It’s not all about the money. Cliff Lee said so.
I’m a big baseball fan. In fact, I’m working right next to an autographed Alan Trammell jersey (Go Tigers!) as we speak. I played the sport growing up and have my 5-year-old into it as well… None of that soccer stuff for the Hunt boys.
The biggest free agent on the baseball market in 2010, Cliff Lee, turned down more money from the Yankees ($30 MILLION more!) and signed with a team he had briefly played with before, the Philadelphia Phillies.
When explaining his decision, Lee said:
“It’s plenty of money. When you hit a certain point, enough’s enough. It’s just a matter of where you’re comfortable, where you’re happy, where your family’s the most comfortable, what team gives you the best chance to win. That’s really it.” – Cliff Lee, 12/15/2010
Here’s what I learned from this and allow me to tie it to your Remodeling business…
Relationships mean everything (It’s not all about the money).
One of the biggest reasons Cliff Lee returned to Philadelphia was because of the positive relationships he developed with the team in 2009. He formed a bond with a lot of the players and coaches. They wanted him back as much as he wanted to be back. Relationships mean a lot.
Again, the Yankees offered him $30 MILLION more! It didn’t matter…
Your ideal remodeling prospects are a lot like Cliff Lee – they want to work with someone they know, like and trust.
It’s not all about the lowest price – it’s about the relationship and comfort level with you.
How can you form a bond – a stronger relationship – with your prospects to get them to ‘sign with you’ instead of the competition?
- It starts with the first call and getting to know them and their project as well as you can. It’s letting them talk 70% of the time and you only 30%. It’s showing them that you care.
- It’s establishing trust, it’s having a “What to Expect At Our First Meeting” document to show them you have a process, are detailed, want to help them make the best decision.
- It’s sending that hand written Thank You note after the initial meeting.
- It’s returning calls quickly and delivering your proposal to them when you said you were going to.
- It’s offering to have them call your references or taking them out to one of your jobsites to see how you work.
Again, it’s NOT all about the money. It’s about the Relationship.
Sometimes we forget this fact. Last year, Cliff Lee reminded us. Spend more time building relationships, proving how you are different and add value and you’ll win more business at a higher margin.
About Kyle Hunt
Have you requested Kyle’s Free Marketing CD yet? Kyle Hunt is the owner of Remodel Your Marketing and creator of The Excellence Club. After years of experience in the remodeling industry, Kyle now installs his proven and practical Marketing System for remodelers throughout the United States and is pleased to be a guest blogger for Footbridge Media.
Kyle resides in Michigan with his wife, Sarah, and their two children, Thomas & Piper (#3 is on the way!) Follow Kyle on Twitter or Like Remodel Your Marketing on Facebook.
