Culture Shift? Or Just Being More Employee Focused"

I keep hearing people in the industry talking about how we need to change our culture. In fact, I spent almost two hours recently trying to figure out what a company president wanted from me. All he kept saying is that he wanted to change the company’s culture. I finally said, “Why don’t we move the entire business to central Africa, including all the employees, that would definitely change the culture.” He did not get my humor in that comment. Eventually I got him to give me a list of specific objectives that he wanted to meet.

I’m sure you’ve been at a meeting someplace and overheard someone saying their business needs a “culture shift” or “major change in the corporate culture”.  This whole “culture change” phenomena kind of reminds me of the term “Paradigm shift” that I heard way too many times from my days at General Electric over twenty years ago.

Before I started writing this article, I typed in the word “Culture” in my search engine box and I was surprised to see how many business coaches and consultants came up saying they were the experts in this latest buzz word taking over the business world. Yet when I tried to find information as to what they really did, or should I say, what objectives they met, I could not find anything. I come from the world of identifying the challenge, determine the root cause, develop a solution, process or system, to resolve it. You then measure it to make sure the solution is working, then go on to the next challenge. So, needless to say, this idea of changing culture as it is communicated today is a bit confusing to me.

I decide to look up the word culture in “the Free Dictionary” online. Here is what it says:

cul·ture  (kŭl′chər)

noun

a. The arts, beliefs, customs, institutions, and other products of human work and thought considered as a unit, especially with regard to a particular time or social group: Edwardian culture; Japanese culture.

b. These arts, beliefs, and other products considered with respect to a particular subject or mode of expression: musical culture; oral culture.

c. The set of predominating attitudes and behavior that characterize a group or organization: a manager who changed the corporate culture.

I will assume we are going to use the “c” definition of culture as our point of reference for this article. So, it says “The set of predominating attitudes and behavior that characterize a group or organization.” Based on this, the term “culture change or shift” must imply that we want to change the thinking, attitudes and/or behavior of the majority of individuals in a group of people who work together.

I decided to break this whole culture awareness thing down to one common and easy to understand objective rather than trying to read a variety of articles or hire a cultural change “guru”. Let’s make this as easy as possible. What we are really saying when we want to change our company’s culture is, that we want to make our employees happier about working in this particular business or organization by making specific changes that will positively affect the working environment and the morale of those who work there. In other words, be more “Employee Focused”, I guess.

If you read some of my previous articles here, you would have found a variety of ways to adjust your company’s methods and processes to improve morale, work ethic and loyalty with your team of employees. With the continued influx of the millennial class of employees we are finding that they insist and expect things to be quite different than they really find them when they start a new job. Some so-called experts say they need to get an example of “tough love”. I disagree. I think we should really pay attention to what this group of future employees say and how they believe things should be in order to be competitive as a business of the future. This same group of people are going to be our future customers. If they believe you are not doing anything special for your community, for your employees and for customers, they will not do business with you.

Here is a list of changes that I believe need to be implemented to become more employee, customer and community focused:

First, you need to understand that as an organization, you are in business to serve people. These people are your clients, your community and your employees. You can only do well financially if you take care of them.

Secondly. I call it the “Tripod of Success” there must be three winners. The Company, the Customers and The Employees. If one of them are being treated fairly and winning,, just like removing one leg of the tripod, your organization cannot stand up on only two legs and will topple over.

Third, you must accept that finding new employees is not simply putting an ad in the local paper or online job classified ad. Today’s most successful companies need to market themselves and their businesses as one of the most desirable available. It is no longer just about the money. It is more about being in a place where you feel appreciated and respected. Working in contracting businesses is a viable option for a life-long, successful career, you know it and I know it. Start with middle and high schools. No one else is speaking to them about working in skilled trades, it might as well be you who introduces them to an option that doesn’t require incredible debt and college.

Fourth. Great companies offer services for employees that help them personally. For example, I have several clients who offer financial counseling services that are coordinated through their bank for younger employees. I’ve also seen wellness programs put in place that give special incentives to employees who get regular checkups, join a fitness club and/or work towards a goal for improving their health scores. I recently met with the president of one of my client businesses that mentioned they have a counselor that is a part time member of the staff who is available should any employee suffer an emotional hardship, such as a loss of a child or relationship challenge. All conversations are kept between the counselor and employee.

Fifth. Now more than ever, especially newer and younger employees are expecting some sort of career guidance. I’m a huge proponent of mentoring. I recommend every new employee have the option available to have a more experienced employee or perhaps even a member of management who has volunteered to do so, become a mentor, to be there to answer questions, listen to recommendations and help in the future career of his or her potential successor.

Last, but surely not least. Employees like to have more input into how things are handled within the organization. Many millennials will have no problem walking into the CEO’s office and making suggestions a few days after starting a job. Most CEO’s would consider this offensive and disrespectful. However, keep in mind this employee has had the ability to do just that everywhere in their life up until this moment. I recommend that during the initial process of new employee on-boarding, that an organization goes through the various stages of how things are handled and hands over an employee handbook on the first day. As far as uphill communications are concerned, every company should have a method for employees to voice their concerns in a timely fashion and get feedback rather quickly. Please don’t tell me you have an open-door policy, it never worked before, doesn’t today. Also, a suggestion box is not the answer either. I recommend having regularly scheduled meeting where your teams get to meet, discuss topics openly and have the ability to communicate their thoughts and get an answer.

