We all have certain principles that we stick to in our lives, certain truths. One of mine is, “Be full of gratitude.” That truth has served me well in realizing how blessed I am to be a husband, father, and leader. It’s the truth.
To be successful, it is important to be guided by our truths rather than our feelings. Why? Because the truth doesn’t change.
Feelings can be up or down. Feelings can be influenced in good or bad ways. There’s nothing wrong with feelings; we all have them. We’re all humans, but feelings should not guide our choices. Truth should do that. If you let a bad day or a strained relationship influence your business (or personal) decisions, it can have long-term effects that you may come to regret. Sticking with your truth helps to prevent that.
At the time of this article, I will have just finished taking my 19-year-old daughter to college and, as a dad, I wanted to send her off with as many nuggets of wisdom as possible—things she can carry with her as she steps out on this next adventure.
As part of this process, my wife and I arranged a night where we could have people of influence in her life come and spend an evening offering their advice. What do they wish they had known at her age? What did they wish someone had told them when they were heading off to college?
We rented a couple of rooms at a nice restaurant in town, and it turned into a really special night. It was awesome to watch my 19-year-old daughter take in this advice from these friends of ours. Many of them have known her since she was born. They spoke to her about her best qualities. They reminded her of who she is and, more importantly, whose she is (she belongs to God first of all).
She’s stepping into a new world, one that requires more energy, effort, and discipline. She’ll be tired some days. She’ll face new interpersonal situations, and there will be times where she won’t feel that great. It’s those times when she, like anyone, could have her decisions swayed by how she feels. And in those situations, the truth will bring her back to the center and guide her.
After that night, I spent some time thinking about the importance of knowing the truth in any aspect of our lives. Our feelings can be affected by many things but the truth is, well, always true. The truths that my daughter learned that night will help her make the best decisions for herself.
Knowing the truth is important in all areas of life.
There was a season where I trained aggressively in the sport of triathlon. There are different distances of triathlon that you can compete in, and my primary race was the 70.3, also known as the Half Ironman. It’s called a 70.3 because you cover 70.3 miles in the race—a 1.2-mile swim, followed by a 56-mile bike race and topped off with a 13.1-mile run.
One particular season a few years ago, I had trained consistently all year. As a result, I put up my best times across the board. I was in great shape and the hard work was paying off. I had swum, ridden, and run farther and faster on a more consistent basis than I had ever done before. At 41 years old, I was in the best shape of my life. With that in mind,I should have been confident for my final 70.3 of the season, right?
Wrong.
Driving to the race, I didn’t feel great. I felt slow. I felt tired. I felt unprepared.
That’s the thing about feelings. They can lie. They can be conditional. They can even conflict with what you know to be true. What I said earlier about training hard, being consistent, and not slacking? That was the truth.
My body was prepared. I was ready for the race, and, therefore, I would do well. And I did, by the way. I accomplished my goal of breaking five hours for this particular distance.
So, what does this have to do with you in the shed business?
If you’re in sales, aren’t there days where you know you’re doing all the right things, but it doesn’t seem to be producing results?
Your lot looks great. Your signs are crisp. You are marketing aggressively on social media. You’re making the calls and following up on all of your leads, but the results just don’t seem to be happening. It feels discouraging. It can feel like things won’t turn around for you.
It can also work in the other direction. Sometimes you’re in the zone and everything you touch turns to gold. You hit your sales numbers, your clients have nothing but good things to say about you, and it seems like no matter what you decide to do or not do, the wins just keep coming your way.
In both of those situations, you have to know the truth. Whether things are good or bad, don’t let your feelings cause you to make decisions that end up costing you. Be guided by your truths.
The truth is that, as a salesperson, there are specific things that will give you better results if you do them than if you don’t do them. The way your lot looks matters: truth. Following up with your customers matters: truth. Caring about your clients’ needs and working to meet them matters: truth.
Don’t let feelings sway your approach to how you conduct yourself or your business. Feelings aren’t wrong, but there’s too much that can affect them. Feelings can change. The truth is consistent.
For many shed builders and sellers, we’re entering into a great season for our business. Know what works and stick to that. Be consistent. Whether you feel good or bad, your best efforts will pay off.
And that’s the truth.