Shed Geek Podcast

Building Bonds Through Shared Passions Part 1

• Shed Geek Podcast • Season 4 • Episode 73

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Dan Uts and Sam Byler join us for an exceptional episode as we uncover the rich tapestry of their intertwined careers and personal lives. Dan, with over four decades in the music industry, shares how a pivotal childhood figure inspired his journey and how he managed the challenging balance of touring while raising four musically gifted daughters. Sam reflects on the profound influence Dan has had on his own musical aspirations and provides an intimate look at their shared experiences in both the music and shed industries. We also explore the deep connections between their families, including Sam's impactful work in prison ministry.

Our musical journey continues with heartfelt stories from my Sam's experiences in music ministry. Forming a band with diverse talents, he created powerful connections and touching moments that have left lasting impressions. His story reveals the profound impact of spontaneous performances and the ripple effect of sharing music, from basement recordings to impromptu fiddle performances that transformed lives. These anecdotes emphasize the beauty of unplanned yet significant moments in their musical journeys.

Shifting gears to the shed industry, we confront the challenges of training and business acumen. An insightful discussion on the gap in financial education highlights the struggles many face despite their expertise in manufacturing, sales, and logistics. We dive into the importance of relationship building and genuine customer care, showcasing personal stories that underline how leading by example can create positive impacts. Finally, we emphasize the critical role of haulers in customer satisfaction and the necessity of clear expectations to ensure fair treatment and successful collaboration. Join us for an episode filled with heartfelt stories, industry insights, and valuable lessons in building authentic connections.

Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube at the handle @shedgeekpodcast.

To be a guest on the Shed Geek Podcast visit our website and fill out the "Contact Us" form.

To suggest show topics or ask questions you want answered email us at info@shedgeek.com.

This episodes Sponsors:
Studio Sponsor: Union Grove Lumber

Cold Spring Enterprises
Versabend

Shed Gal:

Welcome back to this week's episode of the Shed Geek podcast. This is Susan Frayer, shed Gal. I have two very special guests tonight and the first one yeah, a couple of you out there know him Mr. Sam Beiler and that's where we put in the sound effects and Dan Uts and Dan. I would like you to introduce yourself, if you don't mind, and tell me a little bit about your background. I know you and Sam have a long history we don't have three hours, guys but I would,

Sambassador:

we couldn't get through it in three hours.

Shed Gal:

We couldn't get through it in three hours.

Shed Gal:

But I'd love for you to introduce yourself to the audience, please.

Dan Utz:

All right. Well, I'm Dan Utes and I've been living a long time. My wife and I have been married over 40 years. We have four daughters that are amazing and make me look good, I know these daughters, three wonderful grandkids.

Sambassador:

I know his daughters.

Dan Utz:

Three wonderful grandkids and we had our great granddaughters first and then the grandkids come next, because that's what I heard, that's how it works. So grew up in Western Canada, toured, did music for over 40 years and here we are.

Shed Gal:

Toured. You traveled all over the United States, did you?

Dan Utz:

And Canada and Canada and Canada and Trinidad For 40 years and Trinidad. And more.

Shed Gal:

Wow, what led you to do that? I don't know this story, so I'm very curious.

Dan Utz:

Tell us what led you to do that? Five years old, there was an Indian guy that played music that I admired and he was a big old guy, played his guitar on his chest because he couldn't get it on his lap, fair enough. He belted out the music and he lit a fire in my belly when I was five years old and influenced me to pursue music. And yeah, that he the inspiration that he gave me. He never knew that he did for me, wow. And he died and never knew it. Wow.

Shed Gal:

There's a lesson in that right there, isn't there, yeah.

Dan Utz:

I've met many people that have known him, and he was a giver and just always so kind and all that stuff and just a very yeah. I owe a lot to him.

Shed Gal:

I love that you were very nomadic as far as traveling and how was that raising? And we'll get into sheds and metal buildings and all that in a little bit, but the really cool part about this podcast is the people and their stories. You raised children during this time and traveling as well during that time.

Dan Utz:

Our oldest daughter was born when we traveled with her and had a nanny that traveled with us, and then I had. Wow, we'd pulled off the road as far as touring full-time. And then I started another band in uh and the other three girls came along, and they got to be part of that and then, um, they did some touring and singing and all those kinds of things. So, they've got lots of international flavor and, wow, all of them have traveled to different parts of the world.

Sambassador:

They're phenomenal musicians. So that's really cool. I think Sabrina, the oldest, is lead. Is she still leading worship?

Dan Utz:

she was she was a worship pastor for a number of years she's still in um in charge of the arts at the church. But, yeah, yeah, it's passed on some of the responsibilities somebody else.

Sambassador:

But yeah, and then the second one, Sophia. She played some music around Gatlinburg and stuff. Yeah, she did played some music around Gatlinburg and stuff.

Dan Utz:

Yep, she did the tunes and tales in Gatlinburg for a number of years.

Sambassador:

Married to a guy that's played the Grand Ole Opry, wow.

Dan Utz:

Only three times. I told him if he keeps it up, maybe he'll get to be in something. Wow, only been nominated for a Grammy Award once.

Shed Gal:

Oh, only once, Only once, only once Come on.

