Clients & Customers,  Entrepreneurs,  Motivation,  Productivity

Are you unknowingly sabotaging your business?

I have an important question for you:

Are you unknowingly sabotaging your business by doing this?

Before I tell you what “this” is, let me share a story about “the fence guy…

When we moved into our new home in February of this year, we knew the fence was falling down and needed to be replaced.

We had a glowing recommendation from a good friend who had this company put in a new fence for him.

So we called him up and ended up hiring him.

It would take him a while to get us on the list, which was fine. We were not in a hurry. The fence was falling, but it was still working and keeping the dogs from escaping the yard.

The first sign of an issue was when I got the job quote via text on my phone. So I asked for it in a document.

Next was when they scheduled the job the Friday before the Labor Day holiday, and no one showed up that morning. So I texted him, and no response. Hours later, I got a call. And he had forgotten it was the holiday and rescheduled the next weekend.

The first day they were here, all was well, and they were on schedule.

The next day, only one guy showed up and told me it was too windy to set the posts in cement.

On the third day, the one guy came back and was able to set the posts, and that’s all he did that day. (Keep in mind this was supposed to be a 3-day job. And all the while, we have no yard, so every time the dogs needed to go out, we needed to leash the two of them up.)

On the fourth day, when the one guy showed up, he said he’d have the fence up that day. Then about 1 pm, he knocked on my door to tell me he didn’t have the special screw gun and couldn’t finish the job. So he’d have to talk to the boss and get one, and they’d finish the job the next day.

I finally called “the fence guy” I hired, who was supposed to be doing the job, and found out he was away with his family for the weekend. And didn’t tell me. I wanted to know what the heck was going on for the 3-day job that’s now turning out to be 5 days and ended up being 6!

On the fifth day, they both showed up with the special screw guns and then told me they ran out of wood to finish…

I think you get the picture here…

My amazing coach always told me, “Planning Promotes Perfect Performance.

These guys definitely failed on all counts.The frustrating thing for me is that I saw signs in the beginning, yet, I wanted to keep believing that it would work out and that I made the right choice. Plus, they came highly recommended by a close friend.

Has that ever happened to you?

Yet, I gave them too many chances, hoping they would redeem themselves.

So now, let me ask you this question- are you unknowingly sabotaging your business like “the fence guy?”

As Dan Kennedy used to say to me, “Are you leading the sales prevention department in your business, or are you going to fix that?”

The scary part about “the fence guy” is that he had NO CLUE how he was preventing future recommendations and sales with me. I was definitely NOT referring him to anyone.

He was making it so difficult for me AND he didn’t even know it! He was clueless.

He didn’t understand my biggest frustration: not having a fence for over 5 days and having to leash up the dogs every time they needed to do their thing.

Plus, he wasn’t prepared at all. He didn’t ask or confirm critical things that cost him time, and money, such as getting more wood in the middle of the job, having to drive 5 hours for it, and me having to check, double check his work.

Much more happened that I won’t bore you with.

Let’s just say, if I hadn’t reminded him of a few things to do, he wouldn’t have done them!

The sad part about this story is that “the fence guy” is gifted at what he does. Once he got the fence up, it looked really nice and was different from the usual fence. (See before and after pics below.)

Plus, his philosophy about building, using metal posts, concrete, etc., was solid, especially when we get a lot of wind up here.

Sadly, I bet you may have a similar story about dealing with a tradesperson.

What’s the big takeaway for your business and not preventing future sales?

1. When looking at your business – always look at your website, emails, and social media posts from your dream clients’ point of view. It’s also important to anticipate and address their pain, frustration, and problems.

2. If you’re giving them a call to action – Always make it easier for them to comply. TELL THEM EXACTLY WHAT TO DO.

3. And please don’t say this –– “well, they ought to know that,” because you can’t assume anything, especially if you’re counting on your website or social media account to do all the heavy lifting for you.

4. Remember, your site, emails, and anything else you share with the world about how you can help – it’s for attracting and helping your dream client – it’s NOT FOR YOU. 🙂

5. Always keep your dream client lens ON – Don’t Make Them Think!

Please know if you’re ever struggling and want an eyeball on your next campaign or launch – you got me in your back pocket.

This is my superpower – walking through people’s campaigns, online dream client experiences, launching, and more… It’s all about how I can help you optimize your marketing for higher conversions and attract more dream clients.

Happy second week of September – it’s SO much cooler this week – yay – our 10-day sweltering heat is over… It was 60 degrees this morning. I had to break out the sweatpants!

Heading out of town tomorrow to Carmel for a few days for some quiet time at the beach with Ally. I will share some pics next week and also on social media – follow me. See the links below.

Check out the before and after fence photos. 🙂
image  image
Note: I’d love to introduce you to my book coaching/publishing friends, Catherine & Nathan of Modern Wisdom Press. I know you have a book in you that the world truly needs right now, and they have an empowering program to help you get it into the hands of your readers by next spring. Their program begins September 21, and I think it might be a great fit. You can learn more about it here

Have you read Wayne Dyer’s Wishes Fulfilled? It was one of the top 5 books I’ve ever read. You can view my review of it and other books on my book review site.

Let’s Connect on Social Media!

Facebook
Instagram







Please follow and like us: