Category: Podcast

Jon Isaacson makes an appearance on AdjusterTV

7/19/2021

Jon Isaacson made an appearance on AdjusterTV with host Mathew Allen to discuss advice for new adjusters on how to deal with contractors - from a contractor. The relationship between an independent adjuster and a restoration contractor can be beneficial to all parties working on an insurance claim. While these parties may be on opposite sides of the issue, there are many aspects of their roles and responsibilities that overlap. In addition to learning Xactimate for claims estimating and negotiation skills with contractors, Jon shares how success in the claims process relates to the development of our mindset and habits.

Many of the principles that Jon shared are included the article Jon wrote for ClaimsPages titled, The Mindset and Habits for Estimating Success as a New Independent Adjuster. Some of those items to shorten your DANG learning curve include:

Develop a process to help you consistently capture thorough data relevant to the claim.
Create and/or refer to a database of carrier guidelines (most adjusting firms have these resources).
Internal review can help you to get ahead of rejections. Especially for larger or higher end claims, have people in your network that you can utilize to get a second set of eyes on your estimate.
There are third party services that can provide you with an instant review and suggestions for items you may have missed, and may also provide carrier profiles which help you identify common items specific to that organization.

For further reading, contractors and adjusters alike will find value in Jon's book Be Intentional: Estimating.

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The Xactimate Sessions, a new audio/video series from The DYOJO Podcast

7/17/2021

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If your goal is to work on property insurance claims you will need to familiarize yourself with an estimating platform called Xactimate. The DYOJO Podcast has created The Xactiamte Sessions, a new multi-part audio/video series, to help reduce some of the fear and misconceptions around this estimating data-entry software. Whether you have a company that focuses on:

Mitigation - Responding to emergency services calls for water and fire-related structural damages
Repairs - (aka recon or reconstruction) Restoring homes to resemble their pre-loss conditions
Full service - Providing services for both mitigation and reconstruction

Whatever your area of core service, Xactimate has become the primary tool for creating estimates in the preferred "language" for insurance carriers and their representatives, such as adjusters, third-party administrators (TPAs), claims reviewers, etc. The team that brought you Be Intentional: Estimating, the book which discusses means and methods for developing the right mindset and habits for yourself and your team to succeed with estimating property insurance claims, is now releasing this series, The Xactimate Sessions designed to build upon those foundations to help you thrive.

Who will benefit most from watching the Xactimate sessions on The DYOJO Youtube or listening to the audio version via The DYOJO Podcast on Spotify or Apple? Great question.

New property restoration business owners
Contractors pivoting towards insurance claims
Managers looking for creative ideas to help lead their teams
Growth minded water and damage professionals looking to progress in their careers

Xactimate is a tool and our goal is to help you shorten your DANG learning curve with this particular tool. We have assembled guests with diverse perspectives and experiences to share the mindset and habits that have aided them in mastering this tool in their daily operations. The DYOJO Nation will benefit from the sage advice they receive from:

Greg Power - a project manager/estimator who learned Xactimate rapidly with no prior industry experience. Greg will share some insights on how he approached learning Xacitmate which will be helpful to aspiring estimators and training managers alike.
Chris Tilkov - a former project manager/estimator who used his experience to create Ask Aime, an industry-leading resource for expediting internal estimate reviews.
Brian Austin - director of instructional design as Verisk, Xactware Division (the parent company for Xactimate). Brian discusses the broad menu of resources available directly from the creators of the program.
Mathew Allen - an independent adjuster and creator of Adjuster TV, who has a passion for elevating the claims experience through helping adjusters and contractors to educate and empower themselves to thrive.
Nick Sharp - a former project manager/estimator who is now an instructor at Reets Drying Academy. Nick will dive deeper into some of the elements of estimating specific to mitigation.
Ben Justesen - is both an active full-service restoration company owner, Just Right Cleaning & Construction (JRCC), as well as an Xactimate trainer through his company Enlightened Restoration Solutions (ERS). Listeners may recall Ben from his sponsorship of the program and our trip out to his training facility. Ben shares from his vast experience with mastering the program to write an estimate with "no fluff" that you can defend and be profitable with.
Joyce Gabriel - a senior project manager with training responsibilities shares her tips and tricks for helping others to grow as estimators.