Sambassador:

Anybody can get it once right.

Dan Utz:

No so it's kind of crazy. He's not amazing. He's done and still is.

Sambassador:

I'm going to kick in a little bit here, all right.

Dan Utz:

Jump on.

Sambassador:

I came along. So, Dan says that somebody lit a fire in his stomach to play music. And then Dan comes along and lights that fire in me to play music.

Shed Gal:

I was hoping you were going to bring that up.

Sambassador:

So, then I come along, a little 10-year-old kid, and I see this cowboy step down off this big, long, fancy bus Cowboy boots, cowboy hat, Canadian, western Canadian, you know and plays music and I was like that's it, that's what I want to do, and to see people changed the way they get changed when they hear his music. I wanted some of that and so I was around. That was about the time he was thinking about getting married and his kids are like my nieces.

Dan Utz:

Yeah, that's Uncle Sam. They do call me Uncle Sam.

Shed Gal:

And they don't pay taxes to me, either they don't call him Sam, I am, they call him Uncle Sam.

Sambassador:

They don't call me Sambassado r and all this other goofy stuff. So, yeah, I've watched him raise those girls, him and his wife, and I've seen the music flow down through them. And then Sophia gets married to Jasper, who is from a family that was Canadian also, that Dan knew from way back when. Wow, jasper's family plays music, jasper has a sister and her dad, jasper's dad, that I had the privilege of doing prison ministry with and uh, it's, it's a.

Sambassador:

So, we say the shed industry, as big as it is, it shrinks down to pretty small yeah it's a little bit the same way in prison ministry it's a huge organization but if you're in at any amount of time, you get to know a lot of different people in it. Right, and I was very honored to be in that. Um, John Schmidt is another name that every pretty much every Amish and Mennonite person on this podcast that listens will know exactly who we're talking about. And I remember, like it happened yesterday, we were down in Alabama week here and I was struggling. Um, we were, we were in a tough spot in life and I had told dan I'll come down there and I think that year was just the two of us. Um, I played a little bass for him. I'm not a very good bass player, but I do play bass and I went down, sang some backup for them, played some bass, but on the day they have their what do they call that?

Dan Utz:

Orientation.

Sambassador:

Orientation thing, and sometime in the afternoon Dan and John went missing, like they always did. So, I went looking for them and I found him out on John's bus.

Shed Gal:

Okay.

Sambassador:

And was sitting out there talking with Dan Utes and John Schmidt. It just doesn't get any better than that in the prison ministry music.

Dan Utz:

You don't get out much. Yeah, I don't get out much.

Sambassador:

And anyway, in the middle of this conversation, sitting out there, john's wife calls and says hey, our daughter wants to go on this trip, but it's like 400 bucks. And this was like 25 years ago, right. And? And John I could tell he paused for a minute and I knew she was at Lydia was asking like you know, we don't have 400 bucks, but she wants to go. And John made this statement and it stuck with me ever since. He goes why not? We're King's kids.

Sambassador:

And from that day forward, my life changed in the fact that not only were these superstar guys playing Christian music, taking the gospel to people, but they were living it. He literally didn't know if he had 400 bucks, but if she wanted to go, he knew the Lord was going to take care of it. And that's the way both of these guys have always. Both of them are huge mentors to me. And the fact that I've always known that I can trust in the Lord when everything, all the chips and everything are down, that I can always count on him. And to have got that from them, yeah, this, this isn't just somebody that I'm working with now, this is somebody that's been huge in my life yeah, Even when I lost my dad at a young age, um, that's always been somebody that's been huge in my life. Yeah, even when I lost my dad at a young age, um, that's always been somebody that I can count on well, and I'll share this because I know that I can.

Shed Gal:

But when, when Sam first brought up your name and we were talking about different things, I said you know, oh, a friend of yours or family? And he's like oh, no, I mean there's. There's not a word to describe it. Is what I'm saying like no, it's not a friend and no, it's not family, it's way more than that.

Shed Gal:

There is no word in the English language to describe what I felt when he told me like how to describe it, and I thought, man, we should all be so lucky to have a Dan in our life. We should all be so lucky to have a Dan in our life we should be. Yeah, and here you are now in my life.

Shed Gal:

I'm honored to be here Before we talk about the shed and metal building industry and different things about it. There's probably been some I don't know what the right word is poignant, or times in your travels and your ministry that have you know you have affected people. There's going to be a lot that you affected that you're never going to know.

Dan Utz:

Right.

Shed Gal:

Okay, that happens, but do you have any examples of something that maybe someone came back to you later and said this, because we just heard, heard one, there's got to be more. I'm just I love stories like that. Is there anything that comes to mind where you know what you did impacted someone?

Dan Utz:

years ago we did a song called joy in the journey and I love, love the tune of it, but in singing it over the course of a few years, it taught me a lot about life. Is that it's not about the destination, it's the journey, it's the dash, it's the dash. Yeah, between here and there, yeah, and one of those that comes to mind is that my wife's cousin came to it was just the two of us that we started. He was 19 years old and he was playing the fiddle and grew up playing bluegrass with his family and said let's see about doing something. And then had another guy that I knew from Kentucky, that I played music with him at some memorial service Once a year they do memorial service for the people who passed in the last year, type of thing and he played publicly for the first time, played bass, and he played in different groups and then he came and joined us, so with Phillip, and then Woody came and joined us, so with Phillip, and then Woody came and joined us playing bass, oh, woody. So Woody joined us.

