Without an effective and top-producing team – you’re in trouble!
We coach marketers almost every day and have for the past 15 + years! We’ve heard all the excuses and usually downright lies. We’ve also had many marketers that became million-dollar producers positioning their company to be a real player in their market. We know that one of the best ways the best ways to develop a great marketer and even a great team to plan – in writing what your goals are, and then write out the steps and strategies to make those goals happen.
Tolerant and Forgiving
It continues to amaze me how forgiving, tolerant, and generous owners and managers are with marketers that continue month after month to fail at achieving the established goals! If the goals are reasonable, and in writing, then the owner must be reviewing and evaluating the marketing staff at 30 days, 60 days, and at 90 days. Failure to perform equals termination. Allowing BS excuses and continual bogus “reasons” why targets have not been met is the fault of the owner/manager, and it’s time to cut the cord of the salesman and let them go!
After saying that, I will remind owners that they must provide good coaching and oversight. Usually, the owner or GM can’t do that because they wear too many hats.
Reasonable and Achievable Goals
It seems that I’m always having discussions with those owners and managers about the marketers we coach. Owners are asking us what ‘reasonable goals for the marketers are.’ The answer is easy – based on historical data – that every marketer in the restoration industry should produce $1 million a year in revenue – minimum. That’s only about $83k per month on average. I personally know (and have coached) MANY marketers in the disaster recovery industry generating a million dollars a year! One marketer (that I coached) in Tampa brought in over $2mil her second year and another in Maryland brought $4mill-plus, each year for the past 3 years.
BS Excuses
Even in the residential roofing industry, it’s common for a hustling salesperson to generate $1.5 million a year in gross revenue. (They often earn $100k – $150k/year). My experience coaching salespeople and marketers is they tell you things like:
- “This is a bad time of year”
- “With all the Holidays, people don’t want to buy”
- “It’s been too rainy, cold, hot, stormy, windy, etc.”
- “The economy is bad right now”
- “People are focused on vacations”
- “School is starting – people are dealing with that”
- “Our prices are too high”
- “We don’t pay a high enough referral fee”
- “And a massive list of month-after-month junk excuses”
Your Best Strategy
As an owner/GM you should know EXACTLY how much profit you need to generate each month to pay all your overhead costs. If that’s $75,000 each month, then your marketing staff needs to bring in at least $150k for the month (at a 50% profit) to cover your monthly expenses. Accepting a marketer that is only bringing in $1k or $20k, or even $50k monthly WON’T cut it. Once you know your expense numbers, and then know your revenue requirements, you can tell your marketers what they must generate in revenue. And it must be in writing! It should be listed on the whiteboard in the Marketing office daily, weekly, monthly. Why? Because “what gets measured, gets done.” Plus – it helps hold them accountable!
Until you have these numbers established, there is no way to lay out a step-by-step marketing and selling strategy. As I work with restoration owners weekly, I am constantly surprised that most don’t actually know their monthly numbers. Even worse, the marketers don’t have a clue what they should be bringing in. At a minimum, you need to establish how many leads and referrals, and then your closing ratio, and your average sale amount.
Should We Talk?
Since there are so many variables, and each company has different needs and wants, every company I coach is given a specific – tailored strategy for their company. Too many consultants provide a one-size-fits-all approach, and we find that unacceptable. We may not be a good fit – simply because you want to do it your way without help, and that’s OK. If you do want to talk and see what the possibilities are… call me. (The phone number is on the ABOUT section at the bottom of that page.
By Dick Wagner, Co-Founder The CREST Network, LLC
Nationally recognized coach, consultant, trainer, and speaker
Creator of the renowned PREP™ pre-disaster program
Owner of AskDickWagner.com BLOG
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