18. Follow-Through, Credibility, and Client Connection with Ian Belderes

Episode Transcript
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Crystal Privett (00:08):
What does it take to follow through
effectively? Is getting adiscount a good way to build
your value with a potentialclient? In this episode, we meet
with Ian Balderas as we discussfollow through, maintaining and
building your value with yourprospect, and establishing
credibility. Stay Tuned

Eric Beels: Hello everyone! Welcome to the Business Boost Hour Podcast. (00:42):
undefined

And my name is Crystal Privett, President of
BNI, and welcome to the SingleCEU podcast. Today, we have Ian
Balderas. Thanks for joining ustoday, Ian.

Ian Belderes (00:52):
Thank you for having me.
So, Ian, let's let's kinda juststart off. Like, tell us a
little bit about who you are andand what you do and how long
you've been in in the chapter.
I've been in the chapter since,I think it was the beginning of
2018. Mhmm. So that's now goingon over 4 years. Mhmm. And, I am
the flooring contractor in thegroup.

Eric Beels (01:14):
Mhmm.

Been with the current company for about 6
months now, which has been achange, into the commercial
sector, whereas before I was inresidential. Mhmm. So that's
been my history in the flooring.And before that, I to back up, I
was raised in SouthernCalifornia, Carlsbad, actually.

(01:37):
Mhmm. And
then I went to school in SantaBarbara, got my degree at UC
Santa Barbara in statisticalscience, went into finance, got
my MBA down at San Diego State,and, and then made a career
change in 2016 and entered theflooring industry.

Eric Beels (01:54):
Mhmm.
Nice. And so so today, our,topic that we discussed that we
wanted to kind of kinda go overwas follow through. And so what
does that what does that mean,mean exactly to you and, follow
through? Like, what's what whatdoes that look like?

For me, that means, doing what you say you're
gonna do. Mhmm. I think thatit's really important to be
accountable for what you say andhold true to your word. And I
think that many people in theindustry, both for on the
contracting side and otherindustries as well, you're
already ahead of the game if youjust return phone calls and
follow through with what yousay. You know you know that the

(02:39):
customer is not gonna like whatyou have to say, just following
through and and communicating.

Eric Beels (02:45):
Mhmm.
Well, in those instances, Ithink sometimes it's it's a kind
of
bit of, like, you know, it
can be, like, ripping a Band Aidoff sometimes when you know
maybe it's kind of a kind of aSticky conversation. Yeah.
Sticky conversation or maybe amaybe a tough tough call that
you you have to do. But, like, II guess when you kind of don't
do that, you kind of are justdelaying the inevitable, which

(03:06):
is then gonna kinda just reallymake things worse,

I guess. Right?

I'm finally worse. Yes.

Eric Beels (03:10):
Yeah. Yeah. And I think, you know, you're in the,
the the contracting space. Yes.So so follow you know, I know
what's interesting kind of aboutthat is people in their that are
living in their in their intheir space, they're kinda see
it all the time.
And I I imagine it's kind ofmore of a more of a pain point,
especially if they have, like,in your case, ruined floors or

(03:33):
something like that that need tobe updated and whatnot. It's
more more of a more of a painpoint, and so it's gonna stick
out more more, to them. So whenyou follow through with with
people, what is that, what whatdoes that look like, for you?

Showing up on time.

Eric Beels (03:53):
Mhmm.

And, you know, I I may be very busy or I may not be
busy at that time, but, youknow, I'll I'll give them an
estimated time when they canexpect my bid, my quote. And,
you know, I you know, if I sayI'm gonna get to it in 24 hours,
I usually get to it in 24 hours.

Eric Beels (04:09):
Mhmm.

If it's, if I know I'm gonna be busy or I'm gonna
be gone for the weekend, thenI'll say, hey. I'll get to you
on Monday.

Eric Beels (04:14):
Mhmm.

Just just fulfilling your expectations of
what you say is, most important.I think that really increases
your credibility with the withthe customer, and, they can
that, they'll trust.

Eric Beels (04:27):
Yeah. Well, set sending those right the right
expectations. And, yeah, I knowI know we've kinda we talked
about this before too and and,like, with we actually even in
the BI chapter 2 is settingthose right expectations for,
like, newer members and such aswell too. I think it's kind of,
there's a certain similarity,with that. And, you know, if we

(04:54):
if you set the wrong exexpectations, then you're just
you're you're opening you'reopening yourself up to kind of
pissing people off and such too.
Right? And which which is thenbecomes detrimental for your
your own your own credibility.

Absolutely. Underpromising and over and
delivering is is a big thing aswell. So when you when you say
you're gonna get something donein 2 days and the customer's
expectation is it's to be donein 2 days, so I always like to
throw a day or 2 buffer on itwhen I'm talking about
installations. That way, whenit's done early, they're
pleasantly surprised versus,like, trying to please them
upfront by saying, hey. It'sgonna be done.
I get this done in one day or 2days, but really in my mind, I

(05:30):
know that might be taking 3days. I I would never do that. I
always just say

Eric Beels (05:34):
Just say 3 or 4 days, and you really know and
you're right. Like, that's justlike the the the the 5% of, you
know, situations where itactually maybe does take longer.

Construction can sometimes cost more, take
longer. So adding in that bufferjust kinda saves the client from
feeling like you're fallingbehind. Yeah. And even if I say,
oh, it's gonna be done like 3 or4 days. For whatever reason,
that 3 days sticks in theirhead. So

Yeah. And then
when the execution of theproject goes down, they always
say, hey. You said this would bedone in 3 days. Well, now I said
3 to 4. But anyway, so I alwaystry to on the size of going
over. That way, they'repleasantly surprised when it's
done early.

have a question. What do you think the
difference is between follow-upand follow through?

Follow through, I think, would be your own acts.
Following up would just becommunication, I think, would be
my definition of the 2.

Eric Beels (06:31):
Yeah. I guess I would yeah. I think, yeah,
follow-up is is more just likeyou kind of maintaining that
connection, I guess. And thenfollowing through is you
actually have a commitment thatyou've that you've that you've
promised that person, and soyou're delivering on this.

The more action based than verbal. Yeah.

Eric Beels (06:48):
That's that I think that's that's the difference.
That's what sounds like is isthe difference. Absolutely.

Yeah. You put yourself on a commitment to do
something on a deadline orwhatever it may be, but it's
it's your actions that is thegonna be the follow through.

And kind of a standard that you keep for
yourself. Yeah.

Eric Beels (07:03):
Yeah. Yeah. Maintaining that that that that
standard. And, you know, you youmentioned something that people
it sticks out to people like theyou know, you say 3 to 4 days,
and then people just hear 3days. And I'm wondering, like,
is it better to just not evengive a range?
Because they're always gonnalook at whatever is gonna be

(07:25):
more in their favor, whetherit's faster or cheaper or
whatever. Is it better to kindof just, like, stick to the high
range and maybe just say, like,oh, at most, it'll cost this?
And then don't even say a range,and maybe the and then then they
just hear that. Or

Well, then they it's harder to set the
expectation if they have lessinformation. I think I think
probably the communication whenit's your house and you have,
you know, things you have toplan if you can't be there or if
you have to coordinate animals.It does probably make a
difference. What's your input?

