“How much does it cost?” depends on whether the client wants to pay full retail or take advantage of several ways to get Mary Kay products at a reduced price. Say a client wants $80 worth of products.

1-    Cashing in their Pink Points. Clients accrue points for each dollar spent and bonus points for referrals. 250 points gets a $25 credit so their cost would be $55. 

2-   Earning free product of their choice by sharing me with 3 friends who have skin at an in person or Zoom party.  Using my $80 for $40 Hostess Program, they would pay $40. 

3-   If they can’t commit to a date/time/place that works for them and their guests they can use my Hang-Around-Hostess program. They simply share a brochure or a link to my website and collect orders from their friends/family/neighbors/co-workers/whoever. They get a 20% discount based on the value of retail orders they collect. If they get $300 in orders, they would get their $80 worth of products for only $20.

A common question I get is ...What is my home worth?

1. Walt and Karen live on a golf course  and have an updated,well mainteained home. They will get top dollar for their home because of the location and condition of the house.

2. In the same neighborhood lived Mr Smith. He recently passed and his son is in the process of selling the home. The home was built in 1960 ies and has not been updated. The condition of the home will be reflected in the price and it will be a lot lower than Walt and Karen's home.

3. Sam bough a house in the same neighborhood but it backs up to a busy street. His home is updated but its hard to enjoy the backyard with the traffic noise.. the price will reflect this issue.

Home price depends on location and condition!! So in the same neighborhood you will see different list and sale prices.

When discussing termite control prospects frequently ask;  "Which is better, Liquid or Bait?"

Generally I think a good non-repellent liquid termiticide treatment performed properly beats bait systems in efficacy hands down, especially in the short run.  That being said around 40% of our termite treatments are bait systems.  So there are reasons to choose one over the other, or both depending on the situation.

Situation 1:  Bob and Shelly are selling their house and are required to provide the buyer with a 1 year termite repair and re-treatment warranty and wants to check that box as inexpensively as possible.  In this case bait without a liquid backfill would the quickest, cheapest and easiest way to satisfy what the buyer is asking for, but not necessarily providing best solution for the buyer's long term control and cost.

Situation 2:  Paula is the owner of a rental and termites have been discovered in the house.  Paula wants the termite colonies eliminated fast and also wants the termite insurance premium to be as low as possible.  In this case a full liquid treatment with a good non-repellent termiticide like Termidor or Taurus SC would be the the right choice because active termite infestations require a liquid treatment to stop the problem fast and the yearly renewal for liquid is less expensive to maintain (only $195/yr. from EarlyBird).

Situation 3:  Mrs. Rothchilds has just imported $200,000 of marble for Italy and it has been installed in the back patio/pool area.  She wants the best protection possible but would rather die than let us drill into her italian marble to treat for termites.  In this case a liquid treatment everywhere that is possible to treat (ie. where soil abuts the foundation) but avoiding the areas where slab (or italian marble) abuts the foundation while installing a bait system as the primary treatment for added control and for compliance reasons would be the right choice.  We call this treatment a bait with a liquid backfill.

Sometimes the construction of the house lends itself one way or the other to what type of treatment is better.  In either case:  both full liquid treatments and  bait with a backfill of liquid treatments recieve our very best unlimited lifetime repair and re-treatment warranty with no live-termite out-clauses, no formoson termite exclusions, no control periods, no limitations, no deductibles, and are transferable to all new owners forever for free!

One question I am frequently asked is "How much does it cost for estate planning?

1. The wife of a man with Alzheimer's Disease comes in to see me with her daughter. Her husband can no longer bathe, dress or toilet himself. Caring for him at home is wearing her out. She knows he needs long term custodial nursing care so he can get the care he needs without her having a physical or mental breakdown. She is very concerned about going broke because the nursing home cost almost $8,000/month and she does not know she is going to be able to support herself for the rest of her life if she has to private pay for nursing home care.

2. A couple who have recently entered into a second marriage for each of them meets with me. They both have children from their previous marriage. One of the children has a drug problem. They want to make sure they have a plan that takes care of the surviving spouse while still assuring their biological children receive an inheritance.

2. A young couple with children under the age 18 meets with me. There major concern is making sure their children are cared for in the event the unthinkable happens to them. They also want to make sure the kids don't inherit a big pile of money the day they turn 18. Finally, they want to save every last dollar they can on court costs and attorney fees.

What can I do to get more referrals?

1. Language.
2. Behaviour
3. Reciprocity

*Note* It's never about the Team or the other person. This is comforting - it means I am in control of what I receive.

A very common question for me is, "How long does a typical coaching engagement last?" and the 3 situations that drive my different responses are:

1. Executive coaching tends to last for 3+ years because it's more about long term development and preparation for a new or bigger role.

