A corner stone under the table of sucess

I haven't done one of these in a while soooo for those of you who think I just rant and bi**h about newbs this is for you, also all of the established scrap related business people out there.

There are three main legs to the stool of success
1. communication.
2. understanding
3. mutual benefit.
(this is going to be long so get your coffee, beer or what ever .....wellll maybe the beer isn't a good idea this one is to important.

Let's take #1 which I feel is the most important one from the get go.
none of us would be even trying to do business with out it. It is how we start, it is what this forum is all about. With out it, nothing happens.



Most of us THINK we are good communicators and , most of us are but we all slip. even the best of us. We slip because once we reach a certain plateau of success we become complacent. what ever we are doing we tend to take on a the assumption every one else understands exactly what is what.

Every time the phone rings or the email or message center tries to communicate with us it is a test, a test of our true desire to remain at the top or to reach there , which ever applies to you your circumstances and tour position on the ladder of success.

Every time some one tries to communicate with you they are trying to give you their business and make you money. Return those phone calls, e mails and messages. TODAY, FIRST THING TOMORROW, OR FIRST THING MONDAY. Communication is the first thing, the last thing and, the only thing that can stop you from being successful.

Communicat,e it is most important in getting you there and then, keeping you there. mcw.

I learn as I go. I failed in business once as a performance tuner for cars and trucks...as it happens lots of diy stuff going on now and it ran me out of profit. This though....Im in complete control of my success and I very much enjoy it and learning from guys like old dude.

Tell you what olddude. I just f&€£Ed my self out of about $3000 per year. I think my example would fall under #3.

I had a client that I cleaned up twice a year. They had a safety inspection, and the inspector told them they had to get their scrap off the ground. Get a dumpster or a huge tub or something. So I was there 2 days after the inspection cleaning them up. Heard this story about how they needed a dumpster.

I thought to myself, I may be able to find a dumpster for them...oh well, their problem.

Wrong answer. I just called a couple weeks ago to see if they needed their scrap cleaned up before the snow hits. Guy tells me "No." I'm like "what? I know you got stuff there this time of year."

I finally got it out of him that someone (I think it may be a relative) parked a trailer there. Well this someone will let the trailer sit there if they can have the scrap.

I've been beating myself up over this ever since, and it makes me sick to my stomach thinking about it. I should have found a dumpster and delivered it the next day.

Maybe typing it out here will make me feel better lol. Or maybe it will help someone else in the future.

And good communication is almost always forgotten. I have turned mistakes into long term customer because of communication. Also how hard is it to show up on time and if I'm going to be late I communicate. No one has ever said "well they do good work but they just communicated too much, I just don't like it when I know what's going on."

Originally Posted by Patriot76

Old Dude, agreed. It must be pointed out that # 1 and # 2 are related, no pun intended. Many think communication is the ability to get your message across. To the contrary, communication is a two way street and the most important part is listening. This is the key to understanding and creating mutual benefit for both parties. Just my .02 cents worth.

ZZackly without all three each is useless.

After 35+ years in the remodeling business, the one thing all my customers would rave about was my habit of answering and returning calls. Even if I don't have an answer or I have the wrong answer, a simple conversation is always appreciated. No one like to be ignored, and if you do ignore them, they will go elsewhere every time.