Building from the success and reception for Benchmarks of Growth six-part series which The DYOJO Podcast produced earlier this year, the team will be releasing these multi-part Xactimate Sessions weekly over the next few months. Viewers and listeners will receive a great deal of value from the mindset and habits that have helped our guests as well as some deals from the participating vendors and sponsors of the show. Listeners are encouraged to leave comments and/or questions on any of the social media platforms including Youtube, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram so that the discussion can evolve in relationship to need as the episodes drop.

The DYOJO Podcast, the official home of The DYOJO Nation as so declared by The Global Watchdog, Pete Consigli, exists to help intentional restorers to shorten their DANG learning curve for personal and professional development.

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Becoming an employer of choice with Tammy Birklid

4/29/2021

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Benchmarks of Growth - Part 3 of 6
The DYOJO Podcast, Episode 59

Guest: Tammy Birklid, Merit Construction (Tacoma, WA)

SPONSOR
The DYOJO Podcast is sponsored by Enlightened Restoration Solutions (ERS). Ben Justesen and his team have put together a dynamic live class which reviews real world estimates and elevates your ability to master the methodology of Xactware. Including how to determine your own labor rates, create your own price list, and navigate pricing feedback.

Tammy shares insights into her process of growing in the company, with the company, and now as the leader of her company, Merit Construction in Tacoma, Washington. I found it interesting that her background was in finances and yet she placed a high emphasis on culture. Not that these concepts are exclusive, but in my experience the financial minded person has not always been the driver of those efforts.

Tammy shares so many gems for our series, Benchmarks of Growth, this is part 3 of 6 from The DYOJO Podcast.

"Grow in proportion to your ability to maintain your quality and your culture." How many businesses have we observed grow to rapidly and plummet as a result? Tammy shares he vision for sustained growth.
Tammy believes strongly that as a person in a position of leadership and as an organization that you should, "Be who you say you are." She talks about what that has meant, as well as how it has both been tested and proven, coming through the challenges of 2020 as a team.
In a market where good employees are harder to acquire and retain than good clients, Tammy challenges companies to, "Be an employer of choice." Tammy shares how the Merit team achieves this and has developed a culture of accountability.

SPONSOR
The DYOJO Podcast is sponsored by Advocate Claim Service (ACS), "Where you can find solutions to claims that are causing you anxiety." David Princeton and his team are ready to help you navigate doubtful and disputed insurance claims.

The DYOJO Podcast is THE podcast for intentional restorers, helping you shorten your dang learning curve for personal and professional development. Catch us every Thursday on YouTube.com/thedyojo

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Program (TPA) work for insurance claims

4/26/2021

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In business, it is important that you do no allow anyone to tell you whether you can or can’t do something. At the end of the day, only you can identify your vision and develop your strategy for success. In property restoration and insurance claims work, you wouldn't have to search far to find someone who speaks poorly of what is referred to as program work (aka third party administrator (TPA) or preferred vendor program).

For most water and fire damage mitigation and repairs contractors, you are either:

Struggling with the compliance variable in program work
Debating whether to join “the dark side” to increase your claims volume and revenue
Quietly just cashing those checks from consistent work

Common programs in property restoration insurance claims include:

Crawford Contractor Connection (CCC)
Sedgwick
Nexxus
Alacrity
Code Blue

Our guests for The DYOJO Podcast Ep. 58 (PVJ 012) shared some of their tips and tricks for playing to win the TPA game.

You Play to Win the (TPA) Game
The DYOJO Podcast LIVE, Episode 58 aka Pro vs. Joe 012
Recorded LIVE - Saturday, April 17, 2021 - 8pm PST

SPONSOR
The DYOJO Podcast is sponsored by Enlightened Restoration Solutions (ERS). Ben Justesen and his team have put together a dynamic live class which reviews real world estimates and elevates your ability to master the methodology of Xactware. Including how to determine your own labor rates, create your own price list, and navigate pricing feedback.

