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Every four years we see the ultimate triumph of athletes who become the best in the world at the summer Olympics. They defy odds, persevere against hope, and break records to win the gold medal to be crowned champion. We see a brief glimpse of the race, sometimes lasting but a few seconds. But what Read more

Every four years we see the ultimate triumph of athletes who become the best in the world at the summer Olympics. They defy odds, persevere against hope, and break records to win the gold medal to be crowned champion. We see a brief glimpse of the race, sometimes lasting but a few seconds. But what we don’t see is what counts. It’s the four years “before” the Olympics that really set the stage for winning. It is no different for contractors in the plumbing trades.

Olympic athletes spend endless hours every day practicing and perfecting their skills. They set very specific goals, make a plan, dedicate themselves to do it, and then put that plan into action with all their heart. Whether an athlete or a business owner of a plumbing company, it’s the process before winning that’s the key. In addition, past failures and circumstances can stay in the past to press forward toward the mark of achieving your goals. We can take a look at the Olympics in Rio for some great lessons.

The first is from the fastest man in Rugby, American, Carlin Isles.   He begins and interview with a reporter and says, “I should not be here”. He remembers his mom getting hauled away for repeated drug busts and was placed in a temporary foster home when he was 8. He could not read, write or even do basic math. He started playing football at the age of 8 and quickly noticed a talent for both football and track. At the age of 21, Carlin moved to Aspen, Colorado to play Rugby and put all his eggs into this one basket with no money, no parents, and put it all on the line.

He remembered a preacher had once told him, “What God puts in your heart, he will equip you to do.” This message clicked when he played Rugby. He runs the 40 yard dash in 4.22 seconds and is billed the fastest man in Rugby. In addition to constant training, you need some financial help for the Olympics however. A gym owner in Canton Ohio heard of him, sponsored his private training, and even bought him a car. The gym owner, Chris Maggiore said he believed in him, and feels like he is a good judge of character. Carlin Isles dedicated himself and found a way to make it to achieve his goal of playing on the US Rugby team.

Gabby Douglas is a famous Olympic Gymnast. She won gold in 2012, and another in 2016 for the women’s team all-around. Her early life was very tough as her family was homeless and living out of a van for almost a year after she was born. They soon moved in with relatives but her father left the family soon after. She and her three siblings were raised by her mom and it was one of the roughest times in her life.

When she was 14, she moved away from friends and family in Virginia Beach, VA. to learn gymnastics in Iowa under the direction of Liang Chow. He is very demanding, but fair, and had this to say about Gabby. “Every athlete has strengths and weaknesses, but the purpose must be there. I can see the ones who have mental toughness and determination and they stand out. Facing tough times may have helped her performance on the gym floor”, said Chow. It can be harder for someone to stay at the top of their game when winning is always effortless, never experiencing disappointment or difficulty. Gabby had the determination to dedicate herself to achieve her goals and held steadfast. She didn’t win a gold after 6 months or a year of training, it took a full four years of hard work most are not willing to do. There are others with great skill like Gabby, but they don’t have the purpose and dedication to continue working diligently day after day for years.

This does not come with trials however. And often there comes a gut-check moment to stay the course or retreat. Just two weeks before the 2012 Olympics, Gabby told her mom she wanted to quit gymnastics. She had moved to Iowa for over two years, was homesick, and ready to move back. She told her mom she could work at Chick-fil-A and run track on a city team. During this emotional trial, it took several mother-daughter talks and determined to stay the course. She has been rewarded with Olympic gold two Olympics in a row. Plumbing Contractors run into this same scenario, stay the course, or retreat while you have a chance because it’s difficult and your reward is not in your hands yet.

Now not every battle or event is won. All the dedication and training comes with zero guaranties. But more often than not, you will come out near or on top. In the 2012 Olympics, Missy Franklin won 4 out of 5 possible gold medals. In the 2016 Olympics in Rio, she finished near last in the 200 meter freestyle and didn’t even qualify for the finals of the 200 meter backstroke event she won 4 years ago. She met a reporter after the race and was asked how she felt. She was disappointed but shared this wisdom. She is a young woman who swims, but swimming does not define her. She also said she had to stay focused for the next race in two days. Franklin said, “It’s incredibly frustrating, I need to keep my head up and I need to keep fighting, and that’s what I’m going to do.” She did win gold in the 4 x 200 meter freestyle relay with her US swimming team. When a contractor works hard and you follow your plans diligently to achieve your goals, even as a business owner, eventually you’re going to win.

