What could just 2% more effort do for you and your company? Read on to find out . . .
Boost Referrals by Making a 2% Difference - Sales - Remodeling Magazine: "Boost Referrals by Making a 2% Difference
Sales expert Lorna Riley offers tips on building referrals"
Read more here.
Showing posts with label Build Your Business. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Build Your Business. Show all posts
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Monday, September 21, 2009
UCLA Anderson Forecast Says The Recession Is OVER!
The end of a recession is the best time to start or grow a business. Are you ready? According to the UCLA Anderson Forecast, a leading economic forecaster, the recession is over. Don't miss this boat!
The UCLA Anderson Forecast: "In a report titled, “The Long Goodbye,” UCLA Anderson Forecast Senior Economist David Shulman states, “ … after four quarters of decline, economic growth is resuming. We forecast that real GDP will increase at 2.1% in the current quarter and 2.3% in the fourth quarter. For all of 2010, we forecast quarterly growth to average 2% with noticeable improvement at the end of the year.”"
Check out the full article on the UCLA Anderson Forecast website.
The UCLA Anderson Forecast: "In a report titled, “The Long Goodbye,” UCLA Anderson Forecast Senior Economist David Shulman states, “ … after four quarters of decline, economic growth is resuming. We forecast that real GDP will increase at 2.1% in the current quarter and 2.3% in the fourth quarter. For all of 2010, we forecast quarterly growth to average 2% with noticeable improvement at the end of the year.”"
Check out the full article on the UCLA Anderson Forecast website.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Good business is built on strong foundations
A strong successful business is built on a strong foundation.
Think about our industry. Whether it’s a one-story ranch or a 100 story skyscraper, the foundation must go in first and it must be built to last.
If the foundation is off just a bit or there is a small crack, there will be problems with the building. But start with a strong foundation, and the structure can last for years.
Build your business on a strong foundation and it will serve you well for years to come.
Think about our industry. Whether it’s a one-story ranch or a 100 story skyscraper, the foundation must go in first and it must be built to last.
If the foundation is off just a bit or there is a small crack, there will be problems with the building. But start with a strong foundation, and the structure can last for years.
Build your business on a strong foundation and it will serve you well for years to come.
Monday, February 2, 2009
On The Level Consulting Offers BASICS Business Coaching for your Remodeling or Home Improvement Business
OK, I'll admit right now that this is a shameless plug. This blog is all about our new BASICS Business Coaching for small home improvement and remodeling businesses. If you don't want to read it or you are not interested, you can stop reading right now. Check back with us on Wednesday for another (non-commercial) blog post.
I know from experience that being the owner of a remodeling or home improvement company can be really overwhelming. I wear many hats in my remodeling company's business - marketer, bookkeeper, supervisor, dish washer, file clerk, errand runner, admin assistant. John has even more roles with sales and production.
And I know how easy it is to get caught up in all the day-to-day challenges of running a business. Sometimes you can't see the solutions that are right in front of you. There's just too much going on.
But I also know from experience that you don't have to face these challenges alone. Years ago, I hired a business coach and it was the best money we ever spent! The coaching helped us get clear on what we wanted and how to go about getting it. And, yes, even coaches get coached. I remember our coach back then telling me about his business coach.
Because that coaching was so powerful and so life-changing for us, we know that it can be for others, too.
That's why we created BASICS. That stands for Business, Advertising and Sales Individual Coaching Sessions.
This is not general business advice. This is coaching specifically for the remodeling and home improvement industry. You know that there are lots of little peculiarities in our business. You really need someone who is familiar with this industry.
If you would like to find out more information about BASICS coaching, just click here and sign up for one free coaching session.
And if you've read this far, thanks for doing so.
I know from experience that being the owner of a remodeling or home improvement company can be really overwhelming. I wear many hats in my remodeling company's business - marketer, bookkeeper, supervisor, dish washer, file clerk, errand runner, admin assistant. John has even more roles with sales and production.
And I know how easy it is to get caught up in all the day-to-day challenges of running a business. Sometimes you can't see the solutions that are right in front of you. There's just too much going on.
But I also know from experience that you don't have to face these challenges alone. Years ago, I hired a business coach and it was the best money we ever spent! The coaching helped us get clear on what we wanted and how to go about getting it. And, yes, even coaches get coached. I remember our coach back then telling me about his business coach.
Because that coaching was so powerful and so life-changing for us, we know that it can be for others, too.
That's why we created BASICS. That stands for Business, Advertising and Sales Individual Coaching Sessions.
This is not general business advice. This is coaching specifically for the remodeling and home improvement industry. You know that there are lots of little peculiarities in our business. You really need someone who is familiar with this industry.
If you would like to find out more information about BASICS coaching, just click here and sign up for one free coaching session.
And if you've read this far, thanks for doing so.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Are you one of the best contractors?
