I belong to an online group "Serviceroundtable.com" At least once a year the subject of callbacks comes up and I usually see the same type of responses on whether we are giving them enough time, or should we penalize them for callbacks or maybe even not pay them for callbacks and so on. About two years ago I did some consulting work for a fairly large mechanical contractor in the midwest and one of their major issues was callbacks. During my first meeting with all management and supervisors I had them fill out a questionnaire that is part of a needs assessment I require for each consulting job. I do this to identify what the challenges are, and to determine if I can actually help. One of the questions is, "How often do you you spend a day in the field with one of your installers or service technicians and when did this occur last?" I found, during that session, that no one had been on a ride with anyone in over four years.
This is kind of like coaching a football game without being at the game, or even watching it on TV. Yet you plan on counseling the players about their performance a year after the game is over? When I managed a staff of over sixty field technicians, I made it a point that I or one of the other supervisors had to spend at least one half a day with each guy at least twice per year. Each supervisor had to fill out a field evaluation sheet during that ride-along to ensure the technician followed all required protocol on every service visit. If we had someone with a problem or issues, they received more attention. Part of coaching is actually being there and watching and making recommendations. There was a saying that I used to hear about twenty years ago and it was MBWA, Managing By Walking (or Wandering) Around. You can develop your employees skills and your management skills if you watch and consult them while they are performing their day-to-day tasks. Not only based on what you see in some report or what you hear from a third party.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Making the Phone RIng
One of the most common questions and/or comments I get lately is. "Okay, so how do I get my phone to ring?" We all know that we are talking about getting business, making money etc. I'm feeling it here at The Training Source. People are not spending like they used to and any additional cash that may be sitting around is saved for fear that they may need it to pay bills, taxes, payroll, etc. I am very reluctant to spend anything on a new idea or anything unless it is absolutely necessary. So, I'm going to share some great ideas that I've heard from people I've met or from online groups like Service Roundtable, ACCA meetings and my own workshops.
1. Don't stop advertising, your competitors are cutting back on advertising, so you'll get the business that they will not.
2. Have people standing around? While they are out on service calls, let them go through the neighborhood that they are in and put up doorhangers advertising your current fall/winter tuneup special.
3. Seriously consider flat rate programs and service contracts and/or maintenance agreements. People spend a lot of money on maintenance agreements, you might as well be one of the companies offering them.
4. Now is the time to be focused on excellent customer service and creating great experiences. If you won't do anything special, believe me, there are plenty of your competitors waiting around willing and able to do something just a little bit better than you. I recently heard someone say on one of the motivational CD's I was listening to say "In order to stand out from your compatetion, you must be willing to do what no one else will do."
5. Send thank you cards and /or gifts to all of your customers. a great company who will do it for you is To Your Success (http://www.toyoursuccess.com/) They are great people to work with.
6. Tell every customer that you will give them a $50 dinner gift card for every referral that turns into a sale.
7. Measure everything and tell people how they are doing. People like to know how they perform, we measure everything in sports but almost nothing at work. What's up with that? Let people know how they are doing on a regular basis including how much it costs to keep the on the road every day. I have an easy to use free excel hourly rate calculator on my free tips and tools section on my website. Call me if you need help.
8. Keep a positive attitude! Man, I know that is been tough for me lately, I've gone from the best first half of a year ever to the worst second half of a year ever. Plus some medical problems have caused me a lot of grief. Say a few prayers every day. Yes God is listening, He's here to help. All you have to do is ask.
9. Have people standing around? Try spending some of the time training them and getting them up to speed on what's new. There are plenty of self study programs available on-line. I have a bunch at http://www.hvactraining.com/. Both self study for online training for NATE exam and homestudy material in CDROM, books and DVD at rasonable prices.
10. Have debt problems? As part of the stimulus plan the US government has authorized the small business administration to offer a 0% deferred payment loan that will give you up to $35,000 to help you pay off higher interest loans, credit cards and vendors. Go to http://www.sba.gov/ for additional information. There is a lot of paperwork, but it is worth it.
11. Keep your focus, don't freak out, it's only temporary, don't give up, ask for help. Look at all of the wonderful things you do have! Yes, there is a light at the end of the tunnel and no, it is not a train. Come to my workshop, I'll get you motivated.
Or call me and I'll talk to you over the phone.
God Bless You all!
1. Don't stop advertising, your competitors are cutting back on advertising, so you'll get the business that they will not.
2. Have people standing around? While they are out on service calls, let them go through the neighborhood that they are in and put up doorhangers advertising your current fall/winter tuneup special.
3. Seriously consider flat rate programs and service contracts and/or maintenance agreements. People spend a lot of money on maintenance agreements, you might as well be one of the companies offering them.