Dan Utz:

And then a young guy who had been having some struggles with some things in the church that we were going to, but a fabulous musician and he just had an encounter of some sort I wasn't aware of any of it and then he came and said can I play drums with you? And so he did. And then my brother-in-law, who I met when he was, I think, seven or eight years old, he was married and he said I gave him his first guitar and taught him a lot about playing guitar. So, he came and called me and said I want to join the band. And I said you need to think about this and pray about it. And he said we already did. Okay, because I was fully game on him joining us, because this kid yodeled before he could talk, literally Right, because his dad was Swiss, my father-in-law and he would come home from work and yodel over the cradle and he'd yodel back before he learned to talk.

Dan Utz:

Wow, amazing, yes, an amazing personality. Amazing singer, guitar player, mandolin player, yodeler, name it. He's just amazing. So then he joined us. So here we have a punk rocker on the drums, a contemporary bass player, a yodeling, bluegrass, country contemporary singing playing Lee, and then a bluegrass fiddle player who plays fiddle and mandolin and learns some flat picking guitar and a little bit of country chicken picking on the guitar. And then there's me, just a country boy, and we put together a band and the most fun we had was practicing and just hanging out together, whether it was praying or whatever we were doing. It was just an amazing time. And then 95% of our bookings were incoming calls. We weren't chasing them and it was just the most fun that I've had musically.

Shed Gal:

Right.

Dan Utz:

So to get to where you're talking about influencing somebody. So we went, we did our own recording in a basement studio on a cassette tape that we put out. No CDs, no 8-tracks.

Shed Gal:

Those were the good old days.

Dan Utz:

This is the good old days between CDs and 8-tracks.

Sambassador:

We were stuck in the middle there.

Dan Utz:

We were in the middle, yes, and so we did that recording and it was just us, we called it Simply Us, and we did an amazing little simple thing. That just the amazing thing was that it just resonated with people because of the songs, the life and whatever. And that was a good journey. And then we connected to Nashville and started recording there and there was this guy in the studio playing the fiddle and amazing, and Phillip was like I need a new challenge, basically his mindset. And he says I need to learn what he's doing. Do you think he'd show me?

Dan Utz:

And I said, well, we paid him, so let's ask him yeah and so he said, Bruce, do you mind showing Philip a little bit of what you've done, how you played that one of the techniques, and Philip was very studious, he just an excellent that he'd pursue it. And so I don't know half hour, 45 minutes, whatever Bruce spent with him and Philip took that. It was our recording, so he had all the music and he took that home and learned it, taught his brother Eddie, and they still today are just profound, amazing twin fiddling isn't that something? They're just driving us to listen to.

Dan Utz:

They're just so amazing. So fast forward a few years. Scott the drummer had pulled off the road, my brother-in-law had pulled off the road, so there was three of us and we were touring. And we were out in Iowa on a tour out west and we were driving a Suburban in a trailer and the starter broke. It was cold in November and then the bolt broke off in the engine. So it's taking longer and all this stuff. Phillip is not mechanically oriented. Woody is a mechanic. Phillip goes in the house with the fiddle and entertains the kids of the people who are our hosts.

Shed Gal:

Right, okay, they probably loved it.

Dan Utz:

And here's these little kids. And now freeze that for a minute. We got the engine going, we got down the road and whatever Unknown to us. Fifteen years later, here's my daughter and I driving down the road and here's some friends of ours that are touring and doing music and saw their bus and we stopped and said hi, didn't know they were in the area and they said where do we get a hold of Phillip? Well, I have his phone number. They said okay. Well, we'd like to say thank you. This is 15 years later. Right, the little girl that was three years old, was now 18 years old who, up to that point of three years old, never an interest in it, took interest that day from Philip. Right Was now touring with her family, teaching people how to play and just having an amazing time with her family touring all over North America, and today still plays and teaches and all that stuff.

Shed Gal:

I love that. Now let me fill in another blank.

Dan Utz:

Bruce was a Nashville musician. Nobody knows his name, but he's been a guitar player on tour for this gal. That's been around for a few years and people didn't know her name for a long time but then she did this song called A Coat of Many Colors. Stack them up, right. So here's people that people give an opportunity to, and I don't know Bruce's story, but here he is playing for Dolly on tour. But a studio musician has a bluegrass band of his own or whatever, but took an interest in Philip and showed him. Philip has influenced many, many people, wow. And then here he entertains a three-year-old girl. Yeah, the bond trader is from Iowa and now she's married and has her own family and it's just fun. People influence people.

Shed Gal:

Yeah, and I don't think we give people enough credit for that. Like it's almost well, we've talked about this, we're not going to get into the influencer word or the negatives or the positive, but it is amazing, I don't think we've given people enough credit for how much influence they have.

Dan Utz:

It's the journey.

Speaker 2:

It's the journey Just be nice on the journey.