CO-HOST
Bryan Close All American Restoration Services (Tacoma, WA)

GUEST 1
Tye Panzone (Bonney Lake, WA)
TPA Repairs

Taking a "no name" local contractor from the "back woods" of the PNW to a perennial Contractor Connection Top Contender
Can you make money doing program work?
Leveraging your TPA connections to build your book of business
Attracting a national brand to help repeat "success"

GUEST 2
David Smith (Eugene, OR)
TPA Mitigation

Currently recovering from TPA work
The best compliance person I have ever worked with

Join us live - youtube.com/thedyojo

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Being honest with yourself in business

4/15/2021

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Benchmarks of Growth - Part 2 of 6
The DYOJO Podcast, Episode 57
Guest: Gordy Powell, Georgia Clean (Atlanta, GA)

At the beginning of 2020 I set out to interview a broad swath of people in a position of leadership to compile their insights on various benchmarks of growth. Our motto for The DYOJO Podcast is, “Helping you shorten your DANG learning curve,” and the best way to achieve this is to learn from the trials and errors of your fellow entrepreneurs.

Gordy shared several gems for those in a position of leadership to take into account for the personal and professional development:

"You gotta put a team together." Understanding that you don't have to do it alone is a key evolution for any entrepreneur. For Mr. Powell this started with having someone dedicated to tracking and collecting the money.
"Don't be afraid to divide your responsibilities." Gordy realized the importance of being honest with yourself and seeking out people who can supplement your areas of weakness.
Mr. Powell shares a funny story about his first partner, walking up to him and saying, "I'm going to tell you where I suck at business at and where you suck at business at." With complimentary skill sets they were able to help each other grow as professionals and as an organization.
Gordy closes with a great encouragement to, "Romance the employees," in a platonic sense of valuing their contributions and engaging with them on a personal level.

This is the second discussion in a six part series on the benchmarks of growth. We will be discussing this topic in upcoming episodes of The DYOJO Podcast with dynamic industry leaders Lisa Lavender, Tammy Birklid, Whitney Wiseman, O.P. Almarez, and Andrew Golkin.

If you would like to hear more of Gordy’s story and perspectives:

Listen to the Biocast 411 podcast
Watch/listen her appearance on The DYOJO Podcast, Episode 29

SPONSOR
The DYOJO Podcast is sponsored by Enlightened Restoration Solutions (ERS). Ben Justesen and his team have put together a dynamic live class which reviews real world estimates and elevates your ability to master the methodology of Xactware. Including how to determine your own labor rates, create your own price list, and navigate pricing feedback. -

thedyojo.com/listen
#growthmindset #propertyrestoration

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Mergers and acquisitions in property restoration with Mark Springer

3/12/2021

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The DYOJO Podcast LIVE Episode 52 from Thursday, March 11, 2021 at 9am PST

The DYOJO Podcast is sponsored by iRestore Restoration Management Software - Powering Your Vision, Values, and Leadership. It's time to calm the chaos, get your team organized, and focus on your efforts for growing your business. iRestore offers all Job Management, Relationship Management (CRM), Equipment Management, Vehicle Management, Human Resources, and Scheduling all in one portal.

GUEST 1:
Joyce Gabriel, Senior Project Manager (Puyallup, WA)
Joyce discusses the two books from The DYOJO as well as some great perspective on learning how to interact with your co-workers to achieve shared objectives.

GUEST 2:
Mark Springer, CEO of Dayspring Restoration
President of Restoration Industry Association (RIA)

TOPIC:
Property Restoration Trends: Mergers and Acquisitions

What is private equity’s (PE) role in property restoration acquisitions?
What is the significance of fragmentation in restoration acquisitions?
The Big M&A Deals, the package deals, and teaming up within the industry
The impacts of consolidation
How do you build a company that is sell-able even if you don't plan to "sell-out"

We broke for a note from our sponsor iRestore and a special treat from the marketing powerhouse duo of Born to Repair and GMS Distribution.

Mark Springer shared some valuable perspectives for the everyday restorer:

Build a strong foundation starting with clearly identifying your organizational OBJECTIVES. Know your numbers and develop your exit strategy long before you ever plan to leave.
READING LIST: Mark recommended the book Scaling Up by Vern Harnish who will also be the keynote speaker at the RIA Convention 2021.
Mark discussed various investment strategies including De Novo (organic) and Arbitrage (bundling) and his process for deciding to team up with Trinity Hunt.
Mr. Springer shared some additional insight to how their team operates, in particular how they use resources such as SWOT to determine whether to push through with an idea that doesn't appear to be working as well as when to scrap an effort.

The DYOJO Podcast - the weekly podcast for Intentional Restorers. Every Thursday at 9am PST on YouTube, Apple, and Spotify. Sharing The DYOJO WAY to shorten your DANG learning curve for professional development. www.thedyojo.com/listen