Are you looking for inspiration on how to grow your business? Possibly expanding your services into new industries and clientele? Knowing where to start and how to talk to new industries can be a challenge.
To get started, you’ll need to sharpen your networking skills and fire up your curiosity. It can all feel a little overwhelming, but you can look to Chris Berg from CBP Reality Capture for inspiration.
Initial Challenge
When Chris first found iGUIDE five years ago, he knew it was a great fit for his Real Estate Photography business. The floor plans and 3D virtual tours gave him the competitive edge to win more business and grow his client base.
But his aspirations for expanding his business didn’t stop there. From networking and collaborating with local businesses, he knew iGUIDE could make a big impact on the construction and remodeling industry.
Discovering a solution
What makes this story so unique is how iGUIDE technology and Chris’ business have grown and developed together.
“The iGUIDE technology evolution has been fantastic. The PLANIX camera system is so easy to use. I can just set it down and shoot. I can get right into small spaces, and I don’t have to worry about scratching the lens and things like that. The innovation from my previous version of the PLANIX camera has just been heads and tails different in the way of speeding up the process.”
Like many businesses, Chris had to pivot in 2020 as the economy shifted. At that same time, his wife Monica, also found herself having to pivot her professional path to accommodate a changing workforce. As he looks back, Chris smiles and thinks of it as the perfect storm for success.
Both Chris and Monica share a passion for precision and architecture, so it was a natural fit for CBP Reality Capture when Monica began taking a CET Program at Conestoga College. These courses gave her a strong foundation in how to read, create and edit drawings and models in both AutoCAD and Revit.
“That's when everything started to mesh. That's when I was like OK, we're using iGUIDE’s lidar to create our CAD drawings.”
Chris had found the opportunity to realize his vision. Little did he know just how successful he was going to be.
Seeing behind the drywall By creating a package that includes visiting a project site at each phase, Chris has created an experience that allows his clients to “see behind the drywall”. It’s a perfect way to help his clients reduce liability and delight their clients. By shooting at each stage, he creates a visual timeline capturing all the detailed work that goes into a project. “Our clients love the fact that they can now go and investigate the walls from pre drywall. It’s an exceptional experience for the homeowner and it really eliminates a lot of issues for the builder.” Once a project is complete, he provides his clients with visual documentation that captures all the framing, electrical, duct and finished work they can use to address future client questions or concerns.
Trusted precision and quality
Chris and Monica are both vigilant about the accuracy of their work. As a photographer, the details and quality of work are inherent to Chris. For Monica, she’s passionate about accuracy in her designs and drawings.
As the business transitioned, it was important to both of them that the tools and software used were calibrated and capable of providing the quality of output their clients expected. In Chris’ words, “iGUIDE allows us to not be a general measuring company, but a detailed measuring company.”
Today, they use iGUIDE to capture a property and generate DWG, CAD and REVIT files to give their clients a head start on the drawings they require.
Seeing behind the drywall
By creating a package that includes visiting a project site at each phase, Chris has created an experience that allows his clients to “see behind the drywall”.
It’s a perfect way to help his clients reduce liability and delight their clients. By shooting at each stage, he creates a visual timeline capturing all the detailed work that goes into a project.
“Our clients love the fact that they can now go and investigate the walls from pre drywall. It’s an exceptional experience for the homeowner and it really eliminates a lot of issues for the builder.”
Once a project is complete, he provides his clients with visual documentation that captures all the framing, electrical, duct and finished work they can use to address future client questions or concerns.
Easy to sell
Chris and Monica start the conversation with all clients by explaining what the lidar laser measurement can really do.
Working with a variety of clients requires a flexible solution. One of the key features that stands out with iGUIDE are the 3D virtual tours.
“Architects love iGUIDE”, says Chris. “It’s so easy for them to go back to the 3D tour and refer to the visuals as they’re creating their designs. I love the reaction we get when we first show them how easy it is to use. They’re so excited!”
Here’s Chris’ favorite “pitch”:
“You can pay a couple of guys with a measuring tape and a ladder for a few hours or days of work, or you can have us come and do the work in a fraction of the time. Then you have two extra sets of hands that can be on the jobsite working. The best part about working with CBP Reality Capture is that you’re not going to have to go back to the job site to look at it again and you’ll have accurate drawings in less than 48 hours.”
His advice for anyone looking to grow their real estate photography business? “You just need to show them what you can do. Once they’ve seen an iGUIDE floor plan and tour, they’ll understand the value.”
Seamless transition
As he started to explore new industries it was important for Chris to have the resources and support, he needed to make the transition. So, he worked with local businesses and leveraged his existing network to gather more information and background about the pain points potential clients were experiencing.
As he asked more questions, he found that the opportunity was bigger than he had originally thought. It turned out iGUIDE was following the same path and had the resources and tools readily available to help him make the transition.
“The transition from real estate to residential remodel and drawing packages has been seamless. With Monica having skills in Revit and AutoCAD, we now use iGUIDE to create all our drawings for our real estate projects under 10,000 square feet.”
As his business grows, Chris is excited to have a partner that will keep pace and support him along the way.
“iGUIDE has been a fabulous partner for the past five years. So, as CBP Reality Capture starts transition into more of a measurement business, it's comforting to see that iGUIDE is also innovating to keep pace with our business.”
Want to add iGUIDE to your team’s toolbelt, too? Book a free virtual demo with an iGUIDE Specialist to see how it can help your photography business grow.