Tuesday Tuneup- #32
This week's edition of the Tuesday Tuneup is sponsored by:
I’ve worked with a lot of finance companies through the years and Ed at Finturf is one of the best. Finturf understands the level of anxiety and frustration your salesperson and your homeowner may have during the financing portion of the sales process. Finturf is a tool that is designed to give your salespeople and homeowners the best financing experience at the kitchen table. With one credit application, they utilize technology to provide the highest probability of approvals for your homeowner. Run ONE application, get approved, sign loan docs, complete the job and get paid, all from the same ecosystem!
I’m excited to announce the launch of my brand new company, Billion Dollar Contractor. The reason many contractors don’t grow is pretty simple. They don’t know how to and when the first obstacles hit, they think it's easier to stay small instead of trying to expand. That’s where Billion Dollar Contractor comes in. We help small and medium size contractors grow and scale with proven methods used by some of the largest contractors in the country.
Step by- Step guidance to build the contracting business of your dreams.
Weekly meetings to support initiatives, create accountability and adjust priorities.
Strategic planning and bench marking.
Formal process creation for training, sales and communication.
Happy Tuesday everyone!
This week is incredibly special and important to me. In many ways, it accomplishes what is really a lifelong bucket list item for me, launching my own business. I’ve been very blessed to help start, build and run some incredibly successful businesses for other people in the past, but I always wanted to have complete control over the quality of work being delivered and today is that day.
With that in mind, this week is all about the importance of having a mentor… or if you are in a position to mentor others, why you should and the value you bring to the lives of others. I’ve been blessed to have many mentors in my life that have guided me through some challenging times and I can honestly say that I wouldn’t be where Im at today without their steady guidance.
Whenever I have to venture into the unknown or want to grow beyond my innate abilities, I seek out somebody that has done, what I want to do. Oftentimes the second voice or reassurance, has given me the confidence to take leaps I otherwise would not have taken.
The Power of Experience: Why You Need a Mentor
Mentorship is one of the most underestimated tools in life. Entrepreneurs and sales professionals often get caught up in trying to figure everything out on their own. They attend seminars, read books, and scour the internet for advice—these resources can be helpful, but they often fall short of providing the personalized, in-depth guidance that a mentor offers….. Not to mention that it’s so easy to get lot in the minutia instead of actually taking action.
A mentor is someone who has been there and done that. They’ve navigated the ups and downs of building a successful sales career or business, and they have the scars to prove it. This level of experience can’t be replaced by theory alone. A good mentor can provide you with insights, tactics, and strategies that can’t be learned from a textbook. They help you avoid rookie mistakes and show you how to deal with challenges that are unique to your industry.
More importantly, a mentor can help you create a vision for your business or career, outlining a clear road map to get where you want to go. They’ve walked the path before, so they know where the roadblocks are, where you need to be cautious, and when you can afford to take a calculated risk.
Time, Energy, and Money: The Savings of Having a Mentor
One of the greatest benefits of mentorship is how much time, energy, and money it can save you. When you start a new venture, you’re likely to encounter unexpected challenges and problems that require time-consuming and costly solutions. Without guidance, you may end up spending countless hours trying to figure out the answers on your own.
Time Savings
A mentor can help you shortcut the trial-and-error process. Instead of wasting months or even years testing strategies that may or may not work, a mentor can steer you toward proven methods and best practices. They can identify what you should focus on at each stage of your journey, preventing you from going down rabbit holes that don’t align with your overall goals.
For example, imagine you’re a new business owner deciding between various marketing strategies. Instead of spending six months on a campaign that may not yield results, a mentor can tell you what worked for them—and what didn’t. This kind of real-time feedback allows you to move faster and avoid unnecessary delays.
Energy Savings
Launching a business or building a successful sales career can be mentally and physically exhausting. You’re constantly making decisions, solving problems, and pushing through obstacles. Having a mentor means having someone to share that load. They can offer advice, act as a sounding board, and remind you of the bigger picture when things get tough.
