Shed Geek Podcast

Building Bonds Through Shared Passions Part 2

• Shed Geek Podcast • Season 4 • Episode 76

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This week on the Shed Geek Podcast, we highlight an inspiring story that underscores the power of positive experiences and their role in generating word-of-mouth referrals. We also explore the essential product knowledge that new shed dealers must grasp to navigate the industry's unique challenges and opportunities. Tune in to learn how maintaining a positive attitude and recognizing dedicated employees can significantly boost your company’s reputation.

Moving beyond the initial sale is crucial for sustained success. Drawing from my upcoming appearance on "The Blocks," we delve into the often-overlooked importance of post-sale customer engagement. By fostering strong relationships with existing customers, you can unlock a treasure trove of future sales through referrals. Hear how marketing experts like Dylan from Shed Geek Marketing are revolutionizing follow-up strategies, and get tips on avoiding common pitfalls that can hinder customer loyalty.

Embrace competition to drive growth! Inspired by Rabbi Daniel Lappin's "Thou Shalt Prosper," we discuss how positioning near competitors, like Tim Hortons beside Starbucks, can lead to mutual success. Learn how this principle applies within the shed industry and hear about the camaraderie and mutual support experienced at the Shed Haulers Bash. Through personal anecdotes and real-life examples, we emphasize that the true competition lies within our mindset, urging you to view competitors not as threats but as catalysts for improvement and innovation.

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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.

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Shed Gal:

Welcome back. This episode is a continuation from last week. If you missed part one, please go back and give it a listen. What do you think as someone newer in the industry? I mean there's a lot of product knowledge, no matter what company you go with.

Shed Gal:

And you think, wow, it's just a shed, but there is a lot of product knowledge, no matter what company you go with. There's the systems and the processes, which certainly are evolving, and there's a lot of software out there. Now. That just is amazing to me, coming from stuff that was much more challenging. There's the nobody's going to teach you a personality, but what do you see the challenges as a new dealer? What are the biggest challenges getting into the industry that you see? Because there's a lot of people that still want to get into our industry and I don't want anybody to think that this is not an amazing industry. It is. There are huge opportunities, yet there are a lot of people struggling. Why anybody to think that this is not an amazing industry? It is. There are huge opportunities, yet there are a lot of people struggling. Why do you think that is?

Dan Utz:

um well, I heard something here a few weeks ago that somebody made a comment and said that you should probably the shed industry is a probably seen all the good days that it's ever going to see and you probably should consider getting. I literally just twitched. You should probably get out of the industry before too long because it's probably Well, let's pack up here.

Shed Gal:

Thank you everyone for listening.

Dan Utz:

It's not going to have too much of a future Interesting. And then the person who quoted that said that the person who made that statement said it in 1974.

Sambassador:

I knew he was going there. See, I was getting ready to wrap up the podcast because I thought we were all retiring.

Shed Gal:

I knew where it was headed. I knew he was pulling my leg, but I thought let's just wrap up the podcast we're all done, Wow 1974,.

Dan Utz:

they said that so it's only 50 years ago, so probably should consider some time here. But my point is that whatever attitude that you have toward anything that you're going to do, I don't care if it's music or any other industry that you're going to do, I don't care if it's music or any other industry that you're going to be in. There's a country song that Clint Black did. I believe it was Clint.

Shed Gal:

I love Clint Black and he said.

Dan Utz:

The line in the song I think is so profound. He says we tell ourselves that what we've got is what we meant to find.

Shed Gal:

Interesting.

Dan Utz:

So it's about a love song.

Shed Gal:

I don't think I'll believe my heart next time. Okay, yeah.

Dan Utz:

So I think that whatever attitude that we want to take toward anything is what it'll be, because whatever you focus on is what you're going to get more of so to me, if I focus on, well here's, all the negative things about the industry or about the economy or about, I mean, pick it from politics to everything else, and it it's just like whatever I choose to focus on is all I'm going to see, because I'm using that filter we used to call it rose-colored glasses or whatever. So, I think that, to me, is where I'm landing of saying what am I focusing on? And that's where I'm going to see or not see something, and I think that's very significant. And even in the service industry of delivering sheds or anything else, if I'm expecting customers to be unhappy, well maybe I'm triggering that, but my response and so to your point about the guy that's saying, hey, they wanted this and six times to move a building is pretty patient.

Shed Gal:

Yeah.

Dan Utz:

But he saw something of value for him to continue to work with the people to get what they wanted at his expense.

Sambassador:

So, they're sitting around a fire tonight with their new shed out there and they got four couples over there. Somebody asked you know how was your experience with your shed? What do you imagine is going to be said?

Dan Utz:

Because he's the nicest guy this side of anywhere, or he was just a jerk.

Sambassador:

Yeah, because that's literally based on what he did under the circumstance. Yeah, um, I'll stand on the rock. That's amazing that every time that customer comes in, you're that's, there's 100 customers behind that guy. Yeah, um that that guy might just know 10, but those 10 we know how it works know 10 more. And now you got 100 and you haven't even gone anywhere from there and it's huge.

Shed Gal:

Well, to your point, bad news travels fast good news travels, yeah yeah, it does, and I believe that that is factually does that answer your question and that?

Sambassador:

company doesn't even know that he did it.

Dan Utz:

Oh fun.

