When I get back to the office, this information is entered into our contact database (CRM) system. If anything needs to be done for that new contact, it gets added to the list of tasks.
The business card is then added to the stack of others I’ve collected that year (held together with a fat rubber band) and tossed into the back of the top drawer of my desk.
I was recently looking for a flatwork contractor I met years ago. To find that person, I pulled the business cards out from my desk drawer – a stack for each of the past eight years – and began looking for that one specific card.
As I sifted through the cards and reflected on the people I had met, I realized that at least two-thirds of the cards were completely outdated and useless. Many companies were no longer in existence. Some of the people were in totally different industries. It was staggering to see how the residential and commercial construction sectors have been decimated over the past five years.
In this new economy, there are few “old” Trade contractor companies left standing that have been in business for more than ten years. Some of the “new” Trade companies around today were started by guys that are on their third company since the crash. There are fewer Trades out there today, period. It can be very difficult to find those people you once knew or worked with a few years ago.
Several of our builder clients have reported the same experience. Many are starting their first new home project since ’07 or ‘08. As they wipe the dust off their Rolodex* and begin contacting Trades, they find that many are no longer in business.
If you are reading this, then you have found a way to survive and stay relevant in this new economy. Congratulations (I mean that). You’ve fought through too many years of too little work.
I do believe that we are now on the road to recovery. It may be a long road with modest, incremental growth, but it seems to be going in the right direction. To quote the famous poster of the kitten at the end of a rope, “Hang In There.” Better times are ahead of us.
Enjoy your summer,
* For our readers younger than age 35, a Rolodex is an ancient wheel-like contraption that held business cards for easy reference. It never crashed and didn’t have to be backed-up in the “cloud.”