Recently, Cord Moving and Storage helped our friends at Xanadu Press move shop 450-miles! It was quite an undertaking but it’s amazing just how easy a move can be when you choose the right moving company!

Read More about the entire endeavor over at Xanadu Press’ blog.

Related posts

• Who Says the Economy is not Recovering?
• Is the Real Estate Coming Back Regionally or Nationally?

On December 10th, 2011, Cord Moving participated in St. Alban Roe’s annual Christmas Outreach Loading Day. It is the day when everyone’s hard work of collecting generous donations are loaded up, to be delivered to the many families in need over Christmas. It was such an honor to be involved in this process, this manifestation of the Christmas spirit.

Related posts

• No related posts.

A surge in new multifamily construction in November resulted in the strongest month for U.S. residential builders since April 2010, with a number of large apartment projects breaking ground over the last two months.

While the increasing number of new apartment units breaking ground is picking up momentum, especially in the top coastal markets, the construction activity hardly qualifies as a boom as measured by either peak levels or historical averages for new construction starts.

That said, Tom Layne the Sales Manager for Cord Moving and Storage Headquartered in Saint Louis, MO  went on to say, “apartments remain the only major  product type showing demand growth justifying new supply at the moment, and first-movers are hoping to capitalize on the demand opportunity before the project pipeline fills up again in selected markets. “

Starts of buildings with five or more dwelling units rose 32.2% in November from the previous month to a rate of 230,000, the highest since September 2008, according to statistics released this week by the Census Bureau and Department of Housing and Urban Development. On a year-over-year basis, multifamily starts surged 180.5% last month compared with November 2010.

The apartment building activity pushed total private-market housing construction starts to a seasonally adjusted rate of 685,000 in November, an increase of 9.3% over revised October numbers, and 24.3% higher than the same period in 2010.

The Northeast region saw the largest gains in total residential starts (single-family and multifamily) at 53.8%, followed by the West at 22.6%. Starts declined 18.2% in the Midwest and rose a modest 4.2% in the South.

The pain clearly continues for single-family housing, where construction starts rose just 2.3% in November.

Related posts

• Cord Moving and Storage Reports Memphis Housing Market is Improving
• Cord Moving and Storage Continues to be a Leader in Relocation

Following a recent review by US Customs and Border Control, North American Van Lines International have received confirmation that they are in compliance with the minimum standards established under the C-TPAT Program. The Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism is a voluntary government-business initiative to build relationships that strengthen and improve overall international supply chain and U.S. Border security. “We believe that the accreditation adds value to the North American International prospects and transferees”, said Mark Oakeshott, Vice President and General Manager of North American International.

Related posts

• Commercial Real Estate Continues to Rebound
• The ATA Reports Driver Shortage Worsens

 “ Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life; because almost everything —all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure — these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important.  Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.” 

Steve Jobs

1955-2011

Founder and CEO of Apple

From his Stanford University Commencement Address, 2005

  There are only 16 more Selling Days in October and 58 remaining in the Quarter!!!

 Picking an article to share with you about the passing of  Steve Jobs is an impossible task with so many that knew him sharing their impressions on one of the most important entrepreneurs in history. To get a sense of what was important to this truly remarkable and essential human being, you ought to view the video of his 2005 Stanford Commencement speech.     I hope you will share it with your friends, family and employees.  

This inspiring speech, however, should not blind us to the fact that Steve Job’s management style was often very different from the warm, fuzzy and friendly feeling you get from using his products or visiting the Apple store at  the mall.  For some insights into the management style that made Apple the most valuable company in America, check out an article written recently which suggests that if Steve Jobs was often a hard man to work for,  he was, in fact,  “The Right Kind of Tyrant.” No matter what he was and ought to be a true inspiration to us all that nothing is impossible and that your dreams, hopes and wishes can actually come true if you are willing to work really hard and surround yourself with capable associates that work with you as a Team. 

Go out and have a Great Selling Day and make a difference in at least on person’s life today.

 WED

Related posts

• Understanding Basic Issues in The Moving Industry
• Selling Moving Services or Anything Else for that Matter

“The greatest danger in times of turbulence is not the turbulence; it is to act with yesterday’s logic.”

Peter Drucker

There are 21 Selling Days in October and 63 remaining in the Quarter!!! 

You can’t counter emotion with logic without addressing the emotion first. It is crucial for us as business and community  leaders to move the discussion away from panic or concern and back to the original plan that we created with our clients, friends and neighbors. This isn’t about right or wrong in any decision, but whether the our plan is still intact. Therefore as leaders we have to “reframe” the discussion in terms of what kind of impact is this having on our plan?

