“Action takes you out of doubt, doubt takes you out of action.” — Johann Wolfgang Von Goeth
The quote above resonates deeply with my journey in the shed industry.
December 2025 officially marked my 30th year in the shed industry (woo-hoo)! I’ve seen a lot of changes and trends in the industry during that time, especially with the development of online sales and marketing.
It’s true, I run Facebook Ads and have an online presence, which is absolutely fine, but I do not depend on social media for my existence and sales. Although I use social media as a tool, I see others in the industry depend heavily on it to the point of obsession. I encourage all of us to never forget that taking massive action doing the money-making activities, and showing our customers that we really care, is the absolute best way to increase your sales.
The late great basketball coach John Wooden said that passion beats complacency. He was absolutely right. When you take action and also care about your customers, and they see your passion by taking the time to connect with them, you greatly increase your odds at earning their business.
Remember, purchasing ads on social media simply gets the phone to ring; it is what you do after the phone rings that really counts.
If you are experiencing a slow period or a “sales rut,” I highly recommend doing the following.
Pick a month for a 30-day shed marketing blitz. That’s right, I encourage you to get back to the basics by taking massive action with a 30-day shed blitz.
Once a year, I pick a month to completely concentrate on marketing myself and my products to the extreme for 30 days. I normally run a few radio commercials as well and do a live radio-remote at my lot. I also put out more social media content. During this 30-day blitz I call more customers than normal for referrals (the greatest way to increase sales), and I also make sure that everyone I come into contact with gets a business card or a brochure that let them know what I do.
During these 30 days, I also visit more businesses than normal, sharing with them what I do. A great example is when I stopped by a local company last year just to simply let them know that I do onsite storage. That same company reached out to me a few months later in November and ordered a shed. I guarantee you that I would’ve more than likely missed the sale if I had not stopped by earlier in the year.
I also send shed birthday texts, and I also reach out to old “cold” leads to see if their situation has changed.
Another cool story happened when I called a lead that was over two years old. This person had priced an RV carport with me and then suddenly went silent (I know some of you can relate). I ended up contacting them again via text, and they ordered a 30 by 50 garage for their new RV and vehicles. The customer told me that they were in the process of buying online if I had not contacted them—talk about good timing.
The 30-day shed blitz is simply doubling down on doing the money-making activities that keep our business thriving year-round.
Compliment others and be a dealer of hope and encouragement. The fastest way for me to get over “stinking thinking,” also known as a negative mindset, is to pay someone a genuine compliment or to offer some encouraging words.
It was Mark Twain who famously said that “I can live for two months on a good compliment,” pointing out just how powerful and sincere praise is for motivation and well-being.
I remember when my wife and I were strolling through the mall a couple of summers ago, just casually passing the time. All of a sudden, two ladies walked out of a store and up to my wife and told her that they loved her shoes and purse. Keep in mind that we were just hanging out with no plans to buy anything. I told my wife that I would look around and meet her in 20 minutes. To my surprise when we met back up, my wife had $400 worth of products that she had purchased from the two ladies who gave her the compliments. Compliments work.
Another great example would be when a nice gentleman strolled into my office one day “just looking” at a shed that he would need for one of his children who was having to move back in to help take care of his wife, who was struggling with health issues. I showed the man a few sheds and asked a few questions. I asked him to tell me more about his wife’s health, and I’ll be totally honest, I felt so sorry for this gentleman.
I asked the man if it would be okay if I prayed for his wife, and he got a little emotional. I prayed for his wife, and at the end of the prayer, he hugged me and told me how much he appreciated me. I could tell that praying for his wife really moved him. The nice gentleman told me that he would consider the shed and left. Then, right before I closed that day, I was surprised to see the man appear again. He came into my office and ordered the shed that we had discussed earlier that day. He told me that he was buying from me because I took the time to actually listen to him.
That’s just one example among many. You can never go wrong trying to help and encourage others. Remember: people do not care how much you know until they know how much you care.
Shed Nation, the keys to thriving in our industry are simple: take massive, consistent action and genuinely connect with your customers. These principles have fueled my success for over 30 years, and they can work for you, too.
