Are you a Member of

The Lonely Contractor’s Club?

If you’re a contractor, you’re an entrepreneur. And if you’re an entrepreneur, you’re a loner.

You see the world in a different light. You face challenges and have opportunities that most can’t imagine. You work without a safety net every day and sleep with risk every night. Welcome to the Lonely Contractor’s Club.

Here’s the thing. Most people just don’t get it. They can’t relate to signing the front of the paycheck rather than the back. They don’t get excited about lower workers compensation rates or increased marketing returns. They don’t own books that teach rather than entertain. They don’t really care to talk about your thing. After all, it’s your baby, not theirs.

So, you have a choice. You either go through life as a card carrying member of the Lonely Contractor’s Club and keep it all inside, or you find others who are like you. Despite how you might feel, you’re not alone. There are others like you. Others who know what it’s like. Others who have achieved great success and want to talk. Want to share. And want to learn.

Lonely in a Crowd

You might be thinking that you’re not alone at all. You’ve got plenty of employees, lots of friends, a boat-load of vendors, even a big family. That might be true. But, who in that group are you really going to talk to about your company? Is Uncle Burt the macaroni salesman going to share some ideas on closing more sales? Is your favorite lumber supplier going to sit down and compare notes on P&L statements? Is your BFF Wanda about to tell you how to strike gold when it comes to upsells? I think not.

You get that by picking the crowd you hang out with. So, what if that crowd included some of the sharpest, most successful contractors in the country? Contractors eagerly seeking entrepreneurial contact. Looking to open up and just talk shop with someone who knows what talking shop is all about. Think that beats the Lonely Contractor’s Club? You bet.

Group Hugs Optional

Now, you can choose to do your own thing. Figure stuff out on your own. Play the role of lone wolf. Only thing is, if you look around, most really successful entrepreneurs understand the explosive potential every meeting of the minds can deliver. The Certified Contractors Network (CCN) Winter Conference has that very potential. Not only does CCN deliver some of the best trainers on the planet, they bring together the best contractors on the planet. Contractors like you that have a lot to share and a lot to learn. Lone Wolves need not apply.

Here’s what you need to do. Put away your Lonely Contractor’s Club membership card for just a little while and check out the amazing conference CCN has put together just for you…

 

You’re Not A Contracting Company…

The first time you hear Brian Tracy tell you that, you might be a little shocked. And you might want to pay attention.  After all, Brian Tracy is one of the world’s top business and personal success trainers. And he’s not a text book theory guy either. He’s shares his experience gathered from starting, building, managing or turning around 22 different businesses. He’s consulted with more than 1,000 companies, including big shots like IBM, Ford, FedEx, and Eduardo’s Hot Tamale Emporium (ok, we made that last one up). If that’s not enough, Mr. Tracy is the author of 49 books and has produced more than 500 audio and video learning programs. Mark Victor Hansen, co-creator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul empire says Brian Tracy “is the man to study as he teaches you step by step how to go from nowhere to somewhere great”.

OK, Brian’s resume is impressive. You get that. So, why should you pack your bags right now to avoid missing Mr. Tracy’s presentation at the CCN Winter Conference? First of all, if you haven’t seen Brian Tracy in person, you need to add that to your bucket list. He’s simply an amazing presenter that you want to see in person. Second, Brian will be talking specifically about your contracting business. He’ll be sharing ideas, strategies, and insights that you won’t find anywhere else. Here’s a video Brian has made just for the attendees of the CCN Winter Conference. During his presentation, you will learn…

•    What you do really doesn’t matter and why understanding that fact can change your world in a big way…
•    Key strategies that can increase your income by 97% in less than 363 days without working an hour more…
•    Immediately “actionable items” that will have you eagerly waiting for the break to implement them…
•    The reasons some contractors will make more in 2012 than ever before and how you can join the fun…
•    How mastering this one skill will assure you of lifelong business success, regardless of what you do…
•    A simple yet profound bit of wisdom that Brian attributes to more success stories than anything else…
•    Exactly what the 3 P’s are (not 3/4′s of CCN’s 4P process) and the magical power they hold…
•    Plus much, much more!

Leading More with Less
Remember the good old days when the cash flowed, employees were plentiful, and many hands contributed to getting the work done. Fast forward a couple years (seems the “old days” aren’t so old) and you find budgets so tight they constrict your breathing, workers far and few between, and workloads that once seemed cruel but are now status quo. It’s the new economy, the new world order. And your only weapon is leadership.

