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Execution Is the Difference Between Winners and Wishers
150 Plays4 months ago
Welcome back to another episode of The Better Contractor Podcast. In this episode, Brent’s in the field sharing real talk on what most people overlook—the lost art of execution. Brent breaks down how simply doing what you say you're going to do can set you apart in this industry. Missed calls, unanswered emails, delayed timelines—these are what lose jobs and trust. Execution builds reputation, loyalty, and momentum. It's free, it's rare, and right now, it's your biggest advantage. Build a system that helps you stay accountable and stop letting things slip. This mindset will move your business forward.
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Transcript
Introduction from a Pickup Truck
00:00:00
Speaker
Welcome back to another edition of the Better Contractor. Today is a little different if you're watching this on YouTube.
00:00:13
Speaker
fro welcome back to another edition of the better contractor today it's a little different if you're joining or watching this on youtube I'm in a pickup truck on a right of way, which is my natural habitat for Lanta Corp.
00:00:26
Speaker
So little bit different scenery in the background. Want to do something a little different, freshen it up. So
Main Topic Introduction: The Lost Art of Execution
00:00:31
Speaker
today we're going to talk about the lost art of execution. So it is a way that all contractors can get ahead.
00:00:39
Speaker
It is a mess in our world. So at Lanarkorp, we do a lot of business to corporation type of work. And I will say with that, this is a sore subject for our entire team.
00:00:52
Speaker
So
Challenges in Contractor Communication
00:00:54
Speaker
but what I mean by the lost art of execution is how many people of you deal with someone, or deal with people, that don't answer their phone, don't text you back, don't respond to an email about something that's super, super critical to your success and the tasks that you're completing for them.
00:01:11
Speaker
If you're a contractor building a house, are you waiting on the homeowner to get you details it so you can actually finish that project? For us, for example, we've had people, we've had projects where we just need to know a start date, a starting point, whatever it is super simple detail.
00:01:27
Speaker
And the start date was planned for, let's say June 9th. And we are begging for the information up until June 9th, nothing there. And the project's delayed, which costs us money, which raises everybody's prices. So I'm telling you all of this, but number one, you probably relate to it. Number
Proactive Strategies for Contractors
00:01:42
Speaker
two,
00:01:43
Speaker
my issue or my My message to you contractors is don't let this be you. So the last thing you want to do as a business owner, as a manager, as a leader is be that person I just described.
00:01:53
Speaker
Someone who fails to get back to people, who people wait on to get an answer out of, who delays projects, who people don't have faith in to actually respond, who people don't have faith in to actually come back and give you the answer you need for you to go be successful in what you were hired to do or that you're hiring someone to do.
00:02:12
Speaker
So the problem with all of this is, is everyone is reactive if they're even doing that, but nobody is proactive. So
Daily Actionable Lists for Efficiency
00:02:20
Speaker
what is the solution? How do I fix this? So for us personally, and what I do personally is I have a list.
00:02:27
Speaker
So before I go to bed or before I finish my work day, I'm making an actionable list for the very next day. I do this every work day. Sometimes I put it my email, sometimes it's actually written on paper, but at the end of the day, it is a list of five to six items. It can't be a huge list. It needs to be achievable, but it's non-negotiable things that have to get done. It's big picture things that have to get done so that I am moving that ball forward.
00:02:50
Speaker
The other thing I do with that, so I have the list. The second
Mastering Email Responsiveness
00:02:53
Speaker
thing I do with that I think is critical So in my world, emails are everything. Phone calls and texts aren't as much. That's not how people communicate. So I have kind of a rule internally with our management staff that most emails, if it's a customer and it's urgent, you reply the same day.
00:03:07
Speaker
If it can hold a little bit, 48 hours is kind of a max. If it's a sales solicitation, whatever like that, you don't have to reply. But if a customer is involved, or another employee is involved and you're part of a team that's moving the ball forward, same day emails are usually somewhat expected, if not at least at um at a maximum of 48 hours.
00:03:26
Speaker
So those are things that kind of have differentiated us in our contracting business. And those have been things that have helped us to push ahead of the competition because the end the day, our customers don't want to wait on us.
00:03:38
Speaker
Unfortunately, we do have to wait on some of them, just being blunt. but they don't want to wait on us. And if i they have to wait on me, they're going to find someone else to go do that work, plain and simple. So
Execution as a Contractor's Superpower
00:03:48
Speaker
a very cheap and effective way for you guys to win as contractors is to be someone who executes.
