Lesson #2: Swing with authority. One of my Little League coaching partners would tell his kids, “If you didn’t come to win the game, don’t suit up.”

What he meant was if you’re going to play the game then play it hard.  So when you’re in the batter’s box swing the bat with authority. When you’re running the bases run the bases hard. When you’re in the field run and throw for all you are worth!  Half-hearted attempts lead to missed opportunities.

In the amount of time it takes you to a) ruminate and b) get bogged down in analyzing every detail and c) finally take a half-hearted swing at the opportunity another entrepreneur will have swung away (maybe missed a few balls!) but eventually gotten on base. And they might have even scored a home run!

In business, half-hearted swings send conflicting messages to the other people on your team. People on your team make decisions based on the things you told them you are planning to do- not the things you’re hesitating over.

For example, if you SAY you are going to add a new service to your business, people in your company (team) are going to ACT on this information. Salespeople will be talking to your customers about the new service. Your operations people will be making hiring decisions or equipment purchases based on what you promised them you were going to do.

Lesson #3: Never get fooled into a called third strike. If you’re going to go down- go down swinging!  Dancin’ in the batter’s box leads to a loss of concentration which leads to hesitation which leads to called third strikes! And nothing takes the momentum out of a rally like a called third strike.

The same is true in business. Everybody wants to work for a winner. They want to follow a leader who acts with authority—someone who steps up and tries new things, even if it means striking out occasionally. It’s okay to swing and miss. But it’s not okay to just stand there and not swing at good pitches.

In other words, people will accept a leader who tries new things and experiences an occasional failure (loss). What they won’t suffer is a leader who stands there and lets the company stagnate as they watch opportunity after opportunity pass by.

So, with another baseball season just getting under way, maybe it’s time to take a closer look at your stance in the business batter’s box. Are your feet planted firmly? Do you have a solid grip on the bat? Are you prepared to SWING at opportunities that get served up to you?

Of course, you should dismiss quickly the opportunities that are wild pitches. Evaluate the ones that are close to the plate. Swing away at the opportunities that are right down the middle. Even if you don’t hit a home run you just might get an extra base hit!

Chuck Violand (more about Chuck)
SFS Instructor
CEO Violand Management Associates

As a coach I noticed that when a hard, round object is being thrown 60 to 70 miles per hour at a 14-year-old boy, it causes a lot of “nervous energy” to build up inside him!

Sometimes he’d work out that nervous energy by moving around in the batter’s box while waiting for the ball to arrive. We called this “dancing in the batter’s box.” This dancing is bad since it wastes a lot of energy, causes the batter to lose his concentration, and diminishes his ball-hitting power.  So it is important for the batter to plant his feet so he can get a solid swing at the ball.

Well, I’ve seen lot’s of business owners dancin’ in the batter’s box when it comes to making decisions in their companies. When considering the business fastballs we get thrown at us today I guess some “dancing” is no surprise.

The temptation is to dance around by reasoning, “If I don’t make a decision on this, at least I won’t make a costly error.” But when you consider the wasted energy, the slowed momentum, and the lost opportunities that occur by not making decisions the costs can be huge.

So in this post (And maybe another one- who knows?) I’ll share some coaching lessons that might help you avoid “dancin’ in the batter’s box”.

Lesson #1: Keep your eyes wide open for opportunities that are thrown your way. In baseball the batter just “keeps his eye on the ball”. But a baseball hitter has an advantage over a business owner. A batter can see when the pitch is going to be thrown and he can see what direction it’s coming from.  However…

In business opportunities can come from many different directions AND all at the same time!  PLUS many times opportunities can be hidden.  So it is up to you to recognize business opportunities and be prepared to take advantage of them.

So plant your feet and take a swing at the opportunity. Ask yourself, “What’s the worse that can happen if I miss?” Otherwise, you might let opportunity after opportunity pass you by while you’re waiting for that elusive “perfect pitch” that never arrives!

Here’s an example: You have an opportunity to bring a particularly good salesperson on board. But you’re concerned your sales volume won’t allow you to support his or her  salary. So you start dancin’: “Do I bring him on board and risk losing money? But if I don’t hire him will I miss sales opportunities because he’s not on board? And if I wait to hire him, will he find something else and not be available when I do decide to hire him?”