It it does make a a difference. Absolutely. And,
it's always good to give therange because there is a lot of
things that could come up in theprocess that could delay it or
make it go quicker. Just as anexample, like, if we do demo
work on the on the job.Sometimes style or wood is very
easy to get up.
Mhmm. Sometimes it's verydifficult. It could take an
extra day or 2. So I think it'salways really important to at
least include the range. But,again, I always just kinda on

(08:18):
the side of overestimating thanthan under because, of course,
everyone wants to hear that itcan be done in lesser time.
You know, it's less disruptionin their life and their house,
but, it's just not realistic togive them that expectation.
Yeah.

And you don't want them to be upset by not
making that. So that's overunder committing and
overachieving is definitelyprobably a better Yes. Result.

Absolutely. Yeah.

Eric Beels (08:43):
Yeah. And I, I wonder, like, in in a I wonder
if we're saying things in in inBNI too, like, in our chapters
that, nothing's coming to mindright now, but, but, like, that
that might be setting that setsthe because it's easy to set the

(09:04):
wrong wrong expectations forpeople in chapters. Mhmm.

And Especially when you're not focused on it.
Like, I feel like our chapter iskind of really focusing on not,
like, having any blind spots.But when you're not focusing on
it, then that's when they kindacreep up on you.

Yeah.

But we're we're putting pretty, we're putting a
lot of effort into making surethere's, like, diversity and
make sure, like, we're buildingup people that are kind of
struggling to get everyone inthe green. But there's a lot of
parts and components just like ajob. Like like there's the
contractors, there's the partsand materials. There's a lot of
variables that happen. So Icould see why that it would you

(09:47):
would need a little bit of arange.
But for b and I, I guess, ourrange is kind of weekly because
we get to recheck back in witheach other, so regularly. Like
we you said before, if we wereto meet once a month, there
wouldn't it wouldn't be asconsistent and able to, like,
maintain that standard. Butsince we are there so regularly,
we can check-in with oneanother. I think that's really

(10:10):
beneficial.

Eric Beels (10:11):
Mhmm. Mhmm. So
When following through,sometimes you can have a lot of
a lot of different, peopleyou're kinda trying to follow
through with. Yes. Do you haveany, like, things that you do to
kinda make sure you don't dropthe ball on anything?
Absolutely. Well, if you wannaexpand on that, what that kinda,

(10:31):
like, looks like?
Because that's that's that'softentimes have been my has been
my kind of, like, fear in thepast sometimes because, I mean,
I'm an I'm an organizationperson, but I also feel like I
can, if I get overwhelmed, Itend to freeze up. I tend to
play there's too many kind ofcommitments and such too. So
what do you do kinda kinda helpwith that?

The phone. Putting your reminders in your phone.
Putting it in the calendar. If,a client calls and I need to
make an appointment, I don'tcommit to anything until I look
at my phone and see what's onthe calendar for that day. And
then if they commit, then that'sgoing right in my phone and
locking it in with an alert, Youknow, maybe one day ahead of
time, maybe 2 hours ahead oftime for the appointment.

(11:12):
And that always keeps me freestraight. I I rarely rarely have
ever dropped the ball when it'sgone in my phone. So that's
kinda like my go to, and I wouldbe really in a bad place if I
lost my phone.

Eric Beels (11:25):
Yeah. Really just kinda and then and then kinda, I
guess, really really kind of, Iguess, keeping that that
checklist and and kind of, like,making sure and and setting the,
do you set reminders to kindahelp with that too?

Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. Mhmm. Yeah.
That's what I mean by the alertsis just your reminders, a couple
days before it's due or, youknow, certain deadlines and
points of the process that needto be addressed throughout the
process of, installation orsales and

Mhmm. Like personal accountability. Mhmm.
But the reminders because weit's a good point because people
get so busy that, if we don'tput ourselves little reminders,
then sometimes it's hard tocircle back. I know some people
will do things right away, likeputting it in their phone
instantly.

Eric Beels (12:08):
So Yeah. What other tips do you have for That's been
my habit is kinda putting
in the phone. That's one of thereasons that there's a calendar
scheduler actually too becauseit's like I

Up of mind? Yeah.

Eric Beels (12:19):
I mean, it it it it it's I found that if I, like,
don't kinda get to it right awaysometimes it can be my my my
Kryptonite a little bit, though,where it's like, I need to focus
on something else, and I can'tdo that right then and there.
But, like, it's the so I use theaccount a calendar system to
kinda help with reminders andsuch. Well, most of it's for

(12:40):
myself, honestly. But, but,yeah. For me, account the
calendar is, like, like, runs mylife, essentially.
If it's not on the calendar,it's, like, not happening.
Whatever whatever it is. So ifit's a meeting or Yeah. Or or
whatever. Sometimes there's,like, projects, though.
It's not really a calendarapplicable thing for me.

Wait till fatherhood hits. Yeah.

Eric Beels (13:07):
I know.

We'll be cheering for you and your
calendar, Eric.

Eric Beels (13:10):
Yeah. I know. I ain't
gonna have to, like, you know,step that up a little bit and
kind of, figure out. So do youhave anything that you do
that's, like, maybe it's not nota calendar applicable thing, or
maybe it is. Maybe I'm just notusing my calendar properly.

Advice or tips or tricks that you wanna share
with the audience? It's followthrough is really important.

It it is. And, you know, so you mentioned about
getting to something right awayif if you have the ability to.
And and for my industry, it'sit's it's a lengthy process, you
know, from start to finish, andthere's steps along the way. And
I will put each step in mycalendar of what needs to be
done on which part of the day,and some things that may come
later in the project aredependent on something that

(13:55):
happens earlier in the project.So I'll just again, set
reminders.
Mhmm. Hey. The carpet's supposedto get in the state. Now I can
schedule it, or now I can reachout to the installer. I can do a
job walk on it, and there's justdifferent steps are just
dependent on the previous step.
So it's like I said, it's justreally important to really know
those different steps and beable to put them in your
calendar to remind yourself.

Anne told us about how she does this program
where it's 12 weeks where sheworks really hard and then takes
1 week off. Do you have anythingthat you use in your life to set
a boundary or to support yourmental health? Because if you're
setting all of these remindersand all of these things in your
calendar, do you have, like, aspecific time you shut stuff

(14:35):
off? Are you always available?How do you operate?

I am always available, but pretty much at
the end of the day when I gohome, that's I don't wanna say
mentally check out, but that'skinda that's my personal time.

Eric Beels (14:49):
I should
actually call you at 2 AM.

