FEBRUARY 2018 World AUG ST 2018
A newsletter for service business owners who want more wealth, freedom and market domination.
THIS QUESTION MADE ME TENS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS
Running a service business isn’t easy. I’ve been there. I spent the first 10 years of my service business in struggle and frustration as I tried, and failed, and tried again to work harder, squeeze out another hour of working time, and push through the stress to create a successful business. But there was a turning point that prompted my business partner and me to stop the insanity and start turning things around. The 12–13 years after that turning point were completely different — we experienced rapid growth, scaling up, big money, a big team, and more. A number of things changed from our decade of struggle to our era of growth and success. But it all can be traced back to one simple question Rob and I asked that ultimately changed the game for us. It didn’t work; I was maxed out. I remember the day so clearly: Rob wanted to meet at the office, and I assumed it was just a quick meeting to touch base on a couple of projects. But when he came in, he looked different. He said he was burnt out and couldn’t continue, therefore he needed to step away from the business. And it was in that moment that the change occurred, because we accidentally stumbled upon a simple question that has made us millions and millions of dollars since we first asked it. You see, when Rob said he’d have to step away from the business, the options ran through my mind:
Do I argue with Rob and try to convince him to stay? (No, he’d eventually burn out.)
That question has continued to serve us. At every problem, at every challenge, at every obstacle, at every frustration, at every stress point, we simply ask: What if there is another way? You see, when we’re faced with a situation (good or bad), we can become easily bogged down in the options our minds assume are the only choices available to us. There are usually other options we haven’t considered, but we never stop to think about them. So asking this question forces you to realize that there may be other alternatives. And I’ve learned over the years that every situation in life has other possibilities, choices, and paths that we didn’t realize existed until we ask the question. But here’s the thing you have to realize: Just because you ask the question doesn’t mean you will immediately discover the answer. And it also doesn’t mean that you will immediately discover the answer inside your own mind. But you need to ask the question first to open yourself up to the possibility that there are other choices that can serve you and help you squeeze a positive outcome out of a negative situation. That’s what happens at the Service Business Edge events that we hold at CEO Warrior. Business owners attend because some of them are doing well and they want to grow, and others attend because they are frustrated and trying to figure out what to do. We ask and answer the question, “What if there is another way?” Continued on page 3 ...
Do I continue working in the company by myself? (No, I’d burn out.)
Do we shut the company down and work for someone else? (No, I didn’t want to do that either.) It looked like the three options available to us were all bad options. What would you do in a situation like that? I suspect most people would try to figure out the “least bad” option and take that one. But that’s when I asked a question for perhaps the first time — a question I would end up asking almost daily for the rest of my life. It’s a question that has brought in tens of millions of dollars into my business and it’s a question that I ask everyone all the time. When I asked this question the first time — with Rob and me in our office as we contemplated the future of our company — the answer came to us: There is another way! We can change the business completely so that it serves us instead of working us too hard and getting us nowhere. And that’s what we did. We started actively seeking out the answers and investing in our education (which we still do; we’ve invested more than $1.3 million each in our education over the years), and that turned the company around. What if there is another way?
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HOW TO EXPLODE YOUR BUSINESS FOR MAXIMUM GROWTH AND PROFIT WITHOUT STRESS
If you had a tree in your backyard that you planted, but it never grew bigger than it was on the day you planted it, would you think something was wrong? Of course you would, because we all know the saying, “If you’re not growing, you’re dying.” We know that living things grow when they are healthy and don’t grow when they’re not healthy. The same is true for businesses. In fact, you can draw a lot of parallels between the idea of healthy organisms that grow and healthy businesses that grow.
to have more wealth and freedom and market domination; yes they TRY to make good decisions and keep up with the demands, but many businesses are stagnant. Perhaps things are too busy for the business owner to effectively move the needle. Perhaps the business owner is so busy putting out fires that they don’t have time to sit down and work on growth, and by the end of the day, they’re just too worn out from working IN the business to work ON the business. Perhaps the business owner tries things to get the business to grow but they just haven’t panned out the way the owner hoped. Perhaps your business grew for a long time, but you’ve hit a plateau and growth has stalled. And you know what? Perhaps your business IS growing, but not as fast or strong as you want.
It looks different for every business — some businesses go in a very fast downward spiral while others just stagnate even though they look strong to the outside world. But the end result is the same: The business owners are tired, their families are frustrated, and the secrets to big growth remain elusive.
There are many reasons why this happens.
But if you could grow faster and stronger, would you want to do that?
