An Ignoble Experiment: What's In A Core Business Value?

December 27, 2024 | Read Online

The Values On The Wall

Sup,

Does your business have core values? I've talked about culture in business and how to form a revenue-forward team. But core values are more than that.

It's what you believe as a leader, and not just "I want to make money."

We all want to make money. But ask why.

For yourself? Your family? The people that work for you? Is the customer part of those beliefs?

The core values and goals of Wilson.

The core values are the first thing you'll notice when you walk into Wilson. They're front and center for every employee, potential hire, and visitor to see.

One of the biggest "HOWs" we live by is to capture the market—and you can't do that without leads. That's why I trust Service Scalers to deliver the leads we need to scale Wilson.

Their expertise in SEO, PPC, LSA, and GMB marketing has been a game-changer. This year alone, their partnership helped us achieve 46% year-over-year growth—a milestone I'm incredibly proud of.

As we look ahead, Service Scalers will continue to be one of our most strategic partners, helping us stay ahead of trends and dominate the market. If you're in the trades and serious about growth, I can't recommend them enough.

What's a core value to you, and how do you uphold it as the business grows and you as a leader begin to feel more and more hands-off?

It all boils down to leadership and building a foundation for growth rooted in those values.

Core values are the foundation for growth.
Accountability at every level.
Leadership development should be continuous.

Reading time: 4 minutes and 5 seconds

The Value Of Core Values

Let's go back and look at what the core values of Wilson say.

Betterment
The ambitious pursuit of winning individually and as a team
Accountability
We do what we say we are going to do
Teamwork
Winning only happens when we work as a team
Transparency
We sell through education — not fear

Not only does this guide the type of hire we want, but it's also a guidepost for how our team handles jobs and represents the company.

Are we tracking progress on a daily basis? Do our teams follow through on made promises? Are we helping or hurting our co-workers?

Most of all: Are we offering customers options that fit their lifestyle? This last one is tricky, but it boils down to offering options and getting to know how a customer lives.

And we've failed at that sometimes. If we aren't giving three options out in the field then it means managers aren't being accountable.

That slips straight down the ladder, from executive to technician.

The fix? Having uncomfortable conversations. Everyone here gets along in a real "high five!" kind of way, which can make having those talks hard.

But we have to: As peers and co-workers. Are we doing everything to uphold those core values? Are we giving feedback?

And that feedback isn't received as well because sometimes we get along too well.

That begins to affect everyone. You can have camaraderie, but it needs accountability. Those strong relationships make us better, as long as we stay focused.

Everywhere We Go

Those core values should be felt by every team member. managers are conduits that implement those values, via training and their own leadership development.

That's how you drive values forward. More to the point, every employee should be able to tell you what your company is all about.

We talked on the show with Service MVP Joe Crisara recently and he mentioned something that stuck with me.

If anyone on your team is approached by someone in the wild and asked about your company, can they respond?

Not being able to might show a lack of those core values being instilled.

Accountability.

That starts and stops with management.

Have you drawn out your org chart lately? Great exercise.

I play a part in that as well, through mentoring and leading a transition where I'm not managing managers, but managing leaders.

It's been a learning experience for me—reinventing who I am for the current needs of the business. One example is being able to know when something isn't working.

Like when we made the switch to Hatch over Chiirp. It was a gut call, but it was mine—and one that is paying off big for us.

Hatch has been a game-changer, especially during slow seasons. As it turns out, we already had a leads lever: our past customers.

Hatch lets us run quick, cool SMS campaigns to keep customers updated on when we're coming or share new offerings. It's helped us stay in touch with the people who already trust us and create new opportunities from existing relationships.

Stay in touch with your customers and get the leads you need to win. Check out Hatch.

As we grow, my involvement and who I am to our team become dictated by size. Where we're moving from now, we have a group of leaders that are leading leaders. That's been challenging for me to help support them in the way that they need.

I stay focused on that challenge by thinking about our core values and where we want to be in six years.

If we aren't offering options and supporting one another, then we sell less. If we sell less, then compensation goes down. If that happens, employees can't invest or build a future.

That's what our core values support. That's the business. And I feel great about the company and our beliefs as we move into the future.

Have a happy new year. 👊

John