You can. Like I said, I'm always available. And
and and things
come up, and I'm happy toaddress those things. And and
and if it is after hours, that'sthose are the times I actually
do you know, I would forget. Soit's really important to put it,
again, put it in your phone.Mhmm.
I'm
talking to someone. If acustomer does call me in the
evening hours with questions ora concern of some sort, then
I'll I'll reach out back to themand address it and then put in

(15:12):
my phone for a follow-up in themorning.

I'll set a reminder for 2 AM to call you.

We can. We can.

Eric Beels (15:18):
I think, you know, I was kinda thinking about it.
Sometimes the hardest ones tokind of, like, follow fall I
guess, people, because you'realways following through with a
person in some way. Mhmm. Thethe hardest people I found to
follow through with are the onesthat are actively, like,
ghosting me.

Mhmm.

Eric Beels (15:35):
That, like, just don't respond back to anything.
Because in my head, what and andI'm sure there's much better
ways I could I could be doingthis, but, like, I'll send an
email or a text message. And inmy head, I'm like, okay. Once
they get back, that'll be myreminder. And then, like, they
don't respond back.
And then I'm just like and thenI'm like, I feel like I'm

(15:55):
forgetting something. And thenI'm like I'm like, wait. I
didn't hear back from thatperson. Like, it's been, like,
weeks or something like that.And I'm just like, oh, right.
Because if they don't respondback to me, then I don't get the
reminder. And so, do you do youdo you put in, like, your
calendar, like, if you're fallso you look because, like, in

(16:16):
your case, you gotta get inpeople's houses. Right? Yeah.
So, you know, you you have toconnect with them to to get in
their in their their, you know,to be part of your follow
through is kind of a follow-up,I think, at times.
And, like, do you put in yourcalendar or or have a a, a way
to remind yourself to kind offollow through with these with

(16:38):
people that just are completelydisappearing?

Yes and no. I need to get better at that, actually,
but nothing's more frustratingthan, you know, putting a bunch
of time and effort into puttinga proposal together, emailing it
off to him, follow-up with atext, phone call, say, hey.
Check your email. See if youhave any questions. Let's go
over it together.
And like I said, do you getghosted?

Eric Beels (17:01):
Mhmm.

And that's it I'm very surprised at how much that
happens.

Eric Beels (17:04):
I know. I've had people pay me. I've had people
pay me money and then and thenghost me. Wow. And then I'm just
like, am I a scammer?
What's happening right now? Waita second. It's so weird. I know.
And I'm and I'm, like, superconfused because I'm just, like,
why are you guys, like, youknow, why like, I'm we're trying
we're calling, we're, like,emailing, and, like, just
nothing.
And then it's not until, like,15th email or call that finally,

(17:27):
you know, I hear back and, likeand that's always kind of been
a, you know, a shock to me whenthat's when that's kind of
happened. And, you know, so Imean, people kind of do that
regardless, which I I hate thatbecause it may I feel like it's
gonna affect my credibility.

Do you guys think that there's anything that
we could do to prevent thatmore, or, like, to make sure
that doesn't happen? Do youthink communication's the key on
that, like, settingexpectations? What do you or
maybe is it they're just lifeexperiences or the bad timing?

Well, for me, I think that a lot of times I
might fire off a bid, and moreoften than not, they always say,
oh, it's way more than Iexpected. And, I feel that
sometimes when I don't hear backfrom the customer and I've
continued to reach out more thana few times, that they're almost
upset that I gave them, like, ahigh price or they think that
maybe I'm trying to gouge themor I don't know. I'm not quite

(18:21):
sure what goes on their headbecause sometimes they don't
even get back to me at all. And,despite numerous attempts to
follow-up, you know, maybe thenext day, 3 days afterwards,
maybe a week later after that.And if I reach out three times.
I typically don't keep poundingthem. Yeah. You know, they they
That's

your boundary. Yeah.

Yeah. They they've probably found some other bids.
Maybe they chose to go tosomeone else or they, quote,
chose to go in a differentdirection. I've heard that one a
lot. So Mhmm.
But, you know, you win some, youlose some. It's it's all good.

Eric Beels (18:49):
So what do you so so yeah. So you eventually just
kind of, like,

Continue to follow-up until the 3rd time.

Yeah. That's simply when I do Yeah. Give up.

Eric Beels (19:01):
Right. And and and and, because sometimes, you
know, those people cannotactually be the the total time
suck too. Right? Because you'reyou're you're almost kind of,
like, stressed out a little bit,where it's like, I you know, you
you you want to win their bid,but, they're not getting back to
you or they're like especiallyif they're on the maybe

(19:21):
somebody's on the foot. Whatabout somebody who's kind of,
like like, on the fence but notquite pulling the trigger?
Like, you're following throughwith them, and they're maybe
they are responding, but they'rejust, like, constantly there's
there's Stringing you along

kind of.

Eric Beels (19:35):
Like, doing dangling a carrot in front of you. Right?

You know, on on for the customer side, I can
understand there's a lot ofmisinformation out there. So,
you know, I might say somethingor present something to them
that they might not fullyunderstand. And so they're off
doing their own research tryingto figure it out for themselves,
which is fine. I'm I'm greatthat the customer tries to
educate themselves, but I wouldalways appreciate them coming
back to me and saying, well,hey. I I heard this over here at

(20:00):
this place.
You know, could you clarify yourpoint of view on it? And that
that that's great. Then it opensup the door for more
communication and, and it givesme a chance to explain myself.
So I I value that. Mhmm.
When customers do get back toyou with questions, that's a
good thing. Mhmm. But

I wonder how that will shift as you're going
more from, residential tocommercial if there'll be a
difference in the responsebecause, I mean, it's all based
on need. Right? People who callyou are looking for flooring.
So, if a need is more,commercial versus residential, I
wonder if that would make adifferent impact.

Obviously, the the residential customer is much
more, involved Yeah. And andinvested into what they're
putting into their home. Sothey're the ones that are doing
the more leg the more legwork totry to figure out what's best
for them or maybe something Isuggested something different
than what they had originallythought Mhmm. Would be best for
them. So, again, that's goesback to me, you know, as part of

(21:00):
my role is just to educate thecustomer about what's best in
terms of flooring.

Mhmm. How could an, someone that's considering
flooring do you have, like whatwould the best way for someone
to become educated be? Do youguys offer Talk

to a professional. Okay. Don't go online.

Yeah. That's a good idea.

There is so much information that's either
outdated, old, just straight upwrong.

Eric Beels (21:24):
Mhmm.

And and it just it's overwhelming. I mean, we've
all gotten down the rabbit holeof trying to figure something
out online, and you just getfrustrated and throw in the
towel because there's just toomuch stuff out there. So it's
always best to communicate withthe professional directly Mhmm.
At least kinda streamline yourquestions if you you do have
questions and concerns.