Shed Gal:

Right. It is funny, though I don't know, there's just so many things. So, Sam and I met because I had a little incident when I was hauling a shed and I'm not kidding you, I think it was on the shed haulers page before we had the shed back on the trailer, I think in reality that's true, but it wasn't that I got bashed. People were actually nice, they were, but one person was extra nice and that was Mr. Byler.

Sambassador:

That's not even possible.

Shed Gal:

It is possible, and it's true. See, this is where he doesn't give himself enough credit. It is true, but I remember like Must have had a weak moment.

Shed Gal:

There was some people that definitely were nicer than others, but one was mean and um, but you were it. It made a big impact on me, like you know what, I'm okay, things happen and you know we move on and it makes a big impact. So, thank you for being so kind. He doesn't even remember. He probably has no idea what he posted and I don't remember the words either. But people don't remember the words. They remember how you make.

Shed Gal:

They make yeah, you know how they make them feel. And what it made me feel like is I'm okay and it's an incident, it's a situation of a shed falling off the back of a trailer in the middle of the freeway. I mean, it happens to good people and uh, but it was going to be okay and we learn from it and we move on. And it doesn't have to just be that people are cruel and I think we need to all give each other a lot of credit. So, I knew, when Sam said you're going to love my non-friend, non-family person he didn't say it in those words, but we don't have the right term in the English language for what you are to him that I knew that I would like you because I well, if he's like I knew it. And so, then we, we have met.

Shed Gal:

So now let's talk about let's go on to a little bit of maybe challenges in the industry. You were newer to the shed industry in as far as how long? When did you get into the shed industry? A little over a year and a half ago, okay, and what was the appeal?

Dan Utz:

I needed to do something to supplement my income, or was it making an income? I don't think there was much supplementing going on at the time. I needed to do something and that was my fault too. Well, I was like hey.

Sambassador:

I'll find a solution.

Shed Gal:

Yes, so we don't. There are certainly things in this industry that need to be improved upon. That isn't slamming or being negative towards any company or any processes, but there I don't think there's anyone in the industry that doesn't realize that. How important, uh, education is and training. Um, so, from your point of view and it doesn't matter what company we're not, we're not slamming any company. This is an industry-wide issue Right.

Shed Gal:

Because I really want to encourage people that are listening. You know you're manufacturing, you're doing a fantastic job. Nobody expects you to know how to train someone appropriately. No one expects you to be the expert on the sales side, like, if you want to shut down a company, put me in charge of their manufacturing for 30 days, I can get that company run out of business. I mean, I would be so far out of my element. But in our industry, don't you think it's true that? And maybe you totally disagree, but don't you think it's true in this industry that, and maybe you totally disagree, but don't you think it's true? In this industry, we have these fantastic folks that are manufacturing and there's a missing link over under the training site. I think a little bit uh true.

Sambassador:

Well, it's, it's. I don't think it's so much the training part, because I can, uh, I can train somebody how to build a shed. I can train somebody how to haul a shed. Me personally I can. Even I trained my sales guys how to sell sheds, but nobody trained me on any of that, and nobody trained me how to be a businessman.

Sambassador:

I don't really think it's. The backbone to this, to the shed industry is still the guys that are the work hard, keep your nose clean and you'll get somewhere in life. Guys, and we're so used to trading either hours or a service or something for money that we never were good, never wrapped our minds around the fact that there's a better way to do it, there's another way to do it, and the whole business side of it just um, I, I can tell you for a fact, um, and this isn't knocking any companies either, right, but I can take the top five companies and narrow it down to three people, and those three people had dads that knew how to handle money and my uncle was good friends with those guys. Now everybody's going to wonder who my uncle is, because he knew all those guys way back in the day, right, and I know my uncle was taught by his dad how to handle money and that was just not a thing that we were taught. We were taught how to work hard yes.

Speaker 2:

So, yeah, it is training.

Sambassador:

I understand what you mean by it is training, but I can train you how to build a check. Oh for sure.

Shed Gal:

Yeah, no, I think you're on to something here.

Sambassador:

I'm still struggling, along with the whole. I'm obviously school of hard knocks. I've learned how to handle my money better, but I still have debt. Today I'm still not where I want to be right. Um, I can look back over the last 10 years and show you three times where I made decisions that at the time should have been good decisions. Um, I even had guys that made those kind of decisions. Tell me you know, give me advice on them. But looking back, you'd be like what? That? That was boneheaded. What were you doing? Um, those guys never did that. They never had those boneheaded moments. Um, some of us would say they got lucky at some points, and there's maybe they did, maybe the, the timing or whatever it takes. I don't care what anybody says, it still takes a little bit of luck.

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Dan Utz:

What is it? Because if all we do is learn all the dynamics, because I've I've dabbled in sales over the years some home improvements and different things had.

Dan Utz:

I've been in seminars, I've been in all the stuff and the online courses, all this stuff, and this is how you do it, yep, and I think that the thing that's missing in that is do you care about people? Because if you're on this journey and you don't care about people and all you care about is the money and getting the business done and you don't give a rip about people, what do you gain? What do you gain? So, I don't care if it's music, because I watched that in the music industry. Oh yeah, you know, I've been. I haven't been intense in Nashville, but I've been in Nashville, I've been in the music stuff and it's like there's some. On one hand, you got people who are saying, well, I don't care, you know, it's just all up to the lord.