Sambassador:

Oh fun. No, that company doesn't know what he did Interesting, they just know they have a good driver out there. He ought to get a steak dinner or something Now that being said, one of the co-owners of the company said a couple years ago made a whole bunch of haulers mad that he's the best shed hauler in the industry.

Sambassador:

So, the owner does know what he has, but he has no idea what that guy did Monday and Tuesday.

Sambassador:

He just knows that his sheds got put out there and that he has happy customers.

Shed Gal:

I recently taped a TV show and it is not shed related but it is an entrepreneurial boot camp show that's going to be coming out in a few months called the Blocks, and I'll be on season 16. We talked a lot about. They had some facts and data and I don't remember the exact numbers, but we were talking about the customer experience and I think this is part of the problem in the shed industry. In fact, I don't think it's the shed industry, I think it is part of anything we do in life. The sales process and the customer success is. You know, we spend all this time and energy to get someone to sell a shed to, to talk to. We're paying money for leads or our time doing free posts, and then we nurture them. We're all nice and not being phony, but we spend a lot of time and then we sell them and then we're just done with them.

Dan Utz:

Right.

Shed Gal:

The most important part of that process that'll make you the most money starts the minute after they buy. That shed Right. The most important part of that process that will make you the most money starts the minute after they buy that shed Right.

Shed Gal:

Going back to the sales process, it's not just the shed industry. I'm not here to bash this industry, I live for this industry but we do forget that and I think we forget it on a corporate level. I think we forget it on a dealer level. We get busy. Forget it on a corporate level. I think we forget it on a dealer level. We get busy and I think we need to self-reflect the customer experience. You will get more of your future customers from 20% of the customers you sell to if you do it right. Listen to what I'm saying. You will get more of your future customers from 20% of the customers that you have if you do it right. But we forget that part.

Shed Gal:

And it's true and I can prove it, when I was in insurance and we're not going to go into that whole thing, but I'm one of the only people in insurance that and I was number one out of 2,600 insurance agents for a company for a contest one time and the numbers speak for themselves. But I worked almost exclusively by referral as a multi-line insurance agent selling auto, home, life, disability, your renter's insurance, motorcycle boat, all those fun things and I spent more time fostering the relationship once I sold the insurance policy. My insurance agent is not going to listen to this, but it's the truth. Even if he was. He's an order taker. He's absolutely an order taker and most of our insurance agents are. Yet he gets a big 10% of my auto premium every month or he gets paid upfront. And what he's forgotten is, after I bought from him was the time to start nurturing the relationship going forward, because I probably would have sent him a ton of people like my customers used to send to me. So that's a big, big, big part of it and it's not just our industry, but that is a big problem in our industry. I know Dylan Street.

Shed Gal:

I just saw some comments. I know he and I had had a conversation oh my gosh, Dylan, I don't know when a month ago, two months ago about nurturing and concentrating on once you make that sale, nurture that relationship Because, again, if you do it right and you truly nurture that relationship, most of your future customers are going to come from 20% of the people you've already written. Folks, what that means to you is you can spend less money Sorry, dylan, Dylan they can spend it with you on their website and doing cool things, but you can spend less time trying to get people to nurture because they're coming to you naturally. I think that's priceless. I think that's a big thing in this industry industry, I can't imagine that someone would want to pick a bone with me and argue about that. I mean, if you want to spend all your time trying to get people to talk, to have at it.

Shed Gal:

But there is a way that's more effective. And I know Dylan. I've seen some comments he's made on some posts. You know he's really leaning into that too, with the people he's working with Shed Geek Marketing and, by the way, I'm not a paid endorser, but those guys are brilliant, and I love it. I love the way that some of us are really leaning into that. Let's teach people how to spend less of their time trying to find someone to talk to and more of their time working with people that really want to buy a shed from them. So, do you think that? Why do you think some dealers might be struggling? Because there's a lot of them, and you alluded to this.

Dan Utz:

Well, I was just thinking while you're reflecting on some of the industry, and I don't think it's in. I think it's in the sales industry, the service industry. So I haven't been in the shed industry for a long time, but I had people who I think a great compliment to me was when they said I came back and I bought from you because you seemed like a nice person, yeah, and you cared genuine, genuinely nice is what they were really saying they just didn't probably use that word Friends of mine.

Dan Utz:

Jeff and Sherry Easter. Jeff would quote some of his uncle or his dad or somebody who would say you got to be who you is, because if you is who you ain't, you ain't who you is.

Shed Gal:

Yeah.

Dan Utz:

Just the authenticity of saying do you care about people and do you care about people? Now I've gone to places where at the door they want your.

Dan Utz:

You fill out the information of your name, your email and all the contact information and you're just the nicest person on this side of anywhere. At the end of the event you bump into the same person who is truly nice to you and they don't even acknowledge your existence to say, hey, have a good week, or nice to meet you, right? None of that, because they already had your stuff and they didn't give a rip about who you are anymore because they had your information. And I'm saying how cheap can we be? And I'm appalled at how we've gotten to that place in organizations that we would think would be kinder than that. Just, be, authentically kind.

Dan Utz:

If you're not kind, then go mop the floors or something right where you don't have to interact with people do it after hours and that, that, no, that's. But if you're in, is don't let it be just for the money. Yeah, yes, you can get rewarded for your effort, but be nice to people. If you can't be nice, then go find some happy pills someplace so you can go do those and then come back and then be nice.

