What are you waiting for?

If you went and told someone the U.S. economy is going to turn around, you might hear a chuckle. Marty Grunder wouldn’t be laughing though. He has faith the economy will bounce back, but says contractors still have to do their part to help their own businesses.

“You could look at this recession and this temporary downturn as a problem. I choose to look at this as an opportunity,” he told attendees at a recent conference he put on in Dayton, Ohio.

Here are five ways Grunder says you can get your business pointed in the right direction.

1. Lead by example.
You need to throw the old adage, “Do as I say, not as I do,” out the window because your employees won’t buy it. If you’re struggling and you realize customer service has to be a priority, then you as the leader better deliver good customer service yourself, Grunder says. Instead of having employees greet customers at the front door, do it yourself.

“The lesson that I learned, and it took me a long time to learn it, was that, as a leader we are far better served to just go out and do it, than to have some companywide meeting and tell everybody what you’re going to do,” Grunder says. “You back yourself into a corner. You have no way out. You have no options.”

Leading by example is also a way to get your employees engaged. Grunder was working with a landscaper whose company was growing, just not as fast as it could grow. The landscaper couldn’t figure out why he couldn’t get his employees engaged and excited about the company. Grunder watched as the landscaper walked into the office in the morning, didn’t greet anyone or make eye contact.

Grunder suggested the landscaper buy his secretary a muffin and a Diet Coke, which she liked to drink, and tell her to have a great day.

Grunder’s point was that if the landscaper wanted his people to be engaged and upbeat, then he has to take action first.

“Take an interest in others and they will take an interest in you,” Grunder says.

2. Have integrity.
If Grunder taught a course on honesty and integrity, he says it would take him five minutes. He’d tell the students that if they thought they were doing something wrong, they probably were, and they should stop doing it. He’d then advise them to talk to someone who has experience in what they are trying to accomplish.

That’s it, class dismissed.

But that doesn’t mean Grunder wants to diminish the role integrity plays in today’s business world. “It’s incredibly (important), especially in these times, that we live a life of integrity and we show zero tolerance for those who don’t show integrity,” he says. “And we always tell the truth even if it hurts.”

That means if someone sends you a check for $200 more than she should have, send it back.

“The dishonest guy who won’t be around for a long time says, ‘Hot dog, I’m not telling him that.’ The honest guy calls him back and says, ‘Hey, you sent me too much money,’” Grunder explains.

3. Be enthusiastic.
Grunder gets frustrated with all the negative news he sees. So instead of just complaining about it, he did his part to fix it. He helped start “Good News in Dayton,” a website and a one-minute radio spot that features, you guessed it, the good news happening in Dayton, Ohio.

Since August 2008, he has sold a quarter of a million dollars worth of work to people who have heard the spots. He’s had people call him and thank him for his positive approach to business.

“I think it’s important that we wake up every day trying to find a new and better way to do things,” he says.

If you don’t want to take to the airwaves, Grunder says you can do it by speaking highly of your employees. When congratulating someone for doing a good job, be specific and mention details about what you liked about their performance.


4. Communicate well.
Sitting at home or in your office might be the easy thing to do when it comes to running a company, but that’s not how you generate ideas. You’ve got to get out, speak with your staff and start sharing ideas, Grunder says.

To get your employees communicating with each other, bring the team together and give them a blank 3-by-5 index card. On the front, ask them to write down how they think the company makes money and on the back have them write down what they think the company’s purpose is.

“It will help you understand what your team’s perception is of where you’re going, where you’re headed and how the company is effective,” he says. “It’s a very important, little exercise you could do.”

You could also start reading positive customer feedback to employees to get people talking. The stand-out employees will be proud, and others will want to get their own clients’ praise for the next meeting.

The more people are communicating with each other, the less chance you have of being surprised with something you didn’t know about, Grunder says.

5. Do a little bit more.
Grunder started an irrigation division this year, even though some people questioned him on the timing. Grunder didn’t really worry about all the questions because he knew he could make it work.

He took a calculated risk and the irrigation division was the second most profitable department in the company this year. While the revenue numbers are small, he still has it in the black.

Grunder compares taking a risk in business to betting on a horse race.

“I don’t bet on a 30-1 horse or a 40-1 horse or a 50-1 horse … I don’t even bet on the even money horse. I bet on a 2, 3 or 4-1 horse that’s got a legitimate shot at winning,” he says.

And by following these five steps, you’ll have a good shot at winning, too.

The author is associate editor at Lawn & Landscape. Send him an e-mail at bhorn@gie.net.