of online presence

18:40 Communicating with staff and customers

24:02 Top tip for builders

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RESOURCES

https://www.metricon.com.au/ - Metricon

https://www.masterbuilders.com.au - Master Builders Website

Open for Business with Mark Little from Little Constructions

SUMMARY

This episode of The Master Builders Podcast is called "Open for Business with Mark Little from Little Constructions", co-hosts Max Rafferty and Robert Shaw talk about how builders can keep running their businesses during the current COVID-19 pandemi. Featured today is Mark Little from Little Constructions.

Mark discusses some of the practical steps he has been taking to keep building from how he is managing his sites, managing clients and how he is continuing to promote his business.

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HIGHLIGHTS

04:49 Introduction to Mark and Little Constructions

07:08 Impact for COVID-19 on Mark’s business

08:49 How Mark is managing COVID-19

11:35 Conversations with clients

17:59 Promoting your business

20:52 Top tip for builders

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RESOURCES

https://www.facebook.com/littleconstructions/ - Little Constructions on FaceBook

https://www.masterbuilders.com.au - Master Builders Website

Special Episode on Managing COVID-19 on Construction Sites with Michelle DeGalt-Rohlf from Master Builders Western Australia

In this special episode of the Master Builders Podcast, host Max Rafferty discussed managing COVID-19 on construction sites with the Senior Safety Coordinator for Master Builders Western Australia, Michelle DeGalt-Rohlf.

Michelle explains some of the practical things that builders can do on site to manage risks associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of the practices she discusses are not that difficult and most of what is discussed you can implement on your sites today. Simple things like social distancing and wiping down the door handles on your site sheds.

Whilst this might slow you down on site - slow work is better than no work.

If you want to get more information, Master Builders has safety experts in every state and territory.

So if you need some help give you local master builders call or visit our website at masterbuilders.com.au

Talking Solar with Alistair Sproul from the University of New South Wales and Rohan Forrest of Carter Grange

This episode of The Master Builders Podcast is called "Solar Power" and co-hosts Max Rafferty and Robert Shaw talk about harnessing the power of the sun to the benefit of builders. Featured today are two interviews with experts on the subject, Alistair Sproul of the University of New South Wales and Rohan Forrest of Carter Grange.

Alistair explains the systems and hardware of solar power and how people can utilise it for both business and home use. On the other hand, Rohan talks about designing and installing solar power for their clients. He also talks about the reasons clients actually switch to solar and shares some tips for prospective builders of the technology.

 

HIGHLIGHTS

04:38 Introduction to Alistair and defining solar energy

08:16 Traditional solar power and battery technology

16:22 Role of the inverter and effects of shading

24:03 Introduction to Rohan and Carter Grange

29:36 What drives clients to take up solar

33:56 3 tips for builders of solar

 

RESOURCES

https://www.cleanenergycouncil.org.au/ - The Clean Energy Council Website

https://www.choice.com.au/ - CHOICE, Consumer Advocacy Group

https://www.cartergrange.com.au/

Colin Wood, Construction in Bushfire Prone Areas

In this episode of The Master Builders Podcast called “Building in Bushfire Prone Areas with Colin Wood”, co-hosts Max Rafferty and Robert Shaw sit down with Colin to chat about building in bushfire prone areas, with such factors as material selection and landscaping near the home being a major consideration.

Colin Wood has been looking at the issue of building in bushfire zones for the past 25 years and as you will hear, Colin was right in the middle of the recent bushfires in the Shoalhaven area which is located on the South Coast of NSW where he is the Section Manager for Building & Compliance with Shoalhaven City Council.

Colin is an Environmental Health and Building Surveyor and has 39 years experience with Local Government and Private Practice. He is the Australian Institute of Building Surveyors national representative on AS3959 and he has held that position since 1995. Colin is also the chair of the Construction Sub-committee to AS3959 (Construction in Bushfire Prone Areas).

HIGHLIGHTS

7:39 Colin explains how he got into designing in bushfire prone areas.
10:49 Key factors that affect the development of bushfires
14:42 Overview of AS3959
16:43 When to use AS3959
22:53 Core construction requirements for homes in bushfire prone areas
28:55 Decking timber for bushfire prone areas

RESOURCES

www.masterbuilders.com.au/podcast
www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/resources/publications/building-in-a-bush-fire-area