OK so everybody online always has to have a measuring contest right? Whose company is the biggest, how many employees do they have, how many hundreds of dollars do they make an hour. But it’s all just that, a measuring contest.
But being big, or small isn’t that big of a deal. Just because you’re a big company doesn’t mean you’re a strong company. What DOES matter is that you are professional. That’s your image. That’s who you are.
It’s kind of cool right? I mean you can put out a persona and change everything about your company. You can take a little pride in what you do and now all of a sudden you are a force to reckon with.
I remember the first time that someone told me that they see your trucks all over town. The thing was, is I only had one truck. It got me thinking.
“If people perceive me to be a professional, they’re more likely to treat me like a professional”
Credit: Larry Crook
That means I can justify higher rates, people are more patient with scheduling, and they are more willing to tell their friends about us. It’s the whole “fake it till you make it” concept. I mean, being professional is not a hard to learn trait.
If you want to be more professional in what you do, it’s all about how you carry yourself. Looking the part is as important as playing the part. Do you have nice crisp new apparel? Or do you have outfits that are ripped and stained? Are your trucks clean? Remember, even if a truck isn’t new it can still look nice. There’s nothing wrong with a vehicle that is older but kept up. If you’re driving around in a dumpster, no one wants to hire you based on that alone.
Remember if somebody perceives you to be unprofessional, just a bob, then they’re going to pay you an unprofessional wage. I think it’s a cool concept. We get to make our reality when it comes to business.
Look at some of the companies that you admire the most. I guarantee with 100% certainty that they are super professional. They have the equipment, clothes, trucks, EVERYTHING that you envy. This is what their Persona is. They made that happen. They put the energy out there that they’re professional, and now they ARE professional.
This isn’t a GREAT lesson or something that you would have never thought about your own, BUT what I hope this is, is an eye-opening article. Something simple but something that may hit home and help you decide what kind of company you are. Professional isn’t something you buy, or even learn over 20 years of experience. Professional is how you uphold yourself. How you allow others to perceive your company.
Being professional is a state of mind and a choice. I hope you make that choice!
WCR Nation Podcast – Hosted by Jersey Josh
What a simple yet great perspective. I also support the mindset that keeping an image as good or better than your greatest competitor, gives you the ability to separate your company from the mere average. That separation pays dividends in opportunity and in ambitious price points.
You know, as I was reading this article about how much to charge, I was thinking of all those books like “Dress for Success” and “You are what you Wear.” I certainly don’t have any scientific studies to back up what I’m going to say but how you dress and how you look relative to how much $ you can charge is maybe 5% of the true formula.
Think about yourself and how you shop. Currently I’m attempting to get a contractor to remodel my kitchen. In these new days and times, just getting a contractor to actually show up is difficult. They are totally over run with work. As I am currently. I have raised my prices 2 x times in the last 2 months. I haven’t changed the way I look or what I wear.
I raised my prices because the demand is out the roof and the supply is low. It is Economics 101 boys. The airline and hotel industry has been doing this to you for years. Currently I have 19 crews booked out for 6 weeks and its just mid-April! OMG what am I going to do in May when it actually gets busy?
I tell you what I’m going to do…… I’m going to kick myself for NOT raising my prices sooner and slowing the avalanche of work down a little. You raise your prices NOT on how you look or what you wear, but you raise your prices because the demand for what you do is high enough that you can. That way, you can afford to buy your nicer signs and nicer uniform.
Anyway, that’s my opinion. That’s what I do and have done for 42 years.
Hope you folks have a great spring. Covid has changed all the rules! You better change with them or you’ll be left behind.
david
I agree with David Monson above. I am probably overpriced and have way more work than I want or need. Why? Its not because I dress well and drive a nice truck. I wear old khakis and T shirts and drive a beat up old truck. I am busy because I do high quality work in a timely fashion. All my work is from customer referrals, I never advertise and don’t even have my company name on my truck or one of my ratty T shirts. Speak professionally and do excellent work and jobs will be there.