Coffee and Gossip (Courtesy Ford Harding)

Maybe Bestline Plumbing in Los Angeles won't win web page design awards (neither will I!), but Leonard Megliola is one of my panel of experts that knows his stuff. This "would you marry a plumber" image is from his website. I will meet him tomorrow.

One of the best things about this blog is that it has allowed me to develop relationships with some really competent people. Reflecting my business, I have an interdisciplinary approach. I'm looking forward to rolling up on my rented CBR 600 to meet Leonard Megliola at Bestline Plumbing in Los Angeles tomorrow; equally, I've enjoyed many dialogues with Harvard graduate and rainmaking guru Ford Harding.

If you are intimidated by power, you should read Harding's latest blog entry where he suggests the best way to capture the ideas and minds of CEOs is to have coffee (or maybe network through linkedin.com) with their subordinates.

Great marketers of course learn to relate across cultural, geographical and economic lines to achieve their business objectives. Paradoxically, the best way to succeed is to be yourself and do what you enjoy doing. I'll never be a championship motorcycle racer, but today enjoyed the experience of riding through the Malibu Canyon on a powerful machine that burns $7.50 in premium gas if I use the entire tank. (And yes it is a legitimate business expense as my wife and son will be using the personally-rented car while I am doing business tomorrow -- though I will rebate the cash cost of the rental back to the company as it is unfair to abuse this mixture of business and pleasure.)

Thinking about number one (and having fun, too)

Whenever you are selling or marketing construction-related products and services, you always need to remember that decisions about what and when to buy are made by people, not machines, and they are thinking of their own best interests.

This is basic stuff, of course, but if you are like many people in business, you forget this rule to your risk and peril. Yet, in asking you to think first of your current and potential clients in your marketing, you may be surprised to find that I recommend, instead, that you focus first on your own needs, interests and values.

Simply put, you can give the most and share most freely with others by doing what you enjoy doing the most.

Because you enjoy your work, you are less motivated or worried by the money (or lack of money) in your efforts; so you can sustain them in all economic conditions, and be patient while the results eventually occur. and the people you are working with and helping appreciate your sincerity -- you aren't forcing the issue to be helpful.

How does this work in practice?

Simply determine the two or three interests/activities that give you the most pleasure, and build most of your marketing time and effort around them.

If you are a trades person and really enjoy certain aspects of your work, find a way to give some services to organizations or individuals who could use your support, who would be in our marketing orbit (a condo association, a community-non profit supported by other potential clients, or so on.)

If you really enjoy golfing, connect with the association representing your major clients, and allocate some time for the game with other golfing enthusiasts (among potential clients, of course.)

If you like writing and journalism, start a blog (hey, that's me!)

When you think things through, virtually all marketing wok involving significant time and effort on your part can be adapted to turn the process into pleasurable experiences for you and the people who you help. This is especially effective if you infuse these values throughout your organization and encourage your employees to think the same way. They start coming up with their own ideas which combine making their own work more enjoyable, and reaching out and connecting with current and potential clients. (And since your employees may have different interests, you reach different potential clients.)

In observing these ideas, consider who you would rather do business with: Someone who genuinely, passionately, enjoys their work, and is of generous spirit, or someone pounding the pavements and making cold calls because they have to do this work to survive?

Values, trust and selling technique

This ad is posted on the home page of Doug Hillyard's business in Pennsylvania. Hill rightfully takes me to task on the contractortalk.com forum for taking pot shots at sales trainer and consultant Phil Rea.

Doug Hillyard at American Dream Vinyl Company in Mill Hall, PA, has taken me (rightfully) to tasks for remarks about sales trainer and consultant Phil Rea on the contractortalk.com forum.

You are way off base with your Phil Rea comments. I tend to think that the way you do things in your post are intrusive. Let me ask you: Are you currently operating your own home improvement company?

Or are you just trying to sell articles? Phil Rea would smoke you any time with his material and to boot he wouldn't come on a site like this and start putting down your work. He has entirely too much class for that.

In my area using some of Phil's techniques we have lots of success and I think it was you that said on here about two years ago that it (canvassing) would run its course and make people mad. Well it didn't. Oh sure, there's always the one or two boneheads but most people actually are happy we found them because they didn't know who to call.