Dan Utz:

and on the other hand, it's like people and I don't care if it's Christian or secular music or whatever it is the business side is all that matters, and it's like, at the end of the day, who are you and what are you about? And do you care that people are better because they got around you?

Sambassador:

well, I mean, we can go talk about papa john. Yeah, um, papa john was in my life because he ran into you and I got to follow papa john and Mama Jane around for years and you just run into a hardened criminal who found Jesus and totally changed his life around. And I see people find Jesus today and they don't turn nothing around and literally love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and what love your neighbor as yourself your neighbor it's.

Sambassador:

It is, the joy in the journey is learning the people. There's another phrase in that song that you didn't mention that is huge to me, because it it's me and I fuss about this on facebook and I try to get people to bite on my bait and they don't really want to, and that's the fact that he does yeah, that's shocked. That's. That's the. You don't always reap what you sow and that makes that gets people a little irritated. That was a long.

Shed Gal:

There was a lot of comments on that post. I did notice Because people are like no, no, no.

Sambassador:

The Bible says you're going to reap what you sow. Well, the Bible also says that some men reap where another man sowed. That's true. And some men sow and never reap. Well, there's a phrase in that song it's not all. In the reaping there's plenty in the sowing, um, and that has that.

Sambassador:

It's huge to me what that has influenced me, and not some big, fancy deal, moody message, but a little phrase in a song that taught me that, and it was from that song that taught me that it doesn't matter if I don't reap. My job is to sow. God brings the harvest when and where he wants to, and it makes my life so much more less stressful if I remember that, instead of waiting around or seeing somebody else reap what I sowed and it's not just in my Christian walk, it's in my business life that I have to be willing to let that go. And then I go back to Jesus and I'm like Jonah, sitting under his tree and saying you're not doing what you said you're going to do, because that's, yeah, it is the people. And ultimately so there is a catch to it. Shannon and I talked about this. He watched me close a guy one day and it just blew him away. He talks about it Right now. If he listens, he'll be like oh yeah, I know who he is.

Shed Gal:

He better listen. He'll be like I know exactly where we were.

Speaker 2:

So you have to ask.

Sambassador:

You have to ask for the sale. That's one of the biggest things I see missing and it's also what irritates me about these guys that sell, sell, sell. They push for the sale, they don't ask for it. And once you build that camaraderie with the client that you can literally say I want your business, why don't we do this Right? And the guy's like why?

Dan Utz:

not, why not?

Sambassador:

Because he knows that I care about him Right, but that takes so much more work.

Dan Utz:

But it's just being nice, yeah, but I don't know. It's just being nice yeah.

Sambassador:

But I don't know. It is being nice, it really is, but I'm not naturally a nice guy.

Shed Gal:

Oh my gosh, More is caught than taught.

Sambassador:

Oh yeah.

Shed Gal:

Like I was thinking that just a few minutes ago when you were talking about I watched, I listened do you see where I got it from? And I'm thinking about my dad, you know, retiring at 48 and 12 years old, 12 years earlier you know he had bought his first gas station and you know that was in the early 70s when it was a service station and I remember when he had the first convenience store and it wasn't the big convenience stores of today. And you know, like, in a few short years and I see that with my son watching, I can tell him, I can try to teach him.

Shed Gal:

But, he's learning by catching. And I see in the interactions in that little three-year-old, no one said to her you need to do this or you need to be heavy-handed or this, and then we go on. So, it is definitely the business sense. And then there are different ways. My, my teaching is so different and that's probably why so many people want to do it, because it is not like what's out there. And I was just thinking it's because my, my whole philosophy isn't to tell you what to do, it is to influence you what to do, by showing real life examples and the why behind it, and I think that's interesting.

Dan Utz:

It's inspiration. It's inspiration, it's inspiration because you light the fire in somebody else Because you don't have to if you want to, but you don't want to if you have to.

Shed Gal:

Yeah, yes, but that's true.

Dan Utz:

I know.

Shed Gal:

Sometimes it's so simple.

Sambassador:

It's so simple and yet so yeah, that phrase used to annoy me so much I would. I would. I'd ask my dad, do I have to? He'd be like no, not if you want to you know, people don't like to be sold.

Shed Gal:

People love to Right. And so when you just said and I don't remember the exact words, but you asked for the sale, are you ready to do this? Yeah, I was thinking in my head they're going literally. Why not? Why not?

Dan Utz:

Right.

Shed Gal:

And that is a different approach to many of the trainings that are out there in any industry. And I see evolution, I see things evolving in this industry. And, uh, I see, I see evolution, I see things evolving in this industry. So, I'm proud to be and I love this industry and it's a shed for crying out loud. At the end of the day, it's a shed. It's pieces of wood. They I don't know, I've never built one, but I think they like screw them together and nail them together right, and I'm kidding there. I do know how they're built. I couldn't build one myself. But at the end of the day, people, it's about building a relationship with them and, yeah, it's interesting.

Sambassador:

So it's not just about building a relationship with the customer, it's building a relationship with each other.