HOW TO GET A FASTER AND STRONGER BUSINESS
When a business is healthy, it’s growing; when a business isn’t healthy, it’s dying.
So now it’s time for a very honest question …
Some business owners are burnt out and have just given up.
IS YOUR BUSINESS GROWING?
But if you haven’t given up yet — if there is still a shred of hope and optimism left in you and you believe you can grow your business — then here is how to grow: Chances are you’ve been trying things (when you have time) or you’ve been reading up on strategies and struggling to find the time and energy to implement them.
Maybe it is, or maybe it’s not growing as fast as you want. Perhaps it’s not growing at all. Many service business owners own stagnant businesses. Yes, they WANT the business to grow; yes they WANT
If that hasn’t worked for you, there’s another approach.
It’s the EXPLOSIVE approach.
An explosion is an extremely rapid transformation from one state to another. For example, powder combines with a spark to create a massive explosion of fire and noise, which is what you see when you watch fireworks explode. Continued on page 7 ...
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Many don’t realize they can ask this question or that it will create new answers for them. We show them that question and then we answer it for them in a number of areas … What if there is another way … to recruit and hire great employees? What if there is another way … to market your business and generate leads — a way that is more effective and costs less?
What if there is another way … to make more money with less stress?
These questions are asked — and answered — at Service Business Edge. CEO Warrior is holding another Service Business Edge on Oct. 23–26 and we’re working to make this event one of our very best. We’re bringing industry experts who know exactly how to answer the question, “What if there is another way?” If you have been spinning your wheels in your business, and if you’re ready to make a change and grow like never before, start by asking the question, “What if there is another way?” … and find the answer at Service Business Edge.
What if there is another way … to be more profitable?
What if there is another way … to run a business that serves you and your life? For some people reading this, the question you need to ask is, “What if there is another way … to run my business so I’m not in my truck anymore?” And for other people reading this, the question you need to ask is, “What if there is another way … to take my business from $30 million to $40 million this year?”
What if there is another way … to lead your team? What if there is another way … to handle your competition? What if there is another way … to grow a business?
Mike Agugliaro
5 WAYS TO HELP YOU GROW WHEN IT’S BUSY
No. 1: Don’t limit your growth. Start with your mindset. Do you tell yourself things like, “We just need to get through the busy time,” “I have to be careful about how much I take on during this time,” or “I want to grow, but I’m not sure we’ll be able to do all of these things during this busy season”? If you do this, then you are limiting your growth by setting a benchmark for what you think you’ll be able to achieve. Destroy your limiting beliefs and you’ll grow bigger. No. 2. Set huge goals. Start by setting huge goals. Don’t just set a goal that is similar to last year’s peak, or even just a little higher. Set a lofty goal that inspires and even scares you. Make it a goal that you think, “Wow, if we hit that, it will be a game-changer for us.” Then figure out what it will take to hit that goal by reverse engineering the goal into monthly, weekly, and daily initiatives. No. 3. Lead. One of the biggest factors that will determine your success or struggle at growing in a busy time is how you lead. Does your team see you get excited about the busy time
or dread it? Do they see you getting stressed throughout the busy time? Do they see a normally fun-loving business owner become focused and irritable as the busy season approaches? Your team will pick up on cues that you give, which means a positive let’s-figure-it-out-and- enjoy-the-ride attitude will be adopted by your team. Check your leadership approach constantly to ensure that you are maintaining positivity. Remind your team that when everyone steps up in the busy time, EVERYONE in your company wins. No. 4. Words matter. As you approach your busy time, watch what you say to yourself, to your team, and to your customers. When busy times become challenging, words can communicate a negative attitude. For example, to yourself you might say, “I don’t know how we’re going to get through this.” Or to your team you might say, “Brace yourselves! It’s going to get crazy.” Or to your customers you might say, “I apologize for the inconvenience; it’s our busy season.” All of these phrases only HURT your business; they don’t help at all.
No. 5. Ramp up your marketing. When things get busy, it’s easy to pull back on your marketing. However, now is the time people are buying or thinking about buying, and your marketing can help them make a commitment to your company. The goal of your marketing should be to fill in the gaps and extend your busy season even further into the period when it might normally slow down. The busy season is an opportunity for you to grow. It’s unfortunate that many contractors end up dreading the busy season because of how stressful it can be. Yes, it will stretch your resources and test your mettle, but it will also make you a bigger, stronger company in the same way that a muscle only grows when it is worked harder than ever. If you want to grow your contracting business, change your thinking and how you lead your team this busy season. Look forward to the challenge and step into it! You’ll come out the other side a better business poised for bigger things.