So stop your dancin’ and realize that the first important decision here is not whether you should bring him on board. Rather, it’s simply DECIDING one way or the other and then MOVING in that direction.

Now practice lesson #1 this week and then next week we’ll work on two more lessons.

Chuck Violand (more about Chuck)
SFS Instructor
CEO Violand Management Associates

1. Do you think having a marketing plan is a good idea? 100% said “Yes”!
2. Do you think a marketing plan would make you more profitable? 100% said “Yes”!
3. How many of you have a marketing plan? Only 8% said “Yes” which means 92% of the companies in attendance (including some very successful ones!) do NOT PLAN their marketing!

So the big question is why does everyone agree that marketing is the bedrock of their business but less than 1 in 12 have planned their marketing?

Coming up with a marketing plan for your company is like developing your very own personal fitness program. Everyone is different and your program must be developed individually based on the goals you hope to achieve.

While each marketing program is different they all have many similarities. In order to simplify this process your SFS team has created a two-page Marketing PLAN Checklist. If you follow the outline this should give you something that 92% of your competition doesn’t have – a Marketing PLAN!

Dwight Eisenhower while getting ready for the D-Day invasion said “Plans are nothing; planning is everything.” He said that once the first shot was fired his plans very likely would be useless. But it is the thinking through  the possibilities that allows you to have the flexibility to make adjustments in war or business.

Your Marketing PLAN is not an easy chore nor will it be a quick fix. However, the SFS Marketing PLAN Checklist will help you carefully think through each option. (The second page is a Marketing Resource Checklist with different tools to implement your plan.)

I look forward to your questions.  In fact, once you have completed your Marketing PLAN just send it to me at billy@jondon.com and I will review and comment on it for you free of charge and with no obligation on your part.

But wait- let’s tap into the power of our group here at SFS.JonDon.com!  After analyzing your Marketing PLAN I will remove all identifying stuff like your name and location and post it on this site so your fellow business owners and managers can weigh in with their ideas.

As Steve Toburen always says, “We’re all in this together!” And so we are.

Bill Yeadon

In case you missed the link above here is a button to download the SFS Marketing PLAN Checklist:
]]> http://sfs.jondon.com/12587/blog/do-you-plan-your-marketing/feed 0 http://sfs.jondon.com/12784/blog/hey-business-owner-whos-your-boss http://sfs.jondon.com/12784/blog/hey-business-owner-whos-your-boss#comments Thu, 12 Apr 2012 15:25:38 +0000 Chuck Violand http://sfs.jondon.com/?p=12784 As business owners most of us take credit for setting the direction of our company— laying out your business vision, planning for the future, setting goals, etc.  After all, I HOPE that back in November or December you invested two or three days to sit down and pore over your numbers.

You carefully planned how much you want to increase sales or shrink expenses in the coming year. You likely laid out objectives for adding to and/or developing your staff.  And just to gratify Steve Toburen you may have focused on systems so your business can run without your constant presence!

Then just to please Papa Nick Paolella you planned for all the new equipment you wanted to add during the coming year.  And, of course, with Big Billy Yeadon’s mentoring you noodled through all the nifty advertising programs you plan to implement.

In other words, most of us understand by now that regardless of how things turn out, we’re the ones responsible.

So, now let me ask you, who’s responsible for planning how you’re going to invest your time today, or even this week? After all, this week represents about 2% of the time you have to achieve the goals you set out for this year.

It’s important to keep in mind that what you accomplish each day has a cumulative effect on your business. And days go by fast. Soon days turn into weeks, weeks turn into months,etc, etc, etc. Before you know it, another year has gone by, and you’re sitting down in November again and reviewing how you did this past year. So how will you evaluate your own performance over the seven months till next November?

Are you taking charge of your own time—and results—by setting out your weekly schedule on Monday? Or are you letting somebody else do that for you?  Choose one or more: a) customers, b) employees, c) daily crises, d) your own inability to stay focused and/or e) whichever way the breeze blows?