Shed Gal:

Yes, and I was trying to think Go listen to some comedy or something.

Shed Gal:

I cannot remember where it was, but I just had a horrible experience recently and I literally said to the person like, oh yeah, I do remember where it was, but the person couldn't hear me because of the background noise and what they thought I said was not what I said. So, I didn't yell, I raised my voice so they could hear, and they still got it wrong. And, man, she said a couple of snippy things to me and I literally said to her you must be having a really bad day, but your bad day should not be my problem. Like, I am the customer. I'm sorry you're not hearing me because of the background noise, but I just thought, man, what a horrible experience. And I went way above her head because it was just and it was not in the shed industry, but it was just like such a horrible experience. That business is someplace that I have spent a tremendous amount of money over the years and I will never go back there because of that one experience.

Dan Utz:

But if I find that I'm in a situation I'm not having a good day and I got a bad attitude, I got bad news, I got something going on, maybe I need to just close the door and go take a nap, go do something, so that I'm not passing on the negative stuff to people. But I can stay, I can be in a nice posture and be nice.

Shed Gal:

I 100% agree.

Dan Utz:

If I'm taking a nap someday, Sam, that's where I am With your feet up on the desk eating bonbons asleep.

Shed Gal:

I'm looking for some happy pills, but I think it's true, because if we bring about attitude we don't know, I think a lot of times we go oh well, they weren't really serious anyway, they're just shopping for the competition down the street, or our prices are too high, they don't have any money. And when, in fact, the problem was us yeah um, so do you think?

Shed Gal:

I had a dealer recently who is struggling tremendously and I'm, and I'm helping them, but I it's like I'm like the shed doctor, like let me die. I've worked with so many dealers, with so many companies, that it's not hard to see what the problem is by asking a few questions. And I said why are you not selling sheds? What is going on? The lot had no signage. It looked like a zombie apocalypse was going to happen. I don't know that. Anybody driving by would have known it was actually a business. The office was even worse than the outside and he said the reason I'm not selling sheds is the guy down the street is $200 cheaper, all right, and I see that all the time.

Shed Gal:

And I said on which model and size.

Sambassador:

Yeah.

Shed Gal:

Oh, I don't know. The customer said they're $200 cheaper. Said, well, okay, we'll discuss that further in a moment. Why else aren't you selling sheds? What are your problems? Well, they can do a mini split, a split unit on rent to own, and we can't. All right, fair enough, I mean, your options are your options right? So there were several things and what it came down to the reason he isn't selling sheds is because what's between his ears and I'm not saying that he's a very, very kind man, very smart he is his own worst enemy.

Shed Gal:

We actually did a test call to that person down the street and it could have went sideways. I am not kidding you folks, I call as a potential customer. The gentleman that answered the phone didn't tell me who he was. He didn't ask my name. He didn't ask where the building was being delivered. He didn't ask what I was going to use it for. He didn't ask what type of roof style. He didn't ask what type of doors if I wanted any windows.

Shed Gal:

But we really got to a really quick price within about 75 seconds. That price was $400 less than the same size and style for that dealer. That said, well, they're $200 cheaper down the street, and in that very short conversation he did tell me well, no, we don't do mini splits on rent to own, because we don't even offer mini splits. And oftentimes folks, it is the untruths that we nobody is lying to you, nobody is. I'm not saying you're a liar, I'm or people are intentionally lying to you. It's the untruths we tell ourselves, that we convince ourselves. And that is the reason why we're not selling more sheds. I think because we get these somewhere along the line. When he heard someone say to him they're 200 cheaper down the street, he'd never thought about the other 434 options and sizes and stuff.

Shed Gal:

You know what I mean.

Shed Gal:

Yeah, and being kind and being. You don't have to have every single answer on the products, but being knowledgeable is important. But what if you just educated yourself 1% a day, if you knew 1% more tomorrow than you do today? I asked the dealer. I said who's the manufacturer down the street? And he said oh, I have no idea. Alright, I said do you ever go meet him? No, about a week later he says oh man, now I'm really in a debacle. I went down there and I pretended like I was a customer. This is.

Shed Gal:

I went down there and I pretended like I was a customer.

Speaker 2:

This is, I'm sorry.

Sambassador:

This is a true story.

Shed Gal:

He says I pretended like I was a customer, which is different than doing a test call. And he says the guy said I recognize your vehicle. Aren't you the dealer right down the street from me? And I said, oh man, I'm not not gonna say who this dealer's name is, but I said if it were me, I would eat crow while it was warm and I would get my vehicle that he recognizes and I would go back and apologize. What would have been really nice is if you would have said hey, my name is so, and so I'm down the street from you. I'd love to just get to know each other. Um, you know, there's enough business for all of us.

Dan Utz:

What about that yeah?

Shed Gal:

What about that? How many of you listening have done that?

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Dan Utz:

So can I talk about competition a little bit?

Shed Gal:

Yeah, please, we got all night

Dan Utz:

there's a rabbi a little bit, yeah, please. We got all night. So So, a rabbi by the name of Daniel Lappin, Okay, and he wrote a book called Thou Shalt Prosper, and he has a TV show broadcast called Ancient Jewish Wisdom. And in one of his books about business he said if I was going to open up a jewelry store, or you were going to, and you would ask me for advice, he said I would advise you to not go where there are no jewelry stores, but go where the others are and set up shop right beside them. So So, Food for Thought.

