The Problem with Promises

We've all experienced that client or customer who tells you they're going to give you a job ... or maybe the next one.

The problem is that too many business owners start seeing the money as theirs, like they already have it in their hands.

 Even worse, some in spite of not having it but believing it is theirs, start spending it.

 They call it "gearing up" for the promised work.

 The truth is, until you have actually got the money in your hands, you don't have it!

I run into this quite often with owners of construction companies. Someone promised them the work, got them all involved, suck all their good ideas out of their minds, and move on to someone else.

These so-called prospective customers are bottom-feeders. You need to figure out their approach and avoid them like the plague, or develop a system to stop their flagrant use of your precious time.

I suggest entering into a limited contract to hire you as their consultant. You can also start making them pay for your estimate. To sweeten the pot, offer to credit it off of your contract for the work.

Whatever you do, stop spending money you haven't earned yet.

What is the value of this for you?

Have you ever felt your business should be doing better, but it is not?

 

Have you ever felt you should have a better handle on your business, but you don't know how?

 

Have you ever felt that your business is consuming your life, taking you away from your family and things you enjoy, but you don't know how to take back control over it?

 

I think we can all agree that owning a business is not easy, and sometimes it is overwhelming. Especially when you don't have someone to turn to.

 

And that brings us to the next question. Why can't you do this on your own?

 

Each of us deal in some manner with the same business problems, but each of us interacts with them in a world of our own making, a world that is a function of our beliefs. Some owners feel that they are in a world which they are the center of it. Some believe that life is difficult, and in which 'obstacles' keep you from getting what you want. In some people's reality, this is the way the world really is, so all your choices and possibilities are affected by "your" world.

 

However, this is not true. Let me explain.

 

The world around us is what matters, not the world the person has created in their minds and belief system. It is the world around us that holds unlimited possibilities. And ... it is not holding anything back, it is the person's knowledge, mindset, and belief system of their world that is doing that. I call it self-sabotage.

 

Therefore ....

 

Because your world view is a function of your mind and your beliefs, changing that world view, how you 'commonly' approach or lack of, opens the countless possibilities to you, that didn't exist for you before.

 

But understand this.

 

I’m not just talking about self-esteem type beliefs, I’m talking about beliefs that consist of assumptions about what can and can’t be done in the world, and how to go about doing it.

 

That is where business-building coaching can help you tremendously. It shows you a better way to run your business. It helps you develop the knowledge that improves your performance. It uncovers and corrects the things that are being done incorrectly. It provides you with the specialized knowledge you haven't acquired yet, and sometimes the main value of having a trusted advisor to point you in the right direction.

 

What you are getting is the mindset or world view you haven't mastered because you can't see it from your world view. Coaches see your business from the outside looking in. Having a coach brings a better insight into your business. Having a coach will automatically open up to you the correct way to elevate the success of your business. So ultimately the most important thing coaching can do is not merely point out opportunities you can’t see because of your different worldview, but help you change your own mindset, knowledge and approach so you can attain them.

 

Remember ...

 

I help business owners who are spending too much time at work to clarify & prioritize their focus so that they can make more money and work as little as they want.

 

Isn't that what you really want?

 

If you are interested, I have some open slots for four people in my monthly one-on-one coaching program. This gives you a complete analysis of your business, and one weekly call for up to one-hour each week for four weeks, plus unlimited email to work with you in correcting and implementing your business mindset. The cost is $497 for the four week session.

 

Eliminate one or more roadblocks in your business, and it will certainly make this investment trump change.

 

>>>Click here to get your business on the right track now!<<<

This mistake is going to destroy your construction business!

As builders and owners of a construction business, there is one area where you may not only be leaving money on the table, but you may be losing it at an alarming rate. It's at a step in the process you may think you are doing right, but there's a 9 out of 10 chance that you are doing it completely wrong. It could cripple, even destroy, your business in the long run.

The fact is, you aren't calculating your markup properly, and it is killing your margins. It doesn't matter how good of a contractor you are, or how good your builders are - if you aren't properly marking up your work and the supplies it takes to fulfill the jobs, you are going to go broke. If you are making the mistake of assuming you are using the proper markup rates, it's not a matter of IF, it's a matter of WHEN.