Think about it.  Don’t you expect to know where your techs are while they’re on the clock? If you have a salesperson working for you, don’t you expect to know where he is and what he is doing each day this week? In the same way, you need to HOLD YOURSELF ACCOUNTABLE for how you invest your own time!

It’s amazing how many small business owners don’t manage their time by using a time or day planner. How can you expect your people to be accountable for their time and how can you expect to make the most effective use of your own time if you don’t use a time planner? If you don’t have one yet, why not make it your first priority to pick one up and start using it?

If you haven’t been using one because you’re not sure what you’re supposed to write in a planner start by writing down the important things you have planned for the day. If you don’t have anything you think is important enough to write in a planner- hmmmm.  Take this vacant space as a signal that you’re not using your time as effectively as you should be. So find more important things to do that you can write down.

A refrain I often hear from business owners is, “My schedule gets changed around all the time anyway so why should I bother writing things down?” Write down where you plan to be each day this week. Expect it to get interrupted. But, make sure that whatever activity interrupts it is more important than the activity you originally had planned.

When you take charge of your own time you’ll find that you can take credit for better results.

Chuck Violand (more about Chuck)
SFS Instructor
CEO Violand Management Associates

Ryan Donaldson, who is our resident concrete restoration expert at Jon-Don (and especially so in the high profit area of epoxy finishes) recently shared a very important form with me.  I think this Survey Form is essential if you are going to enter the “big money” field of concrete prep and decorative concrete.  Here are Ryan’s comments:

Steve-

Here is a survey form that I recommend to ALL epoxy flooring contractors.  It not only acts as a great tool to make sure an appropriate product is recommended for a given area, but also acts as a “Cover Your Butt” device if a floor fails.

For example, imagine this scenario:  The area site survey is completed by the contractor and agreed and signed off by facility maintenance manager, and a product is recommended (and installed)based on the temperatures, traffic conditions,  cleaning procedures and chemical exposure in that area.  Later the contractor gets a call and is told to replace the floor because it has “failed” and is under warranty.  The contractor then inspects the area and finds that the Facility has changed its operations and is now using harsh chemicals that caused the floor system to fail.

A signed area site survey would indeed help support his case from any inappropriate warranty claims.

(Here’s the link to the form again in case you missed it.)

Ryan Donaldson
Concrete Restoration Products Manager
Toll Free: 866-870-7966
Direct: 630-627-7075
Fax: 630-627-7910
Cell: 630-546-6924
e-mail: ryand@jondon.com

Even better, by involving yourself as the expert in the MAINTENANCE of the floor you will be the “go to guy” for ongoing maintenance and re-coatings.  I would encourage everyone to download this form not only to CYB but also to help you sell the job as an expert professional!

Steve

PS  Don’t forget that Ryan will be your “go to guy” in concrete.   He even shares his cell phone above!  Now that is service!  (Remember, IF you are going to offer this service you absolutely need to “do it right”!)

Plus don’t forget that you can make big money in concrete just by offering garage floor restoration to your residential clients as a very lucrative up-sell when you are on the job anyway!

Skill #6 Constructive confrontation – This is the willingness to hold people accountable for performing their jobs AND “taking appropriate action” when they don’t. For example, an employee might show up late for work. Rather than confronting the behavior immediately and directly with the employee some owners will avoid saying anything for fear of angering or alienating the employee. Then they’ll rationalize their decision by saying things like, “At least he showed up,” or “My customers love him so I have to cut him some slack.”

Constructive confrontation is addressing issues when they first appear and are small rather than waiting until they’re out of control. It’s being able to deal with customers and employees in a way that produces a positive result rather than anger and resentment.

Skill #7 Listening – This goes beyond simply hearing. It starts with wanting to listen. A lot of entrepreneurs have their own special way of listening. Some lean back in their executive chairs and say, “Go ahead, I’m listening” while all the time their minds are closed. Others continue to “multi-task” by clicking around on their computers or shuffling papers while an employee tries to make a point. The real point the executive is making is, “I don’t think you have anything worth listening to, so I’ll just keep working on my more important stuff while you talk.”

Listening also includes being willing to ask for help or opinions. Too often as a small business grows the owner becomes less and less willing to listen.  The result? Demotivated employees and further growth is hindered.

