Cash for Your Clunkers

You’ve got your own clunkers to trade in, and I’m not talking about cars

By Coach Gary Micheloni

Your client may like you when you do things for free, but he won’t respect you.

So, all the rage these days seems to be the mad dash for people to buy cars because they can now trade in their old “clunkers” on a brand, new model. People are going crazy over a discount of $4,500. What’s the reason behind the clunkers program? Get rid of stuff; get money moving; create some jobs. Well, let’s see if there just might be a parallel to your own business.

Here's the Deal

You’ve got clunkers! I know this because I know that every contractor has them. If you’ve got clients, and if you’ve got some projects, you’ve got some clunkers. But your clunkers are probably worth a whole bunch more to your company than some little, old car.

Here’s an example: Your client wants you to do something for him that is not shown on the plans, but he thinks you should have included “just because.” He says you’re the expert, and you should have known that it might be required. So you figure, what the heck, I’ll just throw it in, a couple of hundred bucks: a clunker!

So, how do you “trade in” your company clunkers? It’s pretty simple, actually. You need two things: a decision and a system.

Decision time. I’d suggest you watch the movie “Rocky.” It’s all about deciding to become a winner. Every time Rocky gets knocked down, he gets back up. He takes another shot. Here’s the secret, so don’t miss it: If you are willing to keep getting back up and taking another shot, you will be amazed at how often you win the match.

Systems. Basically, you need them, and you will not win without them. Read the sports pages and, any time a new coach gets hired for a pro team, he’ll bring to the job his own “system” for doing things. He also will bring in his own people, his own coaches, each of whom believes in the system that the head coach is implementing. The winning system is one that points the team toward the championship.

Go watch the movie, and put yourself into Rocky’s shoes. Imagine his opponent as being the general superintendent who always seems to make your life miserable. Resolve that you’ll get back up every time you get knocked down. Next, adopt a system that will make your life and career more efficient, easier and more profitable. Find a project management system that works for you, and then get good at it.

What makes a good system? Something that allows you to easily send out letters, RFIs, change order requests, and the like. It should be copy-and-paste easy. If you browse over to www.FullContactTeam.com, you’ll find some simple helps just like that. It’s what Coach Gary uses, almost daily. A piece of advice: don’t go for more complexity than you absolutely need.

Coach Gary's Corner

Clunker trade-in headquarters! Get free reports you need for your own business. Go to www.FullContactTeam.com, and click on the link near the top of the page. The reports are free; not knowing the info is expensive! Want to learn a bit faster? Join the Team. The best athletes and their teams use coaches — and continue to use them — even after they become great. How about you? Got a coach to take you to the next level? You need a process. How about one that’s pretty darn simple, but extremely effective? Readers get this report for free.

Put some effective strategies to work for you now. Get Coach Gary’s book Get Paid for a Change! and his new CD, How to Become the Leader Your Team Needs! Go there now.

About the Author

Gary Micheloni is a working project manager, speaker, author, consultant and coach. He has severals years of industry experience, including a background as a licensed general engineering contractor. For further information and insight on the Full Contact Project Management approach, write Coach Gary at FullContactTeam@gmail.com.

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