Top 5 reasons every contractor should build (and maintain) a blog.
I know what you may be thinking…
I’m a worker, not a BLOGGER.
Well, what if I told you there were a bunch of different benefits to creating a blog for your contracting company?
The main benefit for contractors to build and maintain a blog: MAKING MORE MONEY.
Yes, that’s right…a blog will help you make more money! Last time I checked, that’s why we’re in business, to make money.
Every reason I’m about to list is great on its own…but every reason I list will also help you make money.
All you need to get started is a website with the ability to create a blog and perseverance.
“PERFECT IS THE ENEMY OF GOOD ENOUGH!”
That means: don’t be afraid to start…get going on this right now!
Create your blog, start maintaining it creating helpful, intriguing content. It can be as simple as what you do every day. Project overviews. Information that you find interesting. Add pictures and videos…
When you get a few blog posts under your belt, you’ll begin to see these 5 benefits:
This book will give you a real understanding of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and GEO (Generative Engine Optimization).
1. Google SEO (search engine optimization) – Google loves blog posts. When your blog posts begin to get recognized by Google, they’ll help you get NEW CUSTOMERS.
Think about it: someone in your area is searching for information, they find your blog…”Oh, wow, this company is near me! I’ll give them a call!” There you go. Your blog just generated a lead.
I recommend purchasing a fantastic book about Google SEO (and GEO) called Get to the Top of Google. The Plain English Guide to SEO. By Tim Cameron-Kitchen. This book goes over EVERYTHING you need to know about Google SEO and is up to date for 2025. Don’t throw spaghetti at the wall, read this book!
Gear your blog for local SEO. I see contractor websites and many of them are EXPENSIVE and USELESS. When you have a descent blog it will drive new customers to your site which turns your website into a valuable LEAD GENERATOR.
At that point, your website works for you.
2. Historical documentation – Your blog is a history of your company. Who is seen as a better company? One that has ZERO online footprint or one that has multiple years of documentation about what they’ve been up to?
A company with a long blogging history builds confidence in a serious customers’ mind. Someone who cares about who works in their home -will value the fact that you’ve documented your work.
3. You’ll help the public with your blog - People need HELP when it comes to whatever trade work you are involved in. People have no idea what they are buying or what to expect. They turn to the internet to find out what they should do and to gain knowledge.
When they stumble upon your blog you’re doing a serious act of GOODWILL. You may save someone from a construction nightmare with the informative content you produce. You may help someone with your content.
That will pay off for you by improving the state of your trade.
That will pay off for you karmically.
4. Credibility/Authority – When you produce good content for a blog, you become an expert. You become an authority in your field if you can effectively portray your professionalism.
People that observe your content will trust you. That will create a more trusting environment and hopefully a smoother project. They’ll want what you are selling.
Your blog is an invaluable tool in building your authority. Your blog is an invaluable asset for building trust.
5. Advertising – There is no better advertisement than a long form piece of content about who you are and what you do. Your blog posts have pictures, videos, they tell a story.
This form of advertising will sell jobs for you. Customers that care about HOW their project is built…they pay more. THIS is the type of advertising THEY want to see.
A blog: IT’S WORK. BUT it’s a piece of intellectual property that WILL WORK for you.
For as long as you own your website, your blog will be there working for you.
A blog is a pivotal part of your online marketing strategy.
You’re a business owner now.
You need a blog to document what you’re doing, attract new clients, sell to those new clients and make more money.
Get it started TODAY.
VOICEMAIL:qualify your customers.
Your voice mail is a customer qualification tool.
It’s also a tool to allow you to communicate with your prospects much more clearly.
You want to communicate to people CLEARLY. Many homeowners mention their desires for contractors to perform “clear communication”.
Perfect. You start Jane Homeowner, communicate into this voice mail line first and tell me what you want.
The voicemail prevents us from picking up every phone call from every solicitor on the internet. It allows us to be at work rather than answering phone calls.
The advice today is to set up a separate phone line, whether that is Google voice (free) or a service like Grasshopper; have all NEW PROSPECTS go to that line. Have a pleasant voice mail message set up and it will be a REQUIREMENT as part of your qualification process that they leave a message.
You’ll return the call when it’s quiet and at a time comfortable for YOU. A time when you can be at your best, when you’re thinking clearly and you have that time dedicated EXCLUSIVELY to talking to a new prospect.
What is a “pleasant” voicemail message?
I recommend having your wife, girlfriend or mother (a woman) record a voice mail message. It makes the public think the company their dealing with is professional because you’re giving the appearance of having a secretary!
It’s a nice TOUCH.
“Hello and thanks for calling XYZ Carpentry. The Northern region’s PREMIERE carpenters. We are currently in the field building stairs, repairing porches and installing custom trim. BUT we value your call. If you could please leave a message with your name, your phone number and a brief message about how we can help you, we promise to call you back within 24 hours. Thanks so much and have a nice day.”
You may be thinking, “People won’t leave a message!”
REALLY? Have you tried it? My company has been doing this method for years now and we’re never out of work and many, many people have left messages for us.
WHY?!
Because they WANT US to work for them. I call this method a “qualifying tool” because if someone cares about having YOU work for them, they’ll leave a message. This voice mail is a small HOOP for new prospects to jump through if, and only if, they are SERIOUS about using your services.
If someone won’t do a simple thing like leave a voicemail. THAT’S NOT THE TYPE OF PERSON YOU WANT TO WORK FOR ANYWAY.
Let them use someone else’s time. They are a LOW VALUE lead.
Remember, when you’re serious about doing business, YOU are interviewing the prospect. Not the other way around. Having the prospect leave a message is part of your company’s interviewing process.
I know many coaches will want you to PICK UP THE PHONE NO MATTER WHAT. I recommend the opposite. We don’t need to book every call. We want to book the right ones. People that have researched you online…they’ve seen your content and they want you based on what they’ve seen. They care more, they pay more.
This system works well for the owner/operator. The guy working in the field, charging his worth.
Instituting this method will allow you to focus on THE JOB AT HAND and your CURRENT customer will appreciate that you’re not using time you should be focusing on THEIR project to take phone calls from complete strangers from the internet.
STRANGERS FROM THE INTERNET…If you’re listed on Google. If you have your lead funnel dialed in…YOU CANNOT leave your personal cell phone open. You CANNOT allow anyone who sees you online to call you.
You’ll never be able to focus.
So, again, set up an alternative phone line. Have a pleasant voice mail and filter all calls from the internet through that. Check the voice mails periodically throughout the day and address them in order of attractiveness.
If someone won’t leave a message---They’re a bad lead.
Have many leads coming in.
Be working on great projects.
Institute a system like this.
Let the chips fall where they may.
YOU are interviewing the PROSPECT. NOT the other way around.
Stick with it, you’re a businessman now!
You’ve never heard of this free advertising technique.✍
We don’t need to spend a bunch of money to advertise.
That’s part of being a HomeGrown Contractor. We don’t need to spend a ton of money to get the word out.
That’s where Guerrilla marketing comes into play.
Guerrilla marketing is defined as:
innovative, unconventional, and low-cost marketing techniques.
I’m a big fan of Guerrilla marketing and a great place to start is using Google’s review option.
Yes, you read that right. Use Google’s review option to advertise YOUR business.
This is my CUSTOMER REVIEW FREE ADVERTISING TECHNIQUE:
How do we do it?
It’s easy. Create a Google account for your business using your ROUND logo as your profile picture. This logo will have what you do, where you are located and your website clearly displayed. The name of this account will be your business name. For this to work, it is IMPERATIVE that your Google account visual is set up in this way!
Then, over the course of time, write reviews and post pictures for businesses that you use and enjoy. Don’t post negative reviews, only 5-star reviews. Make the reviews THOUGHTFUL and HELPFUL. Post PICTURES. VIDEO reviews are EVEN BETTER!
The more reviews you submit, the more points you will get from Google. If you write enough reviews, that people find useful… if you get enough reviews for your company…you will move up Google’s review ranking system. Becoming a “local guide”, for example, allows your reviews to be listed at the top of any businesses’ profile.
THIS IS FREE ADVERTISING.
If you have a prominent, noticeable LOGO anyone who reads your review will notice it. They will see your LOCAL BUSINESS NAME. FOR FREE.
Noticeable Logo, Name of my company as the profile picture.
Notice Google’s point system. You get points when you LEAVE or RECEIVE a review.
My photos and reviews have been seen by over 400,000 people!
My companies’ reviews have been seen by HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of people.
I will often leave reviews on OTHER tile businesses that I know and that I am friendly with! So, people who are looking at that companies’ reviews, see my company as well.
Not only is this technique FREE ADVERTISING, because I have a noticeable logo…It’s also HELPFUL for other local businesses. It’s truly a win-win. I help a company that I like, thousands of people see my brand.
So, if you’re a carpenter, where would be an effective place to use this review technique?
How about the local lumber yard? A homeowner is looking for a good lumber yard, maybe they’re thinking about doing some work at their house…they’ll read some reviews to see where they’ll shop for material…They see your review, with your website…That’s an opportunity. That is a possibility they’ll search your website!
Sounds like a long shot?
No, it’s a game of NUMBERS. Enough people see your brand, that is more possibility that they’ll USE your service. Your brand is now in their mental rolodex.
Example, long ago I left a review for my shower door glass people. Someone was looking for a shower door for their shower. They were reading the glass companies’ reviews. They saw my logo and review. They called me. I ended up selling them a new shower.
It happened to me, that is how I know this technique works.
