EP45 Tom Lopatosky: How to ‘Deliver Every Time’ & Introduce Your Customer to a Solution to Their Problem
SUMMARY:
Today’s guest is Tom Lopatosky, the owner of Lopco Contracting out of Providence, Rhode Island. During college, Tom was presented with the opportunity to run a student painting franchise and grabbed it.
He was 18-years-old at the time and had to find a way to pay for school.
Though Tom encountered many difficulties in his first year, he continued to run the franchise every summer and gained more confidence each time.
Upon graduating with a major in marketing and finance, Tom was faced with making the decision of going to work for someone else or starting a business on his own.
He chose to be an entrepreneur but ended up on a peculiar path which allowed him to both work on his own business and continue running the franchise.
Tom discusses how he came to an agreement with the franchiser that enabled this unique situation, which was heavily influenced by Tom’s strong work ethic and desire to always exceed customer expectation. He also shares tips about networking and how he runs his business day-to-day.
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WHAT YOU’LL LEARN:
- How Tom found flexibility from the franchise he worked under.
- How to get the mindset of “deliver every time.”
- How to overcome nervousness and meet people at networking events.
- Marketing tactics that are working for Tom.
- Believing in something and following it through.
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LISTEN HERE:
QUOTES:
“Everybody’s conditioned with ‘you have to go to school’…In the grand scheme of things, I can say it was great for putting a foundation in place…But, I learned a lot more just getting out there and running my business on my own…than anyone would have ever been able to teach me in school.”
“You’ve got to stack the deck. In other words, you need to put the chips so far in your corner that when you ask them something, it’s like they don’t have a choice but to work on something with you.”
“At Business Network International, if you find the right group, it works better than anything else from a networking standpoint because it’s so structured. If you follow their system, you will get business.”
“I love to talk about myself. I’ll talk about myself all day, but I have to discipline myself to stay on the line…Find out everything you can about this person. That’s your goal…You want to get them to talk about themselves as much as possible.”
“If you can, as a business, help your clients out by introducing them to a solution for a problem they have, they’re going to pay you to do it if they have that kind of trust in you. I think that’s a big part of the growth of a business.”
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HIGHLIGHTS:
[02:47] How did Tom get started in painting?
[06:03] What was it like when Tom graduated and decided to start his own business?
[09:58] Where did Tom’s mindset of exceeding expectations and providing a great customer experience come from?
[13:27] How did it go when Tom tried negotiating with the franchiser?
[15:47] What does the mindset of “deliver every time” look like?
[17:28] What was it like for Tom to run a franchise and start his own business at the same time?
[19:10] Has Tom found that he’s had to do a lot of reprogramming to grow his business and himself?
[20:47] Had Tom dove into personal business development early in his entrepreneurial life?
[22:18] How did Tom generate leads when he was starting to break away from the franchise?
[26:37] What does Tom’s business look like today?
[28:17] What is Tom’s system for open networking?
[36:45] What advertising methods are working for Tom?
[39:22] How does Tom find employees?
[42:52] What else is Tom involved in besides the painting business?
[44:48] What is the administration of Tom’s painting business like?
[48:09] Where does Tom’s drive come from?
[53:22] What are some resources that inspire Tom?
[56:31] What final points would Tom like to make?
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LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, Revised Edition
Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable
How to Win Friends & Influence People
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change
http://www.lopcocontracting.com/
https://www.facebook.com/CheerUPAthletics/
https://www.instagram.com/cheerupathletics/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_TIHhdcLe_z45bMLTcTuzg
ADDITIONAL FREE RESOURCES:
Schedule Your Free Strategy Call With Steve
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Connect with Tom Lopatosky on Facebook here
Connect with Steve on Facebook here
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