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Success & You!

How to Succeed No Matter What...
There's a lot of things that can stop you from reaching your personal level of success in the building and renovation industry...if you let them. And most of them can be put into one of two categories. The secret, however, is using one to combat the other...allowing you to succeed, no matter what.

When I ask builders and renovators what their biggest challenges are, most respond with external factors:
  • "I can't find enough good, qualified tradespeople."

  • "I can't compete with low-priced competition."

  • "I can't depend on labour and material prices to match what I originally quoted to the client."
And then, invariably, they follow-up with, "...but I can't see how you could help me with that."

I usually surprise them by saying, "Yes I can."

How to Take Control Over the Things You Have No Control Over.

I'm certainly not arguing these are things that, individually, we have no control over. In fact, even as a group lobbying the proper organizations and authorities it'll take time before a shift can be made. (When do you thing we'll be overrun with good, quality, experienced tradespeople again? 3 years? 5 years? 10 years?)

Hence the reason these are external factors...they are external to our immediate and individual control. So, game over, right?

Wrong. Enter the second category: internal factors. This is the #1 way to take control of those things you have no control over...and capture the success you're looking for. It's also the #1 most overlooked answer to many of the challenges plaguing builders and renovators .

What's Your Job...Really?

The reason internal solutions to external challenges is the #1 most overlooked answer is because most builders and renovators are in the wrong job!

Most builders and renovators spend way too much time working "in" their business, being affected by external factors, rather than "on" their business, devising internal solutions to their external challenges.

In other words, too many builders and renovators spend way too much of their time as employees of their own business (day-to-day, low-return activities)...and not enough time as owners of their business (longer-term, higher-return activities).

Your job...your primary job is the overall health, and long-term focus on your company -- that is, your success. How can I say that with such conviction? Simple...if you were able, would you hire someone to take some of your work off your shoulders? OK, similar question: if you were able, would you sell your company and start working for someone else...namely the new owner?

Most builders and renovators tend to answer "yes" to the first question and a big "no" to the second. The reason? You can see yourself replacing 'you, the employee', but would never consider replacing 'you, the owner.'

And you certainly shouldn't! You can always hire someone to take responsibility for the day-to-day activities (and most of you have spouses or family members in these roles already), but you can't hire someone to take on the longer-term, strategic responsibility of running, and directing your company (unless you stop being the owner). Like it not, that's your job...your #1 job.

But What's This Got to Do with
Not Enough Trades, Changing Material Prices, and Increased Competition?

It's got everything to do with those challenges...and any 'uncontrollable" situation the industry might throw at you. Here's the secret: The builder or renovator that controls their internal issues masters their external issues. That is, you control your external challenges by controlling your internal environment .

To illustrate, let me ask you what would happen if:
  • you could attract the same amount of prospects in half the time?

  • spend half the time convincing those prospects to become clients then you currently do...at a price that's fair to them, and profitable to you?

  • you could convince your prospect, and clients, the true, profitable cost of undertaking a good, quality home project...and why lower-priced options could very well be taking from your market those exact things they look for in building, and enjoying, their dream home or renovation?
What would happen if you could accomplish the above? You'd be more profitable...wouldn't you? And, not only that, you'd be paid what your work is worth -- regardless of external factors, wouldn't you?

Need a quality tradesperson to lay a flagstone walkway so it won't start coming loose as soon as next year? If your prospect or client knew the difference between an 'expensive' tradesperson and an 'inexpensive' one was the difference between the flagstone lifting away in less than a year...and staying put for ten years (or more...), do you think price would become less of an issue? Even if it didn't, it's now a decision on value (cost vs. quality)...not price.

"You, the Owner" Minus "You, the Employee" = SUCCESS

Two of the worst mistakes you can make as a professional builder or renovator are:
  1. spending too much time as "You, the Employee"; and

  2. spending too little time as "You, The Owner"
Becuase...but it's not the external issues you have to worry about (and, why, anyway -- you have no control over them...remember) -- it's the internal ones.

Stop worrying about the lack of quality trades...the answer isn't in waiting for more trades to show up -- it's in how to get the trades that do exist to choose you as the #1 builder / renovator to work for. (Hint: it's the same way you get your prospects to choose you as the #1 builder / renovator to work with. )

Stop worrying about the increased competition...the answer isn't in waiting for the competition to fall away (because that would mean a building slump...wouldn't it?) -- it's in how to get your company running so that no one can compete with you , regardless the size of your market, or competition.

And how you do this is to become an expert in being "You, the Owner." Look at how you're spending your time...because if you're spending too much time in the day-to-day ("You, the Employee) and not enough in the longer-term ("You, the Owner"), you won't control the external or the internal factors -- they'll control you .

All of this may require a shift in how you look at your business...quite possibly one of the biggest shifts you've ever undertaken but, to "control the uncontrollable" you must make that shift.

A good place to start would be to review my One-on-One Coaching Program. It's the only coaching program specifically for building and renovation professionals (and it has both a no-risk trial and a great, iron-clad guarantee).

I'd also suggest you check out my recently recorded Audio Seminar, based on one of my Teleclasses.

Finally, take the time to read some of the past articles posted on the site. You may find an idea or strategy you haven't tried yet (or even thought of yet).

A Final Word...

Start taking the time to look at, and develop your business from the eyes of "You, the Owner." Just implementing one or two of the strategies you'll find on my site, could put you leaps and bounds ahead of your competition ...just by merely doing it (because your competition won't be...).

However, if you're really serious about making a change...about getting more from your business -- once you've taken your real job to heart and spend more and more time as "You, the Owner", your business (and you) will really start to take flight!

Here's to your profitable results!