During many of my “Business Tune-up” employee meetings, I hand out a 5 x 7 index card and a pen. After a brief presentation as to why I’m there and I really value the front line employee’s opinions when I recommend changes or new ideas, I tell the employees that I would like them to list at least one recommendation on the card. Not a complaint, but a positive recommendation. I leave the room for 15-20 minutes and when I return, every person must put their card into a slot on top of a box I set at the door as they are leaving. This way I know everyone contributed something. I have had tremendous results with this.  Some people would never vocalize an idea but have no problem writing it down. Some of the best ideas have been brought forward this way. Questions? Send me an email at frankpresents@gmail.com.

Now, go forth and “Shift Your Culture”!

Frank Besednjak is a business coach and motivational speaker, he can be reached at his email frankpresents@gmail.com

Planning for 2017

At the end of every year, I take time to analyze or reorganize my business so that I can improve efficiency, offer better client services and improve profitability. Notice I did not say the words "Increase sales". Why not? First, I'm a business coach that focuses on creating great processes, leading and coaching people to become winners and offering awesome customer experiences.

I believe if you have great processes and make sure you have really good people, who understand the processes. the sales will happen. But if you focus on sales, and sales only, you can potentially double your revenue and because your company is inefficient, you will have to continue increasing your prices to compensate for inefficiencies. Believe me, I have seen this situation on more than one occasion. I've seen companies drive themselves out of business, simply because they only focused on gross sales and did not run their business effectively.

So, let's break things down to seven specific questions to ask yourself:

1. How Could I Increase Customer Exposure and Revenue per Customer?

What changes can can be made in the coming year that will help increase my client base in the next twelve months? Customer service training for employees? Or maybe a new advertising campaign that actually works? Keep in mind about 70% of your clients are repeat customers. What can you do to get them to spend a bit more per transaction or use your product or service more often? Or just increase the services or products you offer and make sure you communicate them effectively at every opportunity.

2. Should I Dump Non-Profitable Services and/or Products

How may things are you involved with that generate virtually no profit, yet use up resources? Focus on products and services that provide a high return on your investment. If it hasn't paid off yet, it probably never will. Maybe it is time to just write off your losses and focus on what you do extremely well.

3. Look for New Profitable Services and Products

Is there anything that you should be offering that perhaps will gain you an edge? Maybe you should take a second look at what you were considering when you went to the last trade show or conference. Perhaps adding a service to your menu may bring in more clients that you couldn't get otherwise. Or perhaps there is an add-on service or product that you could offer in your market that none of your competitors are offering.

4. Evaluate Your Relationships at Work

Every team member needs to hear from a manager as to how they are doing and what is expected from them this next year. Be honest and give real ongoing feedback and don't forget to reward good behavior! This is also a good time to look over your business relationships. For example; partners, vendors and suppliers. Are you really benefiting from this relationship or not? Maybe re-evaluating relationship and taking the time to look at what else is available could save you some money and possibly get you better service.

5. Evaluate Your Systems and Processes

This is a big one! No better time than right now to figure out what you are doing well and not so well, and how you can improve it. Get your team involved in this. You may also be missing some incredible efficiency improvement methods by not considering a technology change. There are so many systems available out there that make running businesses easier, that you would be an idiot to not check them out. Also, if you are still hand writing documents instead of using a tablet or computer, please take the time to contact me and I'll recommend a few software providers that will take you out of the stone age with a very limited investment that will pay for itself in a few months. 

6. Find New Ways to "WOW" Your Customers

Customers make buying decisions primarily based on emotions. Building relationships, creating awesome experiences and doing things none of your competitors will do is what makes you the best at your game. Constantly be on the lookout on what can be done to enhance what you offer your clients. Try calling and asking them, it really does make a difference. You may even consider calling clients who no longer do business with you and ask them why not.

7. Help Your Employees Manage Their Careers and Lives

The best employees work for the best companies and the best companies have the best employees. Getting employees involved in the success and growth of the company is essential, at the same time it is so very important to help employees in their career and growth by offering training and career advice. I visited one company that had a financial consultant from a local bank come in every few weeks to help employees manage their personal finances. The representative from the bank did it free while trying to solicit new clients, who of course were the employees. The company even invited spouses in to participate. If you have younger employees who are starting a family, odds are, they are struggling or confused with their finances. Those who required additional help would meet with the bank representative privately. Contact the bank you use and see if they offer these services.

Make it a point to regularly take the time to look over your business. Re-engineer how things are done, listen to your team and take recommendations seriously, call some clients and ask what you can do better. Remember, there is always room for improvement.

Things Business Managers Say That Make Me Want to Rip My Hair Out! (Wait, I don't have any hair!)

