GERMANTOWN, TN -- 07/11/07 --
In a recently national study of 1,015 US
homeowners, Consumer Specialists found that 66% of them had used a
contractor for a home improvement project in the past. Overall levels of
satisfaction were high with 76% saying that they were either extremely or
very satisfied with the project. On a 7 point scale, the average rating
was a 5.9 -- almost to the level of very satisfied.
It is the 5% who reported that they were very or extremely dissatisfied
that we hear about. The question often raised is how to improve your odds
of being one of the highly satisfied customers? According to this survey,
how the contractor was located had a marked impact on homeowner's overall
satisfaction with the project.
Those who used a contractor with whom they had previous personal experience
were the most satisfied -- significantly besting all other methods of
finding a contractor. Referrals from family, friends and neighbors placed
second in satisfaction followed by getting a recommendation from another
contractor.
Having the contractor supplied by a home improvement store, finding them in
a telephone directory or via advertising turned out to be significantly
less satisfying than the top two locating methods.
"Nothing beats personal knowledge or independent referrals to get the best
results for home improvement projects," said Fred Miller, President of
Consumer Specialists. "Surprisingly, those that used a home improvement
store provided contractor did about the same as those that used advertising
as they way they found their contractor."
This data comes from "In the Beginning," a special research project focused
on understanding how homeowners approach that critical starting period in
their projects. Included is the identification of three groups of
consumers with different focuses to seeking information. They are
(followed by the % of homeowners they represent): online (17%), personal
network (23%) and contractor (23%) focused. The report on this study is
available in a unique combined presentation/report format. For a more
detailed release go to http://www.consumerspecialists.com/thebeginning.htm
Consumer Specialists is
ten-year-old marketing consulting firm with a focus on the home improvement
industry. The firm has industry studies for sale and does a broad range of
custom research and consulting projects for its clients.
For more information please contact:
Fred Miller
President, Consumer Specialists
(901) 757-5865
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