Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/70749
32 • JULY 2012 • WORLD FENCE NEWS This will change the way you build fences. Establishing your corporate mission statement BY TOM LUBY, PROFIT BUILDERS INTERNATIONAL I am sure most of you have proba- bly heard of mission statements, but just as surely many of you probably consider them only important for major corporations and high profile companies. Not true. No compressors. No hoses. No hassle. The revolutionary Redi Driver runs on gasoline using a 4-stroke Honda engine. At 1720 bpm it's as powerful as a pneumatic post driver but uses less time, money & worker fatigue. So change the way you build fences. Call 702-293-3222 or visit www.RediDriver.com. There is a story that I always tell my clients about setting up mission statements and their importance and I think that it might help you understand more what I am talking about. Then I want to draw an example closer to home. As we all know, in the late seven- ties and early eighties, IBM was the giant in the computer industry. They had a mission to dominate the com- puting industry worldwide, and in those days that was pretty much lim- ited to banks, schools, government agencies and major corporations. To accomplish this as a company their mission statement must have read something like this: "At IBM we want to build the biggest, strongest, fastest and most powerful computers in the entire world." At about that same time a couple of guys named Bill Gates and the late, great Steve Jobs, went to IBM with an idea that would have dramatically changed the mission statement of the company. They wanted to build com- puting systems for everyone. But they were turned down. That is when Gates started a little company called Microsoft and Jobs founded Apple Computers. Like IBM, both of these entrepre- neurs wanted to build computers and the operating systems to run those computers. Even though both companies were in the very same business, Apple and Microsoft had a completely different vision and developed a mission state- ment that took them in a totally differ- ent direction than IBM, all because of their mission statement. Apple and Microsoft had a mis- sion statement that was something like this: "We want to build a simple, func- tional and affordable computer for every person in America." This was the dawn of the PC or personal computer, by far the biggest thing to hit the computing industry. Do you see my point? Your mis- sion statement is of paramount impor- tance and is necessary to take the company in the specific direction that the owner chooses. What do you want to be? Do you want to be strictly a commercial fenc- ing contractor or do you want to dom- inate the residential market? Or maybe a little of both? Do you want a certain product mix? Price point? Size? Do you want to be a distributor or fabrica- tor? In what area? How large or small? Let me give you another example closer to home, right here in the fence industry. As you may have noticed from a few of my past articles, I am Your mission statement is of paramount importance and is necessary to take the company in the specific direction that the owner chooses. working with a fencing contractor in the central Florida area. I am doing, among other things, sales training at a company called USA Fence in the greater Tampa area. One of the key training points I try to teach fence salespeople is value selling and up selling the value of the company and the fence product for the highest possible margins. For the first time in my approximately 15 years of continued on page 34 Isn't It Time to Put the Strength of the Gorilla to Work for Your Business? Fast Installation, Water-Shedding Design- and Now ICC Compliant... From its patented interlocking design to its incredible water-shedding technology, nothing beats the durability and strength of a Gorilla Deck® by Homeland Vinyl Products™. Now, both our Gorilla Decks and six railing styles are ICC compliant making them one of the most attractive decking systems in the industry today to sell and install. Call now and add the strength of a Gorilla to your business - now featuring ICC compliance (ESR-1657, 2003 IBC and IRC). Gorilla Decks feature: • UV stabilized vinyl • Strong interlocking design • Unique water-shedding surface • Concealed fasteners • Easy and fast installation MEMBER Patent No. 6,324,796 www.homelandvinyl.com Toll Free: 800-999-6813 Fax: 205-854-3677 Phone: 205-854-4330 VINYL FENCE, DECK AND RAILING MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION A Division of the American Fence Association