Last week we talked about the entirely normal human desire to Make More Money! (MMM) Well, “Duh!” you’re thinking: “I know I want more money, Steve! Tell me how to make it!” Fair enough…
There are only three ways to MMM and they all work:
1) Produce more in less time. (Get more efficient in your work routine.)
2) Make more money in the same time. (Charge more.)
3) Do more business. (Increase the quantity of your calls/clients.)
And if you REALLY want to “clean up”? Do ALL of the above! But this week let’s focus on #1 and become more efficient by “getting sticky” even in the little stuff…
Place adhesive-backed velcro on the back of your tamping brush and your bone scraper. Now they will always be efficiently “stuck together”!
Meditate on how to keep like items “stuck together” in all areas of your business. (Misplaced items, confused tech calls back to the office and extra trips out to the van are not “efficient”!) For example…
Office: Post your phone script on the wall by each phone. Or program it to come up on your screen when the phone rings.
“On the job” paperwork: Use a separate Job Folder for each stop. Replace all promotional literature and contracts once per week in each color-coded Folder. Keep stacks of Folders ready to go. Just insert the Work Order and send it out the door!
Restoration HINT: “Modularize” items for the same task. We had “Pack out bins” (packing tape and tape guns, inventory sheets and stickers, magic markers, bubble wrap and packing paper, etc.) and “Board up bins” (heavy plastic sheeting and tarps, hammers, nails, staplers, skil saw, warning tape, cordless tools, flashlights, etc.) and “Hard surface furniture bins” … well, you get the idea! (All our different modular bins had an inventory list taped on top and were restocked after each loss.)
Commercial HINT: Fill out a Job Profile for each regular account. (Alarm codes, emergency contacts, breaker box and water tap location, what lights to leave on and areas to clean.) Place the Job Profile in the account’s Job Folder and send it out each time. (Quit depending on your tech’s memory!)
Your goal? To make your business run like a “well-oiled machine”! Focusing on “efficiency” breeds happy, motivated, fulfilled employees AND delighted Cheerleader Customers PLUS a healthy bank account for you!
Steve