Shed Gal:

Oh, for sure.

Sambassador:

That's why I say here we go like yes, yeah, it's uh, whenever something starts to deteriorate a little bit inside a corporation, uh, industry or whatever. Most times that's what you can. You can come back to that pretty quick.

Shed Gal:

Yeah, I was. Well, I can't say that I don't recall specifically ever being told these buildings sell themselves, but I have heard that many, many times over the years, but never by someone who has successfully sold sheds. Now I am not suggesting that some of you out there listening haven't said that and are not successful. I just have yet to meet you. So there's always an exception to the rule, but it's challenging. Let's go to your experience and again, we're not blaming anybody. They don't sell themselves, do they? Or do they?

Dan Utz:

I don't know anything that sells itself. Zig Ziglar, who some people may be young enough not to know who he was.

Shed Gal:

Don't look at me. I know who he is.

Dan Utz:

Was a great inspiration to people and said a profound little statement is that when you help people get what they want, then you get what you want. So just the simple posture of saying what is it you're looking for and how can I help you with that, it's answering what people are looking for and saying how can I help you with that.

Shed Gal:

And how to effectively do it.

Dan Utz:

And without coercing or manipulating or being deceptive to people about what they're after, but just to say this is what I have. Is that what you're looking for? I think we call that communication, but just being nice in how we do that, right, but just being nice in how we do that. We've all had salespeople who just didn't care about what you wanted, but wanted you to buy that. And I went to a car dealer one time and this guy was bent that he was going to sell me this particular little car that my four daughters wouldn't have fit in.

Dan Utz:

And I'm like are you just too dumb to know how to do anything but breathe or what? This is my family and this is what our need is. We're driving a Suburban at the moment. What makes you think we can fit in that little bug? Right? So just be nice and figure out what is the need that I have and how can you help me to get what I need? Yes, and at the end of the day, you're going to get your commission or your pay or whatever you want. And I think that at times is that it's being nice to people and saying do I have what you need and have I asked enough questions to find out what it is you need and what you want. Yeah, then what's the?

Shed Gal:

yeah, it's not a numbers game.

Shed Gal:

I mean you can look at it as a numbers game, but the high pressure sales pitch at the end or trying to get them to close the numbers at the end of the year are going to be way less than if you develop a relationship with them or you know you're and you find out what they need and help with what they need and find them a solution. It I'll challenge anybody on that. I'll take you take the biggest high pressure person and you take someone who's developing a relationship and asking the right questions and doing it for the right reasons. It's gonna that hard high pressure person is gonna be hype. It's gonna be very unlikely that they're going to be around for the long haul or have the numbers that they think they're going to have long term, because people figure it out. People figure it out the person who is going. I'll bet you got a lot of referrals. I would just bet. I mean correct me if I'm wrong. Well, we also paid for referrals, so there was that, but no, we didn't.

Dan Utz:

Well full disclosure we bribe people. I don't remember yeah.

Sambassador:

So Zig's quote about that take care of people and you'll be taking care of yourself is literally one of my sales mottos.

Speaker 2:

Yes.

Sambassador:

That is huge. So one of my other big ones was good news travels slow. Bad news travels fast uh-huh, um. That is literally why I got out in 2016 when I did because I, as an owner, was creating more bad news than my customers were, because I was just fed up with customers and excuses. So I literally knew I needed to get out and take a break. But it's um it, when that customer comes in, you're not looking at one customer, you're looking at 100 customers and it's all based on your attitude.

Shed Gal:

Please, please, people out there, please listen to what he just said. It is what I just you say. It isn't the dollar from that one customer in front of you. It is the for lack of a better term influence that they have on what's going to happen down the road that will result in more sales or lose you, sales that you do not. You won't even know you've lost them.

Sambassador:

Yeah.

Shed Gal:

Except for you're the one struggling. Yep.

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Sambassador:

so I don't know if y'all noticed I was on the phone this morning um, I did notice when we were out there getting ready to start with the play sets and stuff what play sets? Yeah, well, we're not gonna talk about the play sets. I did put two play sets together today.

Sambassador:

They are beautiful With the help of a manufacturer owner and a sales guy and another part-time sales guy that was acting like he was busy on the phone. I'm not sure what Dan was doing.

Sambassador:

It's a very effective group of gentlemen putting together these two beautiful play sets, the conversation I had on the phone was a hauler that called me up and, for lack of a better word, was ranting to me about how we, as a shed hauler industry, are not preaching the value of service to customers. Wrap your head around that, a hauler. And this isn't even an independent hauler, this is a company driver. And he told me and this is going to end up like he planted a seed today that'll grow into a cornfield, and he knows it. That's why he called me, I guess. But he was like when we show up at that customer's house, we have a choice to make. Are we going to do everything in our power to make this customer extremely happy or are we just going to do the bare minimum? We have to get this shed unloaded, set up and leave, because we are the last line of defense to this whole experience. And Monday he had a bad experience. Tuesday he had a bad experience oh boy, this is Wednesday morning and he didn't know what was going to happen today. So on both of those he had the opportunity to let his attitude decide.

