Let's play a game. I'll say a phrase, and you say the first thing that comes to mind. 
Ready?
OK
... sub prime mortage
... credit crunch
... unsold inventory
... forclosures
... the dreaded "R" word (uh, that would be "recession", not "revenue", sorry)
The news isn't good. And there will be casualties. You probably could name a few yourself.
And you don't have to be one of them.
You see, this isn't new. There are boom times, when anyone with a truck and a hammer can get in the way and make money without really understanding how they're doing it. Then there are the times we're facing now, when you have to be more aware of your margins and cash flow, and have to ensure profitability on much less revenue.
In times like these, the ill prepared will vanish. There will still be business ... for those that developed systems, procedures, best practices, a modus operandi ... call it what you will ... during the busy times. If you have that magical combination of great craftsmanship or technical expertise in your trade, and a system that underwrites your business, you'll continue to win.
For about $2 per day, BuildIT could be that system for such a contractor. But even that is too much for those that are in "tighten up the purse strings, let's just ride this thing out" mode.
The excuse in slow times: we just can't justify the expenditure. Many see BuildIT and other systems as "out go" rather than a tool to preserve and grow "income".
The excuse in busy times: we're too busy in crisis management mode, putting out fires, and dealing with the attention deficit disorder of everyone we're relying on to help us get the job done.
And I'm always amazed at how many folks come through the turnstyles at BuildIT, launch a free test drive, poke around for a few seconds, then tell me either by phone or email that they're too busy to check us out. What are they saying really?
"Hey look, I'm too busy being busy running my business the way I've always run it to spend a few minutes to see what you have that could possibly get me more organized, make me look more professional to my customers, allow me to tighten up on my project schedules, and reduce the amount of costly screwups that plague the construction industry in which I am involved."
OK, they may use different words, but you get the point. And my all time favorite ...
"I'll call you when I'm not so busy, and we'll take another look."
Can you guess how many of those folks actually came back when they weren't busy? Nada, zippo! I smile and take the next call hoping it's someone like you that actually is clued in to what needs to happen.
Are you one of the tough guys? In the words of Jim Collins, author of "Good to Great", do you "confront the brutal facts" of your business? Do you get that if nothing changes, it will actually get worse?
So ... when the going gets tough, the tough get going ... on their systems, on improved communications, on being way more organized, on giving exceptional customer service that eliminates many of their competitors. The tough get tough on their business, and stay in business ... and their customers come out way ahead.
BuildIT isn't the silver bullet ... no software by itself is. BUT, in these days ahead, the winners understand that "systems are the secret".
BuildIT Systems ... I like that word "systems", has a nice ring to it, don't you think?!
Scott Hutchinson
scott@builditsystems.com
1 866 585 5050 ext 1