Your other ideas for lead sources are good one however they are staples to running and staying in business and nothing new to the way most on this site are already doing.

i guess what I'm saying is like anything else, for some its great for some not, but who are you to judge with your opinion not being fair?

(Editor's note: I modified the grammar here -- writing is my business -- but you wouldn't want me to be selling or installing vinyl siding, which Hillyard's business undoubtedly does very well.)

Hillyard is absolutely correct that I have never met Rea, nor actually tested or evaluated Rea's services. Based on testimonials such as Hillyard's, if you wish to build your business with door-to-door canvassing, you may find value in using Rea, so I provide a link to Rea's website here.

Nevertheless, as I posted in response to Hillyard's observations, some of the business practices recommended by Rea go against my values.

Am I speaking too harshly of someone I know only a little? Trouble is, while I acknowledge canvassing is often effective (and have sought to see first-hand the process), it is against my values. Phil Rea is undoubtedly effective in teaching people how to sell. Maybe this type of in-your-face selling is right for you and your business, but I'd rather develop relationships based on respect and lasting trust.

However, while I may have the right to my opinion that sales techniques where you don't leave cards so people won't know who to call to cancel appointments, or where you push people to canvas door-to-door to win barbeques, or you wear large name badges to build 'trust', are downright destructive in the long term, I don't have the right to slag Rea without knowing him and his approaches better.

My values are that the harder you have to push and sell anything, the more we want to run away. We want to make our own free-will decisions without pressure or intrusion, and when the business respects our time, privacy, and ability to make an informed decision on our own schedule. The "we" here is a family thing -- you'll find similar values are shared by my wife and friends. (And maybe a huge section of the population, reflected by the legislative push for do-not-call legislation and restrictions on canvassing and other forms of cold calling.)

Undoubtedly, intense selling and closing techniques are effective in certain industries and circumstances, but I think where we all want to be is in a place where we can manage the flow of inbound inquiries and referrals where people choose to call or contact us because they think highly of yo business.

You still want to be good at sales -- you don't want your business to be like the store which has beautiful displays but no one to answer your questions or gently nudge you to make the right decision -- but you, if all goes well, want your salespeople to have such respect in the community that they are seen more as friends than sales reps (though they still must make their numbers and achieve real sales results to earn their pay.)

Nevertheless, I've always respected that not everyone needs to share my values to be successful in business -- and it looks like, based on Hillyard's testimonial, and others on Rea's site, that if you want to learn how to knock on doors, he may be able to show you how to do it effectively.

What really motivates?

In a fascinating book, Made To Stick, Chip and Dan Heath test some of our assumptions about communications and marketing. Consider this example:

Imagine that a company offers its employees a $1,000 bonus if they meet certain performance targets. There are three different ways of presenting the bonus to the employees:

1. Think of what the $1,000 means: a down payment on a new car or that new home improvement you've been wanting to make.
2. Think of the increased security of having that $1,000 in your bank account for a rainy day.
3. Think of what the $1,000 means: the company recognizes how important you are to its overall performance. It doesn't spend money for nothing.

When people are asked which positioning would appeal to them personally, most of them say No. 3. It's good for the self-esteem -- and, as for No. 1 and No. 2, isn't it kind of obvious that $1,000 can be spent or saved? most of us have no trouble at all visualizing ourselves spending $1,000. (It's a bit less common to find people who like to visualize themselves saving.)

Here's the twist, though: When people are asked which is the best positioning for other people (not them), they rank No. 1 most fulfilling, followed by No. 2. That is, we are motivated by self-esteem, but others are motivated by down payments. This single insight explains why almost everything about the way incentives are structured in most large organizations.

Let's read between the lines on this one because it may provide some real clues about our marketing effectiveness. If we are offering tangible material benefits, we may think we are motivating others, but are they really motivated by this stuff -- or do they simply want the soft, meaningful, and human recognition you seek, as well? Maybe we could save the $1,000 and do some good with the money.

Corporate Character

I needed an image for this posting, and noticed the graphic on Tim Klabunde's blog. At the SMPS conference in Denver last summer, Tim told me how to find to legal, but inexpensive, artwork -- the online istockphoto.com service. (Guess they should 'pay' me for the marketing plug here, but the service really works well, and is truly inexpensive.)