Eric Beels (21:42):
One thing so one thing I I'm thinking about is on
with with on the it's it's kindacrossing lines with follow-up
with with follow-up, and wekinda talked a little bit about
the difference differences, onthat is and and and, what I'm
thinking of is, do you have any,like, like, if if if someone's

(22:05):
kind of, like, stringing youalong or you're you're trying to
follow follow-up with them, itwould kinda cross lines and to
follow-up a little bit here onthis. But, do you have any kind
of incentives that's kind of,like, you know, speed up that
process a little bit so youdon't hang in there, too long?
Because I'm actually curious onwhat both of you guys' opinion

(22:26):
on this, but I've seen somepeople and I've experimented
with this, and I don't I don'tknow how I I I I feel about it
where it's like you do some kindof, like, you know, your your
your first or second meeting,you, you know, give a discount
but only at that time Mhmm. Orhave some kind of some kind of
incentive. What are you guys'thoughts on doing those things
to kinda speed up that process alittle bit?
Because sometimes it can be ait'll be a it can be a chore, I

(22:48):
think, sometimes.
So I

don't, I don't try to speed up the customer. I
mean, I of course, I'd like toget things going. That's just me
personally, but I understand onthe other side that, you know,
one is a lot of money. Theyprobably saved up, and they just
wanna make sure that they'remaking the right choice. And so
I don't wanna rush them.

Eric Beels (23:04):
Mhmm.

I feel it's just you know, that's kinda going
against the lines of, you know,high pressure sales.

Eric Beels (23:09):
Mhmm. Mhmm.

And that's that's not me.

Eric Beels (23:11):
Mhmm.

I want them to be fully comfortable with the
decision that they make and thatthey feel educated on what
they're what they're purchasing.

Eric Beels (23:19):
Mhmm.

And because there are a lot different
materials out there, I know youjust did a a job for me where we
were able to put in some, newflooring, and there are so many
options that weren't availablein the past that, for me, I I
got to be a part of your group.So I got to learn about, like,
the the how laminate has changedand how there's different

(23:41):
materials that I probablywouldn't have learned about in
unless I knew you in BNI. Do youdo any, like, workshops or, do
you have education about, like,your different products on your
website? How would someone, ifthey were just, like, interested
in learning a little bit moreabout what you offer, how would
they kinda dive into that?

Our website is very good. It does go through
all the different services thatwe offer. It goes over some
products, but it's it's verybasic and in general. And I
think that someone's reallylooking into getting new
flooring that, you know, again,just reach out and talk to
someone directly Mhmm. Is thebest way to do it.

Eric Beels (24:18):
And, well, so I wanna hear your thoughts on the
other thing, though, Crystal. Wekinda kinda skipped that. What
is your thoughts on kind of,like, I don't know, doing, like

Like a promotional type, to kind of
incentivize?

Eric Beels (24:31):
Yeah. But, like, unique to, like, that individual
to kind of because it's likeI've I've kind of see you know,
heard heard it kind of kind ofboth ways. On one hand, you
wanna kind of, like

Maintain. Get

Eric Beels (24:40):
a get a sale quicker, get something done kind
of, you know, one step fasterwithout something drawing too
much. At the same time, that youdon't, you know, I don't think
it's good to be, like, too toomuch pressure either too. Right?

So Well, being in the mental health space is a
little bit probably differentbecause, like, Ian, I'm not
going to rush anyone and I ifthey come to me, that's
definitely different. Butsometimes I would say, sometimes
people are wanting the help andaren't quite ready. And my
services are obviously a littleless expensive than what Ian
has, but I will oftentimes givespeople like a a small discount

(25:20):
for their first session becauseit what I do is so unique that
they don't really comprehend itunless you've really experienced
it. But I also try to keep ahigh standard where I don't give
everyone a discount because thenI can't profit and I won't make
money and I need to keep somekind of maintain, standards so
that I can still give back tomore people. So I see both sides

(25:42):
of it.
Sometimes I'll run specials oroffers, but I try for the most
part to maintain, my standard.But at the same time, everyone's
a unique person and a unique,relationship. So if someone
needs that support that wouldn'tget it unless I were to offer
them a discount, I'm definitelymore willing to lean towards

(26:03):
giving, some kind of relief orsupport.

Eric Beels (26:07):
Yeah.

That's just in my my experience in my
particular job.

Mhmm. Something that's always really been a pet
peeve of mine is going to buy anew car or used car. And you get
to dealerships, and you you knowthat you can haggle the price
down a little bit. Right? Mhmm.
And that's just I almost feelit's, almost a little dishonest
that,
like, they're not giving you thebest price upfront. So I don't
give discounts because when Igive you a bid, it's gonna be

(26:33):
that's the price. That's thebest price I can offer, and
that's what's gonna be coveringthe company overhead. And so
it's gonna provide a living forme and, you know, then the
customer should should be happy.

Eric Beels (26:43):
And That's a very that's a really good,
perspective on that actually toobecause they so yeah. Because
what you're saying is that,like, oh, if I have to haggle,
it means you're not giving methe best the best price,
initially.

Yeah.

Eric Beels (26:57):
And so it's kind of like, okay. Do I really trust
you now and whatnot? And and I'mnot yeah. I'm not a I've never
really been big on haggling oranything like that. It's and, I
I don't know.
Because I just yeah. It just iskind of kinda scummy a little
bit, I guess.

Cheesy. Cheesy sales.

Eric Beels (27:16):
Because you're right. You you brought up with

It's not authentic for sure.

Eric Beels (27:19):
Authentic, and you you're right though. It's it it,
you know, gives the best priceinitially. That's gonna you're
just gonna say profitable. And Iguess that's I guess that's the
thing if you do, like,discounts, in a sense, it can
kind of cheapen things. Right?

Yeah. And then then the next time they come and
they're not getting a discount,then they feel like they're not
getting the same value, butyou're actually giving them more
value because they wouldn't havereceived the

Eric Beels (27:48):
Mhmm.

It kind of feeds into itself, but it really
depends. Like for me, I I prefernot to give discounts, but also
at the same time, I I sometimesdo because if someone's if
finances are what's standingbetween someone and their mental
health, sometimes it's my heart,not my business that drives me

(28:10):
to kinda help other people. ButI absolutely agree with what Ian
says of maintaining especiallywith a service space, and and
when you're dealing withproducts. Like, the price of the
material is not going to changewith whatever quote he has. So
it's your choice to pick thematerial in alignment with your
price range, which obviously Ianwill educate you on all of the

(28:31):
options that you have.
And then if you make that choiceto have a certain standard of
material, then why should they,lower, like, what they would
make on it based based upon whatyour needs are?

Eric Beels (28:44):
Mhmm.

That's exactly right. I mean, the material
price is not gonna change. Thelabor is not gonna change. Mhmm.
And when people are asking fordiscounts and they expect a
discount, it's like, well, thatthat's just coming straight out
of the company profits Right.
And the company over or or mycommissions.

And it's so reversed that how sometimes
they're like, you want give methe friends and family discount.
It's like, well, a true friendor family would pay full price.
Right?