Shed Gal:

Does this sound?

Shed Gal:

familiar to you at all.

Sambassador:

It does.

Dan Utz:

So, he said that's where everybody's looking for Look at car alley in different cities and cars, all that stuff. So here's a personal experience. I was living in Fort Wayne by Fort Wayne, Indiana, and moved away, and the day 10 years ago that I moved away from there, a coffee shop restaurant called Tim Hortons opened up their first store in Fort Lane, Indiana. So someday sometime later I was back there and they were opening more stores in that city and I met the corporate guy who was there. So I've struck up a conversation saying hey, so what do you do? How far do you travel to open up stores? And he opened up a store in Tuktoyaktuk. Who do what what? And he opened up a store.

Dan Utz:

Can you do that again.

Sambassador:

Who do what what?

Dan Utz:

It was Tuktoyaktuk and he opened up a store in Inuvik. So, I said so where else have you been? He said I opened up the first Tim Hortons in Dubai. Oh, that's cool.

Sambassador:

Now I really want to go to Dubai. Tim Hortons just happens to be my favorite coffee.

Dan Utz:

I was there five years ago. They're all over Dubai. He opened up right beside Starbucks. Of course he did, and he said the Starbucks. I said how'd that go? He said the owner of Starbucks was pretty upset Until.

Sambassador:

Oh, we're going to have a Mel Weaver moment here Until the opening day.

Dan Utz:

And Tim Hortons if you know Tim Hortons, you know Tim Hortons.

Shed Gal:

I know of Tim Hortons. We don't have Tim Hortons in. Arizona or Washington, I thought maybe in Washington, but I don't know.

Sambassador:

Oh, Washington might be getting close, but they are?

Dan Utz:

I thought maybe in Washington, but anyway there's 3,000, some stores across Canada, so it's coffee, donuts, soup, sandwiches, whatever. Yeah, comparable would be maybe Starbucks no, Dunkin' Donuts no, but it's in the league. No, okay, so it's not.

Speaker 2:

They're in a league of their own, but anyway, I'm sorry you go in Canada.

Dan Utz:

It's a rare day and they're all over the place, but it's a rare day that there's not a line inside and that there's not a line in the drive-thru A line Any time of day, any time of day or night.

Speaker 2:

No, but they're always busy. Yes.

Dan Utz:

That's the point. So they open up in Dubai. There's a line because everybody in the world likes Tim Hortons. There's a line. But some people said I don't have time for this line. There's Starbucks. Starbucks increased their business because Tim Hortons opened up a store and he said that guy that owned the Starbucks said I've got more Starbucks. You want to open up beside?

Speaker 2:

me, yeah, yeah.

Dan Utz:

He got the principle of the whole thing that Rabbi Daniel Lappin is talking about. He's saying guys, quit trying to think that you've got to be all this extra thing and that competition is your enemy. It's sparking the interest in people, it's helping each other. You've got to run your business, but quit thinking everybody else is the enemy. Oh, absolutely, I think the dealers.

Shed Gal:

I work with. I think it's brilliant. It's brilliant the dealers I work with. For the most part, the enemy, the competitor, is within our own heads.

Shed Gal:

It has been in mine in the past in different situations and it's like somebody's out there going oh, that's not me, you're the one I'm talking to. You're the one I'm talking to. If you, you know, if you're like, oh no, because that guy down the street is 200 cheaper, that you're the one I'm talking to and there's, you know, there is help out there in this. So we have a situation. I'm not going to say who it is, but that it's in south carolina, new shed gal lot. It's going to be a spectacular location and and there's a lot very, very close to us, there's one a few miles down the road and it'll all be announced soon. But it's two of the most spectacular other dealers in the state on those lots and I literally couldn't be happier for that exact reason.

Shed Gal:

Back to your tim horton story. In fact, one of them it was like there was a little say in who went there, um, on that priest of property. We could have said, oh no, we don't want that person. It was like, oh no, let's, let's search out this person because I know what's going to happen. It's going to help all of our sales increase. It's going to help all of our sales increase. So so I guess you can call me Tim from now on. But I think that's really true. You got another bug.

Sambassador:

No.

Shed Gal:

Yeah, I'm still working that bug out. She's working on Duck the Uptuck. Yeah, the Hootie Watt Watt, the Hootie Watt Watt.

Dan Utz:

Is Tim Bug 2 or Tim Bug 3?

Shed Gal:

But it is so interesting because it's I've heard it several times, I've seen it written several times it happens every single election year. Well, when someone tells me every single, that means there are no exceptions. Well, there was none of us having problems selling sheds four years ago, and it was an election year. It was also a different time. It's a reason. Is it part of everything?

Dan Utz:

Yes, but it is not. Maybe I'll write a song about 1974.

Shed Gal:

That's right, there you go. That's right, yeah, when the shed industry was going to. It's over, it's over Every single state that I've traveled in and I've met with dealers. I hear a lot of the same things, of course, as you do, probably, talking to people in the industry oh, it's so oversaturated. All right, folks in Washington, Arizona, you have no idea how many shed dealers can be within a five-mile area until you head out this way, but it's the same exact reasons and I've said all along.