00:03:55
Speaker
Executes in your task, executes in your word, executes on your to-do list, executes in your emails and texts and phone call replies. So I believe these are hidden skills, guys. So if you think about like the responsiveness, in my opinion, in today's world, that's actually a superpower.
00:04:12
Speaker
I actually choose a lot of my vendors and people that i work with at Lantacorp based upon not price, but in their ability to actually get me what I need in a timely manner, because they're an extension of us.
00:04:24
Speaker
And like for our herbicide suppliers or equipment people, if I have to wait on a reply, for days that's lost time that's lost money for my crews. I'm not going to tolerate that. I want to find someone that has good equipment and a fast response time.
00:04:39
Speaker
It is a superpower to have that. So one
Time Management and Productivity Boosters
00:04:42
Speaker
recommendation I would have would be to block time every single day, whether that's an hour to the day, an hour in the middle of the day, but just to respond to texts, emails, phone calls, whatever you need to do to get that stuff out to your team or applies to your vendors.
00:04:58
Speaker
And then I would look at tools. So do you guys have the right systems and processes in place to help with this kind of stuff? If you have the time and money, one thing I did probably two years ago was hired an executive assistant. That has been phenomenal for me to free me up to be able to do honestly this podcast and other stuff that's big picture related.
00:05:14
Speaker
And my assistant, Katie is one of the absolute best. And I wish I had hired her on day one. even though I didn't have the money back then to do so. But have your systems and processes in place and your team.
Task Management Tools and Systems
00:05:25
Speaker
If you don't have a CRM, grab a CRM. If you need to take notes on your phone versus a piece of paper or vice versa, do that. But actually go through that. And one one I love is Google. I think it's tasks or to-dos.
00:05:37
Speaker
That's an awesome one. It'll send you a reminder. You can check it off. you can still kind of see what's been done in the past. Evernote is one that I used for a long time, but find you a system that works.
00:05:47
Speaker
I know in our internal management team, we have a lot of systems and processes in place, but the to-do list is one that I've never really micromanaged because it needs to be something that works for you individually. So for me, I like using the apps that are on my phone because my phone's always here.
00:06:02
Speaker
I've had other people in the past that they will never look at that. They still want a piece of paper and a notebook to be able to look back, make their notes and check it off manually. So do what works for you.
00:06:13
Speaker
So I had two key points that I put down in my phone, speaking of my phone. This is for all the leaders listening to this podcast. Professionals who
Leadership and Execution for Company Efficiency
00:06:20
Speaker
cannot finish things create ripple effects in their company, number one. Number two,
00:06:24
Speaker
Your team wastes hours chasing info because you or other leaders dropped the ball. Guys, we can't do that as leaders, as managers, as business owners. So this is a simple solution to fix. So kind of a takeaway from this podcast,
00:06:38
Speaker
Make sure your team, yourself, people that are getting back with customers or have a team underneath them, make it a company rule that a reply is a necessity, it is required, and is required with X amount of time, number one.
00:06:51
Speaker
Number two, find you a system that works. Again, whether that's a notebook, whether that is an app on a phone, find you something that helps you remember to do those things. and actually follow through on them.
00:07:03
Speaker
I've seen a lot of leaders think, hey, I'll remember this, I'll remember this, I'll remember this. And guys, I'm telling you, as leader, you're not gonna remember everything that you put into your head. At the end of the day, you're gonna be shoot, this person called, i don't even remember what they wanted. Or you're gonna forget the phone call altogether.
00:07:18
Speaker
you know, text messages, I unread them, I'll read them and I'll unread them until I reply to it. You know, just so I make sure I follow through. But find you a system, make sure you're that leader that goes out there and that executes and that people know, hey, if I hand this to so-and-so, I know this is done and done well.
00:07:35
Speaker
So
The Importance of Immediate and Planned Execution
00:07:36
Speaker
guys, this is a super, super simple, super power to give yourself and your company is just execute, execute, execute. And if you wonder when the time is to do something,
00:07:46
Speaker
If it's small, just do it now. Don't even put on the list. Just knock it out and be done with it and move on. If it's big and it takes time and it takes brain attention, then put on your do list, give yourself a deadline, execute it by that deadline and don't procrastinate.
Community Engagement and Networking
00:08:00
Speaker
Guys, if you found this podcast helpful, please do share it. Remember, we have a private Facebook group for contractors. Please, please, please join it. We're almost to a thousand members and we just started that a few months back.
00:08:12
Speaker
So super beneficial community. Join that. Ask your buddies to join it as well. Thank you.