Eric Beels (29:05):
Yeah. Yeah. I know. It it it it it's true because
it's like, you know, if I if Ihave a I mean, getting the if
you receive, like, a a friend ofmine that, like, I guess, on
receiving it, it's always kindof like, oh, okay. Cool.
I gotta I gotta, you know, atthe end, the cheaper thing. But
at the same time, it's kindalike, well, you know, I support
this person. You should be youshould wanna pay that that

(29:26):
person, like, their their fullhouse because you're you're
supporting them when you whenyou when you do that. And, and
so, you know, there is, I think,an argument to me to be made to
never do any discounts, becauseit's, you know, your your
friends should want to kind ofpay the full amount, but at the
same time, it's kind of like,well, I'd wanna help them out

(29:48):
personally or whatever. Right?
And so then you kind of end upend up end up doing that.

And, you know, and for flooring, it's it's pretty
competitive. There's not muchwiggle room for anything.

Yeah.

And if you go get other bids, I mean, you're
usually within a couple percentdifference of other numbers. And
at the prior store that I wasat, they did promote discounts.
But to give the discount, allthey did was just mark it up
first and then give thediscount.

So it's kind of perceived discount.

Yeah. It's it's just false advertising. It was

Eric Beels (30:20):
like Kohl's or whatever. Kohl's does that.
Yeah.
If
you've been in a Kohl's store,everything is, like, 40% off
Yeah. All the time. Yes. Thereare signs you can get some kind
of crazy discounts with thatwith certain other other stuff,
but it is kind of like, I don'tI don't really like that aspect
because it's like it's is itdiscounted? No.
It's it's not. You're justmarked it up overpriced and then

(30:43):
provided a disc you go, oh, it'sa 99 99% discount, but then it
the thing was

110% markup. Yeah.

Eric Beels (30:50):
Or or
or it's or it's 90% and it costoriginally cost $10,000. Now
it's only 40 or whatever. Yeah.Like, you know, it's not it's
it's it's Wow.

We got a great deal, Eric.

Eric Beels (31:00):
I know. It sounds like it.
And then, really, the product'sworth $40. That sounds like
right. Then that that's anextreme I like ex I like talking
in extremes because it kindabrings out the silliness in in
something in in that. But, like,you know, that's you know, we
have to do markups. We have toto keep your your business

(31:22):
afloat.
And, of course, you you know,you know your your your I guess,
essentially, as the businessowner, you kinda get, like, the
wholesale rate on things, like,because you know what all the
expenses cost, but then youkinda you know, with with labor
or or in the the the productsand such. And so I wonder on,

(31:43):
like, the when you give I knowwe're kinda going like a like,
down down kind of a discountsroute, but I guess that it kinda
started from on helping with thefollow through. Does discounts
really help with the followwith, like, kind of what with
the follow through? Association?Like, if somebody's not you
know, they're they're you'rekinda following up with them and

(32:03):
they're not they're not they'renot finishing the bid or
whatever, does giving them adiscount help, or does that just

No. It doesn't help. Not not in my opinion at
least. Yeah. I just I just feltthat, anytime I've given a
discount, it's it just doesn'treally do anything but just take
money away from the
company. Yeah.
And, and again, it kinda givesyou the you know, your makes you
look dishonest

Eric Beels (32:30):
Mhmm. That
you were trying to takeadvantage of them at first, but
now it's a better deal.
Mhmm.
Something that I don't like to make that
perception of me.
Mhmm. Mhmm.
I think, you know, I I I thinkI've I've I've been on the other
end of that too where I'm, like,you know, look, gonna gonna buy
something and then someone givesme a discount. I'm like, well,
what if I was gonna buy itanyways? And so it didn't really

(32:51):
help anything, right, other thangive me a discount. So, like,
okay. I guess, I'm grateful, butit didn't actually help, it
wasn't like Maybe

I gave you a little incentive to do it then,
but, because, I mean, a discountis an incentive, but it might
not be the only reason whythey're doing it. Most likely,
there's some other objections orsomething else.

Eric Beels (33:11):
We're getting at is, like, is it, like, it the logic
would be is if the discount, ifit doesn't if it isn't the thing
that that basically sways them,is it even worth having? You
know what I mean? And, you know,I know I I've I think we've all
maybe given discounts at at atsome point and maybe second

(33:34):
guessed it whether you shouldhave or not. And and, you know,
even even, like, b and Idiscounts, like, do they do they
help? Or you're just kinda doingthat as a friend, but you're
really doing are you doingyourself justice?

I guess it depends on how much value you've
built up within that person andif they see the value of what
you're offering. Because, Imean, service based is means you
you have a solution to theirneed. And is their need big
enough? And is that dollaramount going to be the thing
that pushes them over thethreshold? Most likely, it's the
communication.

(34:07):
It's the follow-up. It's thefollow through. It's the trust,
the knowing, the liking. Thefact that they probably have
multiple offers is, sometimesthey don't go with the one
that's the most expensive or theleast expensive. Sometimes it's
the one that's in the middle.
What do you have to say aboutthat?

Yeah. I mean, we we definitely try not to be the
highest, but, we're definitelynot gonna be the one that's
gonna be the cheapest person onthe block. And I don't feel that
that's the customer base that wewanna target anyway. There's
plenty of people that will comein and say, oh, well, Home Depot
has it at this price or such asRayo has it. I can get Rayo
materials at this price.
Well, if you're gonna be solelyprice driven, then we're

(34:44):
probably not gonna be thegreatest fit. Because I want
them to recognize, like youmentioned, the service aspect of
it and the the knowledge and theeducation, the communication,
and all that has value, but justmay not have a dollar amount
attached to it.

Maybe, maybe not. I mean, if they do pick,
like, a product, like, a HomeDepot product, then it breaks in
3 years or it doesn't there'sthere's not the longevity behind
it, then they could actually belosing money by not going with
someone super professional likeyou

Eric Beels (35:10):
Oh, yeah.

That that knows about, I mean and there's
probably times where maybesomeone could pick the wrong
material. Yep. Like travertineis a very slippery, tile.
Sometimes that might not be agood fit. If someone were to
pick a wrong material and investin the wrong product and pay for
something that wasn't a goodfit, then they could actually be

(35:31):
losing money by go like, maybeusing someone like you that
would educate going through allof the options that are
available.
So they could actuallypotentially be losing money by
not, educating and communicatingproperly.

That's exactly right. Not even, like, losing
money, but just literally payingdouble the cost because if if
they pick the wrong material andit fails, they're paying for
everything to be redone. They'repaying for it twice.

