When it comes to builders and remodelers winning projects, there's really only two ways to do it: you choose your clients, or you let your clients choose you.

Paul Winans, owner of Winan's Construction in Califonia and both the past chairman and past president for the National Association of the Remodeling Industry, knows both sides.

As Paul puts it, "[We need] to decide if the people calling our company are capable of being our customers.

"That is, [we need] to find people who are interested in the unique proposition that we have to offer, as opposed to looking for 'just a contractor' - and there's a big difference."

Paul asks 7 specific questions of every lead who calls his company to ensure he stays focused on his most profitable leads - those that match his "successful client profile."

"We use a lead sheet," Paul explains, "and it's got a fair amount of information requests laid out on it so, in addition to basic information, like who they are and contact info, we ask [other] questions that are really important to us."

Those questions are:

Paul also gathers information on:

Paul will scores the answers and, depending on the final score, Paul will either meet with the prospect(s) to discuss the project further ... or refer the lead to another contractor!

"The [fifth] question is probably #1 on our list of what we're trying to do - we definitely need to work for people who trust us," Paul explains.

"If they don't trust us going in, it's going to be a wholly-living-hell to get through the job.

"However, trust does not reduce the need on the part of the builder or remodeler to give people the information they need to make a knowledgeable buying decision," Paul cautions. "Oddly enough, I think it's the opposite.

"When people trust you as a professional, there's a greater burden on you to actually do a better job than the average contractor would do in generating a proposal, a cost of job that's completely inclusive, a length of job, a list of exclusions...all the things that produce confidence.

"That's the burden placed on you - and that's why we don't want to do this for everybody who calls," Paul says.

Paul's process underscores the need to be clear about who you want to work with.

"That's one of the challenges for [a builder or remodeler] - being very clear about what your successful client profile is," Paul offers.

"We know, for us, it's probably either empty nesters - a couple who are trying to set their house up to be the place they'd like to be in for the rest of their lives; or Gen-Xers - a couple who are both working and settling down, raising a family, and they really don't have the time or the knowledge to do their remodel themselves."

Paul suggestion is to get a clear idea of who you can work with successfully.

"Take your five favorite clients and blend all the criteria, all the qualities that they bring to the table," suggests Paul.

"Make that a profile, and then write up a lead sheet.

"Write an intake sheet that grades those qualities at a higher level than other qualities," Paul continues.

"That's one way to keep yourself from getting sucked into the vortex of 'I've got 20 calls I need to return today. Who am I going to call?'

"That's probably the most important thing that I ever did," says Paul.

If you don't want to be perceived as 'just another contractor', don't take on 'just any ol' client.' Take the time to figure out your own "successful client profile" and, like Paul, you'll profit from it.

Go to www.SuccessfulHomeBuilders.com today and you can listen for FREE how one builder/remodeler eliminated time-wasting free estimates from his business -- for good!