Stop Bailing & Start Fixing!

“I’m too busy to get anything done!” It’s a line that I hear too often from members. It’s also a thought process that can cripple a company. That one simple sentence indicates to me that you’re likely spending too much time bailing water out of a sinking ship, rather figuring out how to stop the leak.

I know there are times when you’re spending as much as 70 or 80 hours as week in your office. You start the day with a plan. You have a to-do list filled with important tasks that need to get accomplished. Yet even at the end of a long workweek, you rarely get anything checked off that list! Why is that?

Too often the items on your to-do list get pushed to the side so that you can “put out fires” throughout each day. Instead of getting things accomplished that need to be done, you’re beating yourself up to handle constant problems. Instead of fixing your company (fixing the leak), you’re trying to keep things running (you’re bailing water on a sinking ship). So, how do you reverse that trend and start fixing, rather than bailing? Here are a few critical steps:

Start Training

Most of the time when business owners are forced to deal with constant issues it’s due to the fact that their people are not trained. The phone isn’t getting answered properly, and technicians aren’t communicating well with homeowners.  Stop the problems from happening in the first place!  That means mandatory training for CCRs and technicians at least once a week – I suggest twice a week. Make role-playing a constant, and get your people to understand what’s expected of them, rather than you assuming they know.

Empower Your People

Once you’re confident your people know their jobs, get out of their way.  Don’t become a crutch. There is no reason why you should be on the phone with every single technician on every single call. You’re not a baby-sitter – you’re the boss.  If your tech makes a mistake, so be it.  There’s no reason to beat him up over it – mistakes happen.  Instead, turn it into a learning exercise at you next training meeting.

Watch Your Numbers

The common denominator in profitable companies is that the owners are looking at their numbers. Your numbers will tell you if your team members are struggling and you need to address a particular issue in training. In other words, your numbers are like the gauges of a ship. Based upon what they tell you, you will know how to best steer your company.

Running a contracting business doesn’t have to feel like you’re aboard a sinking ship with no land in sight. Stop bailing water and start looking for a way to patch that hole. That means giving your people the proper training, supporting them in their decisions, and watching your numbers. You’ll be steering away from danger and toward profitability in no time!

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