Tim Klabunde's posting about Corporate Character is worthy your read. Connect it with Seth Godin's blog posting, When You Stand for Something, and you have a package which establishes the linkage of values and ethics with your marketing practices.

Underlying virtually every successful and long-lasting marketing campaign are your real values: How you truly relate within your own business, and with your current and potential clients. If you have a disconnect in these important areas; if you are willing to sell your soul for the "price you need to pay" you will likely fail in the long term; because your inconsistencies will be exposed and you will be seen as a phony by the people in your marketplace.

Here are my values. What are yours?

• Marketing should be enjoyable, something that is fun to do. If you don't enjoy it, and it is important to the marketing process, find others who enjoy the tasks, and have them do it!
• Your marketing practices should relate and connect with your client's values and priorities. If your business doesn't connect or relate to your clients' values, are you in the right business?
• You should respect other people's ideas and creations -- if you are 'lifting' someone else's thoughts, acknowledge it, and request permission if appropriate. (Yes, I've used the same image as Tim Klabunde's post -- but I've paid for it, using istockphoto.com)
• Marketing is a long-term process, with short-term challenges. Think a plan, think vision, but be ready to react quickly within the plan/vision when opportunities arise.
• Nothing is worth doing if it sells your soul. Every rule is worthy of breaking if it helps you find it. (I found my soul on Good Friday, 1980, by getting drunk 'on the job', and deservedly the boss fired me the next day. That wild evening, in Tsholotsho, Zimbabwe, I saw war, peace, poverty, wealth, hope, despair, weakness, strength, accomplishment, defeat, ambition, greed and drama. The next day, I had a really big hangover.)

Have fun. Be yourself. Plan. Sometimes take risks. And never sell your soul. You'll achieve marketing -- and business -- success no matter the economic circumstances.

Perseverance power

Don't give up -- if you are doing something you really enjoy (and are really good at doing). In that situation, perseverance isn't that hard, and you'll achieve your dreams and goals.

Your best marketing efforts will connect your talents and the things you enjoy with your potential clients. This combination is bound to succeed, over time, because you'll be able to persevere, through easy and challenging situations, as you learn what you need to do to achieve your dreams.

Here is an example from (very) personal experience.

On returning from Africa in 1980, at age 27, I wanted to find the woman of my dreams, settle down, and raise a family. My overseas experience opened the doors to a writing job with the federal government in Ottawa, but didn't solve my real deficiencies in social and personal communications skills.

I'm Jewish, and knew that I wanted to meet a woman of the same faith. So I took my one real skill/talent -- and something I really enjoy doing -- and volunteered to do some writing for the local Jewish newspaper. As I wrote one of my articles, I met a woman who represented a woman's organization. Attractive, yes. We dated, three times. "Let's be friends," she said after the third date.

So we became friends . . . and continued to be friends, year after year.

More than a decade later, in 1991, as my new publishing business went through its first real crisis during the early 1990s recession, I recalled some Brian Tracy tapes about affirmations, "positive self talk" and (most importantly) self responsibility. One day, as all seemed to be lost, I had an insight. "My health is still good, I cannot blame anyone else for my difficulties, and I will do what I can to make things right while accepting total responsibility for my circumstances," I said (out loud) to myself. Then, as I transformed my business, I transformed my outlook on relationships.

A few months later, Vivian suggested that we could go out on a more serious level. Two years later we married. We are still together now, preparing for our 15th anniversary, with Eric at 11 (he has none of my social deficiencies!)

You should never underrate the importance of intelligent perseverance in your business and marketing efforts. The saddest thing you can see is someone with real talent who starts out well, and just quits -- or jumps to something else hoping for a better answer. Usually it doesn't happen. "Intelligent" is an important word -- you should either persevere at the things you do best (for income) and/or which align with your values and dreams. If there are things you enjoy but which you are not great at, carry on -- just do it on your own time, as a volunteer or hobby.

Note in a marketing sense, do not confuse perseverance with becoming an irritating (selling) pest. Some of the saddest situations occur when someone who has played the old 80s sales tapes too often continues calling, again and again, in the hopes of winning business without building a relationship or demonstrating a real meaningful value. You need to respect and understand the needs of the person or organization with whom you wish to work -- and that includes the value of their time and your relevance to them.