Shed Gal:

I think the problem is more that most people, especially in Washington, Arizona and I say those states because that's where I'm from and I bet a lot of the dealers out there, the successful dealers, would feel the same way Most people have no idea what a portable building is. None, they still don't even know it exists. They think that you have to hire a contractor and build a shed. So, it's interesting. But we tell ourselves those things oh, the market is saturated, oh, it's the time of year.

Dan Utz:

Oh, it's this. But they do have a need for storage Always, and they'll go rent a room.

Shed Gal:

Oh, they'll rent a room and there's no problem. Yeah, there's no problem with that. I think I read something. Well, I know I read some. I think it was 54% of all Americans at one point have had a storage unit at some point or another.

Shed Gal:

That's a lot, and you know I make up a big percentage of that because I've had one multiple times in my life. But most people don't think it's good. I think they think it's going to be short term and then it ends up being long term because it's so inconvenient. So yeah, that's interesting that, Tim Horton, that's a good analogy. That's a good analogy. And you know, we don't know what we don't know. I was really lucky because no one helped me. I had no training. Literally, here's an hour of training on our software and good luck. I don't think they told me good luck, though. I just think they sent me on my way and they were like wow, we have another breather, or another breather we have another dealer who's breathing.

Sambassador:

No, that's another, it is a breather. I'm gonna call it a breather from none. Yeah, I've seen that happen so many times.

Shed Gal:

And the difference between me, and most is I was going to figure it out, but, boy, boy, was it painful. But once you figured it out, you knew what you knew. Well, you know, I'm still learning. I learn something all the time.

Shed Gal:

That I'm like, wow, I can, and being adaptable, being adaptable, but it breaks my heart. There's so many dealers struggling, which then, in turn, makes manufacturers suffer, and then it makes haulers that aren't staying as busy as perhaps they want to be. It's like we just have to do better. I don't know, I don't have the answer, but it's interesting.

Dan Utz:

Well, at the end of the day, I think what I'm hearing is that we need each other. Yeah, and it would be nice if we'd be nice.

Shed Gal:

Absolutely Little story about a hauler, holler, great, fantastic guy, and I just met him recently and he did a little work for me moving some buildings around and I and I, you know, I asked him I had some Dr Pepper or whatever. He wanted root beer. I had a root. Yeah, bring you a root beer. And he's like thanks for coming out and greeting me. And I'm thinking in my head I know where this is going because I've done this long enough. And, um, and I'm like absolutely, you know, and I it has to make. Is there any chance while you're here, he was moving some stuff around those those couple of those the door doesn't open, right, could you? Oh, absolutely no problem, I'll get those adjusted. And did a great job. And they said to me you know, you're one of the only dealers that's ever asked me like, like, sometimes I see that a building is unlevel and, and sometimes I've made the building unlevel, unintentionally it's. You know they're in a hurry or you know things happen, but he's like, you're one of the only dealers that's ever, like, asked me to fix it. Probably don't know where I'm going here, but I hear an awful lot of dealers say you know those doggone drivers. They just don't level the buildings, they don't do this, they don't do that.

Shed Gal:

And I thought I said to the hauler I said you know, I work with a lot of dealers and I always suggest that they take care of their part of the street, and that is to come out and greet you and to let you know is to come out and greet you and to let you know please come in and see me before you leave, real quick, just so I can make sure that it's right where I want it and that the door opens.

Shed Gal:

Like so many problems could be prevented by something you said earlier communication, communication. But I thought it's so funny because I hear the, I hear the haulers saying those how would it make you, how would it make you, how would it make? Well, you've probably had this. I was just talking to Mervyn about this today. I said I can't imagine hauling a shed, which is a hard job, and you go to a dealer's lot it's hard enough dealing with customers that you've never met before and maybe the expectations weren't set and you're trying to do your best but you go to a dealer's lot and that dealer doesn't even get up from behind their desk and come out and greet you.

Sambassador:

Oh, yeah, I've been there.

Shed Gal:

That just blows me away. I've had a bunch of them.

Sambassador:

In fact, the only dealer that used to come out and greet me back when I was doing some dealer lot stuff on the side of my own stuff. I actually hired her and put her a mile down the street on her own lot because she would come out and make sure I had all my stuff right and tell me about the customer. Being a nice person, yeah being a nice person, and she is. You met her.

Shed Gal:

I know exactly who you're talking about. I was guessing that it's who it was.

Sambassador:

She's on a little bitty lot and sells more than anybody in.

Shed Gal:

Anderson County. I was going to say I wonder why? And she is doing fantastic to this day, because you know she cares about her people. Yeah.

Sambassador:

And I promise you, if I'd follow up on 100 of her last customers, I'd get the same thing from all of them that, hey, she actually listened and she cared and scared about what we wanted. Yep.

Shed Gal:

But think about that. You know, if there's dealers out there listening, when was the last time that you stopped what you were doing when your driver got there, whether it be to pick up a building or to deliver one? When was the last time you went out and said, hey, how's it going?

Sambassador:

Or take a water out with you.

Shed Gal:

Or take a water out with you.

Dan Utz:

So let me throw this in the middle of the soup.

Shed Gal:

Yeah, take a water out, whatever, so let me throw this in the middle of the soup.

Dan Utz:

Yeah, is this soup? It could be.

Shed Gal:

Okay.

