Too often we feel small and insignificant. Like, the thing we do isn’t really that important. Why would anybody need what I have to offer?
When someone’s thirsty and you give them a drink of water…it’s a big deal.
We all have been given unique gifts that we are expected to use. Others need these things that we have.
Imagine your car breaking down in 100-degree heat. After trying to figure out what’s wrong you give up and start walking to the house you pasted a couple of miles back. You have no water and the sun is beating down. You finally reach the house and knock on the door. When the door opens the cool air of the air conditioning wafts out and feels great. The person at the door is holding a glass of ice water. As you stand there, they step out on the porch, closing the door and dumping the water on the ground.
This is what we are doing when we keep our gifts to ourselves and don’t share them.
God has given us these talents. No matter how insignificant we think they are, when we keep them to ourselves, we are wasting them. We are keeping a drink from someone who is thirsty.
In last week’s post I wrote about how important even the smallest things are to God. Too often, we take small things for granted. We see things from a worldly perspective rather than from God’s. In 1 Corinthians 12:14-27 we are given the example of how a human body is made up of many parts and the same is true for the way we all are designed to work together.
Every small kind thing we do for others is God working through us.
We are valued by God. When we accept and experience this value, it causes us to flourish. These abilities should be shared because this is what we’ve been called to do. It’s what we’re here for. In Matthew 10:42 we are told to give a cup of cold water to these little ones.
The First Thing is to Figure Out What You’re Doing Wrong
As a building contractor that has been involved in construction for over forty years a common topic of conversation, as you might have guessed is…construction. When talking with people who had construction projects done (not my customers) one of the more common remarks is “That was the worst experience of my life.” This is not the way a construction experience should be.
The experience of building a dream project should be one of the best!
When digging into their feelings deeper the problems almost always came down to these issues.
Misunderstandings due to poor or no communication
Blindsided by cost overruns or hidden costs
The completed project wasn’t what they wanted or expected
Didn’t understand construction terminology
Poor quality workmanship and materials
Cluttered and unorganized job site
Left hanging part way through an unfinished project
Lack of scheduling or poor time management
As a construction professional you should read these posts to give you the customer’s perspective:
As building contractors we have a responsibility to do everything in our power to prevent these situations from happening.
As a contractor you might say, “But customers are so hard to deal with. They expect so much and want it done cheap. They’re so demanding.” My response to you is, “Then why are you in this business?” You’re the professional. You choose this.
If you don’t love what you’re doing, then you haven’t found your vocation.
This is not to say that there won’t be difficulties in construction sometimes, but my experiences have been completely different. It comes down to a few simple things that when done well make the experience pleasurable for both the customer and the contractor.
The majority of the problems between construction companies and customers come down to poor communication. These issues can be minimized with thorough and accurate proposals. When I started in business, I had no idea how to do proposals, so I did like most…I guessed.
Doing accurate proposals that communicate clearly, doesn’t have to be a roll of the dice.
So, if you’re pricing construction projects like I did when I began. Maybe you could use some help and I would love to help you with this. So that I can know where you could use help the most, I need answers to some questions.
As a building contractor –
Have you ever had issues with customer’s, if so what were they?
Did these issues involve poor communication?
Do you currently do proposals, estimates, time and material or just guess?
What is your biggest issue when pricing construction projects?
How do you determine the cost of labor and material?
How do you determine overhead and profit?
How do you communicate the work to be done with sub-contractors and/or employees?
What would make your process better?
Here’s a link to these questions if you would go there and answer these questions it will be helpful to us so that we can help you. Or you can answer them in the comments below.
Our minds are one of the most powerful forces in the world. This power can be used for good or bad. Each of us has control over our own minds and can choose how we will use this superpower.
Use the superpower of your mind wisely.
There are countless examples and studies that show the power the mind has. We’ve all experienced times when we let our imagination take over. If we let it, the unknown fuels fear.
An example of how fear can distort the unknown is the Oregon woman calling the police about the intruder who had barricaded themselves in her bathroom.
“The Washington County Sheriff’s Office said on a Tuesday, officers responded to a woman’s report that someone was locked in her bathroom. The woman could tell something was amiss — there were shadows visible under the door.
Deputies surrounded the house, called in a canine officer and repeatedly instructed the suspect to exit the bathroom.
Police heard “rustling” noises coming from the bathroom and reported that the noises became more frequent as they continued to issue directions.
About 15 minutes after first responding, police entered the bathroom with guns drawn.
Police witnessed a “very thorough vacuuming job being done by a Roomba Robotic Vacuum cleaner.”
Fear can make us act irrationally.
