The Sprinkler Nerd Show

Andy breaks down how much it costs to apply 1" of water.

Andy shares his insight about the definition of quality while listening to an interview with Seth Godin on The Tim Ferris Show (#638).

• If you are a perfectionist, Quality as is a great way to hide. And if you factor in that according to Wikipedia, 25-30% of the general population are perfectionists. That's quite high, and how is the word Quality, a great way to hide?
• He says this because he believes, and I would agree with him, that you do not want to be an enemy of quality. I'm going to dig into this, but I'd like for you to think about how often you might use this word in your own business, or in your own daily routines. I'd put money down, that you use the word quality to describe your company, your work, your ethic, etc., you cannot be the enemy of quality.
• When an engineer, a product manager, or a company, says, "I can't ship this yet because the quality isn't there (like a physical product, or software), or someone says, "why are you racing through that project, don't you want to put quality into it?" We feel defenseless in the face of that question, because yes, we want quality.
• So, someone who doesn't want to ship their work is going to stand behind perfectionism. BUT perfectionism has nothing to do with Perfect, and perfect does not have a lot to do with quality. BOOM! Mic fucking drop right there. I think I should say that again, perfectionism has nothing to do with perfect, and perfect does not have a lot to do with quality. Holy cow, right?!?
• So, what this means, and this is the heart of my aha moment, and this episode, is that quality has a very specific definition. This concept is something that I had not given much thought to in the past, because, perhaps I was making my own definition of quality, through my own lens, and my personal tastes, based on my own experiences, but in knowing what was this ever a specific definition of quality. So, what does QUALITY mean?
• Seth Godin said that, the definition of QUALITY, comes from Edwards Deming, and the rest of the quality movement of the 40's and 50's, the people who gave us, the Toyota, and what it means is, MEETS SPEC. That's it. That is what quality means, that. is. it. MEETS SPEC.
• Then he says, so if I asked you what is a better car, a Toyota Carolla, or a rolls Royce, the answer is, a Toyota Carola, because the Toyota meets SPEC. It more reliably does exactly what it is supposed to do, when it is supposed to do it than a rolls Royce does, but rolls Royce is a different thing, it is luxury, and it is deliberately spending resources to create something that most people can't have.
• Boom, mic drop again! To me, this means quality could mean many things, but you must know what the specification was, in order to decide if the product or project was quality.
• I guess that what this might also mean, is that if you are a landscape contractor or an irrigation contractor, and you do not meet the project specification, you do not do quality work. Simple as that. How well did you meet the project specification?
• If you are a design-build contractor, perhaps you also have the advantage of writing the specification - and if you can write the specification - I would you could deliver a finished project that meets your own specification well.
• The next definition of quality which I won't go deep into in this episode, but it is equally important, especially when there is no clear SPEC to MEET, which is often the case with landscape construction projects - the next definition of quality is THE MAGIC of MAGIC.
• What is the Quality of Magic - think about the good old fashion coin trick, when a good magician either makes the coin disappear, or the coin goes from one hand to the other.
• For a moment you feel something, some amazement, some tension, the tension of questioning how that just happened, because you know that couldn't happen - but that just happened - and you have both of these feelings at the same time. That couldn't happen, but that just happened, at the same time. Once you know how the tick is done, it is simply a trick, the magic is gone.
• And in the case of a great performance or great customer service, or great theatre, the first time you experience it, the unexpected moment when the lights turn on for you, that is the magic moment, and that Magic moment is another definition of quality.
• Seth believes that with robotics, artificial intelligence, and offshoring, the work that is left for us, is the work to create magic. That is really powerful, how do you create magic?
• So guys, if your product or project does not has a SPEC you can MEET, you might look for the magic in the magic. What can you offer your clients, for the first time, that will have an unexpected moment of wow? - I'm writing that down - look to give your customers an unexpected moment of wow - and they will perceive that as QUALITY.

Hello boys and girls, ladies and germs. Welcome Welcome Welcome, Welcome to episode 94 of the Sprinkler Nerd Show!

I'm going to start off this episode with a quote a heard recently from Seth Godin.

People use the word marketing to mean the word advertising, or they use it to mean the word hustle or hype, but it's none of those things, it used to be those things.

First of all, your customer knows more than you do - about alternatives - about their own feelings and about their desires...