I’m a personal subscriber to Angie’s List. I joined about a year ago so that I could track what information was being disseminated to subscribers about contractors.
I was excited to read that, according to a recent poll, most Angie’s List members have outstanding experiences with home improvement contractors. In the same breath, though, most of those same members have had at least one bad job in the past. That’s too bad. And it’s a negative mark on our industry.
Unfortunately, the media dwells on the bad over the good in the construction industry. And Angie’s List does, too, except that they also include a Best Contractors list.
I found their Best and Worst Contractors List of 2008 to be interesting, not from the point of view of the horror stories, but from the point of view of the positive stories about the Best Contractors. The Best Contractors were chosen because of their superior service, charity or community work, and child and pet friendliness.
Do you have what it takes to be on a list of the Best Contractors? Do what it takes to ensure that your customers have an outstanding experience.
I was excited to read that, according to a recent poll, most Angie’s List members have outstanding experiences with home improvement contractors. In the same breath, though, most of those same members have had at least one bad job in the past. That’s too bad. And it’s a negative mark on our industry.
Unfortunately, the media dwells on the bad over the good in the construction industry. And Angie’s List does, too, except that they also include a Best Contractors list.
I found their Best and Worst Contractors List of 2008 to be interesting, not from the point of view of the horror stories, but from the point of view of the positive stories about the Best Contractors. The Best Contractors were chosen because of their superior service, charity or community work, and child and pet friendliness.
Do you have what it takes to be on a list of the Best Contractors? Do what it takes to ensure that your customers have an outstanding experience.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Inspect what you expect
According to many experts, in order to get more accomplished in your day, you have to delegate some of your duties. Which ones? According to Brian Tracy, be ready to delegate anything that you possibly can to anyone who can do the task.
Of course, as Brian points out, delegation is not abdication. You must follow up and make sure that your delegated tasks are being completed on time and correctly. Supervise and schedule time to follow up.
Of course, as Brian points out, delegation is not abdication. You must follow up and make sure that your delegated tasks are being completed on time and correctly. Supervise and schedule time to follow up.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Build Your Own Field of Dreams
The other night I couldn’t sleep (a result of too much on the mind), so I aimlessly flipped through the channels until I came across one of my favorite movies, “Field of Dreams.” The premise, in case you’ve never seen it, is that an Iowa farmer receives messages from “the beyond” to “build it and they will come.” He proceeds to plow over perfectly good fields of corn (a cash crop) and erects a baseball field, complete with lights and stands for visitors. His wife thinks he’s crazy, his family thinks he’s crazy and his community thinks he’s crazy. But then other people start seeing the ball players who have come to play at Ray’s Field of Dreams – ballplayers from the past long since dead. And his wife and young daughter start to believe. He is sent more messages from beyond and Ray sets out on several adventures, picking up a famous writer and then a doctor who once played with Shoeless Joe Jackson.
Many ascribe the “Build It and They Will Come” philosophy to how not to build a business. There is a valid point there. Many businesses have failed because the owner did not find out if his or her product or idea is a viable one.
But in the movie, the voice beckons, Ease His Pain. And isn’t that exactly what we try to do in our businesses. We are trying to ease someone’s pain.
But easing just one person’s pain will not get you very far in business. Hopefully there are others with the same pain that need the same service.
And in the movie, that premise plays out at the end. Ray’s pain of having separated from his father at an early age is healed. At the dramatic conclusion, we then see a column of headlights as far as the eye can see down that rural Iowa farm road. These are others with the same or similar pains, coming to be healed.
Now I know it’s just a movie, but the similarities are there. We find someone with a problem. We solve it. We test to see if there are others with the same or similar problem. We find them. We tell them about how we can solve their problems. Only then will they begin to come.
You can build your own field of dreams. But don’t expect your business to flourish just because you’ve begun a new enterprise. There is a lot of work involved in getting those people to know you are there and to believe in you enough to buy from you.
Many ascribe the “Build It and They Will Come” philosophy to how not to build a business. There is a valid point there. Many businesses have failed because the owner did not find out if his or her product or idea is a viable one.
But in the movie, the voice beckons, Ease His Pain. And isn’t that exactly what we try to do in our businesses. We are trying to ease someone’s pain.
But easing just one person’s pain will not get you very far in business. Hopefully there are others with the same pain that need the same service.
And in the movie, that premise plays out at the end. Ray’s pain of having separated from his father at an early age is healed. At the dramatic conclusion, we then see a column of headlights as far as the eye can see down that rural Iowa farm road. These are others with the same or similar pains, coming to be healed.
Now I know it’s just a movie, but the similarities are there. We find someone with a problem. We solve it. We test to see if there are others with the same or similar problem. We find them. We tell them about how we can solve their problems. Only then will they begin to come.
You can build your own field of dreams. But don’t expect your business to flourish just because you’ve begun a new enterprise. There is a lot of work involved in getting those people to know you are there and to believe in you enough to buy from you.
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