Do you see that happens

Yeah. Happens a lot. I've walked in numerous
houses where the floor is justblown up. It wasn't installed
correctly. They chose the wrongproduct for what kind of
environment they had, and it'sliterally falling apart.
And they said, oh, I wish Iwould've came to you first. I
wish I would've known this. WishI would've known that. And

Eric Beels (36:13):
So a lot of this is kind of, you know, following up
and following through with theright customers too. Mhmm.
Because someone who's purelyprice driven, you know, they're
they're gonna be probably a bigheadache. Oh, you know, because
it's they're gonna, you know,question every single little
thing. And, like, if if theyjust kinda wanna go to, in your

(36:35):
case, like, to Home Depot orwhatever, you know, those people
they're probably not worth yourtime, I guess, in trying to
following through with them toobecause it's like, okay.
This guy is they're not gonna orthis person, whatever. They're
not gonna, they're they're I'mgonna stop following through
with them even though they'remaybe contacting me, but they're

(36:57):
doing so much quoting and allthat too.

Play devil's advocate a little bit for the
audience's sake. Yeah.Obviously, some most people who
do any kind of job are gonna besomewhat price driven.

Yeah. Yeah.

Because, I mean, we only have so much
money. We're trying to make itwork. But I think the difference
is the price is attached tovalue. Yeah. Is it something
that when you pay for thatlittle bit higher price, say
that you're on the higher end orthe middle somewhere, if you pay
that money, are you going to geta superior product, a superior

(37:29):
installation?
Are you going to be able to havelongevity with what you paid for
instead of realizing 2 monthslater that, oh my gosh. I picked
the wrong material. Now I haveto start all over. Not only do I
have to pay for reinstallation,more materials, but now I have
to have this other productremoved. What would you what
would you how could youelaborate on that a little bit,

(37:50):
Ian?

I I mean, not not to piss on Home Depot too much,
but, you know, Home Depot isvery good at, their marketing.
And they will say, oh, you buyour car performance, and we give
you free installation. Well,that's great, but they're gonna
charge you about 10 times theamount needed for PAD. You know?
So those people aren't reallylooking at the bigger picture.

(38:13):
They kinda maybe just focus onone particular line item that
they're kinda saying, oh, well,Home Depot is charging me this
for this line item, and you'recharging me this over here.
Well, don't don't look at eachindividual line item. Look at
the total. And when I say lookat total, that also means
looking at other aspects ofservice

Eric Beels (38:30):
Mhmm.

Like communication and and education and all that.
So Mhmm.

Eric Beels (38:35):
And, yeah, I think you're right. The value part of
it is is, I think I guess, thatthat's, like, the the key the
key aspect. It's not a matter ofamount about how much something
something costs. It's it's thethe value someone someone gains
out of it.

Because if they see enough value, they'll pay
whatever they have to.

Eric Beels (38:58):
Well right. And and and, you know, what everyone at
guys has their own differentperceived value as well too.
Like, what's the what'svaluable, to them. And I would,
and I Which

is why education is so important
because if you can educate them,then they can see your value,
which is why BNI is soincredible because we're
constantly, every week,educating other people on how to
refer us, what we're lookingfor, what would work best for
us. So we're kind of naturallyin that state and of, like, a
little bit educating everybody,on what we do. So by putting

(39:33):
that education out there, itkind of like builds that to
where they're like, you knowwhat? I trust Ian. I know him.
We I've I've done other projectswith him. He is gonna give me
the best price that he can giveme. That would make me feel very
comfortable knowing that that Idon't have to haggle with him,
that that he is gonna do thebest that he can. So I

(39:56):
personally like what where he'scoming from with saying that he
has that sataner that he staysat. But also, you know, when you
work for a company, you alsohave to we talked about
reinventing the wheel.
His company has a wheel that hehas to stay in that, that tire.
What is that? The that wheelwheelhouse.

Wheelhouse. Yeah. Mhmm.

Yeah. So it's interesting that the follow-up
ended up and follow throughended up kind of being about our
value.

Eric Beels (40:24):
Yeah. Yeah. And I, yeah. And and when, when
following so when followingthrough, I guess, to kinda
summarize all that, it's like,how what kind of what kind of
value are you providing topeople when you're when you're
following through? And I and Iguess ways, so maybe we can kind

(40:46):
of talk about that.
Like, what what are some waysthat we can increase our value
when we're following followingup or following through with
with people? Maybe just the actof following through, like, on a
regular on a, maybe not daily,but, like, I mean, well, step 1,
just I think just, the fact thatyou are sticking to your word, I

(41:10):
think, is increasing value.Right? And setting the right
expectation, you know, that'sthat's increasing value. Maybe
on a less, like, right in frontof you kind of way.

But more foundational.

Eric Beels (41:23):
More more foundational value

expectation. Mhmm.

Eric Beels (41:27):
Yeah. No. I mean, no one's kinda kinda going, wow.
You set the right expect veryfew people are saying, like, oh,
they they set the rightexpectations and so no one's I
feel very few few people areacknowledging that anyways. But
maybe on a subconscious level,they they might be.
And so yeah. The the so what aresome ways you maybe we can kind

(41:49):
of go around a little bit andkinda see what what are some
ways we can we can increase ourvalue, when when following up or
following through with people?

Definitely communication. Like Ian said at
the beginning. Like, the morethat you communicate with
people. So for in my case, like,people we wanna they want to
solve a problem. So we have tolet them know that I have all of
the answers to this one problemthat you are trying to solve.
For me, it's mental health. Soit might be someone with anxiety

(42:21):
or stress or depression. It'sgonna be a little different than
someone looking for a tile flooror concrete, you know, option
or, what their options are. Sofor me, education because if
they know enough about how youare going to support them, how
you have the solution to theiranswer, then if they know that,

(42:42):
then it's up to them to decideif you if they're gonna make
that step because they're like,okay. I see that she has the
solution to what I need.
I've had anxiety my entire life.I am so ready to change that. So
for me, it's a little bit aboutthe education so that they know
that what we have can solvetheir problem.

Mhmm. Mhmm. For me, it's it's you know, if the
customer is not ready to pullthe trigger, I I will always
they said anything about it,maybe they're getting other
bids, I will always say, okay.That's fine. Let me, would it be
okay if I follow-up in a week?
Mhmm. And then, again, that goesback into my phone, put in the
calendar saying call so and soon this date. And, if I don't

(43:26):
get a yes or a no, it's I'msetting a time when I can reach
back out to you. And I that'sthat's that's my follow through,
and I think that provides a lotof value. And, you know, life
happens.
People may get distracted withother things in their life, and
maybe flooring isn't soimportant anymore. But as long
as you stay fresh in their headand and can follow through with
what you said you're gonna do,which is follow-up in a week or

(43:48):
follow-up in 2 weeks, orsometimes it might say, we're
not gonna be ready for a couplemonths. Okay. Well, then does,
February 1st work for you? Yeah.
Okay. Yeah. Call back February1st. And then I put my phone for
February 1st, call them, see howthey're doing, check-in.

Eric Beels (44:03):
Mhmm.

So I
think that that provides a lotof value.

Brings up a great point about asking
questions because we talkedabout that a lot with Andrew
Loewen about asking questions.Are there certain questions that
you ask your potential clientsthat kind of help you figure out
if they're more of a green flagor more of, like, a a good fit
for you when when you're, doingthe initial consultation with

(44:25):
them?