During this session, you will get to experience the powerful Leading More with Less video (which CCN has invested considerable resources for the rights to share it). In a very eye opening approach, you will get to see how six critical leadership principles are handled, both right and wrong. Even more valuable, you’ll get a “fly on the wall” glimpse of how both good and bad leadership practices effect employees and your business.  Specifically, you will discover…

•    The reason George Washington and the cherry tree are key to your leadership success…
•    Why you might not be in the information loop and how that could be costing you dearly…
•    The most destructive behavior a boss can display and how to avoid it…
•    What your team might be hiding from you and how expensive that can really be…
•    Taking this simple act for granted can be a seriously big mistake you really don’t want to make…
•    What it’s like to be in a fishbowl and how that relates to being the best leader you can be…
•    And other scary good insights!

 

I Didn’t Know You Made That Much!  

That statement is probably the biggest fear a company owner has when it comes to employees and the books. The company financials are usually under lock and key, password protected, the privy of a select few. So what would happen if you just opened the books to everyone? Would the planet stop rotating? Would the moon turn to cheese?

During this very thought provoking session, CCN legend Charlie Gindele will discuss the practical aspects of this often considered but rarely implemented management strategy. He lives it. And he’s going to share his thoughts on why you need to be doing this. But, before you start e-mailing your QuickBooks password to the company, learn about the following…

•    How you can share the important stuff without divulging too much…
•    What you should open up about and what you’re best keeping private…
•    The best strategies to deal with bad news books to avoid panic and mutiny…
•    Practical applications for using your open book financials to fix big problems in a hurry…
•    Tips on getting more out of your employees than any high priced business consultant could ever provide…
•    And whatever else Charlie decides to share (and trust us, it’ll be worth writing down)!

Accountability – The longest Four Letter Word You’ve Ever Seen
Yes, it’s a word that can make people cringe. It can be verbal fingernails down the chalk board. And it can be the one word that sets your company apart from the rest. But accountability is a double edged sword. Used wrong, it can cut deep and create an environment that is toxic and unproductive. Used correctly, it can cut a path to stunning success.

During this very informative video presentation, you will learn an approach to accountability that can both empower and improve individual performance while igniting organizational success. Now, you might be thinking that accountability is just a tool for controlling people. Once you experience this program, that thought will be long gone. In fact, you will learn…

•    Four critical elements of an agreement and how missing any one of them can lead to task failure…
•    Exactly what the “accountability cycle” is and the three phases that can change the way you manage…
•    How groups can kill accountability and what you can do about it…
•    What the “We Syndrome” is and how it is stealing your profitability this very minute (and how to fix it)…
•    The critical difference between Authority and Empowerment and how contractors might be missing pay dirt…
•    How to own the results of accountability and why “should” is a word that must be banned from use…
•    Methods for perfecting the process,  making your operation unstoppable…
•    Plus more…

Three’s Not A Crowd When It Comes to Management Skills…

During this jam packed presentation, three vitally important management strategies are going to be discussed in great detail during a three hour session (note a theme?). Being a great contracting company, one that richly rewards its owners, employees, and customers, revolves around strong management practices. Nothing can boost your bottom line faster than improving your management skills. This program will offer a bushel basket full of “do-today” practices you’ll want to implement sooner rather than later.

Start with a very revealing look at the often underrated skill of listening. This video and follow-up discussion will explore how your awareness of your listening skills can create chaos or opportunity like you would not believe. In a very clever and humorous way, the presentation will show you…

•    How bad listening skills lead to bad things happening in your organization…
•    The power of attention, and how we can move mountains by effectively using this one simple act…
•    Reasons why listening and truly hearing can be two very different things and which you should strive for…
•    And other stuff that will make your ears ring!
In the second part of this presentation, a very candid discussion on how to effectively praise employees will be covered. Taken from Ned Hallowell’s Cycle of Excellence, praise goes much deeper than a simple pat on the back. During this session, you will discover…
•    Why you don’t want to just recognize results and what you should be praising instead…
•    How one element of your praise can make or break the reaction you’ll get (and this is really easy to do)…
•    What simple process can shoot results through the roof and why it is often ignored…
•    Should e-mail be used for praise and the answer that may surprise you…
•    Exactly how the new CCN Rewards Program can make praising your team the highlight of your week…
•    And more, more, more!

