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| Introduction | |
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| Welcome to the Construction Industry | |
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| Basic Needs | |
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| First Hurdles | |
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| Knowledge | |
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| The Dangers | |
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| How Many Houses Can You Build? | |
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| How Much Money Can You Make? | |
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| Getting Your Feet Wet | |
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| Which Type of House Should You Build First? | |
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| Picking the Right House Plan | |
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| Your Edge | |
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| Bringing It All Together | |
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| Test the Waters | |
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| What Do You Want to Accomplish in Your Business Career? | |
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| When Your Job Becomes Your Business | |
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| Construction Offers You Many Business Opportunities | |
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| What Do You Want from Your Business? | |
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| Where Do You Want Your Business to Be in Five Years? | |
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| What Type of Customer Do You Want to Serve? | |
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| What Role Will You Play in The Business? | |
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| Have You Evaluated Your Cash Reserves? | |
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| Taking the Plunge | |
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| Keeping Your Expenses in Check | |
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| Beating Heavy Overhead Expenses | |
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| Learn What Expenses to Cut | |
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| Know Which Expenses Are Justified | |
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| Cutting the Wrong Expenses Can Be Expensive | |
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| Looking Into the Future | |
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| Long-Range Planning Pays Off in the End | |
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| Focusing on Change | |
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| Getting Organized and Ready to Work | |
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| Choosing Your Business Structure | |
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| What Type of Business Structure Is Best for You? | |
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| Learn the Pros and Cons of Each Form of Business | |
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| 15 Mistakes Builders Make That You Can Avoid | |
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| It Takes More Money Than You Think | |
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| Avoiding Heavy Overhead Expenses | |
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| Too Cautious | |
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| Select Your Subcontractors Carefully | |
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| Set Up a Line of Credit | |
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| Get It in Writing | |
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| Stay Away from Time-and-Material Prices | |
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| Check Zoning Regulations | |
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| Covenants and Restrictions | |
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| Insurance | |
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| Inaccurate Quotes | |
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| Inspect Your Jobs Frequently | |
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| Customer Relations | |
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| Change Orders | |
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| Never Get Too Comfortable | |
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| The Pros and Cons of Building Model Homes | |
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| It's Easier to Sell | |
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| Credibility | |
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| Extra Attention | |
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| The Disadvantages | |
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| Subdivisions | |
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| Building Here and There | |
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| My Personal Opinion | |
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| Courting Bankers | |
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| Good Credit Is Crucial to a Growing Business | |
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| Trade Accounts | |
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| Selecting Your Lending Institutions | |
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| How to Establish Credit When You Have None | |
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| How to Overcome a Poor Credit Rating | |
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| Seven Techniques to Assure Your Credit Success | |
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| Credit for Your Customers | |
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| An Edge | |
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| Bonds | |
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| Selling Without Having a House to Show | |
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| The Basics | |
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| Talk Less and Listen More | |
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| People Like to Talk | |
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| Getting Down to Business | |
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| The Key Elements | |
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| Opening Your Own Office | |
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| Should You Work from Home or from a Rented Space? | |
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| Self-Discipline | |
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| Storefront Requirements | |
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| Commercial Image | |
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| Assess Your Office Needs | |
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| Location Can Make a Difference | |
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| How Much Office Can You Afford? | |
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| Answering Services Compared to Answering Machines | |
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| Finding the Best Building Lots | |
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| Not All Lots Are Created Equally | |
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| Utility Hookups | |
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| Lay of the Land | |
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| Flood Zones | |
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| Trees | |
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| Access | |
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| Restrictions | |
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| Finding the Cream of the Crop | |
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| Controlling Desirable Lots in Subdivisions Without Buying Them | |
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| Takedown Schedules | |
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| Options | |
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| Stretch Your Money | |
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| Developing Your Own Building Lots | |
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| Little Deals | |
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| When Things Go Right | |
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| Mid-Size Deals | |
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| Big Deals | |
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| It's Tempting | |
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| Building on Speculation | |
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| Picking Lots and Plans | |
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| Target Your Market | |
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| Hitting Your Mark | |
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| A Safety Net | |
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| Colors and Products | |
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| Selling Your Spec Houses | |
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| Selling with Real-Estate Broker | |
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| Sell It Yourself? | |
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| In-House Sales | |
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| Buyer's Agents | |
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| Seller's Agents | |
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| Big Real-Estate Companies | |
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| Ask Questions | |
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| The Commission | |
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| Multiple Listing Service (MLS) | |
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| Doing the Grunt Work | |
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| Managing Your Time and Your Money | |
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| Time Is Money | |
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| Budget Your Time | |
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| Know When You Are Wasting Your Time | |
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| Controlling Long-Winded Gab Sessions | |
