A recent TNG online meeting hosted Daniel Noyce, who spoke about taking life lessons into business – himself drawing on various life experiences to learn and eventually start his own house washing business.
Despite having no experience in house washing, the lessons he learned gave him the fundamentals he needed to thrive.
Hindsight
People often lament the power of hindsight, treating it as an irony that might provide some wry amusement. For Daniel, hindsight is a tool.
It is the lens through which we learn from our past to forge a better future. Daniel talks about high school and how he had a good time with friends and had fun but noted that the actual school environment was a one size fits all setup. Uninspiring, and ultimately a waste of potential.
This was the first time Daniel would come to recognise the importance of personalisation.
Personalisation
Later, after finishing school, Daniel took a job with his father, fixing up appliances. This was in the late 90s and a time in which a lot of migration was taking place.
He recalls salespeople complaining about the tendency of southeast Asians to barter on price, whereas they were more used to the Western model of accepting things at sales price.
Rather than be bothered by this difference, Daniel recognised it as an opportunity, and by meeting these customers on their own terms, he was able to negotiate beneficial sales prices successfully.
This taught him that a business couldn’t be one size fits all.
Being Yourself
After a stint studying IT and passing twice the usual amount of papers with distinction, Daniel decided to return to the world of sales and got a job selling photocopiers.
Despite having no training, he made a sale within the first few hours of his new job. His lack of training was a benefit because it forced him to fall back on being himself, making genuine conversation with his potential customer, and personalising the sale for them.
Optimising
After doing well in photocopy sales, Daniel eventually landed a top position in England. There he was tasked with turning around a region in London with a terrible sales record.
He discovered that the particular branch was being “emotional” about management and holding on to underperformers because they were senior. He cycled them out in favour of new workers who were eager to sell.
He turned the region around, but it appears he did his job too well because the well-oiled machine he had made no longer needed him.
Turning down a demotion, he returned to New Zealand with his wife and children and got a job at another photocopier sales company.
Going Your Own Way
Soon after starting his new job, Daniel discovered that the company was being grossly mismanaged. The management maintained a setup in which there was a disconnect between management, engineering, and sales.
Period after period, the company recorded losses. In order to try and remedy the situation, management cut engineers, which further diminished the company’s ability to perform.
Worst of all, management wasn’t listening to the customers and instead brainstormed without reference to anything. Daniel says that sales are 80% listening, and management wasn’t listening to anyone.
Tired of the situation, Daniel met with a friend for lunch. This friend painted houses but always had trouble with house washing services. He and Daniel recognised a gap in the market, and Daniel decided to fill it.
A Personal Business
Daniel quit his job at the failing company and started a house washing business. He takes a personal approach to both his customers and his employees. He implements that first lesson he learned by recognising individuality and treating everyone according to their needs.
He listens to customers, gives them what they want, and he treats his employees like investments rather than numbers.
This “people first” approach has led to a successful and sustainable business.
Conclusion
The lesson in Daniel’s story is to focus on “fundamentals” rather than “convention.”
Those two concepts are often used interchangeably, but while conventions are about outer structures, fundamentals are about solid foundations.
As long as you have a solid foundation, the shape the structure takes is up to you. With that, focus on personalisation, and you’ll find freedom and success on your own
