Building More: Is It Over Yet?

Words: Corey Adams

We are almost to the finish line. No, I am not counting down the weeks until the end of the year, or season. I am alluding to one of the most hated cycles in the entire U.S.A.: the election cycle.

It is easy to see why contractors hate it. How many of you have had projects stalled, put on hold, or pulled altogether due to what can only be explained as election fear? You know what I am talking about. The fear that your party won’t get elected, triggering an economic downturn of epic proportions. The fear of total anarchy arising on the first Wednesday of November because someone won and someone lost.

The crazy thing is that a lot of our owners, GCs, retailers, and major players feel this way for no reason. Companies that have been in business for 50 years, and survived every one of the “Worst Presidents Ever” during that time, are still fearful. It makes no sense. You can have a favorite, you can have an opinion, and you definitely have a vote. What you don’t have is any reason to fear the worst if you do not get your way.

The population still needs to survive. They need to eat, get healthcare, get to work, and generally make the world go round. This article isn’t just about discrediting the doom-and-gloom outlook that society has around election time, it is about how to approach it and use it to our advantage.

Have you ever used the election as a sales tactic? Imagine you have a client on the fence. They can’t decide if they want to proceed. They keep delaying the contract even if they have agreed in principle to all the costs and conditions. They may even tell you they want to wait to see how the election turns out. What do you do? The answer is the same thing you would do with any "no" proposition: Acknowledge, understand, sympathize, point out pain points, give solutions, and ask for the sale.

“This is a tricky election we are having, isn’t it? If this thing goes the wrong way, costs may go through the roof! I understand why so many are waiting to see how it turns out. I have some clients who aren’t waiting. They want to take advantage of the slow election season to get a jumpstart on their projects before things get super busy or materials jump up after the election. I would like to get your pricing locked in before the increases. I can get you over a contract today if you want to have a leg up on everyone who is waiting.”

Or something along those lines. Sales scripts aren’t perfect. Yes, I know that 90% of sales gurus tell you to have a script. The problem is they are selling the same thing over and over again. We are selling solutions based on custom construction projects. Unless you are building spec homes or row houses, most of our projects are never exactly the same. They have different owners with different problems that need solutions.

Another great way to use the election cycle fear is by stocking up on materials, equipment, consumables, or anything that you use in bulk. We all know the work is coming, so prepare when costs are low and add profit when the work hits.

While the country is blue in the face from holding its collective breath, the real movers and shakers are out here grinding out deals that will shape their fourth quarter and beyond. I would bet that if you sat back and asked yourself if there has been any noticeable difference in your business solely based on who won and who lost a presidential election, you would not find any. Some of my worst years came under presidents I voted for. Some of my best came under the other candidate.

It is almost over. We can start to breathe again soon. And just to be clear, this isn’t political. Looking at it through a political lens is what causes these customers, and our companies, to miss out on six months of potential.
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