 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: 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.
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