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Excuses and blame prevent success

May 7, 2015

By Bob Johnson, NAID CEO

Whose fault is it if a competitor is screwing up the marketplace with low pricing? Who’s to blame if a customer doesn’t care about service provider qualifications?

I know a very successful guy in our industry who will tell you it doesn’t matter. First, he says, whining about things you can’t control is useless. But, more importantly, he says, if the success of your business is not in your control, you should not be in business.

When you blame and make excuses for lack of growth, you are essentially saying it is not your fault. It’s like saying “there is nothing I can do about it.” But, if that’s the case; if there really is nothing you can do about it, then all hope of success is lost. You can never be successful if that success is someone else’s responsibility.

There are plenty of NAID members who are still growing rapidly. They are in markets with many low-cost competitors and they run into plenty of customers that are only interested in price. They don’t spend time or energy complaining about stuff they can’t control, when that same time and energy could go into finding the next customer. They don’t spend their time obsessing on their shoddy competitors. They simply keep looking for customers who want their services. They find a way to be of more value to the customer. They find a way to make the customer understand the benefits of working with a professional.

Don’t worry about what the other guy is doing. If you do, you will likely watch them pull ahead as they look at you in the rearview mirror.