Don't fall into the trap of underbidding your work either. Just landing jobs is not going to keep you afloat- in fact, if you aren't selective and honest with your bids, all of that work is just going to bring down your business faster. Builders must properly calculate their markups in order to have margins that cover overhead, your salary, and bring in profit. If you are not accounting for any one of these the right way, you are losing money on every single job.

The problem has been that there was no real, solid, easy to understand information out there to help builders figure out how to properly calculate their markups. All the information is either outdated, vague, or generic - none of which are going to help you with the real costs of your business.

Don't worry anymore, because finally, there is great news for contractors and builders! There's now a resource that will help you leverage the power of a "Reverse Equilibrium Budget" to help you quickly, easily, and properly calculate the real markup rates you need not only to stay afloat, but to profit, and expand.

This resource for builders is called the  Contractor's Markup Guide, and it going to change everything you ever thought about calculating your markups. The guide will show you, in simple terms, several areas where you are leaking money in your business. It covers everything from understanding a little know "Risk Factor" to designing, setting, and tracking an effective budget. The guide will clue you in to something that you are missing in your sales - and you will kick yourself for not knowing this one! - to the single most important element you are missing in calculating your markup correctly; The Contractor's Markup Guide is an in depth instruction that teaches you the ingenious "Reverse Equilibrium" method of markup calculation that will blow your mind - and blow your profits wide open!

The training is complimented by easy to follow and execute spreadsheets to help you quickly calculate the Equilibrium your budget needs, as well as a "Reality Check-in" tabulation sheet that will help you take a hard, honest look at what you've been doing in your business up until now. Packed with simple, 1-2-3 information and a whole slew of bonus tools to help you execute your new markup methods, the Contractor's Markup Guide is exactly what builders need to plug up the hole in their budget, and sail into a sea of success!

The Danger of Doing Nothing

One of the most common obstacles I run into with potential clients that seek my coaching services to help them with their business, is their hesitation to take action.

It is not unusual to see an owner of a contracting business, frozen in their tracks with fear when business takes a turn for the worse. What most do not realize is that due to their lack of mastery of their business skills, their business was doomed before the economy turned on them.

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not implying that all is lost. In fact, my recent review of my coaching clients that came to me six-months ago demonstrated the power of getting help.

Let me explain.

The clients who started with me back then, religiously follow up and implemented the changes I worked with them, have shown HUGE gains. For all practical purposes, I'll focus on the smaller volume clients. Those doing under $200K in Sales in that time period. We made big changes in their pricing model, marketing, business strategy and financial control. All have seen an increase in Sales, been able to take a weekly salary, and showing a Net Profit for the six-months ending in the 21 to 23 percent range. That means around $21,00 or more after paying themselves a reasonable weekly wage. All within six-months!

Yet, many others, due to their lack of taking action, have not been able to achieve similar results, or anything close.

You see, getting help does HELP! Doing nothing, gets you NOTHING!

Getting the right coaching help to improve your business, make money and sell your products or services, is the right thing to do.

Without it, you keep yourself on a path of nothing.

So, instead of doing nothing, or trying to figure out the right strategy when you have no clue what to do, the best strategy is to get expert advice. Advice from someone who has seen your predicament before, and knows the correct path to turn things around.

What you need is the best strategy, that powerful one that layers all the proven strategies one on top of each other in a synergistic model to produce the best result possible for you and your business.

Don't be that frozen deer standing in the road staring into the oncoming lights of the inevitable. Get help now, not later.

Because the outcome of doing nothing is predictable.

Ready to talk? Click on the link below and we'll set up an appointment.

>>>Henry! I'm ready to do something. Let's talk!<<<

The Curse of Delay!

How many of you use the curse of delay to postpone taking action or doing the ‘things’ you know deep in your heart need to be done?

I suspect many of you use it all too frequently. As a matter of fact, it is the most common of human traits. It is also called “Procrastination.”

Maybe it was embedded into your personality as a youngster. Possibly, you learned to do it in your early adulthood. However, as an adult, one with massive responsibilities, it can lead to massive problems.