VERY LITTLE EFFORT. ZERO DOLLARS. MULTIPLE THOUSAND DOLLAR JOB THAT WAS BOOKED FROM THIS TECHNIQUE.
I’ve never heard anyone else talk about this.
You read it here on this blog.
If you think this is a good idea, share this with a friend.
There is no reason we have to spend a lot of money to get the word out.
This is one creative way to do it with ZERO DOLLARS and just a small amount of effort.
You’re a BUSINESSMAN NOW.
You THINK outside the BOX.
The #1 key to a successful Google Business Profile
My tile business was built using Google Business.
No other tool drives more calls and form submissions than Google Business.
I figured this out because intelligence gathering has always been very important to me.
“Where did you get my number?”
“How did you find us?”
Invariably the answer was always “Google.”
Google is like the modern phone book. It’s like the yellow pages for the 21st century.
So, if you’re successful at being ranked in Google maps, you’ll have a regular stream of new leads coming in from the internet.
Here’s the key:
You must USE Google Business if you’re going to be SUCCESSFUL on Google Business as a contractor.
Yes, this sounds common sense, but I can’t believe how many profiles don’t utilize the many options on Google business. It’s crazy to see contractors who have the billions of Google users at their fingertips, and they won’t tap that amazing resource.
Think of it this way:
If you had a friend that never contacted you, that never spoke with you or wanted to hang out…Would you remain friends with that person?
Probably not—and Google is no different!
What does being “friendly” with your Google Business profile look like?
· Google updates. Go to Google maps and find your business. Find the option of “Add update”. Every week you should be posting an update- an advertisement for your business. Maybe a picture with attractive copy. Do this EVERY WEEK to let Google know you’re participating. Show the users of Google what you are up to!
· Add photos. Add photos to your Google profile REGULARLY. CONSISTENTLY post photos to your Google profile. You can also post VIDEOS under 30 seconds.
· Update your hours. During holidays Google will contact you and ask you to update your hours. ALWAYS let Google know whether you are open or closed during those times.
· Respond and ask for reviews. Ask for reviews on Google. Make sure to interact with the people who have left you positive or negative reviews. Do so professionally and promptly.
SIGN INTO GOOGLE BUSINESS AND UPDATE IT REGULARLY!
Use Google like you would any other social media. Keep it updated with new content for people who use that platform to see. We want them to know that we are an active business and that we want their patronage.
Post pictures of YOURSELF working. Too many business owners HIDE behind their business. Show Google users that you are a real person and that you want to help them!
CONSISTENCY is key with this strategy. Make it part of your weekly routine.
Wake up EVERY Monday morning with the sole intent to update your Google business profile and do this WEEKLY.
Google knows what businesses USE their platform. So give Google what it wants. Serve Google’s users!
When you play the game intelligently and consistently Google will reward you.
Take it from me, Google can be your number one traffic source for new leads and new paying customers. DO NOT NEGLECT GOOGLE.
Learn how to access your Google profile through Google maps.
If you’re a regular user, if you’re a dedicated user; Google will be your partner in lead acquisition.
You’re a businessman now, you track where your business comes from and you put MORE TIME into the platforms that drive traffic to your business.
CONTRACTORS: Look the part! 11 things to think about.
Let’s get something straight.
If you’re going to up your contractor business game and start earning more money- You must LOOK THE PART!
I’m not giving out groundbreaking, original knowledge here.
First impressions MATTER. What you look like, MATTERS.
Especially for CONTRACTORS, the LEAST trusted category of professional, second only to used car salesmen.
I know, I know. In this no judgement world we live in, you’ve been taught your entire life that what matters is the CONTENT OF YOUR CHARACTER.
Yeah, OKAY. I got a rabbit out back that shits gold to show you.
Reality is the contractor with a face tattoo is going to have a lot harder time being trusted, IN MOST SITUATIONS, then the clean-cut, well-spoken guy with his shirt tucked in. Sloppy looking contractors are at a noted disadvantage.
I understand that there are extreme outliers in this world- but the exception is not the rule.
People trust other people that look like them.
Homeowners trust and like contractors that look how they EXPECT a contractor to look.
Al Borland from “Home Improvement”? There’s the look of your quintessential contractor. The guys from “This Old House”? There you go. There’s your bench mark.
It might sound stupid, but I’ve geared my look to make people feel as though I’m a great contractor.
Here’s how I look:
· I keep my hair short.
· I have a short, well-trimmed beard.
· I wear a collared shirt, tucked in with my company logo.
· I stay in decent shape.
· I wear a dark colored pair of nice jeans.
· I wear LEATHER BOOTS which I then promptly cover with shoe covers, inside.
· In cold weather I wear a flannel
· I generally wear a Timex style watch
I’ve thought out and PLANNED this look to make a great first impression. To make people FEEL as though I am a professional contractor.
When I’m on the jobsite WORKING on the job. Similar set up.
· Hat with logo.
· T-shirt tucked in- with logo.
· Jeans.
· Leather boots.
· Pencil in hat.
· Professional knee pads.
· Tape measure pouch.
· Watch.
· Leather cell phone holster.
· Short hair cut
· Trimmed beard
My partner and I have appearance continuity between us. We both wear essentially the same “uniform” when we’re at work. Branded gear to portray professionalism.
I know what you’re thinking, “This sounds ridiculous.” But, NO. How we look is indicative of PRIDE and CARE.
We take pride in how we look. We care about how we look.
We don’t look like bums, so the assumption is that we don’t ACT like bums.
I’ve had people tell me in the comment sections that they dress like slobs and their work is perfectly quality and they are perfectly great guys. YES. I’ve experienced this. I know there are plenty of people out there that are tatted and pierced up…ripped clothes…sloppy as hell and they still do fantastic work, and they are descent men.
BUT- why put yourself behind the eight ball? Why set yourself up for failure?
I know, I know. You want to BREAK THE MOULD. You have your own STYLE.
That’s your EGO talking.
You can have your style and still be clean and presentable to Joe and Jane Public.
Maybe you’re not as successful or well paid as you want to be. You’re running around a little sloppy. Maybe now might be the time to clean yourself up and try something new.
If you want to be taken more seriously, it’s not just about what you say or do…it can also be about how you look.
Here’s some additional things to ponder:
· Do you smell good? Try wearing some cologne thinking about what smells are satisfying and appealing to people. (Read reviews of cologne.)
· Do you look people in the eyes? Or are you shifty eyed?
· How’s your handshake?
· What do you look like when you walk?
· How’s your posture? Do you slouch? Could you pinch your shoulders back like you’re holding a ball between your shoulder blades?
· How do you stand when you’re speaking with people? Do you have open posture? Do you look at the husband AND the wife equally?
· How’s your dental hygiene? When’s the last time you’ve visited the dentist for a cleaning? How’s your breath?
· Are you manicuring your fingernails? Cleaning underneath?
· Are your tattoos offensive? How about your piercings? Would a 4 year old child think you’re “scary”?
· Are you grotesquely out of shape?
· Do you swear? Do you speak in a rough manner, or do you keep it clean and polite?
It can be offensive to hear that this kind of stuff matters to people who might hire you for high paying work. But think of how a salesman looks.
Salesmen aren’t generally going to look sloppy. They’re going to attempt to be a great representation of the company they work for. They’re attempting to make people feel COMFORTABLE and LAID BACK, so that they want to spend MONEY.
When you are an owner operator YOU are playing the part of a salesman, so you want to LOOK that part.
I recommend a book called “The Appearance of Power” by Tanner Guzy. Reading it helped set a few of these points home, for me.
I’ll even say, in this line of work, as a business coach…I wear a white button up shirt. I wear a tie. I wear a suit jacket. I’m not inherently that type of person. I’ve never worn a tux. I’ve never owned a suit. But I’m serious about “looking the part” and our lizard brains respect men that dress nicely.
It might be new; you may feel uncomfortable with a lot of what I’ve said…
But you’re a BUSINESSMAN NOW.
You LOOK THE PART.
Where the time is hidden
“I don’t have the time.”
This is a common refrain from people who consider themselves “busy”.
“Busy” with work, “busy” with school, “busy” scrolling on their phone, “busy” wasting their time.
Where do we find the time to build a business? Where is all the time hidden?
One place is THE EARLY MORNING WAKEUP…before the birds, before the “busy”, before you have a chance for an EXCUSE.
This is where many high performers find the extra hour to do the things that will secure a future for them and their families. It’s where I found the time to build my businesses.
The 5 am wakeup can be one of the most profitable times.
Imagine, a time to totally focus on you- self optimization, business growth, mental stimulation.
Before the sun comes up is the best time to become a BETTER YOU!
The funny part is people have known this for centuries.
“The early bird gets the worm”
“Early to bed early to rise- makes a man healthy wealthy and wise”
This isn’t ground breaking stuff, many of you just aren’t doing it. The point is that our ancestors knew the importance of the early morning wake up!
What are some activities for the early morning wake up?
· Prayer and meditation: Mornings are the perfect time to thank God and connect with the source.
· Reading: Start your day off right with a book.
· Watching educational material: Start watching a course and plug away at it everyday.
· Exercise: No better way to invigorate yourself than early morning fitness.
· Coaching meetings: Use the extra time to get mentoring or coaching.
· Work on the countless items your business will need to improve. Work on your website, your social media, come up with a business plan, etc.
You have the time! You need to roll out of bed and get to work.
I’ve found that the first week of the early morning wake up will be difficult. Use a supply of “motivation”. Think about what you want your future to look like. Imagine your children happier. Imagine a vacation or a new vehicle. Think of the freedom getting your business in order will bring.