I can pretty much sense how serious they are about
getting new flooring, just bythe first interaction. If they
come in constantly asking like,hey. What's your cheapest LVP
that you offer? Well, again,right there, that shows that
there's they're pretty pricedriven. And I I don't know.
It's just no. I don't really asktoo many questions. I could just

(44:51):
kinda get a good gauge for howserious they are. You know, and
I've been wrong sometimes. Ithought that maybe someone
wasn't serious, and then theycall the next day and put down a
deposit.
Mhmm. Fantastic. It's a greatsurprise. I wasn't surprised.
Mhmm.
But, no, I don't I don't reallyask too many questions other
than that.

Their permission to call them back.
That's a question that I feellike is really important because
some people, they now they'regiving you the authority that
says, yes. Call me back. I wouldlike to know more. So that was
kind of the questioning that Iwas,

Eric Beels (45:21):
Well, I think, you know, I think I've done that
before too. And I think what Ilike about that, I think because
I'm I'm more kind of driven toor towards I wanna try to, like,
you know, I'm not I I don'twanna be be pushy, but at the
same time, I wanna get, youknow, get to a quicker no
sometimes. So sometimes peoplecan I can it will drag out some

(45:44):
stuff? I'm just like, okay. Idon't wanna keep following up
with this person.
I wanna get something done. AndI found if I can if if if I get
them if I ask them forpermission of when to kind of
follow-up and, you know, theyand I I I have some some some
people tell me, like, no. I'llfollow-up with you when I'm

(46:06):
ready. Okay. That to me is animmediate no.
Yes. Great. Fantastic. Mhmm.That's what I wanted.
Mhmm. Or if they give mepermission now, then I'm like,
okay. So now I'll I'll I'llfollow-up on that day. Raises my
Credibility. Yeah.
Credibility. And and then, youknow, hopefully that doesn't

(46:27):
keep happening, but, when youkeep following up or whatever.
But I think it really helps,just at a, I guess, be cognizant
of your own your own time withwho you should be following
through with, following up upwith to kind of, like, ice and

Reading reading the signs.

Eric Beels (46:47):
Reading the signs. Yeah. Yep.

In terms of, like, the amount of work that you're
putting in to do that type offollow-up, it's pretty minimal
at that point. You know, you'vealready put in the work, for me
at least, you've already put inthe work, to do the bid, do the
measure, and and put togetherthe numbers and all that. And
it's literally at that pointjust phone calls until they're
ready to commit. So, you know, Ican spend you know, I can blow
through a bunch of phone callswithin an hour. You know?

(47:11):
Other than that, it's it's nottoo much work to do that.

Eric Beels (47:14):
Mhmm. Mhmm.

What's your favorite flooring? I know it's
totally off topic, but, like,what what what is the thing that
you like, your flagship productthat you really love?

Natural wood, of course. Natural wood. Carpet,
you know, I think everyone wouldagree that carpet can get nasty
pretty quick, especially ifit's, like, 23 years old. It's
really, really gross. Mhmm.
So people are generally movingtowards a hard surface, which I
like, personally. But, you know,real wood is is definitely the
way to go. It's a naturalproduct. It's unique. Every

(47:49):
plank is gonna be unique, hasits own characteristics.
And but it's a lot of times outof people's price range. So
there's other options likelaminate that their printing
technology has gone really,really good. And sometimes I
can't tell if there's any realwood and laminate unless I
really get down on my hands andknees and look closely at it.
Mhmm. That's cool.
But real real wood, definitelywhere they go.

Eric Beels (48:11):
Mhmm. Do do you have any any, like like, techniques
you kinda use to, identify whatsome but, like, like, when
you're talking with somebody,are there certain certain, maybe
they don't say they want thehardwood. Maybe they say they

(48:32):
want something else, but youkind of know, like, this is a
hardwood kind of person. Mhmm.Maybe the answer is obvious.
Maybe it's just kind of showthem hardwood in that case. But,
like, do you have any anytechniques that you say that
you, when you're in aconversation with that person to
kind of help push them towardssomething else that you know

(48:53):
that they'll like, but maybethey don't know that they like
yet?

It's a great question, and the answer is yes.
I do have something. Most peoplecome in asking for LVP, which is
the luxury vinyl planking. And Iam not a fan of it, and I show
them why I'm not a fan of it.And I'm trying to convince them.
And and and, unfortunately, mypreferred product over LVP would
be laminate. Laminate has a badwrap because of the first days

(49:17):
of Pergo that had zero waterresistance to it. Mhmm. So
people in their head when yousay laminate, they think Pergo,
and they think that it's ainferior product. I gotta get
that change that wholementality, and it's gonna take a
couple years for the generalconsumer can realize that.
But what I'll do is I'll showthem the locking mechanism, how
the the planks click together.I'll pull out a piece of LVP,
and I tell them to push on thetongue and groove part of it,

(49:40):
and it will snap very easily.Very little pressure. It just
snaps. And then I hand them apiece of laminate.

Eric Beels (49:47):
Say, here. Try to do the same thing as that. And they
can't get it budged. So thereyou go. There's your answer.

And that usually sells it right away that they
realize how weak LVP floor isand how durable the laminate is.

Eric Beels (49:58):
Mhmm. So, like, you know, someone in in other
businesses will too doing whatyou can to be demonstrative and
kind of, like,
on
on on, whatever the product orservice is, might be one of the
easiest ways that it sounds likethen to just basically kind of

(50:19):
show them, like, look. This iswhat it is to kind of get past
all that versus trying toexplain a lot.

Yeah. And, you know, in general, I think this
goes for anything in life. Youget what you pay for.

Eric Beels (50:28):
Yeah.

You know? If you're if you're buying a cheap
floor, it's not gonna last.

Eric Beels (50:34):
Mhmm. Mhmm.

Yeah. I think that there's quality and and price.
So Mhmm.

Eric Beels (50:39):
So, wrapping up on follow through then, what final,
I think my final my finalthoughts is is when following
through, provide as kinda keepin mind providing as much value
as possible, but notdiscounting, you know, not like,

(51:04):
you know, cheapening yourself.

Mhmm. Right?

Eric Beels (51:06):
Because then that it's interesting. It kinda seems
like I'm gonna provide morevalue for that person by
lowering my price. And then it'slike in there in that person's
mind, I feel like I get a sensethat they're, like, gonna go,
oh, they lower their price. Theyjust lost value. So they're
cheap.
You know what I mean? And Now

I get the constant discount. Yeah. Right.

Or how
much more can I go down?

Eric Beels (51:26):
Yeah. Yeah. Or that too. That's even worse. Yeah.
Yeah. Like and and and so it'sfunny because you kinda try to
provide value when you'refollowing through with somebody,
and then but then they, thatwould be sounds like that would
be a very negative way to kindof do that that has a surface
level sort of seems like itproviding more value for
somebody, but then not, thisreceived from what your initial

(51:51):
intention was. Yeah. Do you haveany final final thoughts on
that?