The third component of this training is how to use a Total Quality Meeting (TQM) to manage more with less. During this portion of the presentation, you will receive the exact blueprint for conducting a TQM meeting like a rock star. You will hear first hand some of the pitfalls and challenges you may encounter when implementing this very powerful management practice. During this portion of the program, you will learn…

•    What the most important function of the TQM is and how to make it run like clockwork…
•    The negative emotion that becomes a very positive motivator and how to fan the flames…
•    How this natural conflict can be melted away if you bring these players to the table…
•    The simple rating system that helps extract critical feedback from the meeting attendees…
•    The step by step project review process that will have your team eager for their next meeting…
•    A simple tool you can employ at the end of every job that can help provide critical data for your TQM meeting…
•    And other insights from presenters and participants alike!

As a bonus to this session, a recap of the key elements learned during the More With Less presentation will be conducted at the end, offering even more valuable insight and an opportunity to get your specific questions or concerns answered.

The MasterMind Sessions…

A Group Hug for Your Brain.

This is the place where Lonely Contractor’s Club members forget all about their isolation. It’s during these sessions that brains get together for a proverbial “group hug”.

Picture this. You and a group of cutting edge, super motivated, and success driven contractors enter a room. The door closes. The room goes quiet as everyone sits down. Then the fireworks start. Welcome to your Mastermind. This is the competitive advantage you don’t want the contractor down the street figuring out. Yeah, it’s that powerful.

World class speakers and highly sought after trainers are great. But nothing seems to compare to the rapid fire churn of game changing ideas, of specific challenges solved, of “pick up the phone anytime” connections that are established during the CCN MasterMind sessions. In fact, you’ll meet contractors who attend the conference just to meet with their MasterMind group. Three hours that will leave your lonely brain exhausted and exhilarated all at the same time.

There are seven Mastermind Groups, each offering explosive potential…

Financial MasterMind
This is the flagship of Certified Contractors Network. It’s an intimate setting where members fuel the fire of growth, play devil’s advocate, and provide specific suggestions for your unique issues and challenges. It’s a board of directors like no other. Very personal and confidential company information is shared (under very strict agreements), and it is this aspect of the MasterMind that makes it so effective. There is no puffery, no bragging, no exaggeration. Just real black and white financials that receive honest input, thoughtful suggestions and challenges that raise the bar. Only 10-12 contractors comprise a Financial MasterMind group, and you must qualify and commit to a full year to be considered. If you have not yet experienced the power of the Financial MasterMind, make it a goal to try and join. If you’re accepted, you won’t find more business growth potential anywhere else. Session is let by industry veteran Tom Capizzi.

Marketing MasterMind
Would you like to see exactly what the most effective marketing for contractors looks like? What would that be worth to you? Even better, would you like to learn why it is effective and how you can copy it, improve it, and implement it for your company? Of course you would. Well, here’s your license to steal.  CCN members are being asked to submit their best ideas for marketing in four categories: Letters, Postcards, Print Media, Digital Media and Online. The best will be dissected during this MasterMind session and you’ll learn just what makes them tick and why. Oh, and those who submit can win some pretty nice prizes just for helping out (see sidebar)! Session led by savvy marketer Charlie Gindele.

Sales MasterMind
The Sales MasterMind is new and it’s hot. It made its debut in the fall and is back by very, very popular demand. Learn to close just one challenging sale for the YEAR and you’ve paid for your conference. Just one. And here’s how you’re going to do that. Attendees are asked to submit their “worst sales situation”. These will be case studies based on actual circumstances. Really bad, really embarrassing, really frustrating sales situations that you wished you’d have closed but didn’t. Using the shockingly realistic role play format called Beat the Wizard; you will have an opportunity to see how the Wizard would handle the situation using CCN’s Sales Process. Those who submit case studies will have special incentive (see sidebar)! Session led by sales pro Scott Siegal.

Trade MasterMinds (Commercial Roofing, Residential Roofing, Remodeling, Windows & Siding)
This is the place of enhanced craftsmanship, efficient production, better systems, snazzy shortcuts, and money saving products and ideas. This is the place where your peers share their best ideas on topics that fall outside the office. It is here that the problems and challenges that happen in the “real world” where products are actually being installed, are discussed and solved. Companies that participate in these very commanding sessions often find their best take-aways come from here. The Trade MasterMinds are two hours long and broken into four categories – Commercial Roofing, Residential Roofing, Remodeling, and Windows / Siding. Each session is led by an industry veteran who will keep the session moving at breakneck speed with ideas, information, and money-making breakthroughs.