Understand me, I don’t believe that the ability to delay is something that you were born with. It is a believe system or habit that you allowed to take over your decision-making process.

I use the curse of delay to prolong or control my spending. Especially, with pricey and high-ticket items. I like to sit back and re-think it. It gives me a chance to properly evaluate its needs and to suppress that emotional urge to feel good by purchasing it. I also find that as I am getting older, I use it more often. Maybe I’ve learned a thing or two along the way?

Unfortunately, there are “things” that the curse of delay impacts dramatically in an problematic manner. In business, this can be where you feel its impact financially.

Some people are feeling the lack of sales. From the beginning, I’ve spoken that the one ‘thing’ you don’t want to do is stop your marketing. If sales are lacking, marketing is the business tool that is suppose to generate leads in order that sales can be produced. However, if you have a poor marketing strategy, nothing will help until you improve it.

So what do you do? Do you delay or find out how to improve your marketing? I recommend the later.

It is very much like the financial management of your business. Do you delay finding ways to cut back and survive, or do delay? I saw way too many contractors put the full weight of the curse of delay on this one. The result? Well, they’re gone now.

You see, there are some things you NEVER allow the curse of delay to affect. Improvement is one of them. Whenever you have the opportunity to improve yourself, your business, your future, your relationships, you do not allow curse of delay to stop you. You never allow the excuse of money to stop you. You never allow the alleged lack of time to keep you from improvement.

Remember, improvement come from work. Work comes first. Then reward. It’s not the other way around.

Struggles will always come first. But you must see the work as a way to overcome your struggles. By forcing yourself to implement the work in order to achieve the improvement, you are creating a habit of success.

Try it today. Pick an area or problem in your life or business. Commit to doing the work and making the investment of time and money to overcome it. Mastery takes time. Like anything of value in life, it is worth it, but only if you achieve it.

Why the Future Looks Uncertain

We are hearing a lot of proclamations of a revival in the housing market. The media and Washington seem fixated on trying to hypnotize us that a magical recovery is taking place.

I won’t argue against that, I like you, welcome the increase in sales and work. However, it is too little, too late.

In 2006, I told many that they needed to be careful because the market didn’t make sense. I advised them to keep a toe in it, but to be cautious not to submerge themselves fully in it. Some listened and some didn’t.

I believe we are possibly looking at the same scenario right now, but at a much smaller scale. Right now, investors and the big home builders are fueling the market. Investors alone are pushing pricing by over-paying as much as 30% Rental properties are showing strong positive cash flows. However, other factors need to be considered for the overall, long-term BIG picture.

A slowdown in demand for aluminum is viewed as a precursor for slowing economic activity, much like copper and lumber, and so weakness here confirms other indications of a slowing global economy.

For the week, economic news was mixed as the Case/Shiller Home Price Index showed a strong updraft in housing prices with a gain of 10.9 percent year-over-year. Three other closely watched economic reports also posted positive numbers with consumer confidence and sentiment rising in May and the Chicago PMI registering 58.7. Bad news came from pending home sales, which missed expectations, and consumer spending and income, which were both weak and below expectations and reflected a consumer pulling back on spending while incomes remain flat.

The unchanging numbers of unemployed Americans coupled with a downgrade in consumer headwinds will add significantly to the U.S. economy. Initial jobless claims spiked higher on Thursday to 354,000 on expectations of 341,000 and the revised GDP report showed the U.S. economy limping along at 2.4 percent, well below normal recoveries and below expectations for Q1.

One last Coup de Gras and the biggest news is the sharp rise in interest rates. A 30 year fix is posting at 4.10% as of Monday morning. So the temptation for higher interest rates is showing its hand. This will be the significant game changer for our economy. I believe the Feds printing of easy money which has already created previous bubbles or contributed to them, could easily deflate any resurgence in the real estate market. So we have a wait and see situation.

Here is the outlook I see. The economy is your marketplace. Go for sales that are going to make you money. Use that money to pay off debt and build cash reserves. Since normalcy is not the norm, any other thought would be the equivalent of committing Hari Kari.