Number tow, the internet is really smart, and it can find someone cheaper than you who does with you say you do with two clicks!

And number three, we're not listening to ads like we used to because we have so many other choices. Instead, we listen to our colleagues we listen to what other people in the world are saying...

So what marketing is now, is really simple - it's building a true story that other people get a benefit from talking about - they find some sense of identity in engaging with your story - that's what marketing is - and you need to get rid of all the people in your work who think their marketing is the other thing cuz they're causing you to make bad decisions

So - mash up this concept with building better relationships with your customers, and you get, FEED THE ONES YOU HAVE.

You can't adopt any more children until you feed the ones you have.

What does this mean?

- You have 100 customers, maybe 500 customers, who have paid you in the last month, and your first thought is, where am I going to get more? I don't have enough. Where can I find more people, and more business.

- And this becomes the self-sacrificial thing that only makes it worse because we start focusing all of our energy and attention of the things that we don't have, while we're not acknowledging and having gratitude for the things that we do have. And when we do have it, and we pour into it, it helps us find the next path.

- You probably have customers who haven't bought from you in 6 months. You start up their irrigation systems, you winterize their system, and that is it. SO - shoot them an email (video email) and say, "hey John, it's Andy, just checking in. Is there anything we can do to support you? No strings attached, no offer, no discount, no hook, just a genuine email, like you would send to a friend.

- Maybe you have a customer for 10 years, and this is the 10th season you have winterized their system. You know what I would do, I'd get out my phone, record a video, and say thank you. - I know you have clients that you haven't talked to in a long time. So, spend some time engaging with the, just to remind them that you are still here, and use one of those principles of a relationship.

In this episode, Andy brings on his podcast coach, Luis Diaz.

Luis Diaz is the founder of Top 10 Podcasts, a team of producers, online marketers, growth strategists, and fellow podcasters who have worked with some of the top-named podcasts in the health & fitness, self-help, marketing & management, and business categories. He has helped his clients land on the Apple Podcasts Top 100 Charts cross across dozens of different categories!

Visit www.top10podcasts.com to learn more.

"You are just one phone call away.."

Last week I heard Steve Sims drop this gold nugget quote on a podcast as he gave advice to entrepreneurs - specifically how to make something BIG happen.

How do you get what you want in life? You pick up the phone, because "you are just one phone call away".

Somebody will have a goal in their life, they will want to make something big happen. This could be a salesperson trying to set a new company record, this could be a contractor trying to land the next high-profile construction project, and ironically, what most people do, is sit behind their computer, disconnected, and perfectly try to plan it out.

Instead, pick up your phone and call someone! You are likely only one degree of separation away from getting what you want, but you have to call. You have to pick up the phone.

Steve encourages people to go for stupid goals. Stupid, because it may seem so big and outrageous that your mind thinks it's impossible. But remember, anything is possible. So, for lack of a better word, shoot for the moon, because it is possible. Go get yourself a BHAG, a Big Hairy Audacious Goal.

The reason Sprinkler Supply Store exists is that I picked up the phone and called my dear friend Matt Hart, and pitched him the idea.

What is your BHAG? I'd love to know.

"You become what you think about." 1956 - That was the year Earl Nightingale recorded the motivational speech titled, "The Strangest Secret", and the secret he delivered was the concept, "you become what you think about."

2002 - That was the year I discovered (purchased) a CD version of this speech from Barnes & Noble in Columbia, Maryland. I was fresh out of college and had started my first sales job for Chapel Valley Landscape Company; irrigation sales of course!

Earl's simple little phrase changed my life - it was like everything just clicked. I got it. Everything just magically grew into place. Not quickly, and not in any particular order, but everything that I thought about back then, has now become (mostly) true.

Not only do you become what you think about; the power is that everything becomes a choice. You have a choice. You get to choose all of it.

Equally important is that who you choose to be, only matters to you. Not to anyone else.

I often get caught here. Being or doing something that isn't exactly true to me. Learning to focus on what I really want takes both practice and intention. What do I want? Who do I want to be?

What has helped, is choosing to surround myself with people who get me, who support me, and who help me become the best version of my future self.

Thank you for being here with me, I appreciate all of you, and I love hearing from you - even one sprinkler at a time ;)

Are you who you thought you would be?

I'd love to know.