The energy you save from not having to figure everything out on your own can be redirected toward activities that generate results. Whether it's closing more deals, refining your business model, or working on personal development, having that extra support helps you conserve mental bandwidth, which is crucial for long-term success.
Money Savings
Perhaps the most tangible benefit of having a mentor is the financial savings. While making business mistakes can cost you a fortune, a mentor can help you make smarter financial decisions from the start. They’ll often know which investments are worth making and which are likely to drain your resources.
A mentor can also advise you on hiring decisions, product development, customer acquisition strategies, and operational efficiency. These insights can save you thousands, if not millions, in the long run. Avoiding costly mistakes—such as over-expanding too soon, hiring the wrong team members, or targeting the wrong market—can make all the difference in your business's financial health.
Building a Strong Foundation Today to Avoid Problems Tomorrow
One of the most critical aspects of mentorship is that a mentor helps you build a solid foundation for your future. Many people launch into sales or business with enthusiasm but lack the foresight to create a strong infrastructure that can support growth. Without the right foundation, you’re likely to face avoidable problems down the road.
A mentor provides guidance on creating systems and processes that will serve you well over time. This can include anything from structuring your sales process to organizing your business finances to developing a scalable business model.
Sales Process
In sales, having a mentor means learning from someone who has developed and refined a winning sales strategy. They can help you create a repeatable, efficient process for finding leads, closing deals, and building long-term relationships with clients. A mentor can also provide advice on customer retention, which is often an overlooked but critical aspect of sales success.
Without a structured process in place, your sales efforts can become erratic and unpredictable, leading to inconsistent results. A mentor helps you avoid these pitfalls by teaching you how to develop a process that works consistently, so you can scale your success.
Business Foundation
For business owners, a mentor is invaluable in helping you establish a strong business foundation. They can guide you through creating a solid business plan, developing a sustainable financial model, and building a team that aligns with your vision.
A good mentor also helps you plan for the future. They encourage you to think about potential challenges like scaling operations, handling competition, and managing cash flow. These are the kinds of things that can cripple a business if not addressed early on. By helping you prepare for these challenges today, a mentor ensures that your business won’t crumble under pressure tomorrow.
The Emotional and Psychological Benefits of Having a Mentor
Beyond the tangible benefits of saving time, energy, and money, a mentor also provides emotional support. The entrepreneurial journey and sales career are filled with highs and lows. During tough times, it’s easy to feel discouraged or even consider quitting. A mentor is someone who can provide reassurance, share stories of their own struggles, and remind you why you started in the first place.
Having someone to turn to for encouragement can help you stay motivated and resilient when the going gets tough. This emotional support can be the difference between giving up and pushing through to achieve your goals.
How to Find the Right Mentor
Not all mentors are created equal, so it’s important to find someone who aligns with your goals and values. Look for someone who has achieved what you aspire to do, and who is willing to share their knowledge and experience with you.
TAKING ADVICE FROM THE WRONG PEOPLE IS A TREMENDOUS SETBACK….. DON’T LISTEN TO EVERYONE!
Here are some steps you can take to find the right mentor:
Identify Your Goals: Be clear about what you want to achieve in sales or business ownership. This will help you find someone who has walked a similar path. If somebody has already done what you want to do…. they’re probably a good person to talk to. Your unemployed buddy who lives at home…. not so much.
Seek Experience: Look for mentors who have significant experience in your industry and have faced the challenges you expect to encounter. The guy that’s been in sales 20 years probably has been in a slump, had bad customers, ect.
Network: Attend industry events, join online communities, and reach out to professionals who you admire. Mentorship relationships often begin with simple conversations.
Be Open: Be willing to receive feedback and learn from your mentor’s experiences, even when it challenges your current beliefs or methods.
Final Thoughts
Finally….. and almost more importantly, is that YOU need to be a great student. If you want to start a software company, and you are fortunate to have Bill Gates as your mentor….. but you blow off all his advice, you’re wasting everybody’s time. Great teachers require great students and that’s a big part you have 100% control over.
Life is all about learning, growing and adapting. Do what feels right, but don’t become so entrenched in your beliefs you fail to grow beyond what you already know.