Dan Utz:

So my wife saw this billboard or some sign the other day that said that unspoken expectations becomes resentment.

Shed Gal:

I was going to say expectations are future resentments, it's a true story becomes resentment. I was going to say expectations are future resentments. It's a true story.

Dan Utz:

It's the unspoken expectation. I saw something that was more intense with that, but there's another one that I've heard years ago and I've been borrowing for a number of years, and that is that lack of communication leads to accusation, accusation no, lack of communication leads to speculation.

Shed Gal:

Oh yes, absolutely. Lack of communication leads to speculation.

Dan Utz:

Speculation leads to accusation. Accusation leads to speculation. Speculation leads to accusation. Accusation leads to strife and division, and strife and division becomes devastation. Yeah, yeah, because we didn't communicate, for sure.

Shed Gal:

Yeah.

Dan Utz:

You know, if there's one or two Expectations and the communication, it's very interesting.

Shed Gal:

Absolutely.

Dan Utz:

I'm not so amazing at it, but I'm working on it.

Shed Gal:

But it just cracks me up, though, when I talk to dealers and they're like, well, they rushed in and out of here and the door didn't open right. And I'm like, wouldn't you have caught that if you went out and said, hey, just touch base with me before you leave, and I just want to make sure everything's good so we can prevent any. Just touch base with me before you leave, and I just want to make sure everything's good so we can prevent any. Well, I don't want to do that. It's like well, why not? Why is it that we feel like we have to work against each other within our own industry? Someone write in and explain it to me. Why are we working against each other? Let's come together.

Dan Utz:

Be kind. I think I'm going to point the spotlight over here on Sam. I think that what Sam does that I saw at the Shed Haulers bash and I've been watching just from the observation deck for a few years is that Sam likes to celebrate people and I like to be liked. I hate to be hated, I like to be liked. I hate to be hated, I like to be liked and not just tolerated, and everybody I know feels that way too. How about you? Yes, I stole that from John Schmidt, that's pretty good.

Dan Utz:

I was going to say I remember that from somewhere but there's this value of just being valid and validated as a human being first of all, and then what you do and the effort that you put in of just acknowledging and saying thanks for doing that. I might have a suggestion for you of how we could do this, but the whole point is that let's encourage each other.

Shed Gal:

We'll be, all right If there's a dealer out there saying, well, the haulers should come in and say, hi. Well, you can only control your part and I just challenge you to do your part and you will be amazed how people will step up to the plate and you can have an absolutely wonderful relationship with the people that you're working on the same team with. Don't buy into if someone's encouraging you or to stay apart from the people that truly are part of the team. Don't buy into it, because it's happening. I've seen it.

Dan Utz:

I'm going to go back to music so many times. A song that comes to mind right now is saying listen to your heart.

Shed Gal:

Yeah.

Dan Utz:

It's there, right. And then when it conflicts with all this stuff of saying well, you shouldn't do this, You're kinder than me because I'm like, use your common sense, get up from behind your desk, go out and greet the hauler.

Shed Gal:

Be nice, bring him a water, just be nice.

Dan Utz:

Truly be nice. What was the golden rule? Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. What was the golden rule? Do unto others as you would have them do unto you, Stephen Covey said he reworded that in a little different way but he said in the seven habits of highly effective people. He did a retake on that, worded it a little different, but it was the same premise of that of saying to consider what other people before your own. That is so un-American.

Shed Gal:

I don't care, I'm teasing about that. We do need to be kinder.

Dan Utz:

We can do it.

Shed Gal:

There are so many little things that we can change in this industry, just like one person at a time, like my team. I'm telling you it was a part of working for me. I don't care what you're doing, I don't care if you're sitting with a customer. You stop what you're doing. You tell your customer I'll be back in five minutes. I always go greet our driver. These little things will make a huge difference on making this industry better, but it starts with me, it starts with you, it starts with you, it starts with each individual, not what the driver should do, not what the dealer should do, not what you would do if that driver had a bad experience, because, quite honestly, it doesn't matter that you haven't had that experience no-transcript.

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Sambassador:

You brought up the bash a little bit. I was going to ask you about that. What was your experience as somebody new fairly new to the shed industry, but that knows me and what? What your bash experience? What a blast it's a good time.

Dan Utz:

What? What, uh it was. It was such a. I didn't know what to expect.

Shed Gal:

Yeah.

Dan Utz:

It was such a I didn't know what to expect. Yeah, it was far larger than.

Shed Gal:

I thought it would be. It was big.

Dan Utz:

Fair and the camaraderie of. If I wouldn't have got in the industry, the music industry, years ago, I could have had a whole lot of fun with trucks and lights and just guys having fun of decorating their rig of the show and tell, the parade with the lights and all that kind of stuff. What a blast.

Sambassador:

The food yeah, oh my gosh Food. We don't need to be talking about food.

Dan Utz:

I'm in a food coma currently.

Dan Utz:

Well, deal with it. So yeah, it was so fun just to watch, even like young couples coming and I don't think I'm that old, but then I look in the mirror and wonder who showed up in my place. But watching young couples come, that it's not just the guys, but their wives come along with them and their families and saying this is what dad does and it's just fun of saying everybody's in it together, it's a family deal. It's not just guys, but maybe from a long ways away the guys come by themselves. But it was just fun for me to see the whole variety of it and the competitions friendly competitions from Holland Bricks to whatever, and the guys' and the gals' competitions with it and having a good time, having some meals, the drawings.

