What do YOU do for a living?

When people ask Andrew Larsen, a home improvement contractor from Wisconsin that question, he gives a great answer – “I’m a motivational leader.”

Andrew understands that it’s about his team – he is “team-builder-in-chief”.

Are you a motivational/educational/inspirational leader?

What do you do AFTER they give you the money?

This is the test –

After your customers have paid you, what do you do to show them you care, keep them happy, and cause them to refer you to other people?

How do you handle their concerns?  Their phone calls?  

You can be a hero.  Do you pass the test?

The most expensive information is BAD information

You “got advice” (free or paid), and you are taking action on it.  But it’s not good advice, and it’s from someone who has an agenda you ignored.  You lost money, you lost opportunity, and you lost loads of time – and that hurts most of all.  It’s very costly.

I have advice for business owners – especially for contractors/home service/home repair contractors.  It’s the best school of its kind in the world.  Any business owner/leader can benefit.

I have done it.  I have about as much experience as a human can have in the business, and I did not just do it long enough to sell out – I am still doing it.  What I teach endures the test of time.  It will teach you how to have a business that makes your life better, not be your life.

It’s called the Contractor Nation School of Entrepreneurship.  

If you are interested (Don F from KC, and Quinton OB), call Bob Showers to get started.  (841-441-3800)

Some people do not want to pay for good information (training) (even as they send their kids to expensive colleges).  “Expensive” is relative to the value you get.

Look for information that is useful and valuable – not information that is cheap.

The most economical information is great information you pay for.

Who have you studied under?  Who do you learn from?  Are they the best?  

Remembering David Boaz

David Boaz spent his life defending liberty.

“Every human life counts.  Your life counts.  You have a right to live it as you choose; to follow your bliss.  You have a right to seek satisfaction in accomplishment.  And if you chase after the almighty dollar, you might just find that you are led, as if by an invisible hand, to do things that improve the lives of others.” – David Boaz.

Rest in peace my friend.

The "Resident Sales Pro"

If you go to a golf course and want some coaching to help you hit the ball better, you see the resident golf pro.  He knows what he is doing and is a good teacher.

Who do your salespeople learn from?

Who in your company knows what they are doing in sales, is a good teacher, and has the time to help others be better?

Who is your Resident Sales Pro?

Sales Basics

It’s often easy to stand out from the competition.  The prospect is in front of you – don’t blow it!

Introducing themselves well, tone of voice, asking questions, listening, patience, being clear about your solution, simple demonstrations, explaining payment options…

Are your salespeople even doing the very basics right?

Pay attention – you may be surprised, and it may be killing your company.

Will, and Skill

Leadership is everything.  But it’s not easy.

To have a great business, you need a great leader.

That leader has to have an abundance of two qualities – WILL and SKILL.

Will – The leader needs to be a driving force who knows what he/she wants and will not waver on the rocky road to get there. This will must be unwavering, thicker than all problems that will come up, and contagious.

Skill – Will alone is not enough.  (Nor is skill.) The leader must possess enough humility to acknowledge they do not know enough yet, and learn what to do and what not to do from all directions.  They must borrow experience.  They must seek the right experts and learn the skills necessary for them to be the kind of leader they need to be to accomplish their goals.  They must also borrow the skills necessary from the great people they attract to their team. 

When it comes to leadership, they must know what to do in each situation, and have the will to do it.. 

Tell a great story

People (prospects) love a great story.  Stories touch them.  They buy into stories, and they don’t forget them.

If you don’t tell your story, someone else won’t.

Are you telling your story?

80/20, 90/10, 95/5

Not all activities are of equal value.

A few things produce most of the results.

Most people are too busy trying to get it all done.  

But if they focused on the few things that produce outsized results and forget the rest, they’d do far better.

What is moving your dial the most?

A force of will

To make a company go, you need one ingredient above all else – a leader with a deep desire and a strong will to make it work.

A leader with a sense of purpose, who believes in it…who gets up each day feeling his life is on the line….

A leader who cares and is willing to face the challenges (including internal challenges) and exert the mental, emotional, and physical energy to overcome them.  

You need a leader who is thinking long-term and is in it for the journey.

You need a leader who shows up each day for the team and brings that force with him/her.

Without this force, a business will flounder and probably fail.

It’s not for everybody.

May the force be with you.