And how could Michael Phelps, the most decorated swimmer in history not be mentioned. He lost to Chad Le Clos in 2012 in the 200 meter Butterfly. Here in 2016, they were both in the ready room with Le Clos shadow boxing right in front of Phelps, who ignores him. Phelps stayed the course even under intimidation and persevered by winning yet another gold. One photo shows Le Clos next to Phelps, looking at him as he cruises ahead to win. Michael Phelps put it all on the line and went all in without a guaranty of winning, knowing what could be said and written about him if he lost to LeClos again, even with all his other triumphs. How often most of us back down in in our business lives under such pressure.

What messages can we get from these stories? It doesn’t matter what has happened in your past business adventures or failures, you can still triumph over what seems to be impossible odds. It takes determination and guts to do what needs to be done when life and business is extremely difficult, especially when it gets close to making perhaps the final big decision that once put in motion, can’t be stopped. It takes a strong commitment to succeed, knowing you win some and may lose some. But without the goal setting, planning, and the many days of hard work, you never win. As they say in poker, sometimes you just have to go all in.

Finally, no one said it would be easy. We may have to make sacrifices and sometimes the cost can be great being a successful plumbing contractor. You may not get the gold sometimes like Missy Franklin. But without following through when it’s difficult or you feel intimidate, you certainly will never win like Michael Phelps.

Time is Money: Make the Most of Both with a Building Permit Expediter Whether you’re a seasoned pro in the construction industry or working on your first major project, obtaining the necessary permits can be time-consuming and expensive. All too often, contractors or their employees invest countless hours in municipal buildings submitting the proper documentation Read more

Time is Money: Make the Most of Both with a Building Permit Expediter

Whether you’re a seasoned pro in the construction industry or working on your first major project, obtaining the necessary permits can be time-consuming and expensive. All too often, contractors or their employees invest countless hours in municipal buildings submitting the proper documentation and awaiting confirmation. And in the construction industry, time is money.

While there is no way to avoid the permit issue altogether, there are ways to make the process easier — by utilizing permit expediting services.

“In this industry, we all want to get our permits as fast as possible,” said Marc Remer, president of Construction Service Associates (CSA), a Chicago-based permit expediter. “Our job is to come in and help contractors out by doing what we know best, so they can do what they know best. It makes things easier for everybody.”

Permit expediters are experienced professionals who are well-versed in zoning and other regulatory processes. These “behind-the-scenes” consultants can significantly reduce time and costs to clients by charging per hour or per project, instead of a contractor employing a full-time staff member. Because expediters develop strong working relationships with the right connections at City Hall, their clients’ permits are pushed through as quickly as possible, keeping projects on track.

Plus, contractors no longer have to waste precious time or resources dealing with city traffic when a building expediter oversees the permitting process.

“For the most part, if you have all the paperwork and everything is smooth on that end, most items can be processed in a day or so — but, it can be quite aggravating coming into the city,” Remer said. “Put that burden on us so you don’t have to worry about it.”

Whether commercial or residential, permit expediters have the expertise to assist with every step in the permit process. And, since most projects involve multiple permits, everyone from building owners and developers, to contractors, architects, engineers, real estate management companies and more can benefit from the services these professionals provide.

“The City is always throwing us a curveball — changing this or changing that — so obviously, we have to stay on top of it,” Remer said of rules and regulations.

Although permit expediting services have been available for a number of years, Jay Lyon, executive director of the West Suburban Association of Plumbing Contractors (WSA), recently implemented a partnership with CSA that offers WSA members an exclusive discount on permit expediting.

“Permit expediting is really a pretty big deal,” Lyon said. “Any of our member companies who use CSA’s services will get a 20 percent discount on their expediting fees. If WSA members reach a certain monetary threshold in a calendar year, the discount goes up to 25 percent.”

From hydrant and transportation permits to sewer and repair permits, typical processing fees can range from $175-$950 or more. With the new discount in place, which extends through December 2017, members have the potential to save hundreds of dollars, especially if they currently use an expediter.

The partnership provides WSA member contractors with a convenient end-to-end solution, eliminating the need to send their own valuable staff to City Hall for permit completion.

