Marty Grunder

Our industry, like just about all others, is struggling. Entrepreneurs have been given very little to feel optimistic about. Unemployment is up because companies just don’t have enough business to hire more people. The word lean has become one of the most used terms in business and we’ve all learned some valuable lessons. Here are the top five lessons I’ve learned as I reflect back on the past two years and think about the state of our industry:

 
The client is still the boss!
Where there are a lot of companies struggling, there are many that are thriving. The ones that are thriving listen to their clients and make adjustments accordingly. Smart companies are looking for more things they can do for their clients. They realize that their current clients are the best source of business, present and future. They visit with their clients in person and work very, very hard to not give any of them a reason to even look anywhere else. Be careful – many times we hear from our clients that our prices are too high and they are going to make a switch. When I hear that, I think I must have failed to show them all the value we bring to the table and have not done a good job in some way, big or small. Arrogance can kill a business. Listen to your clients; this worked when things were good and it works when things are bad.

 
Stop complaining
If we spent as much time cold calling as we do complaining, we could sell a lot of work. I do it; you do it – complain, that is. And we all know it really doesn’t do any good. Every time I make some cold calls, I make some sales. When you do nothing, what happens? Nothing. How about you make it a goal to contact at least one person each day every week? If you do that, you will contact more than 250 folks a year. People want to know you want their business; it makes them feel good. Don’t sit around and wait for the phone to ring; get out and do some cold calls. Cold calling worked two years ago and it works today.


Ramp up your marketing.
My friend owns an HVAC business. This year he’s spent more on marketing than ever and his business is up more than 40 percent! Marketing now, when done right, tells clients and prospects you are alive and well. If you have to, cut expenses; don’t cut your marketing. Do more. Do some door hangers, postcards, newsletters and try to get some press in your local paper for your business. Marketing worked two years ago; today, it still works. 
 

Your people are scared.
Now is the time that you, as a leader, need to be talking to your people. On a daily basis you need to reinforce the behaviors you know will lead to your success and correct the behaviors that hurt profitability, client satisfaction and morale. What is your mission statement? Do your people know what it is? What does an ideal client look like for your company? Do your people know what that client looks like? What types of jobs does your company make the most money on? Does your sales team know what those jobs are? When was the last time you told your team thanks? Tell your people the truth and get them together at least once a quarter and talk to them. Share your plan with them. You can’t expect people to help you achieve the goals if they don’t know what the goals are and how they can directly contribute. Communication helped two years ago and it helps now.
 

Embrace what you’ve been given.
Our industry has been hit but if you look at it in a positive way, it’s a great time to learn. How do you learn how to deal with difficult clients? By dealing with difficult clients, right? The easy-going clients really don’t teach us much; it’s the tough, demanding ones that do. How do you learn how to deal with difficult team members? By dealing with difficult team members.

So, how do we learn how to really run our businesses better? Going through tough times. Challenges make us stronger and smarter. I have learned a new, permanent way to run my business. During the last two years I have found out a lot about myself and my people. I have been able, with the help of my team, to improve my company. I’d love to see the stock market rolling and unemployment at 3 percent, but I can’t really control that. So, I have to try and stay positive and deal with the hand I’ve been dealt.

The state of our industry is not pretty right now. But things will improve. I hope we’ve learned that success in business is more about doing a lot of little things very, very well over the long term time than anything else. Hopefully we’ll carry these lessons with us forever.

Marty Grunder is a speaker, consultant and author; he owns Grunder Landscaping Co. See www.martygrunder.com; mail marty@gie.net.