Shed Gal:

And more drawings, and more drawings.

Sambassador:

Oh, oh, my goodness and we do like giving stuff, oh man what fun but it was just like everybody left.

Dan Utz:

everybody left there with something in their hand and in their spirit that it was like this was a good day. I'm glad I went. It was worth every penny I spent, because now I'm ready to go back into the mundane, as it were, of my work, but I know I'm not alone. I think that that, to me, was huge of wow. This is a world that a lot of people have no idea about. Right here's these guys that are the unknown, who are serving the community and serving people and getting their sheds to them and having a good time and making a living and taking care of their families.

Dan Utz:

Yep, that's a good word. That was fun, and my friend John Schmid was so, so excited about it.

Sambassador:

It was great to have him too. Yes, yeah.

Shed Gal:

Mr. John Schmid, I mentioned that before and a few minutes ago we talked about expectations or future resentments and that and I brought that up, I think earlier today or yesterday that with the Shed Haulers minutes ago we talked about, you know, expectations or future resentments and that and I I brought that up I think earlier today or yesterday that with the shed haulers bash, my expectations were so high because apparently someone did some good marketing about getting that bash out there.

Sambassador:

you know it. It, you know, it amazes me that people well, I, I told somebody today that sometimes I'm kind of disappointed in the fact that people look at me as the hauler guru, because I just, I don't know why it's me, but I'm the one that kind of whips the haulers into shape and keeps them in line a little bit. And I have hauled a couple sheds. Well, you're like a good Uncle Sam, yeah, but there is a sales and marketing side to me and if you show up at the bash, if you take any time to figure, to look at a little bit, you figure that out. Oh yes, but it's, it's crazy, because nobody wants to recognize old sambo ambassador, as you know, having any sales knowledge. Oh, I, I do, and it's just funny. But then, like today, I got mad and I told Shannon I'm like I don't understand, and he's like, well, it just sucks to be you.

Speaker 2:

You'll be okay. He didn't actually say that, but that's kind of what he told me I don't mind it's all said and goodwill.

Sambassador:

You know I don't mind it's all said and goodwill, but it does what has always been key to me and I can't refer like most of my little quirks, I can refer back to somebody or something said, and this is one I can't really, but it's just, it's ingrained in me. Maybe my dad taught it to me. He was caught instead of taught what he was saying earlier, and that is the fact that you have to give people value. Um, and I look at that if I want and I told Jason this I said if we're going to throw a party, then whoever pays for the party has to get value for it. And I feel, I feel like if I died today, every one of my sponsors would have to say that he did that well, he gets us value, and the haulers would have to say they got value.

Shed Gal:

Yeah.

Dan Utz:

And there was. I got to say this. I was so impressed because it's so easy in any culture, in any business realms and industry is to say, okay, okay, so here's the guys who are with the bigger companies and they're making good money and whatever, and then they're just there to make the money and our political culture feeds that kind of stuff. I was so impressed with the companies who paid for things, for people, for, for whatever that didn't have to, and they weren't waving their flag around.

Shed Gal:

But they just quietly did their stuff, because they could and they wanted to.

Dan Utz:

The beauty of that, of saying, hey, I care about you guys, I got your meal. It is, it's huge that to me it's a wonderful thing to have the opportunity to do that and they do it. And then on the flip side is the recipients of that are saying somebody cared enough about me to buy my meal, and I don't even know them personally. Yeah.

Shed Gal:

Yeah.

Dan Utz:

That was. It's just fun to watch that being, because what that does is it feeds something for the next generations of saying, when there's enough there, that they have the ability to do that for somebody else and they'll do it because the seeds were sown years ago. Yes, oh, I love that.

Shed Gal:

Yep, my expectations were so high that I actually was like there's no way this is going to meet my expectations. Like I was so prepared for that I came home. I was like it was so much better than I even thought it was so amazing. And you know mike was like no way was so much better than I even thought it was so amazing. And you know, mike was like no way Because I was just like it was. So there is one thing that has to be said about that.

Sambassador:

It is what you make it. You could have gone into that with low expectations and come away with lower results.

Shed Gal:

Oh well, I do have a good attitude. We all know that I'm not saying you, but people can do results. Oh well, I do have a good attitude.

Sambassador:

We all know that I'm not saying you, but people can do that. Oh for sure, we all know that, that's.

Shed Gal:

Well, there's some people you just cannot please. But, I just for me. It was just. I know there's been others. I just am a generous, I'm just an optimistic, positive person. That's just who I am.

Speaker 2:

But I thought thought, man, I've set the expectations so high. I mean, there's no way that's great.

Shed Gal:

But yeah, it was, it was it was, it was so fun to watch and observe, and so so the key to me, if we're going to make a bash commercial out of this for just a sec, or one of the barbecues.

Sambassador:

you know, people ask me what's a barbecue, what's a bash? You know what's the difference? Well, the barbecues are considered more regional. They're a little bit more family-oriented, even though this bash we saw a lot more families than we ever have before. But if I'm going to turn this into a bash commercial, the thing that I will say that really and I pushed to make this happen, but they stepped up and did it was the non-hauler participation that we had, the participation from the sponsors. I told them, I said I don't want just your money, I want you to show up. And they actually did it.

