Robin Crow, author of “Evolve or Die,” and Dark Horse Recording, spoke to Comfortech 2014 attendees this morning about change and running a successful business.
Crow shared the critical steps owners can take that will revitalize their businesses. Crow pointed out that business growth cannot be sustained if it remains in its present form; businesses and organizations must position themselves to be constant innovators, able to adapt to and embrace change.
“You need to think multi-dimensional,” Crow told the audience. “Far too often leaders become distracted from ‘Mission Critical’ functions. The Mission Critical functions are to manage change, create customer loyalty, and develop a culture of passion.”
To manage change contractors must realize that the new normal is constant change. “People naturally resist change,” said Crow. “We are afraid of uncertainty; adapting to change is a creative process, and progress is not possible without change.”
To create customer loyalty a contractor must figure out what to do to create that loyalty. “You should figure out what you can do to accelerate sales,” said Crow. “You should always exceed expectations of the customer and care about the customer. As a contractor, ask yourself how do you make the customer feel? This is key. What will they remember about you is most important. When people trust you they will buy from you. You need to do it right the first time!”
To create a culture of passion a contractor must surround themselves with brilliance. “Hire enthusiastic people,” said Crow. “You also need to clean house—if there are people holding back the company, you need to let them go. There are great people out there that want to work at a company like yours. It’s also important to celebrate the good things that are happening at your company and to your employees.”
Crow also told Comfortech 2014 attendees that his one-word strategy is to “persevere.”
“No matter what is going on in your business you need to put one foot in front of the other every day,” said Crow. “You also need to capitalize on the ‘lucky breaks.’ You need to shout out these lucky breaks to the world.
“Lastly, think big,” Crow told the audience. “Your employees want to be part of something big. If you think big it will inspire your customers and employees!”
Breaking through…
Earlier in the day, Weldon Long, author of the NY Times bestseller, The Power of Consistency and HVAC industry expert, spoke about Breaking Through to the Other Side of Adversity: How to Prosper and Grow your Business in the Face of any Challenge.
During this session, Long discussed his personal experience of overcoming prison, poverty and struggle to grow a residential HVAC company with over $20,000,000 in sales during the “Great Recession” that began in 2007. In fact, in 2009, his HVAC company was selected by Inc Magazine as one of the fastest growing privately held companies in America.
Session attendees learned about creating a powerful Prosperity Plan for life and business; how to generate sales and business success on a consistent basis; how to achieve business growth in the face of any adversity; how to get laser focused on personal and professional goals; how to execute on personal and professional goals on a consistent basis; and how to simplify and organize daily responsibilities.