In the current economy, you may need some real perseverance and patience -- but you will succeed ultimately if you are really talented at what you do. In the short term, connect that talent to your marketing initiatives; and use it to create/develop your business relationships. (And you can see here how these principals also work really well on a personal level.)

The cornerstones of construction marketing success

If you are passionate and excellent at what you do -- and your organization reflects these values -- you'll succeed in marketing your services by reaching out within your community and sharing these competencies with previous, current and potential clients. These are two of the four cornerstones of Construction Marketing success.

Are you looking for a simple, easy-to-understand and implement formula for construction marketing success? Here it is.

Consider these essential foundation cornerstones:

1. You must passionately enjoy and be really good at what you do -- and these values must be shared by your employees, contractors and suppliers.
2. You must reach out into the community of your previous, current and previous clients and share with generosity and a positive spirit your competence and helpfulness.
3. Your business must observe the best practices and principals of all successful enterprises -- combining innovation, systematization and accountability.

That's it. Three simple points -- and their implementation will be easy if you can overcome inertia and, if necessary, make some hard and painful decisions to remove barriers thwarting your passion, competence, and connections.

Why are you virtually certain to succeed if you respect this formula? If you really enjoy your work, and you are really are good at it, your clients indeed will be more than satisfied -- they will be overjoyed -- to recommend your services to others. So you have a natural edge in any competition.

Then, by reaching out to your community with good will and your expertise, you cement your business and its image among the people who are most likely to purchase your services. And you can have fun doing his -- by reflecting your passions and interests (and encouraging your employees to do the same.)

To be successful, your business must be run like a business -- you need to ensure that the various processes and procedures within your company are effectively managed so you earn a fair profit for your work, your employees either get the message or leave, and you can count on everyone knowing how to handle both the routine and unexpected.

None of the three elements involves great expense or stress. But they are effective.

What is the fourth cornerstone?

4. You'll find it in the intangibles of spirituality and fate. Luck, the higher power, your religious faith; the inevitability of change and life all have a place in the story -- you can't control these qualities, but you know they will work well for you when you respect the three other cornerstones.

Don't stop believing

The IMG Creed

Because the customer has a need, we have a job to do. Because the customer has a choice, we must be the better choice. Beacuse the customer has sensibilities, we must be considerate. Because the customer has urgency, we must be quick. Because the customer is unique, we must be flexible. Because the customer has high expectations, we must excel. Because the customer has influence, we have the hope of more customers. Because of the customer, we exist.

I really enjoy this motto from the website of Integrity Marketing Group (Roy Zeh). I don't know him or his business, but sense IMG observes the values outlined in this blog entry.

Craig Galati, in his The Heart of Business blog, presents an impressive argument of the essential value of faith in marketing. He writes:

Who would hire someone or buy something from someone who doesn’t believe in himself? One of the most important aspects of developing new business is confidence. You must know and truly believe in the value you are providing to your clients.

Galati's observations ring true -- and, at least informally, are validated by the experiences of others who have lived through good and hard times, yet somehow kept their businesses intact. Deep down, you find in longer-term success, resilience coupled with talent and what seems to be a magical additional ingredient. Dumb people might call it 'luck' but individuals of different religious faiths would link it to the spiritual realm.

I'm certainly not describing here the blind and mindless arguments from The Secret (The Law of Attraction) and other similar sources which advocate seemingly blind (and dumb) faith. And I've seen (and fought against) some con-artists who know how to give false hopes and success visions to sometimes desperate and often unsophisticated suckers. You know you are dealing with these charlatans when they fail to make clear that you should not enter the business journey without real talent in your field, and real perseverance -- the 'luck' or spiritual edge only is valid if the other two ingredients are there.

But you can see the positive side of business success connecting with larger values when you review yesterday's Contractortalk.com thread about the renovator who has battled the cost of his child's illness, and economic setbacks, and is now receiving practical advice and support (which, by the way, is useful for anyone facing inordinately hard times). And I've shared several times my own two business rebound stories. If you are really good at what you do, and your faith is so strong that you will not give up, no matter how the odds seem stacked against you, just at the moment when you let go of your security ropes, and all seems to be failing, you'll receive the answers you are seeking.