2. Solopreneur coaching typically lasts less than a year because I am ususally helping get a start-up "off the ground".

3. Most commonly I coach small to mid-size businesses and these engagements typically last 2-5 years as we help them define a path forward for greater success.

These are 3 very different types of coaching assignments. Each is unique and I equally enjoy all three. They are equally challenging and equally rewarding. This topic is a great reminder to ask more questions when getting a referral and/or speaking with a prospect because it can eliminate one from responding with, "It depends."

Do I need a prescription for physical therapy?

1. A 47 year old IT dad "throws their back out" while doing yardwork. 

2. 38 year old soccer mom has vertigo after riding rides at Disney

3. 52 year old pilot wants to do Dry Needling for his knee that's been acting up with CrossFit  

Each person in my MDVIP practice is different and each person has a need or concern that is extremely important to them at that time. Sometimes people can have their needs or concerns met with just the time that I can spend with them, easing their minds with education and discussion of simple lifestyle changes. Often it is important to spend the time to make sure that each person understands their condition and their potential challenges and the reasoning of our plan for treatment including potential side effects. Since each visit is at least 30 minutes in duration, we have that time together. People want control over their health and their healthcare and no matter what they present with, I strive to empower them to make the best choices they can. 

I agree that every question has multiple answers but the underlying answer is the same for everyone--"YOU HAVE EXTREME VALUE AND YOU DESERVE VALUE IN YOUR HEALTHCARE."----Byron F. Harper, III, MD with MDVIP.

I get asked about a website's performance a lot by potential clients. Websites should load quickly so viewers don't move on to the next website.

#1 - The website was built on a DIY service by a non-professional who used very large images straight from their phone on the site.

#2 - The website is hosted on shared hosting. The hosting service packs a lot of sites into the same server space. So each website is affected by the other's traffic volume and not allowed enough server resources.

#3 - The website site speed rating is slow on mobile but not on desktop. Mobile is generally slower than desktop. However the average viewer doesn't notice that it is slower because of the way the website is set up to load. So the speed rating may be lower but the perception by the viewer is that it is fine.

A website performance can be affected by many things - how the site is set-up, where it is hosted, how big the images or videos are that are on it, but the perceived speed of the site is just as important as the actual speed rating.

How is your practice different?  

1.   A conversation with a prospect wanting to know more about our team

2. A conversation with someone at the gas station inquiring about what i do

3. A conversation with a reporter / media outlet about how we set ourselves apart

A question I am frequently asked is, "Can you provide health insurance to a person with preexisting conditions?"

1. If the individual has preexisting conditions such as cancer, stroke, or heart attack the best health insurance option is not a private plan but an ACA marketplace plan known as Obamacare. These plans are designed for people who need a subsidy or those who will have high medical costs throughout the year.
    
2. If the preexisting condition is diabetes control with the medication metformin there is a private option I offer that is guaranteed to issue. That means there is no underwriting and I'm happy to offer this PPO plan when an individual is otherwise healthy.
    
3. If the preexisting conditions are minor things like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, hyperthyroid, anxiety, depression, etc. these types of conditions are writable on the private market and I can offer excellent nationwide PPO plans.

Health insurance premiums on the ACA are influenced by income. In contrast, the private market premiums are based on health. That means a wealthy, healthy person on the ACA will pay a full-price premium as they do not qualify for a subsidy. On the private market, that same individual pays half of what they would on the ACA.  As a SENIOR HEALTH INSURANCE AGENT, I have learned there are no bad health insurance plans just bad fits.  I'm committed to helping my clients find the best FIT.

How do you determine the value of my house to insure it?

Situations that could affect how we answer this can range from age of the insured to age of the property, the market valuations, how the county tax assessor appraises the property, location of the property, materials of the property and especially if there are any additions to a property.

There is much more to consider than just the value of the property to be insured and thus who we are meeting with and the discussion that ensues also play a huge factor. 

Different people have different backgrounds; insurance history, age, insurance score, etc that determine what and how we discuss protecting their property AND ultimately what the total costs of a protection policy will be.  John T

A common question I receive:  "What is Your Interest Rate?". That is a wonderful question, but it depends on a number of factors, let me explain.

First, there is an assessment of the risk of loaning you money. This is done by pulling your credit scores from Experian, Trans Union, & Equifax. The scores are simply a numeric representation of risk as defined by the mortgage model your credit is applied through, (credit history, balance of accounts, length of accounts, percentage of usage of credit accounts, late payments, judgements, liens, collections, etc.).  The more favorable your risk appears, the lower the interest rate will be. Let us assume you have excellent credit.  