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| Set Your Appointments for Maximum Efficiency | |
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| Reduce Lost Time in the Office | |
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| The A List and the B List | |
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| Reduce Lost Time in the Field | |
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| Using a Tape Recorder to Improve Efficiency | |
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| Should You Have a Cell Phone? | |
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| Adding a Computer to Your Toolbox | |
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| Desktop Alternatives | |
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| Getting Started | |
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| How Will a Computer Help Your Business? | |
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| Building Customer Credibility with Computers | |
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| Spreadsheets, Databases, and Word Processing | |
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| The Power of Computer-Aided Design (CAD) | |
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| Selecting Your Hardware | |
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| Keeping Track of Your Cash | |
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| Keeping Your Accounts Receivable and Payable Under Control | |
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| Cash Flow | |
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| Looking Ahead to Financial Challenges | |
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| Money Management | |
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| Contract Deposits | |
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| Eliminating Subcontractor Deposits | |
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| Stretch Your Money | |
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| Credit | |
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| Collecting Past-Due Accounts | |
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| Construction Loans | |
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| Taxes | |
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| Surviving an IRS Audit | |
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| The Legal Side | |
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| Choosing Attorneys and Accountants | |
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| Documenting Your Business Activity | |
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| Contracts, Change Orders, and Related Paperwork | |
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| Good Contracts Make Satisfied Customer | |
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| Trucks, Tools, Equipment, and Inventory | |
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| Leasing vs. Purchasing | |
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| Separate Needs from Desires | |
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| Financial Justification | |
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| How Much Inventory Should You Stock? | |
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| Controlling Inventory Theft and Waste | |
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| Stocking Your Trucks Efficiently | |
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| Subcontractors, Suppliers, and Building Officials | |
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| Subcontractors | |
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| Suppliers and Vendors | |
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| Materials | |
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| Choosing Subcontractors | |
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| Dealing with Suppliers | |
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| Making Your Best Deal | |
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| Expediting Materials | |
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| Avoiding Common Problems | |
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| Building Good Relations with Building Code Officials | |
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| Bidding Methods That Really Work | |
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| Word-of-Mouth Referrals | |
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| Customer Satisfaction | |
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| Reaching Out for a New Customer Base | |
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| Payment, Performance, and Bid Bonds | |
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| Big Jobs-Big Risks? | |
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| The Bid Process | |
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| Preparing Accurate Take-Offs | |
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| Pricing | |
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| What Is a Profitable Markup? | |
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| How Can Your Competitors Offer Such Low Prices? | |
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| Pricing Services for Success and Longevity | |
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| Proper Presentation | |
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| Know Your Competition | |
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| Effective Estimating Techniques | |
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| Jobsite Safety Makes Good Sense and Cents | |
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| Let's Talk About OSHA | |
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| Trenching | |
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| Personal Protection | |
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| Developing a Good Safety Program | |
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| Keeping Your Customers Happy | |
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| Meeting Your Customers on Their Level | |
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| Qualifying Your Customers | |
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| How to Satisfy Your Customers | |
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| Public Relations Skills | |
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| Establishing Clear Communication Channels with Customers | |
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| Creating and Promoting an Attractive Business Image | |
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| Public Perception Is Half the Battle | |
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| Picking a Company Name and Logo | |
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| How Your Image Affects Your Clientele and Fee Schedule | |
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| Your Image Is Difficult to Change | |
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| Set Yourself Apart from the Crowd | |
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| Build Demand for Your Services Through a Strong Image | |
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| Joining Clubs and Organizations to Generate Sales Leads | |
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| There Is No Business Without Sales | |
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| Marketing Is Pivotal to Any Business | |
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| Should You Enlist Commissioned Salespeople? | |
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| Where Should You Advertise? | |
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| What Rate of Return Will You Receive on Advertising Costs? | |
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| Use Advertising for Multiple Purposes | |
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| Building Name Recognition Through Advertising | |
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| Generating Direct Sale Activity with Advertising | |
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| Without Advertising the Public Will Not Know You Exist | |
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| Promotional Activities | |
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| How to Stay Busy in Slow Times | |
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| Hiring Employees | |
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| Do You Need Employees? | |
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| How to Find Good Employees | |
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| Employee Paperwork | |
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| How to Keep Good Employees | |
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| Controlling Employee Theft | |
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| Exercising Quality Control Over Employees | |
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| Training Employees to Do the Job | |
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| Training Employees to Deal with Customers | |
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| Establishing Employee Cost to Your Company | |
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| Dealing with Production Downtime | |
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| Reducing Employee Callbacks and Warranty Work | |
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| Office Employees | |
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| Field Employees | |
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| Employee Motivation Tactics | |
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| Planning Your Future | |
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| Company-Provided Insurance for Yourself | |
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| Employee Benefits | |
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| Making Plans for Your Later Years | |
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| Liability Insurance | |
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| Worker's Compensation Insurance | |
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| Retirement Plan Options | |
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| In Closing | |
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| Manufacturer Directory | |
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| Index | |