When Is the Right Time to Sign Up for SynkedUP?

Is it the right time?

I just got back from a couple of open house events for landscape contractors in Pittsburgh PA. At the time of writing this in March, a common theme in the discussions I had with contractors was “When is the right time to sign up for SynkedUP?”

Or, said another way, “When is the right time to switch up and implement new processes?”

You could label it “change management,” and in this article, it’s in the context of when is the right time to implement a new software.

Of course, being I own SynkedUP, you probably fully expect me to say “Right now!”

But before I owned SynkedUP, I worked for 15 years in Tussey Landscaping, dealing with the realities of the crazy spring season, the rush to get jobs done in the fall, and the lull in winter.

I’ve been on both sides.

Landscaping anywhere in the north is pretty seasonal, which makes winter the seemingly obvious time to implement any significant changes to your operation.

But even in the South, that culture of “the right time to be making changes is winter” seems to carry some weight.

But, despite, yes, having lived through the realities of crazy busy and slow seasons, I am going to suggest another way of looking at it.

Choose your hard

If you had the best of intentions in getting a better grasp of your pricing, numbers, estimating, and job tracking process this winter, but it never quite happened and now you’re facing the warm rays of springtime sunshine, and you’re like, “Well, guess I missed it. I’ll have to do that next winter.”

I invite you to reflect with me for a moment.

Which is harder?

Setting up and improving systems just before or during the busy season?

Or losing money on yet another incorrectly priced job?

Spending a few hours building templates so you can take quotes from hours down to minutes?

Or sweating over manual calculations for hours upon hours to get quotes out the door? Next quote? Repeat the time-consuming process. And again. Missing dinners, working Saturdays. All season long.

Teach your crew how to access job photos, materials, notes, and more in a new app.

Or deal with persistent phone tag all season as they “left the job folder in the other truck.”

Get your team on board with tracking time in a new app.

Or when your next job seems to take longer than it should have, wonder out loud the million-dollar question of “Why? Where?”

I could go on and on. I literally just had like a replay of that exact conversation with Ken from eastern Pennsylvania.

He wished he had made the move earlier in the winter.

But had given up, and resigned himself to trying next winter.

My challenge to him was: “Hey, you know your own business better than I do. You know where the pressures are. But… which is harder?”

And we ran through all those questions above.

At the end, I asked him: “Which hard do you wanna deal with?”

“Do you really wanna run through another entire season hoping your jobs are priced correctly?”

In the end, he decided that the temporary pain of taking 1 step back to take 2 steps forward, during the busy season mind you, was better than driving forward blindly with the strategy of “hope” for another entire season.

That said, I get it.

That choice he made may not be the right choice for everyone.

It comes down to opportunity cost.

Which will cost you more?

The temporary disruption to your old familiar process?

Or continuing forward with the broken or inefficient process?

For some of you, it may be true, crazy busy springtime is not the time. Each business is in a different place and has unique challenges.

So that is why when it comes to answering the question “When is the right time to sign up?” I don’t just blurt out a default response of “Right now!”

I ask questions.

All probing to find out which “hard” is harder.

Then ultimately, you make the decision.

I don’t believe in twisting arms.

SynkedUP solves a problem, and either you have the problem and need the solution or you don’t.

It’s the right time, or it’s not.

All I intend to do is challenge your thinking or self-limiting beliefs, in service to uncovering what is the best answer for you. Not me.

It’s never the “right time”

Because the truth is if you’re waiting for it to “feel” like the right time…. well… settle in for a long wait.

There never is a perfect time.

It will always feel like a better time sometime later. After you’ve dealt with the other X, Y, and Z problems.

It will always feel like ripping off the band-aid.

Unfortunately, we are motivated by pain.

And sometimes the pain has to get pretty bad, almost wipe us out, before we finally listen to what we know we have to do, and just get it done.

After working with thousands of contractors across North America, I’ve come to realize an inherent truth.

“It’s easier to continue doing what I’ve always done, even if that thing or process is broken.”

Changing habits is hard.

Getting your team to change habits is even harder.

It takes leadership.

So…

This pattern of thinking applies to far more than just deciding when the right time is to sign up for SynkedUP.

It can apply to any decision or habit change we need to make in life.

I hope this article has been helpful, even if you already use SynkedUP.

The next time you feel dread or feel overwhelmed by the idea of doing what you know you need to do, ask yourself: Which hard do you want?

Choose your hard.

And remember: It’ll always feel like ripping off the band-aid.

It’s normal.

Make the right decision, for you, for your business, for your team, for your family.

Your decisions impact more than just you.

Where to go from here

If you feel like now is finally the time to rip off the band-aid, get on a call with one of our amazing expert team members here, and we’ll join forces with you to drive you and your business to success.

Or, if you already signed up for SynkedUP, and are feeling the temptation to revert back to your old ways, confidence is wavering, or whatever may be dragging you down, just raise your hand and get on a call with your dedicated account rep here. We’re here to help you achieve what you envisioned when you originally signed up. We’re on your team.

Or, you can shoot me a reply or comment back here to this email if you want to pick up the conversation with me directly. I love this industry, I love you guys, and I am here to help guide your vision for your business to success.

Cheers

Weston Zimmerman

SynkedUP CEO and co-founder