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This is a Facebook group exclusively created to serve business owners like you, who want great ideas, strategies, and an opportunity to share their insights and connect with others. • It’s a closed group, so you’ll need to request to join. • Watch for amazing strategies (including some exclusive stuff that I don’t share anywhere else). • Check your notices for some exclusive Facebook Live trainings. • It’s absolutely free. JOIN TODAY! FACEBOOK.COM/GROUPS /CEOWARRIORWORLD CEO WARRIOR WORLD
WARRIOR SPOTLIGHT
GET FULLY CONNECTED WITH THE CEO WARRIOR APP!
“We’ve doubled our service territory, revenue is up 20-40%, and our team culture is unstoppable!” Since becoming a Warrior, my relationships with everyone in my life have gone from good to absolutely awesome. The business has added IAQ, Duct Cleaning, Duct Sealing, and Plumbing; and now we are adding Electrical.
• Get FREE reports and training • Easy access to videos • Easy access to the CEO Warrior Show • Connect on social media • Communicate with our team
We’ve doubled our service territory, revenue is up 20-40%, and our team culture is unstoppable!
• Strategies,
tips, and advice right at your fingertips!
… and more
Casey for Comfort Todd Casey
Available on iOS and Android! Text WARRIORAPP to 44222 and follow the steps.
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HAS SUCCESS BEEN ELUSIVE?
Do you feel like you should be more successful in your service business than you are right now?
Maybe you are really successful but want to grow bigger while still preserving your sanity. Or maybe you are struggling with a business that you thought would be easier but takes so much of your time and effort that you’re stressed out and missing out on the life you thought you’d have. Does it frustrate you that you can’t seem to get as many great employees as you need? Or maybe it’s leads? Perhaps you’re fighting for low-value customers against cut-throat competitors. There could be many different reasons. I totally get it, and I’ve been there before. It should be easier to run your service business and get more wealth, freedom, and market domination than you have right now. Now here’s the good news: A solution is just a FREE call away. A CEO Warrior Master Advisor can help you uncover the solution to whatever is holding you back in your service business … and it costs you absolutely nothing to find out.
BOOK YOUR STRATEGY CALL NOW! CEOwarrior.com/success
SERVICE BUSINESS EDGE, NEW AND IMPROVED Service Business Edge: The Secret Blueprint to Growing Your Business
Get ready for four interactive days at the new 10,000-square-foot CEO Warrior Training Facility, where you will create the blueprint for your business. We’ll cover sales, marketing, customer service, leads, branding, hiring, training, and more. It’s four days you’ll wish you had put in sooner to get the wealth, freedom, and market domination you’ve always wanted. OUR NEXT EVENT WILL BE HELD IN OCTOBER. DATES: OCT. 23-26
Go to SERVICEBUSINESSEDGE.COM for details and registration.
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MARKETING TRENDS FOR HVAC, PLUMBERS, AND OTHER SERVICE BUSINESSES
The process is simple: You need to get in front of more people, more often.
Facebook to Netflix and Instagram, we live in a world where people are being trained to stare at their phones and watch video … and YOUR service business can be the beneficiary of that trend.
of more homeowners or business owners without seeming like you’re marketing? One way is to become an interviewer of local businesses — restaurant owners, accountants, local shopkeepers, the local car dealership — and ask them about their business. By introducing yourself at the beginning of the short video and by making the video “sponsored by” your company, you get free advertising while also positioning yourself as a local expert. Plus, the people you interview may share their videos with their audience, putting you in front of more people. It’s easy for home service business owners to get stuck thinking about videos in a certain way (they are a hassle or they have to be really slick and highly-polished) or it can even be hard to come up with topics. But these ideas should give you plenty of inspiration. You can rotate through these ideas or create your own local show with regular episodes on just one topic. Now, grab your phone, turn on record, and get that first episode out into the world!
The more people in your market who you get in front of, the more people will likely call you when they need whatever service you offer. Marketing is all about building awareness and getting people to remember you when they need your service. Of course, you should be doing direct marketing, using postcards and mail, and engaging in other strategic local display marketing in newspapers and billboards, etc. But there is one place that is often overlooked by home service businesses, and it’s an opportunity that you should dive into and spend more of your time doing each and every day. VIDEO Video is a massive category. People are consuming video like never before, thanks to how easy it is to share video on social media and watch video on our mobile devices. From YouTube and
So, what kind of video should you make? Here are two ideas.
