22 Things a Professional Electrician Wished an Apprentice Would Know pt. 2

If you haven't read the first part of this series, you wouldn't want to miss it. This is a short guide of "do's and don'ts" when it comes to becoming a true blue professional so it only makes sense number 8 on the list is... 8. Dress the Part. Having renowned work ethic will get you so far but what ensures your clients feel satisfied and spread the good word about you also comes down to something as simple as hygiene. Lets face it, what separates professionals from every other contractor is if they take pride in putting their appearance together in the highest level possible. I can not over-estimate how crucial this is to your business or the business you're representing. Not only does looking the part and choosing to take care of your presentation help your communication as a recognized authority, it also allows you to charge premiums others simply can't. Business is like a mirror, what you put into it is typically what gets reflected out, so if you're unhygienic in your personal life, it will directly translate into your career. 9. Clean Up Your Messes. If you aren't leaving a house better than you found it, you're actually not only doing a disservice to the owners, you're doing it to yourself. You just have to be diligent, when you're focusing on electrical issues, there is no way around this. Don't be the prototypical "sloppy contractor", nobody truly wants that service, be the expert-- be the professional, be the service provider. There is a proclivity in many contracting industries of it being okay "to get your hands dirty", but this just does not constitute any kind of service provider to just freestyle their way into finishing a job. Be neat, be orderly, capisce? 10. Get to Work on Time. It's less stress for you, seriously. Pride yourself on being punctual and precise. Remember the mirror analogy from earlier. Its been my observation that people who can't meet deadlines, usually can't sustain work either. You're in business, and truly what you're doing is servicing a client to a sale. Once the sale has been made keep servicing them, these are the people that will then become referral magnets. If you want a business booming with opportunity and work, get to work on time. 11. Listen More Than You Talk. If you have the chance to learn from a professional, listen more than you talk can be the biggest game changer for you. You'll be able to walk away every work day with more new information than the person training you has provided you, some of the lessons you'll be able to glean from the experience of someone with more skin in the game are practically invaluable. 12. Be The Expert. If you've done the steps above properly, no one will even think twice of trying to grade your work, but if you're new to the job you have to trust the process. Trust the simple process your mentors taught you, that has gotten them results, and when you're in front of a client and servicing them stay the expert. Everything you do in your business and career, as someone who will work closely with people on a day basis, is to put people in a relaxed state. Nothing makes people more uncomfortable than someone who doesn't appear to know how to A. Close a deal B. Perform the work. Be the expert, put simply- put in the work. 13. Always Come Preparred. Just imagine how embarrassing it would be to show up to an examine without a pen or pencil, okay now magnify that by 10,000. You must come prepared for any situation and any occasion, until you do that it's my own personal belief that you can't even really consider yourself a professional quite yet, 14. Ask Questions When You're Not 100% Positive. Even if you think it's a dumb question because you've annoyed your mentor for the 5th,6th, or 7th time for an answer to a simple question, just do yourself a favor and ask. You're here to be trained by a professional, or are getting trained by a professional, and when it comes to our field of work it can be quite a bad idea not to ask. Check back for part 3 coming shortl! Thanks!