Luck, timing or talent

Michael Fraser in a bnet.com posting asks this question: Would You Rather be Lucky, Timely or Good? The question is whether good fortune, persistence, or talent are essential to business success. The answer, most agree, is all have a place in the story.

Interestingly, the first comment describes the fact that in the gold rush, the entrepreneurs who made the real money were the people providing services to the gold miners. And this of course brings me back to that Colorado tourist attraction gold mine which operates a business where a heavy dose of spirituality and apparently genuine (but not overbearing) religious passion underlies its viability.

Stripping away specific religious interpretations, however, I think great business successes require a form of spirituality, framed in positive yet pragmatic perspectives. I'm sure there is some valid social science and psychological interpretations beneath this stuff, but I can see how, in my experience, strange and wonderful things have happened just at the right moment, when I was really ready for them. And these moments correlate with a combination of letting go, accepting, respecting the forces beyond our control, and accepting total personal responsibility for what happens.

The opposite story, I see, in the bitter and angry person who believes an evil force has set course to destroy her family's business. From my own experience, I know that bad guys exist in the business world -- many times putting on truly impressive shows as community leaders and successes. Most of the time, I believe these crooks and, for want of a better phrase, "business psychopaths" are brought down to earth, but equally I'm sure some never get caught. (Note, I am not an angel of perfection!)

As I listened to the victimized person's tirades, I sensed she had some real and valid axes to grind. But wait: In her own remarks, she provided clues to elements of genuine personal responsibility and causality for her own problems, which she brushed off as insignificant.

The next day, at a local industry event, I sat with an industry leader who, just a few years ago, participated in what I could have seen as a business-destroying (and unfair) conspiracy against my company. I didn't see the treatment accorded to my business then as just or fair -- and the person who led the conspiracy is still very much around, and continues (as far as I know) to be hostile to my company.

But I appreciated the difference in attitude from the 'victim' described above that defines my values. As things went from bad to worse, I could see some of the major mistakes I had made, and accepted the fact that, while I had been treated unfairly, I couldn't change the other people involved, but had to accept responsibility for my own decisions, and could change my own ways.

Now, enough time has passed, and most people involved in that conspiracy have accepted me back in their orbit as legitimately in business and therefore I could, in an off-the-record conversation, ask industry leader about the 'victim'. "Oh, she's a nutcase," he said. Then he told me about another business that appears to have been a real victim of a cruel and business-destroying fraud. "Could you write something about them?" he asked.

I had to decline -- it is deadly serious (and dangerous) for a publisher to take on a crook head-on in print or even a blog: The bad guys understand and know the laws regarding libel, often hire the best lawyers, and can bring you down to poverty so fast you won't know what hit you. (Thus validating the 'victim's story.) The key to success in dealing with these situations, of course, is to know the lay of the land, to be nimble, quick, responsible, and patient. Yes, you can do everything wrong and still have good luck -- and everything right, and still fail, consistently. But I've seen enough times how good luck sometimes happens just at the best and most unexpected times, and now more than ever believe the forces behind this good luck are in the realm of spirituality, not business. I believe in G-d.

Me

Sometimes it is good to take a few minutes to reflect, to take stock, and to determine if I am on course. This is one of those moments I prepare tomorrow to visit the SMPS national conference in Denver, and as we get closer to our annual planning session in October.

You'll notice that most of the time in this blog I focus on the "you" or "we", not the I. This, of course, is intentional -- we all care about ourselves more than anyone else; and if you want to be a successful writer (or business person) you never forget that fact. But today, it's about me. So here is a progress report.

Finances

OK, our family circumstances are reasonably secure; but my business is far from its goal point. Solutions: Focus on finding and retaining new employees with the right ownership mind-set: Goal, to have the business in shape within the next decade so that employees can acquire majority ownership; and I can live comfortably on a) the capital growth of the business and b) consulting and support services.

Vocation

I really enjoy my work, most of the time, so I've succeeded here. No reason to stop working -- my scope of work will presumably change at 'retirement' age but I won't retire.

Health

Reasonably good, though this may be an understatement. Generally healthy practices and lifestyle, though I need to watch my diet more closely.

Spiritual and emotional life

On track; we aren't overly religious in our home, but Eric at 11 is confident in his Jewishness and we connect to our underlying values.