Second, your LTV or (Loan to Value) which is the percentage of down payment to the purchase price. Different loan options require different minimum down payments. I will review this in detail as we examine different loan options.

Third, the loan type, such as Conventional, FHA, VA, USDA, Jumbo, Non-traditional, etc. Interest Rates varies by the loan type.

Fourth, the investors’ appetite for your paper, given the above information. For example, in today’s market, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac want 700's+ credit for better rates. You can purchase with low six hundred scores, but the higher, the better the rate will be.

Lastly, rates vary by the rate lock period. For example, with everything equal, a shorter lock term such as 15 or 30-days would provide a lower interest rate, than a longer lock term such as 90-days+. We can lock your rate 6-months in advance of the closing, but you pay for that security with a higher rate. 

There is much to consider when purchasing or refinancing, I shop your rate to assure you have a competitive rate no matter what your credit score is, the loan type chosen, or lock period needed. Thank you! Ray

Customers will ask "What type of shingles will you install on my roof? "

1) Your current roof has 3 tab shingles. Since your insurance is paying for the roof replacement, that's what they are paying for, so that's what we will install.

2) Although your insurance is paying for 3 tab shingles, you may pay a small upgrade charge, and we can install architectural shingles which includes a better warranty. 

3) We predominantly use Owens Corning shingles, but we can use a different brand to match the roof on your newer detached garage.

Should I accept every LinkedIn connection request I get?
1 - Yes if they are someone that can help you today, tomorrow or in five years.
2 - No if you do not know them, they do not have a profile picture and have less than 25 connections.
3 - Strong yes if they have more than 5k connections since their audience, when searching, will be able to find you in their search.

A question I get frequently is, "How much will my website cost?" 

For Customer 1, they just need to have a presence online. They need a simple, brochure-style website with their contact form and general information.

Customer 2 wants to sell their products online and needs a large, multiple-page site with the ability to accept credit cards and process orders. 

Customer 3 wants to have a website with blogging capabilities that's updated weekly. 

The biggest cost-affector is, "What do you need your site to do?" 

How long will my kitchen renovation project take to complete?

Customer A has not finalized the new kitchen design.

Customer B has finalized her kitchen design but not chosen finished goods such as cabinetry, tile, flooring, appliances, and light fixtures.

Customer C has finalized her kitchen design and the finished goods such as the cabinetry, tile, flooring, appliances, and light fixtures have been purchased.

Customer D purchased and onsite inventoried and accounted for and no materials handling has taken place.

The most obvious question I receive in this regard is What do your services cost?

Three Situations

1. Tax preparation - Every return is unique, with a different number of forms and difficulty.  The completeness of the records that hit my office are also a factor.

2. Representation - My friends who are attorneys should be able to relate to this.  Each case is unique.  Some are relatively simple with very little work needed on my part, and some can take months of work to achieve a reasonable outcome.

3. Compliance accounting (aka bookkeeping) - This in another area where each case is unique.  Are there a lot of transactions every month? Is there a payroll component? What is being asked?

Of course, I could take three cases out of any of these three and three out of any of those.  The important thing to establish from the beginning is what is needed / wanted.  Once that is determined, the rest can be deduced.

What does it cost to go on a seven night cruise these days?  

That question requires a bit more information to give an informed answer. 

One piece is what type of cabin space do you require?  That changes pricing quite a bit.  

Another part is what time of year do you want to travel?  Travel is highly seasonal because lots of folks like to travel when the kids are out of school.

What cruise line are you thinking about?  Each of the lines has it's own niche in the market.  Luxury lines carry a higher price than Carnival for example. 

Jimmy D! 770-253-3206

Stranger: Oh, you are a tax accountant

Me: Yes

Stranger: Can I write off my dental expenses?

Me:  Well, it depends.  Generally no, but if your income is low or the dental expenses are high, you might be able to take an itemized deduction.  However, didn't you say that you were a saxophone player and needed this dental work to continue playing?  In that case, you write it off as a business expense.

A typical question ...How long will we be working with you?  Depending on their goals and dreams, this can have different answers.

1.  Bill and Jennifer have never budgeted, have a sizable amount of consumer debt and their communication with one another is poor.

2.  Sue and Larry have been good with money but they know they could do better to get to their goals faster.

3.  George and Sally are on the same page with their money, budget every month, but are confused on what direction to take with their finances.

Initially, I work with clients for 3 months; but about 80% continue with some form of accountability and growth after that time.  We assess what that looks like depending on their progress and confidence in moving forward.

I often get asked "How does coaching work?"

I can answer from the perspective of 

New Leader: Help a new leader navigate managing a team.

Exisiting Leader: Help an exisiting leader who is facing a organizational change or challenge. 

Executive Leader: Help with strategic developement and long range organizational objectives.