The Savvy Contractor

As we look back over the last couple of years, we can see a lot of  business that have went belly up. It is sad in some respect, I have had a few friends loose their business, and it sucks for them.

But here’s the thing,  when one business fails another one grows. As a stable small business owner you are poised for explosion. If you  have the knowledge and expertise to weather the storm, you are going to be in a much better situation moving forward.

One of the things all business should is look at their advertising. Old forms of advertising does not work in today’s market.  You as a business owner are missing the boat if you do not take advantage of  all the Web 2.0 and Social networking sites. Most small business don’t have the time to learn all this Web 2.0 stuff, if you are one of those business,  find someone local to you that social networking for small business and pay them to do it.

For years now it seams that people have  not been held accountable for there actions. Look at what has happened to the Banking and Investment firms not to mention the Fund managers in the last  two years. Bernard Madoff should be stoned in public for his scandal. Governments, businesses, and people in general just seem to pass the buck on everything. Small businesses today have a chance to change all that.  If you educate yourself, and your employees, on what it means to be responsible for your actions, and then hold yourself accountable for them, you are ahead of the curve. I say educate yourself because we all tend to place blame once in a while, but it’s not necessary. People want to hire honest, reliable companies and people who can admit if a  mistake was made, and then fix it. This is the time for small businesses to come  to the rescue and bring honesty and accountability  back to main street.

Everything you accomplish in life is a direct result of your attitude. If you go through life with a “Man I have a crappy life” attitude, that is exactly what you will have. It is apparent to me, as a small business owner, that I can’t have that attitude or myself and my business won’t succeed. What do you do when times are tough like they are now? What do you do when that phone is not ringing and business is not coming through the door? The answer is easy. You change your thoughts and you change your attitude. You dig deep down inside yourself and do what ever is necessary to succeed. No matter what life throws at you, you can overcome it with the right attitude and right state of mind.
I know your probably saying, “Well Mr Savvy, what should I do to get the business I need?” Well here you go, and in no particular order

1) Network with living breathing people. Online networking is great and very important, but if you have a brick and mortar business it’s not enough. Attend local events in your area for small business. Hell maybe speak at one.

2) Keep in contact with your past customers. My motto is, “If they bought from you once, they will buy from you again”. Unless, of course, you had a shitty attitude.

3) Give time to your community. Is there a homeless shelter in your town? How about Habitat for Humanity? Visit a nursing home and talk with the elderly to see how they’re doing. When you give like this, it is very humbling, and you see that what you have is far greater than a lot of others. When you do these things you become a better part of your community, and people will respect that and want to do business with you, mark my words.

Any successful person you meet, any self help book you read will tell you the same thing, “you are who you think you are”. If your a business owner and you have a shitty attitude you can bet your customer service is shitty, and if your customer service is Shitty… well then customer loyalty is gone. I’m writing this because I want you to check your attitude and see what it is you could do different. I know we all have our moments, God knows I have mine, but if we are constantly aware of our thoughts, we can change them for the better.

I had a 9 AM appointment yesterday with a lead generation company. It actually turned out this was a one man lead generating machine. I could not believe the skills this guy had on the phone. He actually sat in my office on his cell phone and within 20 minutes generated a Roofing lead for one of his contractors. Let me tell you how he operates. The leads he makes are exclusive and he generates all of them by cold calling. He then, in turn, has two contractors in each of the following categories.

1. Windows/ Doors, Roofing, Siding

2. Fence and Deck

3. Patios/ Walkways and Concrete

4. Painting

5. Flooring

These are really the best categories for a lead generating company to work on. Very seldom do they get large remodeling jobs, maybe a kitchen or a bath once in a while.

Now comes the part that blows my mind. He tells me that he can generate 3 leads a week for each of the above projects. BUT the contractors don’t or can’t get back to the people in a timely manner, and the lead gets away. Now usually this wouldn’t be a big deal except this guy makes no money unless the contractor sells the job, and then he gets a percentage of that job. Thats right! The leads cost nothing unless the job is sold. This is a new lead system that is going to blow all others out of the water, mark my words. I’m even thinking about backing this guy and going cross country with it. But my question is this. Why can’t these guys call the customer back, set the appointment and then sell the job? These leads are only given to TWO contractors! Thats it! Sometimes neither contractor gets back to them. If you are happy with the way your business has been running and you have plenty of work, thats fine, but if you are a small business that is struggling for work and you hire a lead generating company, make sure you follow up with the appointments and then sell the job.

I will say this in closing, most lead generating companies out there just don’t get it. They have crap leads only because they are not verified, their customer service is terrible, and they work for the consumer not the contractor. Finding a lead generating company such as this is a wonderful tool and if used correctly, can make your business grow!