“WSA looks to be creative in helping the bottom line of our members,” Lyon said. “The idea behind it is that expediters will handle it so your manpower is not taken by someone standing in line.”

For Remer, the opportunity to help new clients in the construction industry is more than a job — it’s a chance to be a small part of the ever-changing landscape of an iconic city.

“It’s really exciting to watch the city get bigger with bigger buildings, outward expansion and high rises,” he said. “It’s definitely a unique area of work here.”

About WSA

In 1933, a group of plumbing contractors from Chicago’s western suburbs joined together to form the West Suburban Association of Plumbing Contractors. Today, more than 80 years later, the association has grown to include Chicagoland’s premier plumbing contractors, with a board offering more than 200 years of combined experience in the industry. The WSA serves its membership by fostering and maintaining a cooperative, collaborative relationship with its union partners.

Patented Flood Buzz™ Pro water leak alarms are the quintessential “pain point” marketing tools.  They will promote your company when the customer needs you most – when they need a contractor to solve their water leak problem.  Once the Flood Buzz™ Pro’s 110 dB alarm sounds, the customer will call your company because your company’s Read more

Patented Flood Buzz™ Pro water leak alarms are the quintessential “pain point” marketing tools.  They will promote your company when the customer needs you most – when they need a contractor to solve their water leak problem.  Once the Flood Buzz™ Pro’s 110 dB alarm sounds, the customer will call your company because your company’s info is right on the Flood Buzz™ Pro.

Place personalized Flood Buzz™ Pros in your customers’ homes – anywhere there is a water connection or leak potential. Flood Buzz™ Pro water leak alarms are your field salespeople, and always on guard for water leaks.  The more Flood Buzz™ Pro units you place, the more service calls you will receive.

www.FloodBuzzPro.com

Two of the biggest challenges facing plumbing contractors today are how to increase customer calls and how to generate customer loyalty. Given all the competition out there, key to achieving these objectives is to be there when the customer needs you – or more significantly, to be there even before the customer knows they need Read more

Two of the biggest challenges facing plumbing contractors today are how to increase customer calls and how to generate customer loyalty. Given all the competition out there, key to achieving these objectives is to be there when the customer needs you – or more significantly, to be there even before the customer knows they need you.

The patented Flood Buzz™ Pro water leak alarm was developed with the contractor in mind. Not only are these effective water leak alarms that sound a loud 110 dB piercing alert when it comes in contact with water, but equally as important, Flood Buzz™ Pro alarms are critical marketing tools for a plumbing contractor’s overall growth strategy.

The Flood Buzz™ Pro is the quintessential “pain point” marketing solution. Flood Buzz™ alarms will promote your company when the customer needs you most – when they have a water leak and need a plumber to solve their potentially damaging and destructive leak problem. Once the Flood Buzz™ Pro’s 110 dB alarm sounds warning of a water leak, the customer will call your company because your company’s info is right on the Flood Buzz™ Pro.

Flood Buzz 2

All this translates into immediate sales. Additionally, your customers will be forever grateful to you for helping them avoid a flood in their homes.

Implementing a Flood Buzz™ marketing strategy is easy. Just place personalized Flood Buzz™ Pros in your customers’ homes – under the sinks, behind toilets, next to boilers – anywhere there is a water connection. In effect, Flood Buzz™ Pro water leak alarms are your field salespeople, and are always on guard for water leaks. The more Flood Buzz™ Pro units you place, the more service calls you will receive.

Additionally, with the introduction of the new Flood Buzz™ Blue — the Flood Buzz™ alarm specifically designed to monitor water heaters for leaks — a contractor will now get more of those profitable water heater replacement calls, before the water heater bursts and causes real damage. Flood Buzz™ Blue will sound a 110 dB warning the instant it senses water leaking into the drip pan from a deteriorating water heater. Like the Flood Buzz™ Pro, you will personalize the Flood Buzz™ Blue with your company’s info and rapidly increase your water heater service calls and sales.

Since Flood Buzz™ water leak alarms have an internal, non-serviceable battery that is good for three years, you will have reason to visit your customers every three years to replace the Flood Buzz™ alarms in their homes or facilities. Once inside the customers’ home, you can be assured of additional work.