Idea No. 1: 2-Minute Consumer- Friendly Videos. Make a big list (a REALLY BIG list) of video topics that your prospective customers will want to know about, then record one two-minute video on one of those topics each day. If you run an HVAC company, go stand in front of an HVAC system and talk about the different pieces; if you run a plumbing company, kneel down in front of a kitchen sink and show people what the different pipes are for. Cover topics like how to solve common problems, how to troubleshoot if something happens, when to call a professional, where to turn off the water or power, what smells to watch out for that signal when something is wrong, etc.
Idea No. 2: Interviewer Have you ever wished you could get in front
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This explosive approach has a ton of energy and power behind it: It creates momentum, which is why a car and a bullet each use a controlled explosion to propel forward. An explosion changes the world around it, which is why explosions are used in mining to clear large portions of the earth. If you’ve been trying to slowly tweak and modify your business when you can find the time, it simply doesn’t have the same effect as if you collapsed the timeline and EXPLODED in a huge transformation with plenty of power and energy. Service Business Edge is a four-day, hands-on workshop where you will learn to EXPLODE your business with all the strategies you need for rapid transformation to the next level. Not only that, but we help you control that explosive transformation by helping you create a customized implementation That’s what Service Business Edge is.
plan so you can go step-by-step to implement what you’ve learned in the 90 days after Service Business Edge.
you’ve been struggling to do so thus far, then no action is needed.
However, if you want to take a different approach and create a
WHERE DOES THE EXPLOSIVE TRANSFORMATION START?
massive explosion of transformation to create the momentum and energy you need to turn your business around, then the action is simple: Go to ServiceBusinessEdge.com and register for one of the limited number of seats available for the next event.
All explosions start with a spark; a catalyst. And that catalyst is the action you take today.
If you want to keep trying to turn around a stagnant business in the way
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You may want to set other guidelines, too, including what people need to bring to the meeting or what they are expected to do after the meeting.
And if someone brings up anything that’s not on the agenda — and let’s face it, someone ALWAYS does! — as long as it’s not an emergency, simply point out that it’s not on the agenda, and put it on the agenda for the next meeting.
WARRIOR MEETING TIP NO. 3 — SET BOUNDARIES
WARRIOR MEETING TIP NO. 2 — ESTABLISH GUIDELINES
The bigger your meetings, the more likely you need to set boundaries. Everyone brings in their own perspectives and opinions, which can be valuable but also unproductive in the wrong setting. When brainstorming with a business partner, you want a frank and honest discussion with plenty of back-and-forth friendly debate. But at an all-company meeting when you are introducing a new idea or approach to how you want your company to operate, it’s not the time for everyone to voice their opinions. Boundaries ensure that the conversation remains constructive and respectful for everyone and ensures that discussion occurs without hurt feelings or some people being left out.
Set guidelines for a more productive meeting.
Depending on the meeting, this may need to be done before the meeting starts (i.e. if you have a day-long meeting with your leaders) or it may need to be done at the beginning of the meeting (i.e. if you have an all-company meeting).
Guidelines may include the following points:
When will breaks occur?
How to communicate — Do you just speak up when you have a question? Will there be time later to ask questions? Will there be a discussion or is an information-only meeting?
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INSIDE This Question MADE Me Tens of Millions of Dollars
1
How to Explode Your Business for Maximum Growth and Profit Without Stress 2
5 Ways to Help You Grow When It’s Busy
3
Get Connected With the CEO Warrior App!
4
Meet Todd Casey
4
Has Success Been Elusive?
5
Service Business Edge, NEW and IMPROVED 5
Marketing Trends for HVAC, Plumbers, and Other Service Businesses
6
Next Level Meetings
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NEXT LEVEL MEETINGS: HOW TO CREATE STRONGER ALIGNMENT AND GREATER SUCCESS WITH THESE 3 MEETING TIPS
Meetings — every business has them, and everyone seems to hate them, right? After all, they cost money and time, but your employees aren’t out making any money. Yet meetings are
necessary to run the business. Well here’s the good news: You don’t have to put up with bad meetings anymore. Let me show you how to transform your meetings.
WARRIOR MEETING TIP NO. 1 — HAVE AN AGENDA
Many service business owners hold meetings but don’t show up prepared with an agenda. When that happens, meetings actually take longer because you don’t get on or stay on track, because nobody knows what the track is! An agenda is not just the list of topics that you want to cover; your agenda is ultimately your target for the meeting. If you crossed everything off your agenda, you achieve the target!
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