Sambassador:

Now you remember I'm the guy that wrote the story about the shrieker. I picked the shed up and hauled it back and dropped it off at the lot. But there's more to that. If you follow through that story. She was not the customer, the grandma was the customer and grandma was going to get her shed back, but the shrieker was going to pay for it. Right, so I had a point to make there.

Sambassador:

But anyway, talking this morning, he said Monday he got out there and they literally talked about where the shed goes and this happened on facebook yesterday too. They literally talked about where the shed goes, where they wanted it, how they wanted it turned and everything. Oh boy, I know. So, yeah, we know where this is going. So he unloads it and he starts back there and they're like oh no, we really like b plan up here better. Well, he couldn't do b plan without putting it back on the trailer. Yeah, you know what I'm saying.

Sambassador:

Oh yeah, and turning it this way and doing this and that. So he said I had a decision to make. Am I gonna sit here and waste an hour and make this customer happy? Well, I know the guy and I know he's gonna do that. He doesn't know that, he doesn't, but he did, um, and he ends up getting a $100 tip, $50 tip, I don't remember. Whatever, it is Right. So yesterday same thing happens. Gets the shed out there. They don't like where it is. He moves it over here a little bit. He ends up moving the shed six times.

Dan Utz:

Oh boy.

Sambassador:

We'd all gone home, right. But he says it's about the service. That's what he is. It's about his service, not even his company's service. It's about his. Yeah, that's what we're talking about, exactly.

Dan Utz:

Yeah.

Sambassador:

You know what?

Shed Gal:

I'm saying I mean good for that hauler to call you, good for him to be able to vent, good for him to be able to vent. And of course my brain goes to hey, dealers, let's step up to the plate and set the expectation with our customers that these haulers do not work for us, they work with us. Right, yeah, and literally my dealer brain was like man, why is a customer even thinking but that hauler's different than some might be is what you're saying, okay I didn't say I did I don't want any hate mail send it to Sam

Sambassador:

um so what came up on facebook yesterday? The guy didn't get paid because and so I'm a little bit on both sides of the fence on this one because he gets out there. So here's how you know if it's a bad customer or not. This story is so easy for me to read that it just blows my mind that some guys don't get it. If he really wanted that shed out in the woods where only the mule could take it, he would have told the hauler before the hauler unloaded the shed, where he had said he originally you follow what I'm saying, absolutely so.

Sambassador:

So the minute. So if my hauler calls me and says look, this customer told me to set the shed with the trailer beside their house. After I unloaded it he showed me a spot in the woods. He wanted to know if I'd take it with my mule. The shed is not able to be hauled with the mule without reinforcing it, so obviously there's an up charge. The guy gets mad and won't pay him anything, right? Well, I immediately know that's a customer issue because he had the guy unload the shed first he was a plant.

Shed Gal:

You follow what I'm saying. I saw your comment did you see?

Sambassador:

that I saw the comment on that and I was like oh, so my personal my personal experience is we do not move sheds without getting and listen, I can call up some of my best friends right now that I've moved sheds for and the first thing I tell them in my list of stuff is I have to have an address where it picks up, I have to have an address where it delivers and I need three pictures of the shed and what size you think it is and, by the way, I get paid before I drop the shed off. Yeah, I've set that standard right, you think it is. And, by the way, I get paid before I drop the shed off. I've set that standard right up front. I'm not demanding that. Some of them have asked me what in the world situation did you go through that you got to get paid before you drop it. I'm like because once I drop that shed on your property, I have no recourse.

Shed Gal:

You can tell me to leave, but that's a good business decision. But I tell them that right up front it's a boundary absolutely and the reason that happened is because that's happened to me.

Sambassador:

But what irritates me a little bit is some of the guys that have never been burnt on a shed not being paid will just say, well, they've always paid and I'll never do that. Well, I'm gonna give you a little scenario. I know I have five personal friends who have had a steer tire blow on them. Um five. And people say I know more people than just about anybody does Like I've. I've already sat down and made up a list of names and at about 10,000, I get tired of writing names. It's just like you. You know what. I know a lot of people. I know five people who've had a steer tire blow.

Sambassador:

Okay, so the first one was one of my buddies had a really nice motor home. They're coming home from Florida and he's got his. He put he lets his 17 year old daughter drive his motor home and the steer tire blows and she doesn't know what to do. She's never drove it before she runs off in the median and totals the rv. Luckily it stayed upright and didn't kill anybody. Okay. Scenario number two there's a company out in Kansas that has really nice Peterbilt's. They have great trucks, they have great drivers and we all know that if you get to drive a really nice Peterbilt you must be a really professional driver because you're not running around in a Volvo or a Freightliner or whatever. And he blew a steer tire and he wrecked and totaled that beat. Now all the other guys can stand there and say what the world's wrong with you. You weren't holding onto the steering wheel hard enough and we all know as drivers there's times we don't hold the steering wheel hard enough if it blows right. So just throw that out the back door, because we already know.

Sambassador:

Third one was a guy driving a freight liner and he kept the rig under control, got pulled over side the road, nothing bad happened, called me up and told me what happened. Fourth one was one of my personal drivers that did it and he literally took out three cars, but everybody lived and everybody's alive. And the fifth one was my brother and we were on the way back, both of us on the same route. We were running together, coming home from the state of Washington, and he blew a steer tire and literally just pulled right off the side of the road like nothing happened. We got the tire changed and we came on home. Two hours later we were back on the road and going.