After about a week or so, it’ll be easier and after a couple weeks the early morning wakeup will be HABIT. That’s what we want— HABIT DEVELOPMENT.
Again, you have the time to build the future- to educate yourself.
The time is hidden in the darkness in the early morning hours.
COMMIT to waking up early 5 days a week and watch your world change by developing this habit.
This will be the time to work ON your business. You’ll develop a higher discipline.
Let’s remember, nothing comes easy. You’ll need to break out of your comfort zone.
This is one, VERY PRODUCTIVE, way to do it.
YOU ARE AN EARLY BIRD. YOU’RE GETTING THE WORM.
NAW, YOU’RE NOT A BIRD---YOU’RE A PTERODACTYL. A POWERFUL, UNSTOPPABLE PTERODACTYL!
OPEN YOUR EYES, DON’T HIT THE SNOOZE BUTTON AND GET UP!
COMEON NOW! IT’S ON YOU BOYS!
You’re not alone!
You’re not on a deserted island.
Everywhere around you are fellow tradesmen, fellow business owners to connect with and learn from.
You are a businessman now! Part of that is interacting and getting to know you’re local peers. Part of that is building AFFINITY NETWORKS.
I say “peers” and not “competitors” because when you’re EATING GOOD and DOING THE BEST—- you have no competitors. You have PEERS!
These are people you break bread with, joke around with and most importantly TALK BUSINESS with.
You better believe THE PUBLIC works together to find and control the contractor market! They use tools like NextDoor, Facebook and Google. They talk with their neighbors and friends. Those Google profiles—-those are consumers WORKING TOGETHER and COLLUDING with each other to find good contractors and ELIMINATE the bad ones!
Why shouldn’t contractors work together to do the same?
We can’t do that if we look at fellow contractors as competitors. We cannot work together to build our businesses if we have adversarial relationships.
Your greatest educational resource is the other contractors around you.
MAKE FRIENDS with your fellow LOCAL and INTERNET tradesmen/business owners.
How do we find our peers our new friends?
Here you go:
· At the local supply shop. Hang out, when you have time, and meet the folks that buy locally.
· Online. Start social media accounts and “like” and “subscribe” to local tradesmen accounts. If they’re not local, follow them too. I’ve gotten jobs locally from other tradesmen in Washington state and California because they recommend my company online and someone local sees that recommendation and acts on it!
· Go on Google, get local business numbers from Google business and CALL THEM! Yup! Pick up the phone and introduce yourself.
“Hey, I’m John from John’s Carpentry. I notice you’re in my area doing the same thing I do. I just wanted to introduce myself and say if you need anything let me know.”
You may be surprised what comes out of that SIMPLE GESTURE. Even if NOTHING comes out of it, you’ve done some valuable INTELLIGENCE GATHERING and you may learn something about a fellow business’ system and process.
· Business groups. There are local small business groups in your area. There are networking groups. These can be a great opportunity to meet people and form AFFINITY NETWORKS. BUT be careful with these, they can become a giant “back patting” waste of time! Or a more unflattering term, “a circle jerk”. Everyone congratulating themselves and blowing smoke up each others butts and nothing coming out of it. BEWARE of these groups.
· Educational events. Go to manufacturer training events. You’ll see other people who care about higher education and doing things right. People that share your values. Hang out, learn and talk. You can make valuable connections at training events.
· In the wild. Stop and talk to people at Home Depot. If you see a truck advertising about the field that you work in, TAKE THE NUMBER AND CALL. If you see someone that looks like a tradesman…walk up and START A CONVERSATION. What do you have to lose?
We are BUSINESSMEN NOW. Relationships don’t just flood in once you’ve print off a business card. You create these relationships with CURIOSITY and FREINDLINESS.
Walk up and introduce yourself.
Pick up the phone and introduce yourself.
Take a business card, call and introduce yourself.
Maybe that’s something you practice in the mirror. “Hello, I’m John from John’s carpentry. Wanted to say hello and see how business is for you?”
Smile, be kind and break the ice.
They ask you what you do…
OKAY. Now we use our ELEVATOR PITCH, a short introduction, to explain what we do- What, why, how, when, where.
I’ll talk more about the ELEVATOR PITCH later.
Open up that shell and start CONNECTING with other people in your space. Valuable relationships, valuable intelligence.
At some point in your friendship with your peers, you start inquiring about PRICING. Maybe working together to get your prices similar, if you’re providing the same product and service, so you’re not UNDERCUTTING each other. If you’re bidding against each other, for example, what’s wrong with checking in with your peers to see where their numbers are at?
The public does it EVERY SINGLE DAY. They call their neighbors to check on contractor pricing. They’re working together. We should too in order to build a better life and build up our business community!
You’re a businessman now!
This is how you THINK and MOVE!
Why does it matter TO YOUR CUSTOMER?!
Everything you do for your business- marketing, sales, public relations—-EVERYTHING…should be run through this filter:
WHY DOES IT MATTER TO MY CUSTOMER?
First we have to look at what motivates people to buy a service or a product, particularly craftsman service:
To show off to friends/status
To make themselves feel good
To have security
To improve their comfort
To make things easier
To increase the value of their home
To improve efficiency
To make their home more functional
These are a handful of reasons WHY people might by your service. We need to have this in mind whenever we speak about or write about our service.
How does your service improve your customers lives?
We need to mould our narrative with the customer in mind.
My CRINGIEST example is when I see an advertising like this:
“Atlanta’s Gutter Cleaning Experts since 1998”
Why does being an “expert” matter to the homeowner?
Why does being open since 1998 matter to the homeowner?
One of these two topics could be hit in ONE extra sentence or a restructuring of the whole Ad.
“We are Atlanta’s Gutter Experts since 1998. 280,000 of your neighbors have chosen to use us. We keep your gutters clear to protect your biggest investment!”
So, we’re telling the homeowner that we’re maintaining the value of their home. People LIKE it when you talk about protecting their “investment”. That’s MONEY. We’re using much more persuasive terms.
This company could do a MUCH better job in pointing out why their service MATTERS to the homeowner.
Another trend is the use of the words “QUALITY” and “PROFESSIONAL.”
You’ll notice EVERY contractor who writes ads uses these words in their copywriting.
BUT WHY?! What does “QUALITY” mean to the homeowner? What does that do for them?
“John’s carpentry - A quality finish that’ll be the talk of the party!”
“John’s carpentry - A professional finish because you deserve the best.”
Don’t just throw out these words. Use them as a persuasion tool. People read these words and see hundreds of ads with the same language.
Make YOUR CUSTOMER the HERO of the story! Make YOUR CUSTOMER the MAIN CHARACTER! Everything you do is meant to solve a problem for YOUR CUSTOMER and make them FEEL GOOD.
So, we looked at written ads briefly.
What about when you’re talking about yourself in a sales situation?
When we talk about how long you’ve been in business:
“Yes, I’ve been in business for 15 years.”
Okay. Blah, blah, blah. NUMBERS.
WHY DOES IT MATTER TO YOUR CUSTOMER?!
“Yes, I’ve been in business 15 years so you know your home will be in good hands and you’ll get good results that you can enjoy for a long time.”
We’re back to making the customer the main character and speaking to their feeling of ENJOYMENT when you’re done with your work.
Tell the people WHY it matters.
Everyone says they take PRIDE in their work! Tell them why it matters.
Everyone says they do QUALITY work! Tell them why it matters.
Everyone says they are a PROFESSIONAL! Tell them why it matters.
If you advocate for, and keep your CUSTOMERS INTERESTS FIRST…they will take care of you.
But you won’t get there using words without explaining the meaning and why it matters to the customer.
REMEMBER:
WHY DOES IT MATTER TO THE CUSTOMER?
Remember the reasons people buy and gear all your presentations towards that.
You, my friend, are a PERSUASION GENIUS.
The first phone call-for contractors.
It’s simple. You’re having the first phone conversation with a prospect. What are you trying to figure out?
1. If you can help the prospect.
2. If they’re ready, willing and able to pay for your services.
You will lead the conversation in such a way to gain that information so you’re not wasting your time going to the home of a bad lead. You’re working to QUALIFY the prospect. Are they QUALIFIED for your service?
Have questions memorized to get from A to Z. You’re leading the conversation. This isn’t necessarily a symmetrical conversation. You’re leading the dance. We really don’t have time to allow the homeowner to dictate the conversation. They will think they’re interviewing you, but it’s subtly the other way around.
I recommend managing your prospects from a voice mail account. Make your first customer qualification---Will they leave a voice mail? If they won’t leave a voice mail, they weren’t your customer anyway!
Listen to the voice mail, memorize the name and call them back in a comfortable, quiet place; when you feel your BEST. I cannot stress this enough! Don’t call back with tools going off in the background or kids screaming.
“Hello Ms. Prospect, this is Bill from Bill’s remodeling…received your message, HOW CAN I HELP YOU TODAY?” I love asking “how can I help you” because this sets the tone that you’re trying to assist them.
Memorize your initial greeting and say it in the mirror. You’ve heard this before, but SMILE when you’re on the phone. They’ll FEEL the smile through the phone. Be friendly, charismatic…SLOW DOWN when you speak, annunciate your words.
“Yes, Bill…I’m calling because I’m interested in getting some remodeling done.”
Here we go!! It’s go time!
“Great, I can help you with that…do you have a few minutes so I can ask you a few questions to see if we’re a good fit for your needs?”
