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Old 09-24-2003, 12:19 AM
jwholden's Avatar
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Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Southwest ct
USDA Zone 6
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jwholden is on a distinguished road
Hitting the Bullseye

As I look back over the leads I've chased this year and those I've won and compared them to my profitable jobs and not so proitable jobs I am noticing some patterns. I know what type of customer I am looking for and what type of work I would like to do for them. There are houses/situations I pull up to and feel ready for anything and others I pull up to and wonder what the heck I'm doing there.

With this knowledge I will zero in on desireable situations and spend less time chasing my tail. When the year began I was going after anything that came down the pike for fear of spending my Summer staring at the phone. However, I have learned what I should have known. Good, reliable, trustworthy contractors are hard to find.

I am setting my sights on screening calls better and saving my energy and enthusiasm for the better leads. I charge a design fee for my efforts and am considering raising that to "scare" undesireables off and stop wasting my time.

FInally, I am TRYING to let go and stop micromanaging my employees. I will teach them from my experience in four years of college and half a life of on the job training. I want to teach them the skills neccesary to do the job right, efficiently, and without the boss looking over their shoulder.

There's probably more to it than that but I felt like letting that out.


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Old 09-24-2003, 03:00 AM
Nebraska's Avatar
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Join Date: Feb 2003
USDA Zone 4
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I have found that that 'revelation' is one, that once you get there, you will only expand upon it over and over. Like your personal spiritual life this aspect of your business has a life of it's own that does not and should not end unless you want to 'stagnate'.
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Old 09-24-2003, 06:50 PM
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Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Wisconsin
USDA Zone 4
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That's what I love about this job - there has never been a point where I arrived and said 'Now I have most of this thing licked.' I will never know all there is to know about this business, and for me, that's exciting. It'll never be boring.

One word of caution JW - try not to go from total micromanaging to total hands-off. Your people won't know what to do now that someone isn't there making every decision, guiding every move. Wean them slowly. (This is the voice of experience and past mistakes talking...)
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