Sambassador:

The point I'm making is we all have different experiences, yeah, and just because you've never had that person that didn't pay you for something, yeah, doesn't mean it's not going to happen, yep, and doesn't mean that you're right or wrong for what you're doing based on that amen. I don't know how I got off on that tangent. But back to the service part. We are, sheds are just what we happen't offer good service doing that.

Shed Gal:

I'm wondering if part of this isn't the expectations that are set Now that hauler obviously is thinking about this. This is important to that person. Somewhere along the line that was ingrained to him that customer service is important, right?

Shed Gal:

or he figured it out himself, but he definitely knows that but others may have a situation where, hey, we just want you to get that building there, get in and out of there as quick as possible. I think sometimes the expectation might be is that, hey, listen, you know, get in and out of there. You don't have a relationship with the dealers. There's, in fact, there of there. You don't have a relationship with the dealers. In fact, there's no reason for you to have a relationship with the dealers. We'll tell our dealers not to ever contact you. And then we wonder why we have a customer service problem. That hauler is spot on. Like there's no reason. If the manufacturing goes sideways, right, dan, or the hauling goes sideways, or the dealer it goes sideways, right, dan, or the hauling goes sideways, or the dealer it goes sideways. We got a big problem overall. Man, we just need to work together.

Shed Gal:

I was talking to Mervin today Mervin Miller, fantastic guy and about his experiences, and I'm like I don't get it. I don't get it because my customer to me as a dealer is also the people that work in the plant and also the haulers. It's an attitude, is what I mean. But these folks, they aren't born with that information and then I think sometimes behind the scenes it's being promoted, that you know, just get in, get out, do your job, get out of there. You're right, the hauler is the last person, like it literally can make or break referrals. And then, but we folks, we need to foster a better relationship between our plant people and our haulers and our dealers and if you're not doing that, you're missing the boat and the boat is leaving without you.

Dan Utz:

And I think a significant thing is acknowledging the value of every part that everybody's playing.

Shed Gal:

That's what you're saying.

Dan Utz:

Because I think it's a major misnomer or loss if we look at any one person in any capacity and say, oh well, they're just this.

Shed Gal:

Or they're just that, just a dealer or just a driver.

Dan Utz:

It's like everybody plays a significant role in this puzzle of putting things together from manufacturing the person who's running a screw gun in the plant of building these things to putting the porch rail on, Everything is a significant part. And then the person who's delivering this building and leveling it so that the customer is happy at the end of the day is like. But I, I look at Sam and I love the inspiration that he is to so many people because he speaks life to people and sometimes he's not even aware of it because it's just his DNA of just saying, hey, how you doing? And people call him because they know he'll listen and I think that's even if he totally disagrees.

Sambassador:

No, I don't disagree. There's a bunch of them are like man we call him and he doesn't answer. Well, there's that.

Dan Utz:

Don't set up your voicemail, because you might have to hear it.

Sambassador:

Yeah, it doesn't do any good to set up voicemail Going back to that experience thing.

Shed Gal:

So you know Facebook, the land of the keyboard warriors.

Dan Utz:

that's the way it is, that is never going to change that is social media.

Shed Gal:

It gives people a safe place to bully and say things that they would never say to your face. But going back to that like not having the experience, I see it all the time with restaurants It'll be a restaurant rant and rave page. Okay, if it's not safe to rant or rave there, it's probably not safe to, but I'll see it. You know, I went to so-and-so restaurant and we had a horrible customer experience and the fried rice was dry, whatever it is. And then you have the keyboard warriors that jump in and say, well, I've never had a bad experience there and I just stay out of it. But I want to say so what?

Shed Gal:

Just because you have not had that experience does not make that person's experience not valid and it makes people not want to say things. But anyway, you know. So it's kind of the same thing, it's. You know, it just cracks me up like, well, I've went there 10 times and I've had nothing but a great experience. That's wonderful, but it doesn't mean that I didn't have a bad experience, right? And then it's people wonder why, you know, people can't be truthful and come out. Well, because I was truthful and then you bashed me for it. And I see that. I see that on you know, yeah, it's everywhere.

Shed Gal:

It is everywhere, but I think we need to think about that and sometimes the fact. What I like about a lot of the shed pages is there are people like Sam that will say not in these terms, but it doesn't matter that you haven't had that experience. What matters is this is this person's experience, and I think people need to hear that because they don't know what they don't know and sometimes people I think that's why you and I get along so well is because there's not a whole lot of black and white. We get a lot of people that ask our opinion and you're going to get it. It's free people. It's free, but it's not. We're not going to tell you something that's just fluff for the sake of keeping the calm. We're going to tell you something. Perhaps that might help you.

Sambassador:

Yeah, I get that and a different viewpoint.

Dan Utz:

And a different viewpoint Doesn't mean it's right or wrong, but it's like here's something else to consider, exactly a different viewpoint.

Shed Gal:

This episode is a two-part episode. Come back next week and listen in for part two.