Contractor Selling

Contracting Heaven Or Hell?

“The mind is it’s own place and can make Heaven out Hell or Hell out of Heaven.” – John Milton

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Opposite George

The above video clip always makes me burst out in laughter. Do you remember when the TV show “Seinfeld” was a huge hit on NBC’s “Must-See TV” every Thursday? I have probably watched every episode at least 2 or 3 times. The one episode that really stands out for me more than all the others is the episode where George Costanza decides he’s going to do the opposite of what he would normally do. The episode was called “Opposite George.”

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Is Gratitude Part Of Your System?

Without a doubt, life today flies by at record speed and many of us get overwhelmed around the year-end holidays.

I wonder if many people in sales business have thought much about the people who are at the center of whatever success they have achieved. I know I recently have.

Those thoughts of kindness by everyone who has helped me have really stirred some great emotions inside of me.

Not Everything Has To Be 2.0

The principle of giving thanks is nothing new but it is always in style and appropriate. If you’re not sure whether thanks is merited then I would err on the side of doing it anyway just in case it is.

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Engine Or Anchor?

I love the use of analogies. One of the prime examples I use is a owner of a contracting company as being the captain of a ship. As the leader you may find yourself heading towards “stormy business weather.” This storm is approaching as your sales revenue is lower than your overhead, field labor and material costs can substantiate. When this happens, you start to take on water. (Go into debt) Soon the whole ship is in danger of sinking.

When you finally wind up in the worst part of the storm the telltale signs are all around you as the captain. The rain of phone calls from vendors looking to collect on what you owe or the lightning of your having to consider a loan, line of credit or even take money out of your own pocket, just to make payroll this week are just a few of the signs that your ship is indeed in trouble.

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A Non-Litigious Holiday Party

By Elizabeth R. Ison, Esq.

With another holiday season approaching, companies nationwide are busy planning parties. Holiday socials are longstanding company traditions to thank employees and celebrate annual accomplishments. They can also be a breeding ground for employer liability — especially when alcohol is served.

A 2000 survey conducted by Vault.com found that 44% of employers had to reprimand an employee for behavior at a company holiday party. A 2010 poll by HR firm Adecco corroborate these findings: 40% of people surveyed saw or suffered a major indiscretion at a work-sponsored holiday event and 14% knew someone who was fired for bad behavior at a company holiday party.

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Web Marketing 2.0

(Phoenix, AZ) — America’s top service contractor marketing expert, Adams Hudson, will share his latest developments about web marketing during for the first annual Sales, Profit & Marketing Summit, (spmsummit.com) Feb. 8 to 10, 2012, in Phoenix, AZ.  Hudson will be the key speaker for the Web Marketing 2.0 seminar, where he reveals the latest and most effective methods on how to use email and the Internet to capture new clients.

“I have severely restricted my speaking engagements over the years to focus on my business, but when Joe and Julie Crisara asked me to speak at the Sales, Profit & Marketing Summit (spmsummit.com), I had to say ‘yes,’” said Hudson. “After more than a year of testing and development, we’ve created a near fool-proof way to improve web marketing for contractors that generate more leads and convert to more sales.

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Watch this video of one of my all-time favorites Michael Gerber who wrote wrote the book “The E-Myth.”  If you run a contracting business, I would highly recommend the book.

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Consumer Shortcuts

Let’s face facts.  Most of us take shortcuts when making a purchase that we are unfamiliar with.  For example when we buy a flat screen television, new car or purchase a service we rarely use turn to price and reputation as a “shortcut” to tell ourselves about the quality of what we are purchasing. For instance if i said I was selling a car for $95,000 most people would envision a Mercedes Benz or Lexus loaded with all the trimmings.

Does this same effect happen when people buy hvac, plumbing and electrical service fron our company.  Well I guess that depends on how your company positions itself in the market. Are you perceived as high end or a budget?

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Will Lower Prices Sell More?

It’s not hard to find contractors who think they are losing jobs because their competitors have a lower price than them.  How many are losing jobs because they lower their price instead of standing firm?

That is a question that is much harder to answer.  Especially since most people do not want to face the truth.  The truth is that you will lose far more sales with a lower price or worse yet, by lowering the price you have already given than they ever will by having a higher price than your competitors.

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