4. Now is the time to be focused on excellent customer service and creating great experiences. If you won't do anything special, believe me, there are plenty of your competitors waiting around willing and able to do something just a little bit better than you. I recently heard someone say on one of the motivational CD's I was listening to say "In order to stand out from your compatetion, you must be willing to do what no one else will do."
5. Send thank you cards and /or gifts to all of your customers. a great company who will do it for you is To Your Success (http://www.toyoursuccess.com/) They are great people to work with.
6. Tell every customer that you will give them a $50 dinner gift card for every referral that turns into a sale.
7. Measure everything and tell people how they are doing. People like to know how they perform, we measure everything in sports but almost nothing at work. What's up with that? Let people know how they are doing on a regular basis including how much it costs to keep the on the road every day. I have an easy to use free excel hourly rate calculator on my free tips and tools section on my website. Call me if you need help.
8. Keep a positive attitude! Man, I know that is been tough for me lately, I've gone from the best first half of a year ever to the worst second half of a year ever. Plus some medical problems have caused me a lot of grief. Say a few prayers every day. Yes God is listening, He's here to help. All you have to do is ask.
9. Have people standing around? Try spending some of the time training them and getting them up to speed on what's new. There are plenty of self study programs available on-line. I have a bunch at http://www.hvactraining.com/. Both self study for online training for NATE exam and homestudy material in CDROM, books and DVD at rasonable prices.
10. Have debt problems? As part of the stimulus plan the US government has authorized the small business administration to offer a 0% deferred payment loan that will give you up to $35,000 to help you pay off higher interest loans, credit cards and vendors. Go to http://www.sba.gov/ for additional information. There is a lot of paperwork, but it is worth it.
11. Keep your focus, don't freak out, it's only temporary, don't give up, ask for help. Look at all of the wonderful things you do have! Yes, there is a light at the end of the tunnel and no, it is not a train. Come to my workshop, I'll get you motivated.
Or call me and I'll talk to you over the phone.
God Bless You all!
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Looking For a Magical Cure
A few weeks ago I was fortunate enough to get selected as one of the consultants in the "Consultants Corner" at HVAC Comfortech. Basically, attendees of the conference had an opportunity to sit one-on-one with a consultant of their choice for thirty minutes, free of charge. One of the participants was a man and wife who had been in business for several years and were facing some serious challenges. At the beginning of their session, they asked what my fee would be to come to their place and help them with all of the various challenges facing their business. I answered, "I'll need at least $8000 per day and I'm not sure how long it would take. It could take several weeks" Of course they thought I was crazy. I was trying to make a point. You wouldn't call up a neurosurgeon and ask to schedule brain surgery because you have a headache, and you wouldn't overhaul the engine in your vehicle when all you need is a tune up. Specific problems need specific fixes.
During our thirty minute session I asked them to try and focus on only one specific issue or challenge. They agreed. At the end of the session we not only came up with the most important challenge facing their business, we also determined a strategy to deal with it and an action plan to make sure the solution to the challenge is successful. All in less than thirty minutes.
We are always looking for a big fix, a magical cure for everything. As I told the couple who I was consulting with . . . Sometimes solutions are as simple as breaking things down to their most simplest form and dealing with the specifics rather that generalities. Too many times we fail because we want to take a shotgun approach to a problem or we just fail to address the specific issue at hand for some reason or other.
I'm currently reading a book titled "Six Disciplines, Execution Revolution" by Gary Harpst. He says that the biggest challenge facing business today is the lack of execution. I agree! Basically we all know what we need to do, we just fail to do it. In most cases you already know how to address the issues at hand, sometimes you just need verification from someone. Okay, here is your verification . . . Go ahead, I think it is a great idea!
During our thirty minute session I asked them to try and focus on only one specific issue or challenge. They agreed. At the end of the session we not only came up with the most important challenge facing their business, we also determined a strategy to deal with it and an action plan to make sure the solution to the challenge is successful. All in less than thirty minutes.
We are always looking for a big fix, a magical cure for everything. As I told the couple who I was consulting with . . . Sometimes solutions are as simple as breaking things down to their most simplest form and dealing with the specifics rather that generalities. Too many times we fail because we want to take a shotgun approach to a problem or we just fail to address the specific issue at hand for some reason or other.
I'm currently reading a book titled "Six Disciplines, Execution Revolution" by Gary Harpst. He says that the biggest challenge facing business today is the lack of execution. I agree! Basically we all know what we need to do, we just fail to do it. In most cases you already know how to address the issues at hand, sometimes you just need verification from someone. Okay, here is your verification . . . Go ahead, I think it is a great idea!
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