I had a really good conversation with a security guard company owner last week who said something that I thought was pretty insightful. He said that having a security guard company was just like being in a relationship. The more I thought about it, the more that I thought his comparison was spot on. Some of his analogies were so true that I had to share them in a blog. So Shawn thanks for the inspiration!
Here is how I see the two being similar. Like a lot of single guys who are dating, I can be very persistent. In fact, when I was pursuing new business as a security guard company owner I was probably persistent to the point of almost stalking. In the pursuit of new business I’d find new prospects and tell them I was interested in them, only to get shot down over and over again. Sound familiar? I was just looking for the opportunity to prove that I was the right guy. Like most guys, when you know that “She” is the one you want, you keep going back. When I called her, I’d get hung up on or someone would tell me she wasn’t in or was unavailable. When I would stop by, I would politely get the door slammed in my face. Even when I got her on the phone she would say “No I’m not interested at this time I’ve got someone else.”
Despite all the rejection, I kept going back because I knew that the other guy wasn’t right for her. After more than a year of that cat and mouse game, the phone rang and it was her. She said that she was calling because the other guy had done something wrong, so she was interested in hearing more about how I was different. She liked what I had to say over the phone so we set a date to meet…first base. I was really excited about having the chance to talk with her and explain why I was the right guy. On the day of the meeting I knew I was ready, I even wore my best suit and my lucky tie. But like a lot of guys, during our date I made the mistake of spending 90% of my time talking about myself and never really asking her what she was looking for. Oops!
After our time together a few days go by and I don’t hear from her. I started thinking maybe I said something that scared her away. Maybe it was the business card, I knew it was a little too fancy. But eventually, I did get a phone call from her and she wanted a proposal. Excellent…second base. For the second date I was well prepared. The proposal was impeccable and the references were solid. She must have liked what she saw in the proposal because she called again and said that she wanted a formal presentation…third base. During the presentation she asked some really tough questions, but I had great answers and I could tell she was impressed. When I left the meeting I said to myself ‘Oh yeah, I’m going to close this deal.” After waiting a week or two, she called my office and told me that she was getting rid of the other guy and that it was going to be just her and I…in 30 days…HOME RUN!
Once the courtship was over and she and I were going steady, we were both putting our best feet forward. I made sure that my officers were always on time and that things were running smoothly. She was also on her best behavior, because when I submitted an invoice she made sure it was paid within 30 days. Things couldn’t have been any better. But one day, without even realizing it, I started taking her for granted. I didn’t call as much as I should or stop by to see her as much as I used to. As a result of me not being present, the little things that didn’t seem so big in the beginning started to add up for her. That officer who was always 3 minutes late was like me leaving the toilet seat up. When she didn’t have that incident report on time, it was like I’d forgotten an anniversary. When everything was fresh and new I could do no wrong, but now things weren’t so rosy.