I was reminded of this In church when we sang a hymn, of which I listed part of it below. Even though the message obviously is not about business, doesn’t this embed in our minds that in order for our customers to know, like and trust us- that we need to be genuine and all about them & not us in our messages & actions. A Good reminder for all of us.

Here is the song:

The gift of love

Though I speak with bravest fire

And have the gift to all inspire

And have not love; my words are vain

As sounding brass, and hopeless gain

Though I may give all I possess

And striving so my love profess

But not be givin by love within

The profit soon turns strangely thin

By: Greg Antonioli I learned a new phrase from Seth Godin:

“Momentum of the Incumbent.”

In Lauren Hunter’s blog “In Support of Licensing,” a bunch of contractors posted comments vehemently against licensing, nostalgically bringing up the way they had always run their businesses on handshakes and honesty….. “Licenses? We no need no stinking licenses!” I’ll call them these commenters “the incumbents.” They fought against losing the right to run their businesses the way they always had. With rights come responsibilities. If you want the right to run your business on a handshake, than it’s your responsibility to make sure others in your industry who don’t act as honorably don’t survive. So far, we’ve sucked at “raising the bar” of professionalism in our industry on our own. In fact, we’ve actively fought change. We’ve steadfastly refused to walk upright. Those who denied evolution in the industry won…until now.

The “momentum of the incumbent” is gone, done, kaput. Sorry, but you had a great run for a lot longer than most industries ever experienced. Now it’s time to get out of the way. Leah Thayer’s “I Feel Your Pain” was, frankly, infuriating: Contractors who refused to “up their game” complaining about (as I see it) what they had coming to them. Every other industry that survived has responded to market shifts. Most try to forecast those shifts and respond ahead of time. Some even have the audacity to influence demand in their markets. Few are as passive and whiney as remodelers, expecting the consumer to hop in their lap and lick their face, then complaining when they don’t.

“Forecasting? Market research? Studying demographic shifts and consumer preferences? That’s for Proctor and Gamble, not remodelers! Sales training? I just want to stick my pencil behind my ear and expect the phone to ring with somebody asking for exactly what I deliver at whatever price I give them.”

Complain about change all you want. You can fight it, and you have fought it way too long. You didn’t squelch it. You just held it back as it built up pressure. You complain about “these people these days.” Most of the people who have the money to hire you only have that money because they’ve known when to accept, embrace, and exploit change. Along the way, they’ve changed the way they engage service providers, the way they buy stuff, the way they want to live in their homes, the amount of time they plan to stay in their homes….and what they’ll put up with from contractors. Currently, many are viewing their homes less as “investments” and more as “homes.”

Hell….this is one of the most exciting times in our industry! If you’re a small company, look at the “Remodeling 550” companies and note how many are predicting much smaller revenues for 2009 vs. 2008. The “momentum of the incumbent” has waned. Stop thinking change is happening TO you and decide it is happening FOR you. What changes will you embraced and how will you capitalize on them? “You’d better start swimming or you’ll sink like a stone, For the times, they are a-changin’!” -Bob Dylan

Successful people have…

• They don’t let obstacles and problems stop them: they continue to look for ways to overcome the challenges in their lives.
• They are NOT complacent of satisfied to be part of the “mediocre middle.”
• They don’t let the “I don’t have time/money” excuse – or any excuse – stop them from reaching their goals.

• They constantly invest in themselves.
• They learn from the experience of others.
• They constantly sharpen the saw.

• They take action when opportunity presents itself.
• They don’t allow fear, other people’s fears, or doubts as a reason to procrastinate.
• They realize that NOT taking action or NOT making a decision IS a decision to do nothing.

Daily Wisdom for Troubled Times Get up earlier. Go to bed later. Work harder. Finish what you start. Learn one new thing. Renew one contact. Ask, “How can I help you?” at least once. Make yourself visible. Be of good cheer. Catch a break. Or not. Repeat tomorrow.