By Tom Woodcock, Seal the Deal
Could there be any more ways for us to be distracted in this day and age? Multiple social media platforms, massive streaming capabilities, volatile political discourse and negative economic indicators grab our minds and focus. How on earth are we supposed to stay focused on winning projects and developing customers? This can be a daunting task. Staying acutely aware of customer and market trends can head off potential revenue or profitability lapses. Construction can be cyclical, and often those ups and downs are self induced. Keeping the edge in construction or general business situations relies heavily on how focused you can be.
The sales aspect of the construction industry can be a moving target at times. There are many factors that come into play that are not directly related to performing projects. We’ve seen supply chain interruption and labor shortages most recently. This can eat up a big chunk of management time simply by trying to get materials and find talent. The pandemic we all had to deal with completely tipped over the apple cart. Just when we see a smidgen of recovery, interest rates shoot up and capital spending begins to decrease. How do you plow through this?
First and foremost, setting a disciplined sales strategy is critical. This should be in place regardless of market or business circumstances. The one area absolutely in your control is your sales effort. You can spend on marketing to increase exposure but who’s going to lock down both customers and projects? Sales work is not just reliant on talent or opportunity. It requires structure that can keep that talent focused and pointed at the best opportunity. Too few companies in the construction industry apply a practical structure to their sales efforts relating to number of contacts, close ratio and customer preference. These elements move the bar higher from a so-so sales effort to a purposed one. Focusing on the best customer and project opportunity for the company will always produce stronger results. The key is keeping that focus and diligently working the strategy.
Secondly, regularly reviewing your time management and adjusting it to keep you moving aggressively towards growing your business is necessary to stay mentally sharp. Allowing too much sales downtime may breed a passive sales approach. I often compare sales to sports. Every shift, play or action has the potential to change the game. The more committed you are to practicing, the more mentally prepared you are when the situations occur in the game. This requires continually educating yourself to stay on top of the trends in construction and with the customer base. Time is money! The more you maximize it, the more you’ll profit. This will allow you to maximize your time and increase your allotment dedicated towards selling. Most people let their day run them; those that run their days maintain their focus.
Finally, the goal! What’s the endgame for your business or sales plan? All focused athletes set their sights on the prize. It could be a championship, a victory or improving overall. They train and plan on achieving that goal.
They won’t settle for anything less. That…is mental focus. What are your business goals? What’s your plan to achieve them? I meet with companies regularly that are setting their forecasts for the upcoming year. They crunch numbers and project off the previous year. I routinely challenge them to tell me how they’re going to accomplish it. They usually say work harder. The problem is, most construction professionals are working extremely hard currently. Setting a well thought out strategy and focusing on working that plan to achieve the stated goal is the answer.
Construction professionals all over the country are moving into 2023 with either a strong backlog or a need to secure more work. Both will require unwavering focus. Stop listening to the naysayers in the media or prognosticators telling you what will happen in your market. You are in control of your business’s success regardless of market circumstances. Research, get trained and motivated to perform at peak levels. Surround yourself with like minded influencers that will push you to be your best. Mental sharpness is drawn upon internally. External sources can help but no one knows what drives you better than you. Recognize those motivators and use them as sharpening stones to refine your focus. The results will be impressive.
About the Author:
Tom Woodcock is a construction industry sales trainer and consultant. He regularly speaks to thousands of construction professionals nationwide. With over 20 years of sales training experience gives him in depth insight into the construction sales dynamic. His video series and sales book can be found at tomwoodcocksealthedeal.com.