Notice, we asked for PERMISSION to ask questions! Always ask permission! If you don’t, they’ll think they’re being interrogated and that will be extremely awkward for you.
When they say “yes” start into your line of questioning remembering you’re trying to find out if this is a viable client and if they’re ready, willing and able to pay for your services.
First question:
“What part of the process are you? Have you thought about what you want the finished product to look like? Have you thought of when you’d like to start work?”
This first question gets the prospect talking. Listen carefully and “mirror” back to them a couple things the said. Mirroring is when you repeat a couple key things the person you’re talking to has said. It will help them feel “listened to”. In sales, you should be listening more than talking. It’s a key to making your prospect feel comfortable. LISTEN to what they say!
They also tell you when they want to start work. It’s usually ASAP…but if it’s not and they’re in the planning stages or they’re just trying to figure out what something will cost…well, that prospect becomes a lower value lead. Take note of that. If you’re busy, you’ll have to advise them that you have a “waiting list”. That’s okay, just tell them WHY you have a waiting list…You’re good at what you do and you’re an owner/operator…you take one job at a time and there is a lot of value in that!
Explain things! Give people a “because” and you’ll be surprised that they’ll be OKAY with it!
Next question…
“What city is your home located?”
This question gets asked EARLY because if a prospect’s home is 100 miles away…YOU’RE PROBABLY NOT DOING THAT JOB! Early on, I’ve had a long conversation with prospects only to find out their house is 3 hours away. WHAT A WASTE. Don’t let it be you!
Next question…
“How did you find us?”
Find out if they found you on Google, if they’re a referral, etc. You want to know this information so you know where your leads are coming from. ALSO, you’ll know to treat a referral from a past customer that you loved different than a stranger from the internet. You might bend your rules a little bit easier for a referral from a customer that sends you many leads! If the prospect says they found you on Google…take note of that, your internet marketing is working!
Next Question:
Are we the first company you’ve called for this project?
Find out if you’re competing against other companies and WHO they are. Don’t be afraid to ask specifically who you’re competing against as this is important intelligence information. If they mention getting “three other bids” understand you’re in a competitive bidding situation and WHO you’re bidding against is very valuable information. You can help the prospect make the right decision, the right decision being your company, of course!
“Have you researched my company at all? Watched any of my content online?
Ask this question to find out if you’re just another number in their pocket! Ask that question to find out if they’ve viewed your online content so they know WHO and WHAT you’re about. These people are better leads because they’ve done some research and they like what they see.
Next question
“What qualities do you like to see in the people that work in your home?”
This question is a DOOZY. It gives us so much insight into who we’re talking to and the MENTALITY of the person on the other end.
“I like to see the people in my home be fast and cheap!”
Okay, that person eliminated themselves with that answer.
“I have breathing problems, and I want someone who respects my home.”
Okay, we can work with that. That information tells us a lot about the person we’re talking to.
This is a great question because it gets people talking. It continues the conversation and shows you care about the prospects wants and needs.
TONS of valuable information comes from asking that question!
At this point you have multiple places you can go.
If you’ve had a good conversation with the prospect and they live close by, you can offer an in-home consultation at a time that works best for you. I always recommend the morning. This will allow you to have the day for work or other things. I tell the homeowner this too. It’s the “because”. “We do it this way because…” Get the address make an appointment and go see the job.
OR
You can ask them to send some photos of the project for you to review and give them a call back. Maybe try to get the pictures sent WHILE you’re on the phone with them. That’s the best way. Often you can come up with some rough numbers for them if they’re doing “price discovery” or if it’s not that great of a lead.
OR
Tell them you have a small consultation fee for pre construction services. This is the ultimate qualifier! If they’ll pay you to work up an estimate, they’re potentially a great customer. To do this you have to have your business together and have work in the pipeline because EVERYONE ELSE offers “free estimates”. In fact the prospect may be INSULTED you want to charge them for an in home estimate. Just be friendly and give them the “we do this because.”
OR
You can ask about their budget. “What’s the budget for this project?”
“Oh, I have no idea.”
“Based on what you say you want, I estimate it’d be from $45k-50, what would you think about that?”
Give them a range and don’t respond.
“I thought it would be $15k.”
Do you want to try to sell that project? With that large of a gap in numbers? You may save yourself some time and effort by letting that one pass!
Ask them permission and say, “May I shoot straight with you?”
They always say “yes”.
At this point you could say ANYTHING. You’ve hopefully earned their trust. You ask this question any time you have to say something that may ruffle some feathers!
“I think your estimate is a bit too low”
At this point we’re getting into “price objections” and these can be overcome, but that’s not what this article is about today. I’m giving you a basic template for your phone conversations. We’ll get more into dealing with objections in the future.
Remember, this first phone conversation is a discovery process. You’re attempting to find out if you and the prospect are a good fit. You find out if they’re ready, willing and able to use your services. Be friendly, be a trusted advisor.
If they don’t want to talk on the phone for a few minutes before meeting… they’re not your customer and you don’t want to work for them anyway.
The first part of your process is speaking on the telephone.
Don’t be someone that runs out to every prospect off the internet! You’ll waste so much time and money doing that. Most of the heavy lifting can be done over the phone and through the internet if you’re website and internet presence is dialed in.
If they’re not YOUR customer, let them go! You’ve spent far too much time and effort building your business to RISK it with bad people. You find out on the first phone call.
BUT if they want to do business with you and you’re hitting it off…Don’t talk them out of it! Go and meet them and sell the job! Sometimes it comes down to a gut feeling.
Stay polite, eat shit on the phone if you must. At least you didn’t waste time driving out to someone’s house you weren’t going to work for!
Working the phone is one of the top skills you need to learn as a businessman. This is a TOP SKILL that you need to develop. You must be good at this because you’re representing your business when you talk to the public on the phone. They can leave bad reviews on the internet, for example…SO ALWAYS STAY FRIENDLY. NO MATTER WHAT. STAY FRIENDLY and POSITIVE!
Always end the conversation with “Thank you so much for calling, we appreciate you calling.”
If you made an appointment, say something like “I look forward to meeting you.”
Ask them to text their name, home address and email address and that you’ll text them to confirm the appointment the day before the meeting.
Do sales role playing! Ask someone to play the role of a prospect and work on these questions. MEMORIZE these questions in order until you have them down and can make them your own.
You are a master on the phone now. You have to be if you want to have a successful contracting business. It’s non-negotiable.
We’re figuring out if we can help the prospect, we’re figuring out if they’re ready, willing and able to pay for our services.
STOP running out to see a stranger’s work. Do the work on the phone and save yourself some major time and money!
YOU ARE A MASTER ON THE PHONE!
Can you be wealthy as an owner/operator tradesman in 2025?
Here at HomeGrown Contractor, I cater to the owner/operators. You might be still on the tools—a one man operation, maybe with a helper. There’s nothing wrong with WORK and for many this is the best way to do business.
The question is, can you get wealthy being an owner/operator tradesman?
My answer is YES!
Most of the business development content out there is about “scaling”. Hiring people to do the work and get off the tools as an owner.
That’s one way to do it and if you choose, you can eventually get there. Once you’re there you may look back with fondness at the time when you were working the tools and interacting with projects every day.
It might be because as men, we have something inside of us that wants to work and produce.
Many think they MUST scale a contracting business. This is not true. Some of the most profitable and simplest business are one or two man operations. Those businesses are able to stay lean and mean, become experts at what they do, they remain reliable and there are less mistakes with the work, because no one does the work as well as the guy who owns the business.
A lot of these bigger outfits have problems with their employees, the quality of work goes down, the owners work load and responsibility increases…there are A LOT of reasons NOT to scale.
ESPECIALLY if you have the courage to SAY THE NUMBER you want to make in order to do your work.
People think they have to scale because “There’s no way anyone would pay me that much.” They think they have to have 5 crews going at the bargain prices and take their cut off the top. There’s a lot of people who do business like that and it’s doubtful if they make more money and have more free time than if they just grabbed the tools, did the work themselves and named their own terms and price.
There’s the key. Naming your terms.
You’ll be wealthy because you’re naming your terms. The owner/operator works for wealthy people and we make agreements with them for what they want. We put off the IMPRESSION of a big company…but we front load the TRUST and then:
WE NAME OUR NUMBER.
With courage and confidence, we tell the people what it costs to have an owner/operator, expert tradesman work.
It’s tricky because a lot of the public thinks…”Oh, it’s a small outfit, they should be LESS money than the bigger ones.”
NO, NO, NO. It’s more money because the smaller outfits provide SO MUCH MORE. Less mistakes, you get to talk to the person doing the work – so no middlemen…PERSONALIZED service. Much, much better quality finished product because NO ONE will do as good a job as the guy who OWNS the company. Employees will slack and do whatever they want when no one is looking…
A client can DEPEND on owner/operators and that’s worth much more money.
BUT-
It’s a MENTALITY SHIFT for the tradesman doing this type of business. YOU need to realize how LUCKY people are to have you working for them. Look around at how terrible the big crews do. It should be a no brainer.
Don’t internalize the views of the public…that “you’re small so you must be cheaper.” HELL NO! There are so many benefits of working with the POINT MAN and that’s why you’ll pay me more and like it!
This way of doing business is being done all over the place, the craftsman operation.
Yes, you can get wealthy doing business like this in 2025. Wealthy by naming your pay. Wealthy naming how and when you work. Wealthy building a reputation. Wealthy in your relationships.
What you have to do is think of YOURSELF as the BUSINESS. You know you’re better than the big outfit with the employees, with half the headache.