Skill #8 Basic understanding of financial reports – Like it or not, in business financial reports are your primary way to measure performance and progress. The greater your ability to understand these reports the greater your chance for success in business. The good news is you don’t have to be an accountant, a bookkeeper, or a math whiz to understand your finances. Just realize that every number on your financial statement is a little window through which you can see how well you’re managing your business. Viewed this way your numbers take on greater meaning and you can use this information to improve your company’s performance.

So now we’ve examined eight essential management skills:

Part I- Communication and organization

Part II-  Patience, discipline and execution

and now we’ve reviewed constructive communication, listening AND focusing on the “dreaded financials”!  Of course, each of these skills warrant a more in-depth look. So please dive into the wealth of practical leadership advice we offer on this website.

Chuck Violand (more about Chuck)
SFS Instructor
CEO Violand Management Associates

Remember, these skills have nothing to do with the technical elements of their businesses. Rather, they are skills that are necessary in order to lead and manage their companies. Last time we talked about Communication and Organization.

Skill #3 Patience – Don’t confuse patience with being weak. Being patient is understanding that not everyone operates the same way you do. And that’s usually a good thing. I find many entrepreneurs are impulsive, shoot-from-the-hip people. (Sound like anyone you know?)

So, while YOU are out “shooting things up” you desperately need someone to fill in the details behind you. This frequently falls to a staff member who takes time to methodically think things through.  Someone who usually takes more time than you to process information, make decisions, and complete tasks. So, although they may not move as fast as you, if they are doing a good job and deadlines are being met, then you just need to be patient with them AND the process they follow!

Skill #4 Discipline – This means maintaining self-control, high standards of character, orderliness, and efficiency in yourself and in your business even when you’re tired or when you just don’t feel like doing something. As the owner of the business, it’s easy to give yourself a “free pass” when it comes to doing things you would never let an employee get away with.

Steve Toburen in the SFS seminar says that entrepreneurs desperately need “accountability”.  For example, how often are you “easy on yourself” by coming in late, leaving early, not filling out paperwork and/or winking at your accountant as you deposit the cash job into your very own personal “Hip National Bank”? The list goes on and on.

The problem?  We do these things thinking our employees aren’t watching, or that the will not base their behavior based on the bad examples we’re setting. But trust me- your people ARE watching and “adjusting” their behavior. After all, if the boss does it… So being disciplined in business is doing the things you know you should be doing even when nobody’s watching, or when you can’t “get written up” for not doing them.

Skill #5 Execution – One definition of “execute” is “to create or produce in accordance with an idea, plan, or blueprint.” In business it’s all about accomplishing results, completing tasks, implementing plans. Execution is pulling the trigger on decisions even when you’re scared or don’t feel like it, following through on your promises, meeting business objectives. After all, think about it…

The opposite of execution is procrastination. And make no mistake about it- procrastination is delaying success. It’s no mistake that the words “execution” and “executive” have the same root word. YOU as an executive simply MUST execute!

In my next SFS Instructor’s Blog post we’ll focus in on the management side of your company.  I’ll share my thoughts on how to build a more successful carpet cleaning, janitorial, restoration or concrete surfacing business.

Chuck Violand (more about Chuck)
SFS Instructor
CEO Violand Management Associates

I knew exactly where I had last used it- Terminal D in Atlanta Hartsfield airport. After nearly stripping down at the Starbucks counter and finally resorting to using cash (how humiliating!) I went home terribly depressed.   I searched through my luggage, my clothes, jackets, car, garage floor but still no card.

Over the weekend I didn’t tell anyone because I thought my Starbucks card would somehow mysteriously appear on my desk. Monday morning came and still no card. I finally confessed my loss to my daughter (who was a Starbucks barista for a few years) and she said, “Dad, just call Starbucks and they will take care of it.”  Yeah, right …

Honestly, I believed Jennifer still had that endearing bit of naiveté that is a characteristic of youth.  After all, several decades of dealing with customer service on the phone told me calling any major corporation about a crummy missing card would not be fun.  But just to make her happy …

So when I called Starbucks the very personable operator just asked for my name and address. She said, “Well, Mr. Yeadon, it looks like you still have $52.10 on the card so we will reload it and send a new one out to you right away!” Flabbergasted I asked, “Uhhhh- what happens if someone in the Atlanta airport found it and used up all the money on it?”  She replied, “No problem- we will reload it anyway!”

