August 14th Coaching Tip: Respond To Your Clients.
When clients call you, respond. It’s top of mind for them and they have the mental space to be thinking about “it”, whatever it is. For example, today my partner had a client reach out on a very important potential sale. Although she was in the midst of shopping at Target, she stepped aside and responded with, “I’m at Target grabbing a few things. Give me 5-10 minutes.” The client came back quickly, “That’ll work just fine, take your time.” Within 15 minutes, they both put together a plan to meet later today and it will result in a sale. My partner is a communications professional and professor; “how” you communicate is just as important than “what” you communicate. Don’t overcomplicate things: respond to clients, as they would want to be treated…and as you would want to be treated.
August 15th Coaching Tip: Leverage Your Network.
Thank goodness I have solid and reputable general contractors that I’ve been working with in central and southern Indiana for more than a decade. If I need a job done or another type of contractor or labor assistance, I always reach out to these two GC’s. They give me good recommendations, and really care about helping me get my jobs done. They follow up, to make sure that if I selected someone they referred, that the contractor was respectful and completed the job well. Leverage your network to get stuff done.
August 16th Coaching Tip: Get Multiple Quotes.
Today, I’m getting my third quote on some work for a large landscape project. We have a property with a home and two barns, and there is an 800′ incline on the property that has rainwater that flows directly into the barns and the house area. It will take alot of drainage tile, grading, stone, and good dozer hand/eye/lazer work to get the water to flow correctly. In meeting with three different companies for their quotes, I’ve learned quite a bit from all three of them, and it’s helping me figure out what I do want to do on the site. My first priority now is to get the water away from the home, since we are now done with the remodel and painting the exterior. Then, we will work on the barn area. Getting multiple quotes is also slowing me down, gaining clarity on my needs, and also helping me understand my budget a bit better, too.