Office Admin MasterMind
You know it’s true. The experience your customers have is just as important as the quality service they receive. True for any company. And your admin people, systems, and practices play a huge part in the “experience” equation. In fact, office administration can break a company if not handled properly. During this MasterMind session, your key admin players will grasp new breakthrough ideas, discover solutions to annoying issues, and help craft an even better experience for the customer. Session led by a industry admin veteran.

Sales Breakout: The Productivity Tool Everyone Needs

We’ve got more productivity tools today than ever before. Yet we’re less productive today than ever before. The very tools designed to mobilize and liberate us have created a whirlwind of distraction and overload. We live in a world of reaction, not proaction. And there’s a very distinct difference between the two.

So what tool do we need? It’s really pretty simple and we already have it in our pocket. It’s called focus, and used like it should, it’s a powerful laser beam that can cut through any challenge or obstacle. So what does that have to do with sales, you might be thinking? It has everything to do with it. And most importantly, it has a huge impact on time and money, both key elements to any sales program. This workshop is led by CCN’s productivity expert Scott Siegal. During the workshop, you will discover…

•    Learn simple, life changing strategies to clarify, focus on, and execute highest priority tasks…
•    Methods of “tasking” a goal, making its achievement almost guaranteed…
•    How to identify tasks that are simply unnecessary and ways to eliminate them…
•    The key fundamental reasons why execution fails and how to identify and eliminate these common conditions…
•    Four breakthrough disciplines that will help you identify your wildly important goals (this may surprise you)…
•    Tactics that will allow you to leverage your leaders and managers, making them execution experts…
•    And more that you can imagine!

Production Breakout: Additional Work Orders = Additional Opportunity

One of the biggest opportunities to add to the bottom line most contractors have is increase the size of the sale. One way to do this is through the effective use of Additional Work Orders (AWO), Change Orders, or Up-sells. Many companies simply allow these income generating opportunities to vanish, or worse, they transform them from opportunity to devastating cost. All because they failed to have a system in place that works to both the contractors and the customers advantage.

During this very informative breakout session, veteran contractor Jack Strumski will layout the system he and his company use to not only make a truckload of revenue from additional work orders, but do it in a way that has customers feeling respected and fairly treated. Sit in on this and you’ll get the whole process, from start to finish. Sound interesting? Jack will share with you…

•    How they define Additional Work Order and what is not considered to be additional and why…
•    The most important factor you must embrace if you are to be successful with charging for additional work…
•    The exact verbiage that is used to explain additional work to a customer and how that goes down easy…
•    What your key responsibility is when it comes to the customer and why you never want to forget it…
•    The easiest way for an Additional Work Order to blow up in your face and how to avoid it every time…
•    How the AWO process starts well before any problems are discovered and why you can’t miss this…
•    Who should sell an AWO and why this decision will have a major impact on your success with the program…
•    When is an AWO sold – there’s a right time and a wrong time. Learn the difference for greater success…
•    The little know yet powerful strategy behind having a customer sign to decline a AWO…
•    And way more (Jack is really spilling his guts here – you don’t want to miss this)!

 

Admin Breakout: Setting Up Financials to Recognize Profitability

If the truth be told, this is the most common area of frustration and misinformation in a contracting company. Are you making any darn money or not? You look at the books, but you just aren’t sure. The checkbook has cash in it, but the P&L shows a negative number. Which is correct? How can you know without doing financial back flips to get the answer?

During this breakout session, you’ll be taught by one of the most knowledgeable contracting administrators in the country – Jamie Siegal. Jamie is responsible for delivering that simple answer everyday – are we making money? How she does it, and more important, how she’s organized her books to allow any key managers to arrive at the same conclusion, is worth a close examination. During this session, Jamie will cover…

•    Which key financial information do you need to pay very close attention to and how to do it painlessly…
•    Exactly how a contractor should have their balance sheet and income statements set up to easily read…
•    How categories within your financial statements relate to budgeting and overall profitability…
•    Why budgeting based on the proper financial statement classifications makes life so much easier…
•    When and why a contractor would want to use cash vs. accrual (or vice versa) accounting…
•    The difference between fixed vs. discretionary expenses and how one can ruin a budget if handled wrong…
•    How to arrive at the critical breakeven point for profitability and budgeting and why that’s so important…
•    How setting up proper financials will lead to accurate job costing and efficient TQM meetings…
•    Plus other insights that only decades of in the books experience can provide!