The best way to address clients’ emotions is to deal with the three emotional drivers that have made the client uncomfortable:

• They have fear of the unknown fueled by headlines and bulletins
• There are some things that they may not understand or have forgotten that have shaken their confidence
• They have a trust issue with you. It doesn’t have to be a large one to be lethal to the relationship and it must be addressed.

Your clients, friends and neighbors are looking for confidence from you—not confidence in the short-term but confidence that you are there for them and have their best interests at heart, I think it is called trust, faith and honesty. Remember that “this too shall pass,” but it will happen again! Expect it and embrace it and be a leader. 

Go out and have a Great Selling Day and make a difference in at least one person’s life today.

 WED

Related posts

• The Quote of the Day from Cord Moving and Storage
• Cord Moving – The Quote of The Day

“It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.”

Albert Einstein

You don’t achieve success by doing one thing. You achieve success by EVERYTHING you do. But you achieve it by doing one successful thing at a time. You achieve success by: • showing up • On time • Prepared. (See? That’s three things right there.) You achieve success by handling the tough customer call; by resolving the issue of a complaining customer who posted on your Facebook wall… the same one who tweeted that ‘your company is no good.’ You achieve success by connecting with your current and happy customers (even after they paid you for their last order and their check cleared.) Bring THEM a new lead or a referral (and maybe they’ll have one for YOU.) You achieve success by connecting with new prospects. Learning about them online and then meeting them in person. You achieve success by positioning yourself so well in your area of expertise that your prospect is thrilled to meet you because they know you possess the information and value they want to access. You achieve success by preparing today – for the next day. Don’t waste time searching for phone numbers and business cards and project files. Everything is where you need it to be to make sure tomorrow is as successful as today – because if you string enough successful days together in a row, you will have a successful week; a successful month; a successful year. A successful life. Go out and have a Great Selling Day and make a difference in at least one person’s life today. WED

Related posts

• Finding The Expert Mover and The Questions You Should Ask
• Selling Moving Services or Anything Else for that Matter

“Pre-Qualify your prospects, don’t pre-judge them.”

Keith Rosen       

There are only 10 more Selling Days remaining in September and in the Quarter!!! 

To permanently eliminate any confusion, let’s draw a distinction between what it means to pre-qualify and pre-judge someone such as a prospect. This is a critical distinction to get because if you’re prejudging them, you’re already creating a self imposed barrier to more sales and creating more selling opportunities.

If you have read my previous articles on cold calling, you know that I’m a strong advocate of pre-qualifying anyone before you invest your very limited and precious time in meeting with or speaking with them. Conversely, pre-judging someone is something you do that shows up in the filter or barrier you have in your listening.

Here’s another way to distinguish between the two. When you are pre-qualifying someone you are arriving at a conclusion that determines whether or not there’s a fit worth pursuing based on a defined set of criteria you uncover through the use of well crafted questions.

Pre-judging said simply, is all about you. Here, you are relying on your faulty and costly assumptions, thoughts and beliefs to determine their needs and whether or not this prospect will potentially buy from you. When you pre-judge someone you’re making assumptions about them before you ask any questions or uncover any facts. When you pre-qualify someone, you’re asking questions to uncover their unique and specific needs without making any assumptions so that you can determine very quickly if there is in fact, an authentic fit worth pursuing.

Go out and have a great Selling Day and make a difference in at last one person’s life today.

Related posts

• Cord Moving and Storage Continues to Find Solutions In The Moving Business
• Cord Moving and Storage Takes the Stress out of Relocation

“Relationships are based on trust – period.” ~ Dr. Denis Waitley

There are only 15 more Selling Days in September and the Quarter!!!

You never close a sale. You only begin a long-term relationship where both parties win. Can you think of a successful relationship without mutual trust? Break that trust and you break the relationship. Subvert it and it’s almost impossible to put together again. Creating a long-term relationship takes two or more people — whether they’re executives, representatives of labor and management, or husband and wife — who are grounded in and operating on the same non-situational honesty.

The central secret of good communication is bringing the other person over to your side by satisfying one of every person’s most fundamental emotional needs: Make him or her feel valued. With rare exceptions, people who feel valued — who are allowed to feel important in the sense that they are recognized — answer with openness, cooperation and reciprocated respect. If you want respect, be respectable. If you want to be loved, be lovable. If you want to be trusted, be trustworthy. If you want a lifelong relationship, listen openly to the other person’s needs.