Family

Solid, happy (most of the time), and respectful. I'm now glad I took my time here.

I think the story here is overall quite good, especially if I put it into the larger and longer perspective. Through my life, at each demarcation point, often after seemingly impossible odds, I achieved the goal(s) appropriate to that point -- though their relevance and value often diminished rapidly afterwards and it took me a while to realise, for example, that what is important in high school really counts much less when you about to graduate from university and is utterly insignificant when you are 55.

The more things change . . .

Some time ago, I posted this article on scribed.com. Plenty of people there say they like it. What do you think?

Ten basic business principals: The more things change, the more they stay the same

One thing I've had the good fortune to learn as my hairs grey is that some basic principals apply through time and that when you think something is wrong somewhere, you should review the basics before trying to reinvent your solution. So, I will dare to outline my top 10 business guidelines(and I think you can do the same type of exercise for your business).

1. Most entrepreneurs receive dozens of ideas each year; only a few are worth investigating, and even fewer are worth implementing. Occasionally, we hit a home run.

2. 80 per cent of what we do counts for 20 per cent of the value of our efforts. The inverse also applies. Yet overly blind assessment of this rule is dangerous. An example: We can find that 80 per cent of our marketing call efficiency is achieved by working on the phone rather than meeting clients in person. But yesterday, I saw the value in knowing the exception to that rule, when I met in person with someone important (a meeting that could have been handled on the phone easily), and into the room walked someone with insights of incredible value to our business.

3. Accidents happen. All the time. Plans are meant for constant change.

4. Often you will find your best insights in places you least expect. So it is good to shake things up. On the other hand, you probably know what works best for you. So do it. (I for example always write better in the early morning rather than in late afternoon.)

5. Perseverance and talent are both important. You will be sure to succeed if you have both. You are doomed to fail if you have neither. But if you think you can succeed by persisting without talent, pick a career that requires very little brains or skill, please.

6. You have to have fun to succeed. Sure parts of your work may -- and probably are -- painful, but if you really don't enjoy what you are doing, find out why, really quickly, and change things. Don't do stuff just for the money.

7. It is really dumb to put anyone 'down' while you are acting high and mighty. It drives people nuts and makes enemies. I know I've done it, to my permanent regret.

8. It rarely helps to hold grudges. Sure, we should not be wimps if we are attacked or mistreated. But it is important to know when to move on.

9. People change. Listen to the changes. If you can help fix the problems (if there are are real problems in the people you know), it doesn't hurt to help. But if they are going downhill and don't get it, remember that they can pull you -- and others who shouldn't be pulled down -- as well. You will have to make the break.

10. People stay the same. Basic principals apply. Respect and recognize others and appreciate that great relationships are the essence of great business. New and old, through good and hard times, the entrepreneur who understands appreciates the basic rules of respect and integrity will succeed as fly-by-night operators come and go.

The value of values-based marketing

Tim Klabunde's latest CofeBuz posting, A Values Based Business Marketing Approach, is refreshing and relevant, especially if you are caught in the old-style sales manipulation/"closing" approach to marketing and sales. it is especially relevant to professional services and construction businesses which (should) rely primarily on repeat and referral business, and reflects the powerful effect of going the extra mile for your current clients.

In his posting, Klabunde notes:

What it looks like

Values Based Businesses do several things that most profit and growth oriented businesses have a hard time swallowing. Here are just a few examples:

1. They always do something extra for free: I used to go to an auto shop that would always do something unexpected for me free of charge. They rotated my tires, replaced light bulbs, oiled squeaky doors; the list goes on and on. In return can you guess what I did? I never had my vehicle serviced at another shop and told everyone I knew to take his or her cars there.


2. Take on pro-bono work: Values Based Businesses help out non-for-profits, low-income families, and even their everyday clients. They do it because it is right and because they really care.


3. Finally, when they do it, they treat the non-paying client just as good as the paying client.
   They treat every client like a first class client: Taking calls and returning e-mails promptly is just the tip of the iceberg. Values Based Businesses see what their clients need and help them to achieve it, even if it is out of their scope of work.

Simple ideas, and, if you are a number cruncher, these are a whole lot less expensive than constantly trying to reach out for new clients either by responding to cattle call RFPs, hiring commission-based sales representataives, or spending a small fortune on advertising.