Did you grow up in a family business? Maybe you lived on a working farm or dad and granddad owned a store in town. If so, you saw how many nights dad had to work late to stock the store shelves. He would then get up early the very next day to make sure he was always there to open the store, maybe get some paperwork done before everybody else came to work. How he took personal responsibility to make sure every customer felt at home in the store and showed his gratitude every time they visited your family’s store.
When times were tough he would make himself known to the community by serving on the city council or joining different groups just to ensure people know who he is and that he owned a store that they might want to shop at. He would talk with customers when they came in and find out what they need and want. If it was something he carried, he would then show them how it worked and help them understand how it could help them. If not, he made it his business to know a little about all the things his customers needed and where they could get them. Even if he didn’t carry that item. He was helpful. And, he was a salesman. He was an entrepreneur. Are you an entrepreneur?
Have you dreamed of owning a business someday? Being the one who helps others get what they want. Owning a business where everybody calls you because they know you will have what they need, or you will help them find it? Well, believe it or not, you are already a business owner. Think about it. You get up every day and go to your desk or truck and run a business. You have a choice to run a business out of that truck as if it were your own. To take personal responsibility for what happens in that chair or truck. You go to work every day to provide for your family just like your mom and dad did. That truck or desk chair is where you control how much profit your family business will make today. Your family business is run from that chair all day every day. You already have a family business.
Your interactions with your customers provide you with opportunities. It is up to you to decide to act on those opportunities and truly help people get what they need and want. Just like dad at the store, you have the ability to talk with your customer, find out what they want and give it to them. And, because you are the pro in your industry, if you don’t have what they are looking for you have spent tons of time studying your industry and can make a recommendation where they can get what they need.
You already have a family business. You run it every day. You get up every morning, go to work for your family. They depend on you to make the best of every day… every interaction. Your family knows that when you are faced with an opportunity to help someone get what they need and want that you leave no stone unturned making sure they are taken care of. Your family knows that you are thinking of them every time you talk with a customer, knowing they are going to buy something from someone and you make it your mission to make sure they buy that something from you. Because you know you and your team are the best at what you do and if you let that customer go do business with anyone but you, they will more than likely get a lesser quality item or service. You know you and your team are the best at what you do, and you make it your mission in life to help customers understand that. For them. For your family.
Run your family business with pride. Look at every interaction as an opportunity to help someone provide for their family. Every homeowner has wants and desires. They may want to keep their family’s possessions in their basement safe. They may want their children’s bedrooms upstairs to be more comfortable. They may want their entire family to feel safe through every night knowing the home is protected. You have so much opportunity to grow your family’s business through the opportunities you see all day every day. You have the opportunity to make the best of every interaction with your customers and help them get what they want. What they need. And, your family gets the benefit. Your family gets the extra money you make by helping others. Your retirement fund can grow exponentially when you look at your chair or your truck as your family business. That IS your family business and when you look at it that way, you WILL make the best of it.
Congratulations! You are an entrepreneur.
Ready to learn more about the power of mindset, and how to harness it to drive value? Visit EGIA.org/CBS-Mindset to download a free training package complete with an online course, instructional video, motivational posters, industry research report, and much more!
Mike Treas brings experience in the contracting industry as a sales manager and comfort advisor for one of the largest and most well-respected residential heating and air conditioning contractors in the United States. He has personally worked with hundreds of contracting companies across North America conducting training and consulting in the areas of sales, sales management, business management, customer service and technician lead generation training. His background consists of 35 years in sales and sales management bringing expertise, knowledge, techniques and strategies proven in the contracting industry to increase sales. He is an EGIA Contractor University faculty member.