This is probably the most popular reason. In some way, shape, or form, you are sick of the competition beating you to the punch. Here's a scenario for roofing contractors that go door-to-door. You show up to a neighborhood thinking you are about to score. There's a ton of damage, hail, or wind, or whatever. You get out there and there are signs everywhere. Somehow, the competition has beat you to that street and they ravished it. I mean, it is like a slam dunk for them. Has that ever happened to you in your experience? How awful does that feel? Especially if it happens over and over again. At first you’re like, “OK, you win some, you lose some. I have streets like this for other competitors. This is how it goes.” But, on the flipside, if you see that emerge as a pattern, especially in your own backyard, it can be very, very frustrating. Right?
There are a lot of people who would love to pump a lot of time and energy into figuring out how to build and scale an impressive D2D sales force, right? But in reality, many of you don’t know where to start. You’re thinking, “I don't know who to talk to to actually do that and I'm feeling pretty unsure.”
Sometimes you can't really put your finger on it, but you're like, “man! The industry seems to be leaving me a little bit behind every day. I don't know what I'm not doing. I don't know what I don't know but I sense everyone else is speeding up and I don't feel that with me and my business.” You feel like you are doing everything you can think of yet your competitors are being more successful. You want to know, what are their sales reps doing that your sales reps are not doing? How do you identify those things?
You're here today because you're hungry. You're starving. You want to dominate and it's not any of these other reasons. You just have a massive, massive vision. Am I right? Awesome. I’m a psychic. Are there any other reasons that you are here? I would love to know if there are. Take a moment and tell me in the comments section below. So, as I lead into this next part, I want to pose the notion that stasis is an illusion.
There is only evolution or devolution, growth or regression. There is no cruise control. So often in this industry, contractors think, “hey, yeah! I've been doing 5MM every year for five years. I am killing it. I'm doing well. I’m obviously not messing the business up. It's not failing. I've been consistent. No, I'm not leaning forward in the saddle, not necessarily getting after it as much as I know I could be. But, I feel good about the 5MM a year. I have proven success year in and year out.” Okay but, unfortunately, that is not sustainable and that is not a good business mindset to have. It’s not good business IQ. By comparison, if the industry is moving forward little by little every day and you're not moving, then your stagnation is more like taking a little step back. By not implementing, innovating, or doing anything new, you're taking a little step back. If you are feeling good in your stasis, recognize that it is an illusion. My hope is to push you out of your stasis where you start to lean forward in the saddle again. I want you to get excited about how to innovate and re-energize your business with some practical steps. So, please do not fall into this trap. Now, since you're here, I would wager that maybe you don't feel this way or you sense that you've been stagnant long enough and it's time to shake it up.
Sometimes, ownership shows up to trade shows, seminars, and industry events because they think that if they show, via some action, that they take this seriously and that they take their business seriously, the fruits will start to come simply by showing up and going through the motions. They go to a roofing event here, a conference there and yet, they only want to want it. Do a self-audit right now. Really ask yourself, “do I want it?” Meaning, you are going to be open-minded and you are actually at the point emotionally, mentally, and financially to implement change. Are you actually ready or do you only want to want it? Together, today, let's push past this threshold, which means creating action plans and action items that you're going to implement from today. Otherwise, this is all just beautiful rhetoric and you're not going to advance. Get ready and be willing to put in the work and plan to follow up. If you don’t, perhaps you’re just not ready.
This article is an excerpt from Part 2 of the live presentation with Jake Bennington at Win the Storm 2021. Watch the full presentation by clicking on the button below.
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