Learn more about how to market your business using the Flood Buzz™ line of water leak alarms at www.FloodBuzzPro.com or call us at 1-866 797 6686

About the Author

Josh Scharf is the President of Archetype Ltd., a New Jersey Based marketing and product development firm involved in bringing new and unique products to market.

 

While many contractors make a lot of money in a 4 month period during the summer, is there a chance you could do even better? Perhaps serve the customers better and improve your chances for referrals where there is no competition while earning trust from the consumer? Of course, YES. Here are 10 ways to Read more

While many contractors make a lot of money in a 4 month period during the summer, is there a chance you could do even better? Perhaps serve the customers better and improve your chances for referrals where there is no competition while earning trust from the consumer? Of course, YES.

Here are 10 ways to improve your company performance and keep your sanity during the hot weather.

  1. Listen to your customers. Contractors often get too rushed in summer, realizing there are more customers to see in this time period then a few months ago. When moving too fast, this can cause many to stop or forget to do the very things that made them the kind of company the customer wants to see. Really pay attention to the customer. Listen to their story and don’t jump to conclusions before they finish. Repeat back what they said so you can begin earning their trust because they know you are listening. Then you can fix the problem.
  1. Stay focused. Focus on the customer. Set aside the personal problems as they are not interested in your daughter’s broken arm, for instance. Leave the other customers outside your home, your family issues should not come in the house with you.
  1. Make a good first impression. Yep, gotta get them booties out. I know it takes about 20 seconds to put on the carpet protectors, but it shows respect. Do it every time. And take 2 breath mints before you ring the doorbell. They don’t need to know you had garlic pizza for lunch. If you’re a smoker, at least put some Fabreeze spray on or something to help repel the smoke odor.
  1. Clean shirt. Take a minute to be sure you are not wearing the last dirty service call. If you’re last service call made your shirt dirty, put on another new shirt. Yes, the back up shirt you should keep and always have available in your truck. When you use it, take the soiled shirt out of the truck that evening and get it cleaned. Also, clean up and straighten up that truck. Take 5 minutes at the end of each day to throw out the trash and make sure you have adequate supplies, with a simple quick overview to make sure you are always prepared for upcoming jobs.
  1. Do a complete exam. When you go to the doctor, they take blood pressure, weight, pulse, and more, even when you tell him you have a rash on your arm. They are looking for other problems that may be a factor. We have to have that same attitude as contractors to look the entire system over. You may find a valve that leaks or another issue that, if found, could save your customer lots of money by correcting the problem early.
  1. Quality over quantity. Recently, a contractor in California told me he had a tech who ran 12 calls the day before. Really? In California traffic? I did not ask how many he had to go back on, but when we are rushed, mistakes happen that can cost customers money and ultimately, yor company more future business. So a company may have to tell a customer the reality: to do this job correctly, you will be there tomorrow, or in two days if necessary. Realize the customer doesn’t want to hear this, but the dispatcher has to know there is a physical limit to what the company can do in a given day. This ultimately is good for the customer and your business. Stacking on more calls can weaken your effectiveness and your bottom line.
  1. Start a maintenance agreement program. Yep, start it now! This is especially beneficial when you service HVAC units in addition to plumbing services. When you come upon a nasty problem, tell the customer the truth, they need a precision tune up and professional cleaning. In many cases, the unit has a problem that can be traced back to a lack of maintenance. You can even schedule that tune up for October, when the units are not used as much and it’s a more convenient time for your customer.
  1. Do immediate maintenance on older equipment. If you have a customer contact you that has older equipment, schedule maintenance to be done quickly. Especially before summer for HVAC equipment, before it breaks down. That way you have a better chance to pick up a new customer when the competition can’t get to them.
  1. Develop a “go now” attitude for replacement sales. Some contractors get the information for a quote and then take it back to the office to put together a proposal. Then “tries” to make an appointment to go back to share the numbers. When a call comes in, get to the home now and put together a proposal on the spot. Make it happen. And while you’re in the neighborhood, don’t fax or email a proposal. This stuff is sold face to face where people like to buy from people they like. 7% of communication is words, 38% is tone of voice, and 55% is body language. So you can gain more customers using good body language face to face.
  1. Praise the successes. Publically. Thank the team members who go the extra mile and help a customer in unexpected ways. Correct the mistakes privately. Make sure the team understands you value them.

Although these ideas are simple, they are always good principles for every business and everyone needs a refreshing reminder from time to time.