But, you can’t be LAZY. Lot of guys are out here looking for a way around WORK. You get paid because you aren’t AFRAID of work. You don’t have someone else do it—you do it…maybe it’s for 5 hours a day…Trust me, you name your terms and you let people know that’s how it’ll be and they’ll be glad to have it.
You’re solid, you’re skilled, you serve. Name your number.
10 tradesmen are leaving the world of work for every 1 getting in.
Understand that you can name your price in 2025.
Do good work, think of your long-term health and well-being. Be the hands on point man. Build your business and your family by doing better than the “business scalers” who inevitably will have problems and create problems.
Remember, you’re making an agreement with a wealthy individual who wants what you are selling. Decide what you want to make every year and reverse engineer it to what you have to charge for every job you do.
People are SICK of getting jerked around and the sowner/operator can fill a gap.
Fill the gap and get paid BIG while you’re doing it.
But it starts with you believing that you’re WORTH IT.
You’re worth every DAMN PENNY.
Now go get em.
It’s where they hide the money…
It’s where they hide all the money…
Buried somewhere in the pages of a book is the answer to all your questions. How to become a better salesman. How to market your business. How to build a business. How to manage stress. How to develop leadership skills. All of it!
Your journey to freedom with your business will start by reading a book.
The hardest workers aren’t the ones who work the hardest, as unfair as that is…
The people with the knowledge make the most money. They’re not paying for your BACK they’re paying for what’s in your head.
Books is where you build the BRAIN.
I’ve been an advocate of books for many years now. If you hope to move from a “worker” or a “technician” to a businessman, there are many books you will have to read.
My experience with schooling was that they drove the love of reading out of me. I had to rediscover it’s utility and entertainment as an adult. Maybe your years of schooling made you hate reading---here’s something that helped me get back into it:
Reading will make you money.
When you sit down and work your way through your first book on sales or marketing…That $15 purchase of a book will pay you back many times over. You’re focusing attention on a subject…you’re working ON your business instead of IN it. Yes, reading counts as working on your business!
It’s true, all the best information is hidden inside of a book somewhere.
You separate yourself from the pack when you read. You can feel good about yourself because such a small percentage of contractors will do it.
Reading will be a MASSIVE part of becoming a HomeGrown Contractor. You would otherwise pay top dollar for courses and conventions because the guys leading those things read the books. You’re reading me right now because I’ve read 100 more books on these topics than you have.
I’ll guarantee if you start reading 1 hour a day your salary will rise very quickly.
Every book you read about business gets you one step closer to becoming an expert at business!
I want to mention a very important tip here though:
When you’re reading, think about how the words on the page relate to YOUR business. What can you do to implement the ideas and instructions in the book your working on? How does the book relate to your situation?
Take notes, highlight. Read the book multiple times.
I know for many tradesmen, reading does not feel natural. We weren’t the top of our classes. POWER THROUGH IT. WORK. Make yourself proud by doing something that is difficult.
Many have recommended reading in the morning 10 pages a day. This has worked for me.
The more reading you do, the better you’ll get at writing! I recommend installing a dictionary app on your phone to look up words you don’t know. DO THAT. Don’t skip over words, make them make sense! Watch your vocabulary grow.
If you want a seat at the table, it starts with reading. It starts with being smarter than you were yesterday.
Keeping a business book going will give you ideas to implement in your business.
Keeping a business book going will give you ideas for your advertisements. If you read something interesting, relate it to YOUR business in the form of an advertisement. This is something I’ve been doing for years and it works to keep me in fresh ideas. We don’t plagiarize, but we allow the text to present us with ideas that we put into our own words with our own personality attached.
As a HomeGrown Contractor, educate yourself. You are your own teacher. A book from the thrift store can help you so much. That book author will charge $500 an hour to talk to you about the ideas presented in the pages of his book for $15.
I’ll continuously recommend books on this site for you to check out.
MAKE READING A HABIT.
If I can offer you nothing else---your time reading will pay for itself many times over!
YOU ARE A VORACIOUS READER!
Mining for Information.
Every time you talk to someone it’s an opportunity to gain valuable information about your market. Learning about your competition, your peers—will help you learn where you are at, in the grand scheme of local businesses.
Some would say “Keep your eyes on your own paper!”
I am not one of them.
Keeping your head down will give you tunnel vision. You’ll be in an echo chamber. Seeing and hearing about what other competing outfits do will allow you to tailor your business to beat them out for work!
Get in the habit of typing in your competitions’ website and checking out their site. Grab their business cards, look at their logos and marketing material. Rank their copywriting in your head to see if it’s persuasive.
That’s one way of market research.
This post is something totally different though.
Start soliciting the public for intelligence when they call you for services. Start mining them for information!
One of your scripted phone sales qualifying questions should be, “Are we the first company you’ve called for this project?”
“No, I’ve called 2 other companies.”
STOP. Most operators will leave it at that. I recommend at this moment you ask them who those other companies are! See who’s earning their call!
You might say, “Oh, they won’t answer that!”
Do you know that in all my years of working the phones, I’ve never had a person not tell me that piece of information?
We’ve learned to build trust on the first phone call, they’re happy you called them back…use that good will to ask questions about the market. Take that information and research the companies mentioned.
Here’s another one:
We’ve sent out the bid…You get the prospect on a follow up call after they’ve seen your number…They say, “You were the highest bid!”
Of course we are, we are the best!...Again, most operators would leave it there…
NOT YOU. Ask them, “Can I ask you a question?” When they answer in the affirmative, which they always will…Ask “What were the numbers of the other bids?”
As you’re reading this, don’t you think that would be handy information, for you as a business owner to know? Ask a follow up question…
”What did that bid include?”
There’s an opportunity for a conversation about the differences between the bids!
Heck, ask them to send you the other bids so you can see what’s on them to help them decipher if they’re getting the same service and product! You’ve built up the trust…WHY NOT!?
THAT is what a businessman will do…Not put your tail between your legs—-tuck and RUN.
No!!!! MINE for INFORMATION that you can use later on. How invaluable will it be to see someone else’s bid. To see what it looks like, to see what they’re doing…?
Okay, your company isn’t booking this job anyway…what do you have to lose other than:
· Your time on the phone
· Going to see the project
· Measuring the project
· Marketing material
· Writing a bid
· The follow up call
· ALL THE TIME INVOLVED IN THAT
Your time and effort was SUCKED by the prospect---DON’T let them do it without getting SOME value out of them.
That value will be MARKET INFORMATION
Market research will help you grow your business and see where you are at. Always be looking for the opportunity to gain the upper hand with information.
KNOWLEDGE IS POWER. It’s not a bumper sticker, it’s true!
Always keep your head up and look around, open your mouth and ask about your peers. They say they weren’t happy with someone else’s work…ask WHY?
There’s a great NEW SUBJECT for your next AD.
You can remain deaf, blind and ignorant to your competition by “focusing on yourself”. But we aren’t out here alone!
I’m recommending you do INTELLIGENCE GATHERING. Always be gathering intelligence that you can use to build yourself and your company to greater heights. Ask for the information you want to know!
Where are the weaknesses in my competition?
What are they charging?
What are their strengths?
If you’re a worker, you keep your head down and do your thing.
When you’re a businessman…we pay attention to our surroundings and our market and make changes (or not) based on what we see and hear!
Ask the extra question. GATHER THE INTELLIGENCE. Use it to your advantage.
You are a STUD.
The power of YouTube for a HomeGrown Contractor.
YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world. That means people will go to YouTube to search for the answers to the questions that they may have. Heck, you’ve probably done it yourself.
As a Home Grown contractor, how can we utilize YouTube to build our business?
One way is to make informational or entertainment videos with local search in mind. Videos that your potential customers will find.
Making YouTube videos will open up a world of opportunity for a motivated tradesman.
We don’t do YouTube to become famous content creators. We’re do YouTube to get our PHONE RINGING.
Here’s how:
A short with my local customer’s search in mind.
Make an educational video and simply attach the name of your city and state in the title.
Strategically name the video what you think someone would type into a search engine.
What questions do you think your potential customer would have? What do you think they are typing into a search engine before they hire a contractor?
I’m a tiler, so, I would name my video---“Bathroom tile installation: Woodstock, GA.”
This works incredibly well because YouTube is owned by Google and Google search stocks its “video” tab with videos directly from YouTube. Your video will get picked up by Google search, usually within minutes. WELCOME TO GOOGLE!
Make a video and post it to YouTube targeting local search and key words that your customer would search…go to an “Incognito” tab on your search engine and type in your video title--it will more than likely show up on Google within minutes of publishing.
If you create a good video that is helpful to Google’s user base---it will live on Google for a long time. Usually until someone else makes a better one.
The key is to be helpful to Google’s users!
People go to Google for help and Google will reward you if your video delivers that help.
An important aspect of this marketing technique is a call to action on your video and all the information a Google user needs to contact you.
This is where we want to embed our smartly designed logos on all our videos. I advise people to have a logo that covers the who, what, where and how.
Who you are. What you do. Where you are. How to get ahold of you.
All of those factors should be on your logo so you can embed that on all your videos and it will act as a call to action.
Even simpler is a “Follow us” icon. Have your username and social media icons on a “follow us” icon. That icon can easily be made on photoshop, but I recommend hiring someone from Fiverr to make you one for $20.
If you’re motivated, TODAY, TODAY, TODAY…you can start making videos with your smart phone.
You’re doing your work…bust out your phone and film it.