By nature, when faced with fear, we respond in a way to defend and protect ourselves and our families. We also have been given the ability to analyze information and make decisions based on that information and our experiences.
The biggest advantage we have over fear is God. We often feel too small and insignificant to bother God with our fears and concerns. It doesn’t matter how little our problem or fear is. In Matthew 10:28-31 it says that not even one sparrow can die without God knowing. He even knows how many hairs you have on your head.
Let’s break this down a little bit. According to Wikipedia there are somewhere around 1.4 billion sparrows in the world. Healthline.com says the average person has 100,000 hairs on their head and the World Atlas reports that the world population is approximately 7.4 billion. Let’s do the math. 100,000 hairs x 7.4 billion people…that’s 760 TRILLION hairs.
Okay, if God is aware of these small insignificant things, we can be sure He is aware of every fear in our lives. We just have to decide if we are going to believe and trust Him. We’re much better off giving Him the control.
We are so close to who we are and what we know that when we’re communicating with others, we assume they understand. This is not the case. Most of the time when we’re talking about that thing we do…they’re overwhelmed.
We need to sperate ourselves from our calling if we’re going to communicate clearly.
We forget, or don’t even know, that what seems so basic and simple to us, isn’t to them. We’ve all been made with a specific unique gift, one that only we have. Sure, as many people as there are, there’s overlap. I’m not the only construction contractor in the whole world. I am however, the only one who does it the way that I do it.
This situation has become evident in several different situations recently.
Last week I wrote about my preparing to work with Bryan Switalski with Clarity Consulting. After our meeting I was feeling more overwhelmed than before. I was questioning if I had what it was going to take to do the digital marketing thing.
The next day was our weekly mastermind meeting. As I listened to the others in the group share their frustrations in connecting with the people who they knew would benefit from their knowledge or products. In my mind I was saying “Amen, preach it.”
Often before when listening to the group I would feel overwhelmed and inadequate. Listening to them I thought I was in way over my head. They would use terms that I didn’t know or understand. What struck me the most this day was how I realized that they’re struggling with the same struggles I am.
Then the light bulb came on. They, like me, were too close to their calling.
Their struggle, like mine, is the need to step back and look at this from the customer’s perspective. Over the years I’ve figured out how to do this with my construction customers without even knowing I was doing it.
This was confirmed the next day when I met with some potential customers for the third time. As we reviewed the floorplan of the remodeling project, they had questions. As we discussed the project more, I became aware of additional information that helped guide the direction of the project. Now we’re heading in the direction moving them toward their dream.
Too often contractors wouldn’t meet this many times or listen this much. Too often customers would just presume that the first plan was the only plan and this is as close to their dream as they’re going to get.
Now if I can learn to do this same thing with coaching and consulting customers.
After meeting with the construction customers, I began to think about my meeting with Bryan. As a customer I didn’t feel that I had given him enough information to do his job. I was feeling that “lost and overwhelmed customer feeling”. I sent him an email apologizing for my earlier rambling when we met.
Later that same day I received a response with a 10 minute recorded video explanation of the plan and how the parts will fit together, more details, a reiterated short list of what he needs from me and the reassurance that this project will be great when we’re done.
I’m sure Bryan was thinking, this is so simple and easy, but he never hinted to that. That’s what we professionals do when we’re working in our called vocation.
It’s hard to remember that they don’t get it like we do and to view the project from their perspective.
Now I need to separate myself from my calling and come up with a list of reasons that construction contractors need to make better proposals.
We are constantly bombarded by worldly noise. It is so easy to get sucked into the dark hole of TV, internet, social media, etc. We are surrounded by people yelling and wanting to be heard. These things can pull our attention from the things that really matter if we’re not careful.
It’s easy to be pulled into the noise of the world.
“An honest man is being tailgated by a stressed-out woman on a busy boulevard! Suddenly, the light turns yellow just in front of him. He does the honest thing and stops at the crosswalk, even though he could have beaten the red light by accelerating through the intersection.
The tailgating woman hits the roof, and the horn, screaming in frustration as she misses her chance to get through the intersection with him. As she is still in mid-rant, she hears a tap on her window and looks up into the face of a very serious police officer. The officer orders her to exit her car with her hands up. He takes her to the police station where she is searched, fingerprinted, photographed, and placed in a cell.
After a couple of hours, a policeman approaches the cell and opens the door. She is escorted back to the booking desk where the arresting officer is waiting with her personal effects. He says, “I’m very sorry for this mistake.