Shed Gal:

Well, because you set the expectation, so you asked for the sale. Yeah, I did. I was just saying you set the expectation and they showed up and they got even more value for their money by doing that oh, absolutely, absolutely it's it's listen.

Sambassador:

We can apply that to anything we want to in life. Yeah, um you know you buy a ford and have good expectations, you probably have a truck that runs good. You buy a ford and have bad expectations and you know you're gonna be like all the rest of them and say, well, it was a Ford hey.

Shed Gal:

I love my Ford yeah.

Sambassador:

And I love my Chevy too, before that.

Shed Gal:

But isn't that funny. See, we're talking about expectations and I'm thinking in my head I'm grateful to have a vehicle.

Dan Utz:

There you go. Yeah, it's attitude.

Shed Gal:

Yeah, it's attitude for sure. What do you most look forward to about your? Well, it is ongoing, but what are you looking forward to in the future in this industry? What do you hope to get Dan out of it?

Shed Gal:

personally, going forward, I think it's opened up some doors for you and this industry is going to get you closer to your grandkids which is the ultimate goal and I think that's absolutely marvelous, you know personally, because I mean at the end of the day it's a shed, it's not real exciting, but there's way more to it.

Dan Utz:

I love the people aspect because I love meeting people and seeing what we can do in meeting people's needs, because it is a need for people, I think. On a personal level, I would love to toy with the thought of what could be done with this for me, with my grandkids, that they could be part of it and just observe it of what's happening with it and say, hey, you know, because I don't know.

Dan Utz:

I love to play around with some of the ideas because they like, I mean it's two boys and a girl at this point and it's like OK. So they love trucks and they love all this stuff and the quads and all this stuff and being out in the country, and it's like OK. So what could you do? That could be some business-oriented things.

Shed Gal:

They're young, but time goes by in a hurry, but more is caught than taught.

Dan Utz:

Yeah, it's like just being able to hang out together, and it's something that's in an environment where they could be.

Shed Gal:

I agree.

Dan Utz:

So you know, without being too unrealistic, I look at the possibilities of that, but I love interaction with people and just meeting people from all walks of life, because I love studying people. People are interesting for sure.

Shed Gal:

You were talking and I was listening, but I was also having this little flashback about a brief conversation with Matthew Black at the Holler's Bash and I believe he has a couple of younger kids and I was having this recollection of a conversation, of this is the legacy I can do this and it's a legacy and I'm like, wow, that's really cool because my legacy is sitting over here to my right one of them and being able to continue, because it is a great industry, really fun people. I mean it is. I think it's great. It's relationship building and it doesn't really matter what you do if you're passionate about it. Definitely a people business, but remember our people. Your people are your dealers, your haulers, your builders, those people in the corporate office. Please, please, please, work together, be a team. You will take your business to the next level if you do. That's my opinion. It's free.

Dan Utz:

Well, my old pastor friend would say when he dismissed church he'd say all right, go be the people of God, play nice. Start in the parking lot, ooh.

Shed Gal:

I like that. Dan says all sorts of cool stuff.

Dan Utz:

You know that, but see, I'm just getting used to it. I borrowed it from everybody else.

Shed Gal:

It doesn't matter, it's fun. It doesn't matter. It doesn't have to be original to be profound. That's right. Say that again. Play nice Start in the parking lot. So, dealers, it starts in your parking lot, go out and meet those drivers tomorrow.

Sambassador:

I wonder if you will pick up on that.

Shed Gal:

Absolutely.

Sambassador:

That's the other thing about hanging out with this shed industry people. We always eat good. Yeah, I'm actually. One of the highlights to go on to the expo this year for me is to get to eat with all the haulers. And we'll do the Blackstone thing again. This episode might not get out in time, or it might not. I think it will. I think last year actually. Neil called me the other day. He reserved it for us last time we were there four years ago. He's like hey, are we going to reserve the Blackstone restaurant? And I'm like why are you even asking me? Of course we're going to reserve it. Last time we had 31 or 33 people there. I said just reserve the whole restaurant.

Shed Gal:

this time, yeah, was that the place that you said, well, I have meetings the haulers the one night, and you're like, well, I have meetings, that it's, you know, the haulers the one night, and you're like, well, you weren't opposed to going there a second night. Oh yeah, no, that's yeah, it is that's true, yeah, yeah, and we you know, in Tennessee we had over 100 guys showed up at that Brazilian steakhouse.

Sambassador:

I mean we basically did shut the place down that night, oh yeah, yeah. And we basically did shut the place down that night, oh yeah.

Shed Gal:

Yeah, yeah, it's cool. Well, I would like to thank you. Thank you very much, dan. Thank you, sam, as always.

Speaker 2:

I'm going to get Sam.

Shed Gal:

Someday he's going to agree to be on a Shed Gal podcast of Magnificent Monday, and boy do I have questions for him. But we'll leave that for another day.

Shed Gal:

Yeah too, bad, I got out of it tonight we intended to do one hour and now we've. This is the end of the second episode, but it was a great conversation. I hope that we've provided a little bit of information, that someone can get something. Someone can take away something that will be helpful to them. I'd like to thank you for listening to this week's episode of the Shed Geek Podcast on Magnificent Mondays, Sam. Thank you, Dan. Thank you, and this is the Shed Geek podcast on Magnificent Mondays, Sa