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free for 30 days when you use promo code. PayJack, let's bring this back in here. You know, when it Comes to these relationships, though, this is where the relationships matter a bit more than pricing at times. Now, in the green industry, we buy a lot of stuff. We buy fertilizers, chemicals, equipment parts. And most of those products are available for multiple, multiple suppliers. So what makes a difference? What makes me want to buy from one than the other? It's the relationship. And again, when a supplier kind of disappears for two years, that relationship weakens. Somebody had to take their place, you know, and that trust takes time to rebuild. You know, you can't expect someone to immediately jump back in just because a new rep shows up. And if you start to think about the way I'm describing this, this is not only business to business for, you know, an operator. Your business is dealing with a vendor or supplier. This also relates to, you know, your. Your clients as well. You know, what happens if you don't, you know, you. You disappear on somebody, and then all of a sudden, you show back up. Maybe a season goes by, two seasons go by, you know, and then you just show back up and you're like, hey, it's great to see you again, Tom. We're gonna. We're starting up this season. And, you know, you're on board, right? Well, it's like, no, what happened to you? You know, you didn't talk to us. You just disappeared. You know, do you expect that client to really just jump on board? It's like, no, they probably already have somebody else. So, you know, you start to look at it through that lens, it's like, oh, yeah, I get it now. You know, and this is where, you know, a lot of times salespeople need to learn to read the room. You know, the big list this is. There's a big lesson for anybody that's in sales. If someone is interested in doing business with you, they will talk to you. But if someone keeps avoiding your calls, that's a signal. You know, maybe the timing isn't right. Maybe they're already committed to another vendor. Maybe they just don't like the cut of your jib. I don't know what it is, okay? But sometimes the best move is to slow down the pressure and build the relationship first. That I understand. You still have to communicate with people, but, you know, the more you push, the more resistance you create. And, you know, I. I'm just kind of dissecting this because, you know, I had a discussion with my guy today, and I was not exactly thrilled to, you know, that he called me at the time. He did. I already had a lot of things on My mind. And obviously that's a personal thing. That's not like he did anything wrong. He didn't do anything wrong. He's just following up. He's doing his job. He's doing his due diligence. But at the same time, I think after a couple, you know, text messages and a couple phone calls and the fact that I did not respond to an email, I would say that, hey, maybe, you know, maybe just chill a little bit. On the other hand, maybe it's on me because, you know, business owners need to be honest too. You know, this is, and this is where I'll take responsibility. As a business owner, as a just a generally good human being, we need to also be direct. You know, we, we, we can't always worry about people's feelings. You know, I'm thinking about it right now, like, instead of letting the phone ring and getting annoyed, something sometimes, you know, maybe the best thing I should have said was like, hey, I appreciate you reaching out, but, you know, right now we already have our suppliers locked in for the season. That doesn't burn a bridge. It actually keeps the relationship professional and it tells the salesperson exactly where they stand. It's like, hey, you guys need to get a hold of me earlier. You can't call me three weeks before the season starts and expect me to give you all my business. Maybe now that you're back on the map and I know that I have a contact with you now, it's like, okay, well, maybe going into next season, if you keep me up to date on like, pricing and the materials that you offer, you know, then, then, then maybe we could do business. You know, it's kind of hard when you, when you also, you. You know, like, for our company, we, we have our fertilizers custom made for us. You know, they're, they're blended for us. Very specific. Nobody else in my area has what, what, what? Nobody else has what I have because I had it specially made. So it's kind of hard for that rep to even try to offer me something because, you know, they're offering me pretty standard things like, oh, it's a 2804 mix. Okay, well, that's great. What about this? Does it have this in it? Does it have this? Oh, no, that's because it's a standard mix. I have mine custom told for us. But, you know, the thing is, the reality of the situation is I'm not against doing business with this company again. But, you know, trust and consistency, they do matter. When my, my previous rep was Fired, the company left a two year gap in the relationship. And that matters, you know, because just because there's a new salesperson now doesn't mean that I'm going to jump over the vendors who've been showing up for me consistently. Business relationships work both ways. So if you take anything from this episode, remember these three things. You know, loyalty is earned through consistency. Suppliers who show up every year, year after year, were will almost always win the business. Two, sales pressure can backfire on you. You know, persistence is good, but desperation pushes people away. And three, having clear communication solves a lot of problems because sometimes a simple honest conversation will prevent frustration on both sides. And that's where I got to get better at. I'm going to give this guy a call back and just let him know that I'm going to send in a very small order with them. But for the bulk of our vendor, excuse me, for the bulk of our materials that we need for this season, we are going to continue to use the vendors that have been there the past couple years. So anyway, just to kind of close this out, you know, if you look at this vendor, you know, the relationships that you have with your vendors are a lot like customer relationships. You know, again, these are built on trust, consistency and respect for each other's time. And if a supplier disappears for years, they shouldn't expect the relationship to instantly pick up where it left off. And if you're a business owner dealing with a pushy sales rep or, you know, a lot of times the best move is to simply just be honest about where things stand. Because good business relationships aren't forced, they're built. This is the same thing with your customers. You know, you got to make sure that you're communicating with them on a regular basis. If you do have a gap or a failure to communicate, you, I don't know, I don't think you should expect everybody to be so gung ho when like say the next season starts. Like let's say the previous season, you flaked off in the, at the end of the year and they didn't see you or didn't hear from you, didn't hear from you over the off season. And then it's springtime and you're ready to go and you're like, hey, by the way, we're going to get started. They're like, well, where were you? What happened? I haven't heard from you in like six months. So, you know, we didn't know, so we went with somebody else. You know, that could happen. But Anyway, I just want you to understand that, you know, this is something that I'm just walking through and talking to. But consistency goes a long way. Dependability goes a long way. So just keep those things in mind. But as always, I thank you for listening. God Bless. Keep pushing through and we'll catch you on the next one. Thank you once again for listening. If you've enjoyed the show, please leave a review and share it with fellow business owners. Your support means the world to me and helps keep the show going strong. I want to give a special shout out to our friends at Yardbook. Their continued support has been instrumental in bringing this podcast to you week after week. If you haven't checked them out yet, visit yardbook.com and see how they can give you the dream tools to streamline and manage your lawn care business. Also, don't forget to explore the resources and upcoming events that I've collected just for you in the show Notes. These are curated to help you stay ahead in your business with the latest tips, tools and networking opportunities. Whether it's a new tool, an insightful article, or an event you don't want to miss, I've got you covered. Until next time, keep pushing through and God bless.