I didn’t know what to say other than “WOW!  Thank you very much.”  With a customer service policy like this I’m sure the Starbucks operators are used to 60 year old men breaking down and crying out of sheer gratitude!

Now a skeptic may say, “Sure.  Starbucks has billions and can afford to take care of you.”  But I believe my little episode is just a part of the Starbucks culture that keeps them ahead of their fierce competitors like Dunkin’ Donuts and McDonalds. And my guess it isn’t easy to maintain this culture.  When you have 15,000+ stores worldwide it is easy to take your eye off that one customer.

Now my question for you is, “What can YOU do in your Value Added Service system and culture that makes that one individual customer go “WOW!  Thank you very much.”

Bill’s question was, “What are the skills most cleaners are lacking?” I replied that I assumed the cleaner (or any business owner) already has the technical skills needed to perform his or her services. After all, it’s difficult at best to be successful in your business if you don’t know how to perform the service you offer!

But beyond the basic technical skills business owners need to develop management and leadership skills if they want to build a successful organization rather than just “own a job”. Here are two of those essential business-building skills:

Skill #1:  Communication – The ability to convey a thought in a manner that the listener understands. It’s understanding that not everyone communicates in the same style as you. You must grasp that the best way to communicate with employees, customers, and suppliers is not necessarily the way you learned to communicate as you were growing up.

For example, a lot of entrepreneurs are extroverted people. My guess is you get excited about new ideas and can become “animated” when explaining them to your staff, family or friends. Your voice gets elevated, your arms fly around, and sometimes you virtually dance around the office because you are so excited!  Wonderful!

BUT some of your employees might be introverted.  (Nothing wrong with this.)  So even though these quiet people might be excited by the new idea, they don’t express it by shouting “Yeah!” or making wild gestures!  So it is easy for you as the entrepreneur to interpret this as a lack of enthusiasm for your new idea.  Or even worse a lack of commitment on the part of the employee. But it’s not. It’s simply a different style of communication.

Skill #2:  Organization – Being organized in business is not an option if you’re serious about building a successful company. It starts with accepting the fact that many (dare I say most, including YOU?) entrepreneurs are hopelessly disorganized people. They are so-called “big-picture” thinkers. As a result, a lot of the details for carrying out your plans “fall through the cracks”. Papers get misplaced. Appointments get missed. Details get skipped.

Now although these papers, appointments, and details are all vitally important in building a company it will be virtually impossible for you to change your behavior and become organized overnight. So, sometimes the best strategy is to surround yourself with highly organized people who can help you stay on track. This usually requires another skill, which I’ll talk about in my next SFS Instructor’s blog post … Patience!

Chuck Violand (more about Chuck)
SFS Instructor
CEO Violand Management Associates

Instead of me pontificating on marketing for cleaners I’m looking for your input on this question: “Do you feel you have a handle on your cost AND return on your marketing initiatives?” Why do I ask? Good point …

While reading a review on the book Marketing Metrics (Yes, I know- this isn’t exactly light reading but I love this stuff!) I came across two thought-provoking quotes. So now I want to know what YOU think.

First the statement: “Marketing is one of the least understood, least measurable functions at many companies…” My guess is this probably doesn’t surprise anyone.

The second quote is from a reviewer: “I agree while presuming to add that not all data (however accurate, relevant, and sufficient it may be) will possess a predictive capability. Recent research in neuroscience (e.g. involving use of fMRI technologies) suggests that some consumer behavior cannot be measured by traditional methodologies and at least some of that behavior can neither be measured nor managed.“ (I added the bold print.)

So if marketing (and managing prospect’s responses) is getting more difficult to measure then marketing must be more challenging for all of us. Once again, my question for you is, “Do you feel you have a handle on your cost AND return on your marketing initiatives?”

If your answer is a resounding “YES” then please share with us your marketing/measuring strategy. If you reply with a discouraged “NO” then please let your SFS team know how we can help. As Steve Toburen always says, “We’re all in this together!”

Bill Yeadon