Keep it under one minute so you can use that video across all platforms. You don’t even have to edit it if you can get it in one shot. Use your phone to embed the “follow us” icon on the video. Upload that video to YouTube, with a local search friendly title…BOOM. You’ve done your first YouTube video.
If you need quick help with any of this, contact me…or, imagine this----you can search YOUTUBE!
You won’t be a pro at it immediately. But I just spelled out the road map to getting your business on the 1st (Google) and the second (YouTube) biggest search engines in the world.
You have the equipment in your pocket. You have the technology. Now it’s time to start doing it. Get away from that BOSS you’ve outgrown---BECOME the boss by doing boss activities like starting a YouTube channel…Have access to millions of new customers…with your PHONE and a free APP.
I know you can do it.
HOMEGROWN CONTRACTORS. Building your future from the comfort of your own HOME!
Stop being CONSUMERS of content and start CREATING content. Consuming sucks time and brings you nothing…CREATING makes you money!
Now get to it!
How does a construction contractor become a guest on a podcast?
Over the years, I’ve been on many podcasts. I’ll post a few of them below. I also produce a podcast for my remodeling company---but that’s not what I’m writing about today.
Today, I’m going to explain how to become a guest on a podcast if you’re a construction contra and why you should want to do this for your business and brand.
I’ll start with the why…As business owner we should want to be guests on podcasts and internet shows because it brings credibility to what you say and do. The guy on the screen naturally has more influence than the guy who is not.
Being interviewed gives a business owner an air of importance that you wouldn’t have otherwise.
Someone on the internet wants to ask YOU questions about your life, career, business or skillset. That’s a big deal.
It’s amazing how many modern people listen to long form content.
When we’re interviewed online, we potentially get to interact with a new audience and you’ll hopefully connect with them. At that point, a sale will be much easier.
Let’s keep it simple--- No publicity is bad publicity.
Get yourself out there talking about what you know, be gracious and kind. Be interesting. Take that content and promote it.
I’ve gone over the why, let’s talk about the how.
How do you get on a podcast? First off, ASK! Ask people who have a podcast to be a guest!
Let me simplify:
I’ll explain how I got on a recent podcast…
It started with interacting on social media. I’m on social media and I interact with different accounts in my niche. I don’t post and ghost.
I jumped in the comment section of a big tile account that was looking for a debater. I have a small name online and others thought it might be interesting. I was in the running with 3 other people for the appearance.
I believe what set me apart was that I was EASY to work with. The guy organizing the debate contacted me by direct message through Instagram. I immediately responded and gave him my cell phone information…he called…I immediately picked up (even though it wasn’t the best time) I talked to the organizer and “sold” him on the idea of me being on the show.
I used all the sales and communications skills I’ve learned over the years and I simply sold myself as the best option for the appearance. We need to self promote! We can’t be afraid of tooting our own horn! I mentioned that I had all the microphones and camera equipment and that I was ABLE to do the appearance. Don’t be a pain in the ass. Don’t make it difficult. This goes for ANY “sale”.
Next, when I got the call to be on the show…I remember the organizer asked me to send him a picture looking like I was going to be in a “fight”. I was sick as hell, cough, sneeze, stuffy nose…Didn’t matter…I brought the wife upstairs and within 15 minutes I had pictures sent to the organizer for him to make his promotional material.
The organizer gave me the date, I was ON TIME and PREPARED with a PowerPoint presentation and ready to debate the topic.
We want to be easy to work with. That’s big.
We also want to form relationships with different podcasters. I’ve been on a show called TileMoney, many times. I formed a friendship with Luke, the host…and it just seemed natural that I would be on his show. It was a small show the first time I was asked on…He was a beginner at podcasting, I was available and easy to work with…so he had me on.
That might be another tip here…start with a small show. We’re not going to get on the biggest show the first time. Start small, get your feet wet and become a viable interviewee.
I also believe that you have to be “interesting” in some way. Don’t shy away from controversy in your postings. Consistently post and make them count. Have an opinion, be someone that deserves to be listened to. Build a cool brand.
I want to say it again, no publicity is bad publicity. Get yourself out there.
One thousand people have watched or listened to my podcast debate I did recently. Imagine one thousand people in a room listening to me talk. That’s something I believe you can do too if you put it on the “to do” list and start working towards it.
Then, you have content that you can use on your own promotional channels. Your clients may look at you a little differently. You’ll be able to get your message out there and differentiate.
Don’t be AFRAID to SPEAK. Anyone that will be scared away by your words is going to be someone that you wouldn’t want to work with ANYWAY. If you help one person during your interview, that will come back to you tenfold ---and that’s something that I’ve learned from my many podcast appearances.
It is worth it!
My most recent podcast appearance.
My appearance on the biggest tile niche channel on YouTube.
My topical appearance on Tile Money with my business partner.
My first ever podcast appearance.
Holiday Cards: Find out why YOU should be sending them!
Every year, for the last six, I’ve sent out Holiday cards from my remodeling business.
Receiving mail is still a THRILL!
Every customer we’ve ever interacted with gets one.
Not only are they a way to spread Holiday cheer but they’re also a great reminder of your business’ existence.
It’s an opportunity to remind your former clients that you’re still available to fulfill their needs.
Every year that I’ve sent out Holiday cards, I’ve gotten at least one project from a past customer.
So, my $200 investment for 100 cards, stamps, envelopes and return address stamps…always pays off with new business from a former client.
We know for a fact our former customers are an untapped resource, so every year this is the way I remind them that we are still in business and we still want to work for them.
My original customers have six versions of our Holiday card! What a FLEX. It’s a FLEX because it shows my business STABILITY and STAYING POWER.
“Wow, these are really solid guys!”
Yeah! The fly by night, man and a truck isn’t sending out Christmas cards!
Every year I send one out to the builder we worked for long ago who let us go because we wanted more than he was willing to offer. I love the idea of this guy opening the card and seeing that we’re still out there, doing good business! HAHA.
Holidays should be seen as an OPPORTUNITY.
Only savvy business people take it!
Just like the Holidays are an excuse to contact that family member you haven’t in a while, it’s the same with your former customers. Holidays are a good reason to say “hello!”
Here’s the step by step on how to easily get this done:
Around Thanksgiving I will find a picture of my partner and I from the previous year. I use VistaPrint.com’s very easy Holiday card ordering site. I chose something that I like—- you’ll have to decide if you want to do “Christmas” or “Holiday…I usually do “Holiday” just in case it doesn’t make it by Christmas and also because you never know what your homeowner thinks of Christmas. “Holiday” is certainly more homogenous.
Order the cards for everyone you’ve ever worked for. All your suppliers…People that you want to work for…let’s say, 50 card, 50 envelopes.
Order return labels with your logo on them.
I order Avery 18262 labels and use the Avery 5162 word template…on that template I type in all of my customer addresses. Save this in a file on your computer for future usage and add to the label files every year, all your new customers.
Get 50 (or however many you need) Christmas themed stamps.
Put the Christmas cards in the envelopes, personalizing them with written thanks and messages (if you want) seal the envelope, put your return address on it…your printed customer address and your stamp.
This usually takes me about 2 hours every year for 100.
The first week in December, I go to the post office and put these cards in the outbound box.
I’ll tell you guys, this is usually my PROUDEST MOMENT of the year!
My company made it ANOTHER YEAR! We are still here!
I know 5% of remodeling businesses are doing stuff like this. It shows appreciation for the support of my customers…it shows them that we are DIFFERENT and that we CARE.
Even if they don’t bring us on for more work…It humanizes me and let’s them know that their support is APPRECIATED.
I recommend that you guys send out Holiday cards---I do Christmas, end of the year cards…Maybe try THANKSGIVING! That would be an UNCOMMON card to receive in the mail! Receiving physical mail is still exciting and nostalgic for people and I personally still get excited to receive mail.
Yup, some of these cards will go straight in the trash. Facts. BUT a couple of them will remind your past customer that they’ve been thinking about needing some painting, or drywall, or siding, or tile…
On top of that…it may just put a smile on your customer’s face that they made the right decision in hiring you all those years ago!
Why you should Train your homeowner.
I heard an interesting term this week that started me thinking:
DESIGN CONTROL.
Design control is extremely important in what we do because the design impacts the overall finish and performance of whatever we are building.
As tilers, we’ve all worked for builders or designers.
The main problem I’ve noticed working for these folks is that when I show up to start tiling, often, what they want doesn’t work IN PRACTICE.
That 50% offset with a cupped tile, that marble in the shower floor that we know won’t work out…that fake cementitious stone on the back wall of the shower…
That piece of crap MOSAIC TILE, those terrible plumbing fixtures installed incorrectly, that TILE BULLNOSE, terrible framing, lack of flatness, every variety of F UPs that screws over the tile installer and makes us lose time and money ----all the AVOIDABLE events and practices that make us CRAZY…
As a tiler, you know what I’m talking about.
We show up and “everything is ready” …we know, based on our experience ---that these are HORRIBLE finishes in a bathroom and they’ll have bad results.
I used to think to myself…”Did no one ADVISE these homeowners as to the best, most functional, lowest maintenance, best looking option? Where did these people get this bad idea? Should I go upstairs and find the homeowner and talk them out of this? Should I walk off the job? Should I call the builder? Why did no one talk to me? Are these people QUALIFIED to run a project?”
Here’s the problem:
THE PERSON BEST SUITED TO ADVISE THE HOMEOWNER, DID NOT HAVE “DESIGN CONTROL.”
This is why we work for ourselves ----and as tilers, we’ve formed our own remodeling business that handles all aspects of the bathroom remodel or tile work generally.