General: Execute your Goals and Priorities

Know anyone who can’t do a task for very long without getting tired? Who has little or no long term willpower? Who can only do one thing at a time really effectively? You might be surprised to learn that describes most of us.

Add to that an ever increasing mountain of tasks and obligations we find ourselves continually trying to climb. Most of us just try to go faster. Drink more caffeine. Do things half way just to get them knocked off our lists.

Well, there are ways to fix this. And fix it in a way that lets us appear to be super human, to be stress free in a sea of chaos, to feel energized without drugs and to finish the important stuff you start. Kryptonite, you ask? No, just some dynamic strategies that can help you get it all done. During this compelling workshop, you will…

•    Learn what the true spark of accomplishment is and how you can ignite it at will…
•    Why a piece of paper can be your best friend and how you can use it to rule your world…
•    A simple yet profound technique that almost magically melts stress away (and it has nothing to do with yoga)…
•    How to use your natural instinctive tendency for work to your advantage in a very powerful way…
•    Eliminate this from your work environment or face a life of mediocre results. Simple to do, but few do it…
•    How not working can actually help you get more done than you ever imagined. You’ll love this insight…
•    How to never again rely on will power and discipline. This one tactic allows you to accomplish anything…
•    Plus more thought provoking ideas to make you a production machine without breaking a sweat!

AND…
•    Amazing Networking opportunities with the nation’s top contractors. Get those questions answered that you’re too self conscious to ask at home.
•    The renown CCN awards dinner and presentation – see who’s the best of the best (maybe it’s you?) and learn what they did to earn that honor (hint: you’ll pick-up some valuable insights just watching this)
•    Employee Appreciation – The event is priceless for employee training. Training that can be cleverly disguised as a “thank you for all the hard work, so I’m sending you out of town for a couple days of training and FUN”. See how well that works?

You’re still reading, and we’re not sure why. If the value of this education isn’t hitting you in the forehead like a 2×4, perhaps you should read it again. Repeat the process until you can make the right decision to attend the CCN Winter Conference. You can make that happen by CLICKING HERE.

Or, you can hear what went on second hand from your very successful colleagues who attended the event. Of course, you’ll be very busy working harder while they take the time to work smarter, but hey, you can figure something out, right? After all, The Winter Conference is really only for contractors who looking to work smarter, not harder.

OK, OK I love it. But what’s the Investment?
We can understand the hesitation. With a speaker line-up like we just went over, you’d expect this thing to be eight thousand four hundred and thirty seven bucks. And probably worth every cent of that. But, in classic Certified Contractors Network fashion, they’ve begged, negotiated, and twisted arms with speakers, vendors, and faculty to make this event as affordable as always.

So, how much is the Winter Conference investment? Answer – it depends. The earlier you register, the more you save. Your membership level can make it less too. So, simply click here to check out the Conference Investment. If you feel the investment is really going to be an issue, please call our office at 1-800-396-1510. Together, we’ll figure out a way to get you in a position to learn. We feel it’s really that important for your success.

Tick Tock…
This event is being held on February 9th – February 11th, 2012. Time is short and you need to register now. Make your travel arrangements now. Schedule the kennel now. Block out Thursday and Friday on your schedule now (don’t worry; the business will be there when you get back). Catch a theme here? That’s right. Do it now. Just a simple click here and you’ve taken the first step. Easy.

 

But, What if I Show Up and Don’t Like What I Find?

We are so incredibly confident that you will absolutely love CCN’s Winter Conference that we will take away most of your risk. Attend the first day of the conference. Learn all you can. Interact with the other attendees. If, at the end of the day you feel you haven’t gotten every penny’s worth of your conference investment, ask for a full, 100%, no questions asked refund. You won’t get your time back, but you can keep the knowledge. Don’t you think that is a fair guarantee?

Our goal is to make sure you not only get your money’s worth, but you truly make a difference in your contracting business and in your life. Anything short of that isn’t good enough. But to make this work, you have to be willing to implement what you learn. If you can’t, or won’t, do that, save your money and keep doing what you are doing. If you can do that, register risk free right now by clicking here.

Still Not Absolutely Convinced? Call Us and Let’s Answer Your Questions.
800-396-1510