There's one thought that's coming. It's a as
old saying that people who pay,pay attention. And when you see
the value and when you arewilling to make that investment,
then you're really making theinvestment in the outcome, not
just in the materials or theproduct or the service. And,
ultimately, I think what itcomes down to is the
relationship. Again, I know wekeep coming back to the

(52:18):
relationship, but if someonereally believes and trusts in
you, then they should pay youyour full value.

Eric Beels (52:25):
Mhmm. Mhmm.

And for me, it's it's kinda like, I'm in for long
term. You know, I'm I'm alwaysgonna be available on my phone.
You know, and customers I've hadcustomers call me years later
after their installation. Theymight have another question.
They might have something thatneeds to be touched up.
I'm gonna be there for that.

Eric Beels (52:42):
No. No. That that's the important importance of of
building relationship, like youmentioned. So, and and kinda
having that that relationshipbecause then you you build that
trust and then, you know, theeasy I think the, you know,
often is the easiest sales arepeople that already like you.
Right?
Your your fans. Your own fans.Right? And the those people

(53:05):
then, then become just one anddone automatic sales, basically,
at that point.

But
then they're also a referralsource. They're not the next
potential opportunities. So whenyou cultivate those
relationships, it really isn'tjust that one transaction. It's
the ripple of if I do everythingright, if I make this customer
satisfied, if this is the bestflooring they've ever had,
they're gonna remember me andthey're gonna put me top of mind

(53:32):
when someone else is asking meto say, oh, I was thinking of a
new flooring. They're gonna say,I know a guy because he took
good care of me.
Same thing with mental healthand same thing with podcasting.
If they don't trust that whatyou can provide is what they're
looking for, why would theyinvest in us? But it's actually
our job to show them. This iswhat I can provide to you. This

(53:53):
is what if you come to me, youwill be taken care of.
And I think and because thingsdo get so transactional in life,
just people knowing that youcare and that you will stand
behind and and provide theservice that you said. I think
that's why BNI has its values.Because those core values keep
we keep tying it back to thatbecause that's that's what holds

(54:15):
us together. It's the gel. It'sthe glue.
We do need some structure. Iknow you're the process guy. I'm
learning to become a process galbecause it is what holds us
together.

Eric Beels (54:26):
Mhmm. Yeah. Actually, you know, we didn't
kinda touch on that, but the thefan aspect of it too where where
which is, kind of what we'redoing in in BNI too. Right? When
we're we're meeting with membersand doing one on ones, you're
kind of, cultivating, fans.
Even if even if you haven'thired the somebody in a in a
chapter, you might still be afan of their work and what they

(54:47):
do. And, and and and, you know,I think the the same is true
when you're following throughwith people, and you, are are
are just reliable. Even if thatperson maybe didn't end up going
going with you, if you put Ithink if you put them at the

(55:08):
give them the best response,best, follow through with them,
they might actually still be afan of you though. Yeah.

But you've built that credibility.

Eric Beels (55:18):
Yeah. You built that built that that that that
credibility with them. And maybethey didn't end up going, like,
with flooring or whatever. Maymaybe they didn't end going
going with you. And it may noteven been a price thing.
They were just like, oh

Timing or

Eric Beels (55:31):
timing's wrong or whatever, but they're a fan of
you now.
Mhmm.
And, and they they they likeyour work ethic or they like,
just I don't know how good youwere to them to

process usually take just one touch point.
Usually, people need to see youat least 7 times before they'll
use you. So maybe it wasn't thistime, but maybe you've built,
like you said, the credibilitythat next time, or maybe their
friend, or maybe it didn't workout for them. But, making sure
we cultivate that follow-up andthat follow through could be a

(56:05):
potential customer or customersin the future. Mhmm.
So I think that the VCP isreally big. The visibility plus
credibility equalsprofitability. I think that what
Ian's saying is by maintainingthat standard and not lowering
your price when you have thatvisibility, it does give you
more credibility because theyknow that Ian's gonna give them

(56:26):
the best price that he canpossibly give them.

Eric Beels (56:28):
Mhmm.

And that's where his profitability comes in
so he can keep his job.

Mhmm.

I
mean, it's not cheap to live outhere and, yes, you could you
spend the least money to getmaybe an inferior product, but
in the long term, it might costyou more.

Yes. Absolutely.

Eric Beels (56:45):
So if somebody wanted to get in contact with
you, how would they, best dothat, Ian?

Well, my cell phone's probably gonna be the
best method. Cell phone numberis 619 986-7960, or you can
reach out via email, which is,ibaldiras@workplaceservices.com.

Eric Beels (57:05):
Mhmm. Great. And, so yeah. So if you like this
episode and you, you you maybeyou know somebody, who needs
help with some follow through ormaybe you know somebody that's
giving too big of discounts. Wereally hammered in the the the
discount thing.
Yeah. Value. Yeah. And I thinkI'm more on the side of of of,

(57:27):
you know, really kind ofemphasizing value and and and,
you know, doing less less lessdiscounts when maybe I I I
should really shouldn't be. Ifyou know someone who's maybe
doing that, maybe and and andyou you think that they're
probably cheapening theirservices, this could be a good
good episode for them to, tolisten to.

(57:47):
You know, I I I think that wasone of my biggest takeaways. I
think I've I've given too manybig discounts in the past and
whatnot, but now I'm kindarealizing I probably shouldn't
shouldn't do that as much, oror, you know, take that bit more
seriously as, like, a as a as adetrimental selling thing.
Right? Not a not a benefit inany way.

And a lot of times people give discounts at
the very beginning of theircareer because they're still
starting out once you're alittle more established and you
own your value and you know yourvalue, you're not gonna give it
away as much. And if you do,then it's almost like a
charitable event, like, whereyou're like, okay. My heart told
me to do this. Right. It's notbecause I'm cheapening my value.

(58:32):
It's because I'm choosing to bea giver that gains.

Yep. And and we have
you know, in the situationswhere we have, given quote
discount, it's doing it at costMhmm. Or whatever situation may
be, because it was anunfortunate situation that was
completely out of our control,out of the customer's control,
and things went completely wrongin the wrong direction. And to
make it up,
do it
at cost.

Eric Beels (58:53):
Yeah. Make an amends or something. Yeah. And

it's it's not about giving a discount. It's
just

Yeah.

Eric Beels (58:58):
Yep. Yep. Alright. Well, this was a

great episode. Thanks for joining us, Ian.
Absolutely.

Thanks for having me.

Eric Beels (59:03):
And, thanks for listening, and, we'll see you in
the next episode.

Don't forget to share this episode and log your
CEU.
See you next time. Thank you forjoining us for the Business
Boost Hour. My name is CrystalPravette, and this is Eric
Buells. Thank you for joiningus, and don't forget to document
your single CEU. See you nexttime.

Eric Beels (59:25):
See you in the next episode.

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