Because WE are best suited to advise these homeowners.
Not the designer girl who thinks it “looks pretty” Not the “yes man” middleman builder guy. Not the $15 dollar an hour guy at Home Depot…not HGTV----US. The people with the training, the people who are installing the material, the people who have the homeowners’ best interest in mind.
When MIKE HOLMES FROM THAT “BUILD IT RIGHT” show does work for people, do you think they QUESTION HIM or try to ruthlessly cut down his fees? OF COURSE NOT! He’s the expert and probably someone they already TRUST.
We’re not selling tile; we’re selling an overall finished product. We want our finished product to LOOK GREAT, TO FUNCTION as it should with LOW MAINTENANCE and to also last a LONG, LONG TIME.
We’re not looking for a CHECK, we’re looking to serve our people and protect their interests---that they might not know they even have.
I’ve found over the years that becoming the EXPERT and TRAINING our homeowner FROM THE START---is the best way to have DESIGN CONTROL.
WHY DO WE TRAIN OUR CUSTOMERS???
· We want them to be on board with our work habits. When do we work? When do we show up and leave.
· How do we expect to be paid and when?
· What does our tile work look like and what makes it better and therefore, worth more money?
· We want them to know how the project is going to progress. We want them bought into OUR process.
· We can train them to believe that what is BEHIND the TILE is TRULY most IMPORTANT!
Training your customer for design control is also MOST PROFITABLE.
I’ve lost tons of money and had lots of down time because I’ve had to switch material on the fly, or I’ve had to change plans because most builders and homeowners DON’T KNOW ANY BETTER.
That’s what we’re trying to avoid----- with CONTENT.
We’re making CONTENT so that we are the first MENTAL INPUT a homeowner sees.
One evening, the husband and wife decide they want to remodel their bathroom. They start GOOGLING.
What happens---they stumble on YOUR CONTENT. Your worldview, your building practices, your product and service are THE FIRST THING THEY SEE.
At that point, you are their FIRST INFLUENCE. YOU ARE AN INFLUENCER.
They read your blog…they see how you do things; they watch your EDUCATIONAL MATERIAL and learn WHY you do things…
Okay, they get offline, and they start shopping for tile…That salesperson at the tile store doesn’t have the SAME INFLUENCE they would otherwise, if they hadn’t seen your content.
They now have a trusted expert in their corner. Simply because they stumbled upon your content early on in their “design process”.
Americans naturally trust the SCREENS in their life. THAT’S why we make content. That’s why even with a small audience, real content has a great deal of POWER over a person’s mentality.
Now, imagine your content is locally SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZED and that homeowner who was Googling can call you and talk to you…you’re the guy from the YouTube or IG video…and they’re ACTUALLY TALKING TO YOU….Imagine the INFLUENCE you now have.
Wow, decisions are made easier…the distrust is gone…They know WHO and WHAT they’re going to get.
I’m sick and tired of people who KNOW what’s going on, being the LAST person consulted---the LEAST trusted.
Nothing worse than dealing with a homeowner WHO THINK they know how things go because they’ve already been TRAINED--- by someone else.
The “yes man” is training the customer to be a pain in the butt.
YOU, YOU, YOU want to train your homeowner FIRST AND FOREMOST. You want to be the FIRST person they see…the one who makes the most sense…the one who points out PROBLEMS THEY DIDN’T know they HAD.
We do this by becoming a small scale (or large if you’re good enough) internet influencer. A CONTENT CREATOR. Instead of a content CONSUMER.
The people who care about HOW things are built…the CURIOUS ONES pay more and are EASIER TO WORK WITH.
They value your input and allow you to build YOUR consistent finished product. There’s no convincing, they trust you to do the right thing.
Be TOP of mind, Be FIRST to influence---don’t be the tiler that depends on the builder who knows JACK DIDDLY ---to train your customer. Don’t depend on others to train your customer.
WE need to be the first to INFLUENCE and ADVISE our customers.
STEP UP TO THE PLATE and do it YOURSELF. Do it BETTER than the DESIGNER AND THE BUILDER and TAKE THEIR CUT OF THE MONEY--- OFF THE TABLE.
THIS is why EDUCATIONAL, online, contractor content is so IMPORTANT ---we get to INFLUENCE FIRST and we EARN THE RIGHT TO DESIGN CONTROL, which makes us more money and makes our lives easier! ADDED BONUS: THE HOMEOWNER IS WAY MORE HAPPY TOO.
Online marketing- Like brushing your teeth!
Your online marketing routine should be like brushing your teeth.
Every day, sometimes twice!
If you’re not brushing your teeth every day, quit reading and go do that!
I digress!
REPETITION. Like shooting a free throw or a jump shot…it takes regularity to become an expert and see results.
Like so many other things in life, CONSISTENCY is key to online marketing. There is no rule about how many times you post! On social media, Google, your website…Keeping the content fresh and new allows for the customers to see that you are an active business.
We keep fresh, interesting, entertaining, educational content constantly cycling through our online platforms and slowly (or quickly) build a follower count.
This group of people that follow you may not be buyers TODAY, but being regularly reminded of your existence and being “top of mind” will often inspire them to work with YOUR business when there are many other options available.
That is the beauty of online marketing.
Potential customers go on Facebook, Instagram and other social media outlets daily and we’d like them to see our content when they are ready to buy.
Customers see your content regularly, you become the trusted expert. That leads to a much easier sale because the viewer is “pre-sold”. They know who you are and what you do…they have a good idea of what they’ll get. That adds another layer of security and trust.
Imagine meeting a prospect who has been watching you for years, doesn’t need a sales pitch ---they just want you to come to work and they easily hand you a check!
That’s the power of online content consistency.
We also stay consistent because we are building HISTORICAL DOCUMENTATION. An ONLINE JOURNAL documenting everything our companies have been doing over the passage of time. Imagine two companies, side by side…one has built up their online footprint. Their “online journal” is PACKED with content…the other…has nothing.
Which one is more valuable? We’re making our companies more valuable and more legitimate by building a massive online footprint. The public knows who we are and what they will get.
Say it with me…CREDIBILITY.
Regular online posting adds credibility because you are the type of person that sticks to things. You’re the type of person that, rain or shine, good days/bad days…you’re posting to promote your business and educate the public.
You’re also providing a SERVICE to the public by posting educational content to compare to other outfits in the market. A company that provides educational and informational content is a SERVICE to the public.
You’re a homeowner searching for a bathroom remodeler. You know NOTHING about bathroom remodeling…it’s a reality that there are dishonest businesspeople out there. You watch informational content online and because of that content you are armed with knowledge, so you don’t get ripped off by a bad business.
THAT is a SERVICE to the public.
So, what are examples of online posts that we can regularly make?
· Photos
· Videos
· Infographics
· Blog posts
· Advertisements
· Testimonials
· Inspirational quotes
· Memes
Where can we post our content?
· Our website
· Our Google business profile
· Our blog
· YouTube
· Tik-Tok
· Linked In
· Next Door
What do we post about? Where do we find the IDEAS?
If one is not a naturally “creative” person, this question is a challenge, but let’s be realistic—if you do a thing, you can always put a camera on a tripod and take a picture or a video of what you’re doing. This is the simplest form of content.
Take the picture or video and write an ad based on the picture or video. Then you may ask, where do I get the idea for the ad?
The easiest place is to figure out who you want to work for and speak to that specific client’s needs. You have an idea of what people complain about---bad work, things breaking, unreliable people---create your ads to counter those thoughts.
I like to keep a business book handy where I can get fresh ideas when crafting ads. Any sales or marketing book is PACKED with different topics to talk about to attract your ideal client. Put that couple sentences of text under a photo you or your work…DONE.
With any piece of content ALWAYS have a call to action:
“Visit my website.”
“Give me a call.”
“Look forward to hearing from you.”
Be sure to have your business logo embedded on the photo so it’s RECOGNIZABLE amongst a SEA of other photos and videos online. In a perfect world---your logo will have
· What you do.
· Where you’re located.
· Your website or phone number.
These items would preferably be PROMONENT on the logo, so they are easily seen when people stumble across your online content. We want to make it easy for people to see us and contact us.
“Oh, this company is local to me, I’ll give them a call.”
“Oh this company does what I need, I’ll call them.”
So, imagine…EVERY DAY---EVERY OTHER DAY---posting to the internet. Without faltering or failing. Simple content, complex content---CONSISTENCY IS KEY. People are reminded and your company is TOP OF MIND.
You’re also getting valuable practice in content creation. Don’t pay somebody else to do this when it’s something you can make a habit of and gain a skill.
Another thing to keep in mind is that all of these online platforms Google and all the social media platforms---they like when you USE their platforms. They will promote the user accounts that are regularly utilizing their platforms.
“Posting and ghosting” does not work. INTERACT with any account that INTERACTS with you. Follow accounts within your niche and interact in the comment section, if you’re using social media for promotion!
Most importantly, again, keep your online content fresh and interesting. Be active and provide value through your online presence. This will build credibility, which will help more people and make you more money.
There are many SKILLS that need to be developed to be able to build the content to post consistently.
· Photography
· Video editing
· Copywriting
· Social media management
· Graphic Design
· Blogging
· Website building
Every social media platform has an essential knowledge base and every skill listed is a RABBIT HOLE of education. We don’t need to be EXPERTS at any one thing, we simply have to have a “Talent Stack”.