Much more than trying to accumulate money and power, leaders in the new era will acquire good will by helping their associates, customers, neighbors, and loved ones to win. Instead of what can you do for me, we need to embrace the new stewardship role of what can I do for you. Action Idea: At the beginning of each workday, do something special for someone you work with or provide a service for. At the end of each day, say or do something positive for a family member or friend.

Go out and have a great Selling Day and make a difference in at least one person’s life today.

Related posts

• Cord Moving and Storage Takes the Stress out of Relocation
• Cord Moving – The Quote of The Day

Cord Moving and Storage to the Rescue in ST. LOUIS • An overnight pipe breach soaked the towering Thomas F. Eagleton U.S. Courthouse downtown, creating a 17-story waterfall inside the building and leaving half a dozen courtrooms and various offices unusable for perhaps six months, officials said Wednesday.

It was too early for anyone to make an educated dollar estimate of what the court described in a written statement as “major water damage.”

The severity was plain to see, with yellowish-tan water dripping onto floors, desks, cushioned seats and plastic sheeting. Saturated acoustical ceiling panels became waterlogged and dropped two stories to the floors of courtrooms. Carpets buckled, paint blistered and slumped downward, and wood veneer peeled.

The fate of recently upgraded communications and electronic equipment in some courtrooms was not yet determined.

One deputy clerk called it a “disaster” and guessed that repair costs might run into millions of dollars.

When it was dedicated in 2000, the 1 million-square-foot building was the biggest federal courthouse in the nation, rising 567 feet with its 29 oversized stories. It houses the district court for eastern Missouri, offices for some federal agencies and, at the top above the flood, the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Chief U.S. District Judge Catherine Perry stressed, “The court is open for business, and all cases will go forward as originally scheduled.”

“Half of our building is fine,” she said in a brief telephone interview, moments after returning from a hearing that had to be moved from her flooded courtroom.

Officials said judges will share courtrooms until repairs are made. Perry noted, “It’s going to be confusing for a while.”

The leak began with a burst water pipe in or near a holding cell on the south side of the building’s 17th floor late Tuesday night, officials said. Water then flooded into hallways, offices and a courtroom, and began trickling down throughout the south side of the building.

When Kathy Schroeder, judicial assistant to U.S. Magistrate Judge Terry Adelman, arrived on the 15th floor at 7 a.m., she could smell the dampness before she spotted any water.

Then she and a contractor looked into the courtroom and a back hall, behind the judge’s bench. “I’m not exaggerating, it looked like it was raining in there,” she said.

Water dripped from spots all over the ceiling, and ran down the walls.

Schroeder said Jim Woodward, clerk of the U.S. District Court, quickly organized staff to rescue furniture, electronics and other equipment, moving some of it to the dry north side of the building.

Adelman said he stopped by his offices about 9 p.m. Tuesday after leaving the Cardinals game and noticed nothing amiss. When he returned at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, he said the dripping in his soaked courtroom was still ‘spotty.” Three hearings scheduled for 10 a.m. were moved across to the north courtroom normally occupied by another judge, and started only five to 10 minutes late, he said.

Some employees had to wade through standing water to get to their offices.

Water was still gradually draining out of the upper floors more than 10 hours after the leak was discovered by a General Services Administration worker at 5:15 a.m.

The flooded areas are expected to be out of commission for six months, officials said.

The GSA, the federal government’s landlord, moved quickly to begin the cleanup aided by Cord Moving and Storage led by Charlie Wormek who was quick to respond when the call came in to Cord’s Offices. By midmorning, the building, at 111 South 10th Street, was ringed by the trucks and vans of contractors who specialize in fire and flood cleanup.

Industrial fans and dehumidifiers were brought in by the pallet-load, and droned away as wet/dry vacuums whined.

GSA spokeswoman Angela Brees said that no damage estimate was immediately available and that the agency was trying to get an estimator out yet this week. Brees said the GSA would cover the cost of renovations and damage to “real property,” but the court system would be responsible for personal property.

Brees said the burst pipe was inaccessible to any prisoners who may have been in the holding cells. Workers are researching what went wrong.

The structure took nearly a decade to build, delayed by soil contamination and various property and construction disputes that spawned their own kind of flood — of suits and countersuits.

Related posts

• Office Space in Saint Louis
• Who Says the Economy is not Recovering?