You see, I pulled up behind your car while you were blowing your horn, flipping the guy off in front of you, and cussing a blue streak at him. I noticed the ‘Choose Life’ license plate holder, the ‘What Would Jesus Do’ bumper sticker, the ‘Follow Me to Sunday School’ bumper sticker, and the chrome plated Christian fish emblem on the trunk. Naturally, I assumed you had stolen the car.”Joke Buddha
The things we do and say represent who we truly are.
We forget how powerful our words and action are. God spoke and the earth was formed. Genesis 1:3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 24, 26, 29 God spoke to Abram and a nation was born. God spoke the Word and humanity was redeemed through Jesus. Our words are powerful, after all, we’re made in God’s image.
“In the beginning there was the Word. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. All things were made by him, and nothing was made without him. In him there was life, and that life was the light of all people. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overpowered it.” John 1:1-5 We need to use this Light and stay out of the darkness.
It’s hard to believe that God speaks to us, but He does. God speaks to us in what we read, listen to, watch, and associate with. He speaks through us by what we write, say and how we act.
The question is not if God speaks to us. The question is if we’re listening.
You’ve probably heard it said, “Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results is the definition of insanity.” I have to remind myself of this often. I get started doing something a certain way and it’s hard to change directions.
We are creatures of habit.
My tendency is to try and do everything myself. I think this is a combination of who I am and my upbringing. Growing up on a farm if it needed done…we did it. This isn’t all bad, these things also contribute to my ability to think outside the box and find solutions.
The problem is, there’s not enough time to do everything. I need to be more focused on the things I do well. This doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t be learning new things. What it does means is that we need to be intentional about what we invest our time doing.
Focus is hard, especially when there’s no revenue.
A few weeks ago, I wrote about how frustrating it is, to be doing something and not be achieving the expected results. This frustration increases when you’re sure it’s the thing you’re supposed to be doing. I’ve tried several different things to get my message out to construction companies and customers who desperately need it. CRICKETS
For years I’ve been faithfully writing and publishing Weekly Solutions. I estimate I’ve spent upwards of 2000 hours researching, writing, editing, publishing, etc. Even at a small hourly rate of $35/hour that comes up to $70,000.00. That’s a pretty big investment to have generated no revenue.
Another part of my farm upbringing was frugality. I don’t like spending money on things if I can’t see a clear return. This coupled with my “I can do this” attitude. I struggle with the idea of employing help. Looking at the numbers above, hiring would’ve probably had a better return on investment.
If I want things to change, I need to do something different.
The frustration led me to do several things different this year. I joined Kingdom Builders Mastermind hosted by Ray Edwards. In my cautious world this is a sizable investment. It’s been an investment worth every penny.
Through this group I’ve become connected with others who have experience and skills that I don’t. One such person is StoryBrand Certified Guide, Bryan Switalski with Clarity Consulting. We discussed the possibilities that could be achieved in my hiring him to help me with my digital marketing, clarifying my message and getting that message to those who need it.
My naivete with the digital marketing world is evident when you consider the amount of time invested and lack of accomplishment. I was a little unsure of moving forward with this due to the cost. We discussed options and ways to break the big project into smaller ones.
After looking at the cost of the time I had invested, considering what other things I could have been doing with that time it looks like a good investment to me. Oh, not to mention earlier posts I wrote about this very thing as it relates to construction and the value of a professional and whether or not to hire. I really should take my own advice.
So, if I don’t want to be considered insane, I need to make some changes.
Bryan and I are meeting next week to get started. There are some new and exciting things coming. Something that would be helpful is if you or any contractors you know would share with us your “construction proposal frustrations” in the comments below.
We can’t see the wind. The only way to know if there is any, is when we see things being moved around. Wind can be a gentle cool refreshing breeze, or it can be a strong storm like fury.
We’ve all heard of the amazing stories of things like wheat straw being driven into highline poles and animals and people being blown several hundred yards from where they started and living through it. I witness things like jewelry and important heirlooms remaining on open surfaces in homes that were destroyed by tornados. The wind can refresh us or move us to where it wants us to go.
If we will work with the wind rather than fighting against it, we can accomplish amazing things.
In 1848 when trying to figure out how to get the first cable across the Niagara River it was determined that a kite contest might be the answer.
“There was a tremendous turn out for the kite contest that was held in January of 1848. The kites began appearing on the Canadian side of the gorge, taking advantage of prevailing winds from West to East. The first to succeed in spanning the gorge with his kite, named the ‘Union’, was fifteen-year-old American, Homan Walsh. Homan crossed to the Canadian side of the gorge by ferry just below Niagara Falls, and walked the two miles along the top of the cliff to the location that the bridge was to be built. Homan had to wait a day for the wind to cooperate; it was a kite contest after all! However, on the second day, the winds were perfect and Homan’s kite went right up and flew high above the gorge.” The Kite that Bridged a River, by M. Robinson.