A talent stack is a concept created by the Dilbert cartoonist Scott Adams. It’s the idea that you can combine normal skills until you have the right kind to be extraordinary. Get “just good enough” at a lot of different things to become a force, overall. We don’t have to be experts at graphic design or web site building, but we want just enough competence in those things to make it work for us.
REMEMBER:
You are a MARKETER now. Not just a laborer or a skilled tradesman, but a marketer.
Instead of spending your time DOOM SCROLLING, CREEPING ON THE EX-GIRLFRIEND, CHECKING IN ON THE NEWS, GAMING, LOOKING AT ALL THE THIRST TRAPS, SHOPPING..
Whatever you do to WASTE time online…
Now you put that time into building your business, the operation that MAKES YOU MONEY.
It’s a complete MENTALITY SHIFT, but you are a BUSINESSMAN now. This is what we do. We attract the people we want to work for and close business with them FOR MONEY---repeatedly.
Post and repeat.
The Gated Community
I shouldn’t have to tell you: YOU DON’T WANT TO WORK FOR EVERYONE.
My technique for marketing and sales is not casting a wide net and catching any “fish”.
I want to teach you to be very selective about the “fish” we catch. One hook, one fish. The biggest, TASTIEST fish!
These stories are quite common in construction---“Man, that customer was such a pain in the butt! Constantly nit picking my work, late on payments, just a real pain!”
We often find homeowners with a MENTALITY that is CORRUPTED.
Corrupted by bad experiences with past contractors, corrupted by Mom or Dad, corrupted by a horrific motorcycle accident, burned by men, cut off in traffic by a man with a truck and tools in the back. DOES NOT MATTER!
They think contractors are out to stiff them, constantly looking for “the deal”, they act as slave drivers…just an overall bad attitude.
If you’ve been in business long enough, you know the type!
Don’t be surprised when I tell you, WE WANT TO AVOID THOSE PEOPLE. You DO NOT have to work for anyone and everyone that calls you!
We want to treat our businesses as a GATED COMMUNITY.
Gated communities put up that big, fancy gate in front as a way to exclude the riffraff and the troublemakers. They have a security house in front to protect against THIEVES, SOLICITORS---bad people that would harm the people INSIDE the gate, behind the walls.
My proposal is that you treat your BUSINESS like a GATED COMMUNITY!
I support your business being EXCLUSIVE not INCLUSIVE.
Why wouldn’t you protect your mental, emotional, spiritual and physical state from bad actors in the open market? People that will keep you up at night. Customers that will run you ragged and not allow you to run your style of business. Customers that don’t APPRECIATE you.
People that want an ASYMETRICAL RELATIONSHIP with the people that work at their property. They want to be the boss barking orders while the tradesman is LUCKY to have a job! The type of folks that will have their contractor walking on eggshells.
You don’t want to work for EVERYONE.
Mostly, you want to find and identify the customers with the right MENTALITY. A mentality that allows you to run a proper business, to work in a healthy way, to get paid a family wage, to get paid profit, to use the best material, to build to last, to take your time. A mentality of APPRECIATION, UNDERSTANDING and DIGNITY.
They’re out there!
So, how do we turn our businesses into a GATED COMMUNITY?
First and foremost---we have HOOPS for new prospects to jump through.
“So, Ben, you say you want me to make it HARD for a new prospect to hire me?”
No, not necessarily. I want you to put up BARRIERS FOR ENTRY into your business circle. This is part of the INTERVIEW PROCESS that you’ll put your potential customer through. They’re no longer interviewing YOU; YOU’RE INTERVIEWING THEM! Because they are lucky to have YOU. A competent, hardworking, trustworthy, great businessman that has their best interest in mind!
So, let’s implement a step-by-step process for onboarding new clients and treating your company like a GATED COMMUNITY:
· Voicemail only phone line: Many coaches will advise that you pick up every phone call as soon as it comes in. That method is a good way to get hooked up with the worst kind of customers. The kind of customer with a high time preference,(I want it NOW) the kind of customer that is used to BULLYING the people that work for them.
No, no, no. We set up a voice mail line with a pleasant, short message---advising that you are working in the field and that you need them to leave some simple information. That you will call them back within 24 hours to discuss the project.
This voicemail line does not go to your PERSONAL cell phone, maybe use a Google voice number (free) I’ve used Grasshopper as well that has a few added features like automatic texting that I find helpful. What’s worse than being called by strangers off the internet when you’re doing something else like working on a project or spending time with your family?
Any customer that is serious about having YOU work for them, because they’ve been pre sold by your online marketing or they received a really good referral ---will gladly leave a message and wait…if they have such a high time preference, you know---the “I need to have it RIGHT NOW” type of person…If the potential lead is this type of person..YOU DON’T WANT TO WORK FOR THEM ANYWAY and guess what, YOUR GATE WORKED!
Re-read my chapter on sales qualification questions because once you hear the voicemail, you will determine a time when you can sit down, feeling your best, in a quiet environment to put them through your initial sales qualification process…and if all goes well, to make an appointment. You’re not doing this with tools going off in the background, your not doing this with your children screaming in the back ground…you set aside a specific time to do your callbacks.
· An online form for new prospects: The best customers will always fill out a well thought out online form. They will give you all the information you need to sell the job to them in the online form---you can frame your conversation with them based on the information they gave you in the form. If they tell you they want tidy, clean workers in the form….talk to them about a situation where a past customer praised you on the cleanliness of your jobsite…CRAFT you sales presentation based on what they’ve told you on the form.
The type of homeowner that fills out an online form is usually going to be people that don’t want to waste time with the traditional manner of doing business and finding a contractor.
It actually works great for them, because it allows them to gather their thoughts on the project in a way that many other companies will not have them compile.
Your form will have a spot for them to put their physical address, so you can google it and find their home value. You’ll know if they can afford your services based on their address.
It will have a place for when they want the job completed, so you’ll know if timeframe will be a problem.
It will ask them what they’re looking for in a contractor…so if they say “FAST AND CHEAP” you’ll know that’s not the customer for you, for example.
It’ll have a place for their BUDGET---so you can talk frankly and upfront about that…
It will also have a place PICTURES…so you can talk to them on the first phone call about what issues you see. Being able to see pictures streamlines the onboarding process, massively!
Every advertisement you make will have a call to action directing them to fill out the online form…your website will re-enforce that you want them to fill out the form…
Your GATED COMMUNITY requires new prospects to FILL OUT A FORM so you can make a quick assessment as to whether you can help them.
· Use a consultation fee for in home estimates
This is the most difficult thing to stick to. Fees for in home estimates are extremely uncommon in most markets.
I don’t need to tell you that every in home estimate, costs your company money.
Often a significant amount of money. If you’re an owner operator, you usually have to drop what you’re doing that actually makes money, to go see something that has the POTENTIAL to make money…
Your time is valuable and if we’re talking about keeping the riff-raff away, the people who don’t or won’t pay---a consultation fee is a sure way to do it.
It can be called a “Pre- construction services fee” a “design fee” there are many ways to do this, but the key is to load up value on even TALKING to you, because you are that much of an expert.
If you’re serious about preserving your time and treating your business like a gated community, the consultation is like the guard at the gate house!
· Clearly state WHO you’re wanting to work for in your marketing. Every company has a mission statement. Yours should be one that NAMES the exact CHARACTER of the person you want to work with.
“If you care about HOW your project is built, we want to work with you”
People that have that character know what that means when they read it! The ones that don’t will generally eliminate themselves and not call. That’s what we want.
In all your video content and advertising, you’re baiting your hook in a specific way to attract the fish you want and scare away the ones you don’t.
Make your content so REPULSIVE to people with a bad mentality, they don’t even bother you.
Sometimes that is as easy as putting your “brand” on every picture…A certain type of person will look at that and think “too expensive” and move on!
It’s a sad state of affairs, but “being professional” will discourage the riff-raff.
Every ad, I want you to ask yourself WHO IS THIS FOR?
· Be the highest price in your market. In order to have the highest price, for fairness sake --you have to have an excellent product and service. You screw over the whole industry if you charge high prices and people aren’t happy with you and what you’re doing.
My experience has been that the CHEAPEST PEOPLE are the hardest to work with.
The people that PAY THE MOST---if you can deliver on your promises---are going to be the best customers you’re ever going to have.
People that pay more value their contractors more, because there is a LARGE NUMBER attached to what the contractor is doing.
Yes, you want people with CHEAP MENTALITY scoffing at your price. You PROBABLY just avoided a PROBLEM. “You think I’m too expensive? Good, I think you’re too cheap.”
Part of treating your business as a gated community means you chase off CHEAP people--- with your high prices. You actually value yourself and your business—you know it helps the people you interact with—you respect yourself…your high prices are worth it. Your SANITY is worth it. The business you’ve worked so hard to build…IS WORTH IT!
It's FANTASTIC to be seen as the “expensive” company, because cheap people will not call you, wasting your time trying to figure that out!
I want you to remember, this technique I’m mentioning is going to require that you have A LOT OF LEADS COMING IN and that you also have a surplus of work…it is EXTREMELY DIFFICULT to do this technique and be DESPERATE for work.
You will find that the hardest thing for you to do is STICK TO YOUR PROCESS when things slow down a bit.
PUBLIC ONLINE CONTRACTOR CONTENT, quality work and good service will build your business to the point where you have CHOICE in who you’re working for. That’s what we want.
We have to, have to, have to keep the riff raff, the trouble makers AWAY from our businesses. Even when we CAN service these people, it’s not worth the chance. People with a screw loose need to be kept away from our precious businesses that we’ve worked so hard to build!