By: Ron Bishop, Partner, Corner to Corner Construction

 

Five years ago, I made one of the most important decisions in my life. After graduating with a Finance Degree from St. Joseph’s University, I turned down numerous offers to instead partner with my father, Ron. For over 20 years, he had been a highly reputable builder in the area. His work was constantly referred to as “top notch,” and clients raved about the impact Corner to Corner had made on their homes.

 

I was excited about the opportunity for us to run a business together, and to keep my family legacy going strong. On the other hand, I had a vision for significantly enhancing both of our lifestyles. It seemed as though we had to work awfully hard to meet the standards we had set…and there just didn’t seem to be enough left over when compared to how hard we worked.

 

Always interested in getting better, I embraced a number of seminars, books, and self-help materials. They had some value, but did not make a significant impact we could see or feel on our business or our quality of life. Then one day I found myself having a conversation about growing my business…and the challenges we faced with one of my top-caliber contractors, Dave from Acclimated Services HVAC.

 

Dave listened to the difficulty I was facing in getting the business results we wanted from the excellent results we were providing for our clients. He mentioned that he had “people,” and of course, I thought it was a joke. Dave explained that he had similar issues as he was building his business…but then decided to get help. Dave had begun working with Ted Butera at The Training Center For Sales & Business Development. In 18 months, The Training Center helped Dave double his sales volume, and increase both his growth and net profitability by 50 percent. He finally began to take profit disbursements on a regular basis. I told Dave I was skeptical, and mentioned that I had tried a few things before that didn’t seem to make much of an impact. Dave kept telling me, “This you have to find out about. Do yourself, and me, a favor. Just call The Training Center.”

 

I met with Ted. He listened to me tell him that in so many words, I felt that a lot of our competition was doing the work half as well, and getting paid twice as much. We slowly began to discover the reasons for those results, and to my surprise, most of them pointed to me and to my team. We had a number of beliefs that were getting in our way, and a whole list of habits that had come from them.

 

Now, this was not at all the time to be thinking about spending money! I had no “war chest” to invest in myself and I shared that up front. As we talked and began to calculate the cost of those beliefs and habits, one thing became clear. I was spending money every day and I didn’t know it! That had to stop…and I decided this was the day.

 

Though it wasn’t easy, I worked my finances around and committed myself to investing in my own and my father’s success, and in the success of our team. We customized a program that fit our needs, budget, and time frame. We focused on three areas: Sales, Management, and Leadership. The one-on-one coaching, transformational training, and workshop support that we receive not only from the team of coaches at The Training Center, but also from fellow clients has not just changed our business, they have helped change my life. We have developed a level of self-confidence through our sales system, and immediately began experiencing an ability to make our sales conversations and our employee conversations have a “win/win” result.

 

We soon began hearing questions such as, “What do you recommend that we do?” from our prospects. Clients began to share with us that they felt like we were partners in planning and decision making, where most builders made them feel like they were being “sold to”.

 

Our employees began noticing a difference in how we interacted with them. Soon, we began to notice a significant difference in them and an improvement in their performance. They began to treat our business and our clients as if they were owners! They were more proactive…and embraced our commitment to excellence without question, looking for areas where they could be more valuable to the team.

 

You would probably like to hear some specifics, so here’s a few results from our last business debriefing. We have been able to double our gross sales in less than 12 months, WHILE ceasing all weekend work…talk about getting both time and money. We now have a well-trained “Extended Sales Force” of satisfied clients and business partners. More than 90% of our sales calls are now driven by properly coached referrals, leading to our sales cycle being ¼ as long as it used to be. Our closure rate has doubled and the jobs that we are getting are the right types of projects, done for the right types of clients. And most noteworthy, our on-site Project Manager has not only asked to expand his development program with The Training Center, but he has just sold his first project (a $100,000 sale) in order to finance the program. P.S. – He had never sold anything before, and selling is not his primary role.

 

The results in sales and profit, a better understanding of us, and better success connecting with our employees and clients have truly changed our lives and our business. I look back on the decision to go and talk to The Training Center, and to find a way to invest in myself and in my company when it seemed impossible, as one of the smartest things I have ever done. Do the same for yourself. Forget about what you’ve read here, and listen to one recommendation. Go talk with The Training Center. You’ll be glad you did.

 

As father and son, Shawn and Ron Bishop have built their business upon the very principles that have held their family strong for many generations. At Corner to Corner Construction, the aim is to provide the highest quality at remarkable value. Call Shawn or Ron at (610) 825-4805 for a building partner you can trust.

 

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