That Holy Spirt can breathe life into dead bones and dead people, Ezekiel 37:4-6, 11-14. We are dry and dead like the bones in Ezekiel. We need His breath breathed into us.
We need the Holy Spirit to blow us to do the right things, to love our neighbors and to be the hands and feet of God.
When the wind of God blows, amazing things happen!
For those of you who know me or know somebody that knows me. You know that I talk a little…okay…maybe I talk a lot.
When I was in grade school my Mom went to a parent/teacher conference. The teacher asked my Mom if I was forced to be quiet at home. My mother said no and asked why. The teacher replied that she thought maybe I wasn’t allowed to talk at home and that was why I talked so much at school. Mom responded, “He talks all the time at home too.” I’ve realized over the years that this is a part of who I am. This doesn’t mean that I’m not continually working to rein in my talking. I also realize it’s part of how God made me and there are benefits as well.
Being able to communicate well is key to good relationships.
Communication is not just what we say, write, draw or even an expression or gesture we use. Communication is also what we hear or see. Hearing is a critical part of good communication. Quite often we forget that we need to listen to what our customers want or to hear the different idea that a team member has. We need to remember communication is a two-way process. I think this is why God gave us two ears, two eyes and only one mouth. He knew that the receiving part was twice as hard as the giving part. If we don’t communicate well, we can’t expect to have beneficial and productive relationships.
We all perceive things differently.
When figuring the price of a new home it can be difficult to know some specifics until after construction has started, i.e. the distance from electric meter to the house. These unknowns can be covered by allowances. Several years ago, while in the early stages of building a new home, we had included a 50’ allowance for running the electrical entrance from the pole to the house. As we were staking out for the house location on the property the customer pointed out that it was going to be 150’ from the electric pole to the house. He asked if that WAS GOING TO BE A PROBLEM. My partner responded. NO, IT WOULDN’T TO BE A PROBLEM. The construction continued and everything was fine…until the final billing. When we gave the customer the final bill with the additional cost for the extra 100’ he was angry. As we worked through this, it was clear what had happened. When the customer asked the question, what he really asked was, IS IT GOING TO COST MORE? When my partner responded what he was really saying was, PHYSICALLY IT CAN BE DONE. Being clear when we communicate is hard, but important.
If we say something once, then saying it 10 times is better.
Saying things enough without saying them too many times is a difficult balance. It’s better to over communicate rather than not communicate enough. This takes longer but can minimize if not eliminate misunderstandings later. This is the main reason that I have developed the Blueprint for Building a Better Proposal system that I use. It comes from years of attending the school of hard knocks. This system will give contractors and customers clarity about what the project includes
If there is going to be a misunderstanding, I don’t want it to be because of something that I didn’t communicate.
Even if you’re like me and don’t watch the news, you’re most likely aware of the chaos going on. Buildings being burned and businesses being destroyed in protest of the man who died while being detained. Protesting of injustice is one of the foundational building blocks this country is built on.
In 1773 the American Colonists protested being taxed by the British Parliament’s taxation without representation. This protest was directed at the British company that was being allowed to sell tea without being taxed. The protesters didn’t burn the ships or destroy their neighbor’s business…they threw the tea into the harbor.
Even a small fire can light a dark path.
If you’ve ever used a lantern you know how much light a small flame can produce. A match, when lit will give light, but only for a short time. A large candle might burn for 10-12 hours. A fire in a fireplace will continue to burn as long as we keep putting wood on it. We have to be careful, even the small fire of a candle if not controlled, can burn a house down.
This past Sunday Christians celebrated Pentecost. This commemorates the Holy Spirit coming to the followers of Christ. In Acts 2:1-4 it is described as “…a noise like a strong wind, blowing from heaven and filling the whole house…something like flames of fire were separated and stood over each person…” Fire is used throughout the Bible as an example of light in the dark to help us see.
In Shep Jordan’s Monday Morning Moment this week, he shares the importance of Pentecost. That ‘Fire’ that came to Christ’s followers is still available to us today. We can tap into this power and use it to light our path as well as those around us.
For fire to burn it has to have fuel.
We can fuel our fires by reading the Bible, praying, through fellowship and worship. If we don’t fuel our fires they will go out. We need to keep those fires lit so that those around us can witness what light from the Holy Spirt looks like.
The song “This Little Light of Mine”, written in the 1920s by Harry Dixon Loes, explains it well. “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine. Hide it under a bushel, no! I’m gonna let it shine. Don’t let Satan blow it out! I’m gonna let it shine. Let it shine till Jesus comes! I’m gonna let it shine.
