Be known!
Grant Cardone says you must be known to do well and uses Starbucks as an example. Starbucks doesn’t have the best coffee but it’s well known. That’s why I head straight there every morning before work.
And last Friday I got a neat reminder about the importance of relationships. Now, one residential client hired me late in the season to cut her grass and do some improvements on her neglected yard. Given her advancing years and the fact that this was her first time owning a garden, she needed help. Her son lives upstairs and he’s a busy high-class chef; we’ll get back to him shortly.
Basics
I covered the basics like two last lawn cuts on a lawn which obviously doesn’t get much attention. Having a good looking lawn takes a lot of work. Plus time and money but it can be done.
I also pruned shrubs like boxwood in front of the house and removed out of control bramble. Then there was the neighbour’s walnut tree with branches overhanging my client’s driveway; and lots of leafiness to remove.
I felt like I had covered the client’s list and the plan was to come back to prune two maple trees and two yews. It’s nice to prune maples before Christmas, before they start running sap.
Black Friday text message
Then the lady sent me a text message on Black Friday, saying her son surprised her by paying for a crew to come in and clean-up her yard! Jesus, I thought I had covered her list. What yard work, exactly? This can happen with a client new to garden maintenance; they hire you and then turn into clowns.
She was excited and I was happy for her. Her son takes good care of her. How nice. I was touched by the son’s love and deep pockets. But deep down I was thinking why didn’t the son call me? Which is a long set-up to get us to the main topic of relationships.
Obviously, the son doesn’t know me so there’s no relationship. Unlike the yard work team he uses on his other properties: he knows them and likes their work so they have a good relationship. A high-class chef living in a big new multi-million dollar house will not call Red Seal Vas. He barely acknowledged me when he saw me in the driveway but I wasn’t offended. I have tons of work and my business is growing. It’s all good. I can’t be stopped.
What bothers me is the disconnect between the mother and son. She gave me a list and there was zero communication from her son. He just gave me a look on his way to his truck. I could have done more had I known. Alas, it was not to be. I didn’t go back to do the tree pruning because chances are the son has people for that too.
Nurture your relationships
The son’s surprise didn’t really cost me anything financially because instead of doing tree pruning I went to my regular clients who know me! That’s the magic. They call me back every year because I deliver good value as a Red Seal journeyman. Those are the relationships you must nurture.
Who gets hired by a high-class chef in a hair net doesn’t affect me.
So if you want to succeed in life and business, develop and nurture your relationships. You can’t succeed solo; you need help along the way.
