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CONTRACTOR PERSPECTIVE Positive Leaders Can Make a Huge Difference By Eric Martinson A s a CEO in this industry, you know you are in trouble when your regional sales manager tells you, in front of a prospective client, that he doesn't have time to train, motivate or inspire your new sales team out in the field because, as he said, "I need to supplement my income and sell a job on my own for my own commission." This sales manager is also known as "Mr. Me, Myself and I." Do you have one of these on your team? I sat there stunned, thinking to myself, "Hey, wait a second, Bubba, don't I pay you an override on the whole sales team?" What in the world is he talking about with supplementing his income while newly hired sales reps starve for attention and a leader who cares for their income? hope what I'm about to share with you helps you pull the trigger and helps you continue building your business with the right team of effective leaders. For the sake of this article, let's call my previous management teams the Smiths and my new, impactful, effective team the Joneses. Leadership That Is Selfless, not Selfish The Smiths used to tell me that their work day ends at 5 p.m. every day. The Joneses now tell me that their job is never done, and they expect to work day and night because they see the value in helping others achieve. They realize that helping others at any time is the best, most effective way to supplement their income. Leadership That Leads by Example, Every Day The culture of "me, myself and I" has now radically transformed into "What can I do to help you?" The very essence of his position that I created was to be in the name of support and to truly look out and help develop others, because by doing so he will be supplementing his income by helping others achieve their goals. Hopefully, you don't have any members like this on your team, but if you do, I am about to share what a difference I recently have experienced by seeking, finding and hiring effective leadership. As owners and CEOs, we know this is essential to our success, but oftentimes we do not act quickly enough. I sincerely 10 January 2013 QR ForResidentialPros.com The Smiths told me their weekends were sacred and not to be infringed upon. The Joneses tell me that weekends are excellent opportunities to impact the business by participating in the revenue parade. Leadership That Makes No Excuses The Smiths placed blame on everyone for their ineffective results. The Joneses took the job accepting the Smith's self-centric culture — and never once have they blamed anyone or anything other than themselves for the results they produce. Leadership That Appreciates the Company's Investment in Leads The Smiths swore that the leads were the problem for lack of production. The Joneses say that the same leads are the most amazing feature of our company. Are you starting to see the pattern ? If you're dealing with the Smiths in your business, I wholeheartedly encourage you to find leaders like the Joneses. You will serve your clients and treat your employees by getting a better team. Just imagine the kind of effect a change like this could have on your business. Here is what has happened to mine so far: Since the Smiths' departure and the Joneses' debut, my organization has doubled in revenue, tripled in trained sales reps and now has a written national plan that is already being launched. In fact at the completion of the very first month with the effective, impactful Jones team, we literally doubled our revenue with the exact same amount of leads — the same leads the Smiths said were to blame. We are currently adding 10 new branches in California and plan to expand into Arizona and Texas next year. Our new national sales manager has recruited branch managers and has identified further expansion opportunities. We also plan to change our name from Pacific Coast Home Solutions to United States Home Solutions later this year. The culture of "me, myself and I" has now radically transformed into "What can I do to help you?" My wish for all of you in 2013 is to find your "Jones" team and spend every day enjoying , supporting and keeping up with them! Eric Martinson is the founder and chief executive officer of United States Home Solutions, Anaheim, Calif.