Fuel your fire with the Holy Spirit and let your light shine.
It’s Friday and John’s in his normal state of overwhelm. He’s supposed to be meeting with Gene tomorrow afternoon to go over the Blueprint for Building a Better Proposal system and he doesn’t know how he can fit it in.
There are still so many things that need to be done.
“Maybe we can reschedule,” thinks John, I’ll just give Gene a call and see about moving the meeting back a week. “Okay, that’s enough.” John says to himself. “The whole purpose for this meeting is to change things, so that I don’t have to feel this overwhelmed.”
I’m tired of always feeling out of control.
John pulls up in front of the XYZ Construction Company office and admires the building. As he gets the pizza out of the truck and goes up to the front door he thinks, “I sure hope I can have a place like this someday.” As he walks through the door Gene greets him with a solid handshake and a grin as he says, “I wasn’t sure that you would make it.”
“I wasn’t sure either.”, John says with a smile. “I came really close to calling yesterday, to see about rescheduling. “I’m glad you didn’t.”, replies Gene. “You’ve taken the hardest in a series of hard steps.”
“The first step is the hardest. It requires a change of thinking and direction.”
“Bring the pizza and let’s go into the conference room.” As they make their way into the spacious comfortable room John thinks back on when they used to have their weekly production meetings in this very room. Looking back, he realizes how much he had taken what Gene has accomplished for granted.
Gene hands John a plate and they both get some pizza. “There’s water and soda in the fridge like always.”, says Gene, “Help yourself.” As they set down and start eating Gene asks John, “Why did you go into construction and start your own company?”
“Why do you do what you do?”
John sat there for a while chewing his pizza at the same time chewing on this question. “Why was he doing this?” He had asked this question a lot, but it was usually a question of frustration, not really looking for an answer.
After what seemed like an eternity, John answered, “I really don’t know. I suppose that seeing what you had accomplished, I wanted the same thing.”
“That’s the same answer I would have given when I started XYZ Construction.”, agrees Gene. “It wasn’t until I realized that to have a successful and profitable business, one that I was running rather than it running me, I needed to make some changes. One of those was to answer this question.”
“The WHY is more important than the HOW. Maybe your why is to make a lot of money, the enjoyment of building, the control that comes with owning your own company, something completely different or a combination of things.”
“Do you love what you do? In your current situation, do you even like it?”
Now John has another unanswered question to ponder. “Does he like what he does. Life sure was easier when he worked for Gene. What is it that prompted him to go into business?”
Gene interrupted John’s thinking, “John you probably won’t get the full answer to these questions today and we’ve already been discussing this for a couple of hours. I would suggest that you take some time to think about these and dig down deep to find the answers.”
“The answer to these questions are the foundation you will build your business on.”
“Before we run out of time today, let’s move on to the topic you came for, Building a Better Proposal. Just like the why question for your business, you should answer the why question about proposals.”
“Why do we need to do proposals?
“John, there is a huge gap between the construction industry and customers. The biggest portion of this gap is poor communication. Even when attempting to communicate clearly it can go badly. Let me give you an example.”
“Several years ago, when meeting with a customer early in the process of building a new home. The customer pointed out that the distance from the electric meter to the house was more than the 50’ allowance, as per the agreement. He asked if this was a problem. He was told it wasn’t a problem. Guess what…”
“It was a problem.”
“The problem didn’t surface until later when the customer was billed for the additional 100’. After some research, the communication breakdown was uncovered. The customer asked, “if it was a problem”. What he really was asking was…”is it going to cost more?”.”
“The response ‘in reality’ was, “It’s no problem to dig the additional 100’, but it will cost you more.” Neither party intended nor expected this to be a problem. It was a simple matter of misunderstanding…a lack of communication.”
“As we wrap up today John, I would recommend that we schedule some time weekly to work through the proposal system. I know that you don’t feel like you can spare the time, but I would point out that if you want things to be different it is going to require you to do some things different.”
John thought about this for a few minutes, “I get excited about the possibilities for my future every time we talk about this. Let’s do it. How does next Saturday, same time and same place work for you?
“If I don’t commit to doing something different, nothing will change.”
Gene got a big smile and remembered when he had made this same decision. He was encouraged about John’s future and excited to be a part of it. “Remember when you called me a few weeks back and how frustrated you were? And then in the next call we discussed the possibilities for your future? Think on these things and your why as you study the pages from today. When we get together next week, I want to hear about your why and we’ll go deeper into the Blueprint for Building a Better Proposal system.
“As you go through them write down any questions you have, and we’ll discuss them next week.”
(or send them to me in the comments below)
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