Odds are that sometime in your life you've encountered a sports coach or other person who made a positive difference in your life. Whether it was from your childhood memories or as a parent watching your child, you probably have a good idea of the type of coach that you would prefer to lead you or your child to success. Being a great coach in business is not much different than a coach in sports. The business coach has most likely had many years of experience in your industry and has probably visited a variety of businesses who have a varying degree of challenges.

As you probably know I'm a business coach. I enjoy helping people and organizations reach their highest potential. During my last 23 years of assisting a variety of professionals, managers and business owners, I've had the opportunity to experience a very diverse set of business processes, work habits and leadership methods. I guess I would have to say they every business has its own "Unique Business Personality".

On occasion, I encounter a situation where I make what I think is a recommendation for improvement and it gets denied. Usually it is because the business leaders believe they have a better solution than what I recommend, or they do not believe the obvious deficiency that I'm pointing out, is a problem that needs to be addressed or they do not want to confront it for reasons unknown to me.

A few years ago, after spending quite a bit of time analyzing processes and leadership methods, during a site visit with an organization, I made my opinion well known about several employees' undesirable behavior, and how it negatively impacted the overall business objectives. After sharing several possible solutions to resolving the issue. I'm told that there is nothing that we can do about it. Basically saying, that I should ignore it.

I also had a case where I went into a business to help them improve their customer service and professionalism in the field, yet after spending a few hours in the office I could clearly see there were several personality conflicts and lack of processes or guidelines in the areas of customer service focus, in phone skills and dispatching. Everyone just did whatever they felt like doing. It felt like total chaos to me. I brought it to the attention of the business owner and was told that he has an office manager who is fully capable of handling that. He said he wanted me to focus on the field service part of the business, not the office. To me field service is a process that starts when the phone rings. I told him that the office didn't seem to be running well and it looked like a circus to me, and if he expected his field employees to be acting and working in a professional manner than he needed to also get his administrative staff in shape also. Of course, he told me it was a matter that is being handled internally and he was not interested in discussing it any further. So, I let it go that day. The following morning, I'm holding a meeting with the field employees and all I keep hearing about is how screwed up the office is. Of course, I eventually did get the business owner to finally agree with me. Eventually, we worked together and resolved the challenges of the administrative staff.

In another situation, I was watching a service representative on the phone take a call, then print it out, take a picture of it with her phone then text it to the service technician. I asked the owner of the company why they just couldn't send it directly through the system, the owner tells me that she (the service rep) prefers to do it that way.

I could go on and on about the crazy things I've seen but instead of boring you with an incredible amount of detail, I'll just run through a list of things that I have heard over the years as "Sacred Territory", or things some of my clients have done that just makes no sense to me, or that I had to spend extra time and effort getting them to realize that there is a better way.

Here as some examples of a few things that I've experienced, followed by my sarcastic, yet truthful comments:

• Company has a "Technology Guru" who will create their own service management software system that will be designed specifically for that business. Okay I will build my own car and it will be better than the car manufacturers' can make. Plus, since we drive our car in such a unique way, none of the other cars out there will work for us.
• Although I have a supervisor who is rude, obnoxious and disrespectful to employees and customers, there is nothing we could do about it because he has been here for 27 years. Really? Let me spend a few days with him/her. Things will get better or we will be hiring a new supervisor!
• One of my installer's handles the updating of our website and social media. Okay, this could be a real issue if the installer gets terminated or gets mad at the company and quits. Again, we tell our customers to only hire professionals, yet we don't!
• We have our own print shop in house because we send out so many mailers. I didn't want to pay expensive printing fees so I decided to do it all in house. Why don't you deliver the mailers too. Why pay the post office when you can do it yourselves? Have you considered email?
• We are proud to say that we complete more service calls, per tech, per day than any of our competitors! I didn't know that there was a contest for that! Really! Don't you measure revenue per call? I'm telling them to spend more time with the customer and make sure your focus is on doing a great job and checking everything. Then leadership tells them "Hurry up! You have 8 more customers to get to today.
• Do you have a video, maybe an hour long, to teach my guys how to sell and talk to customers properly? If that was possible, I'm sure I would have sold several million copies. This just as bad as the people who ask if I can do a two or three-hour class that covers everything the need to service HVAC products.
• As the business owner, I really see no reason why I need to go into the office. OMG! Not showing up means you don't care to be with your team, being there is so incredibly important to them.
• One company I worked with allowed employees to do side work. The reason? The owner of the company says it saves him from having to pay them more than he does now. Guess what? You are paying more than you can possibly imagine in lost sales, parts, products, maintenance agreements etc. . . I can hear it now. . , "I can come back this weekend on my time and do this job much cheaper"
• I don't see the need to have formal reviews with employees, I have an open-door policy, whenever they want something, they are free to come see me! People need feedback on a regular basis. Just like in sports, we all need to know what the score is and if we are winning. By the way, who sets themselves up to go listen to a twenty minute lecture on how tough business is today?
• I have great relationships with my employees, my wife has become very close with their wives, and they are always invited to family gatherings. We have even taken a few family vacations together. Everything is great until you need to fire someone, now what?
• I don't see a need to measure individual performance. Everyone knows how they are doing. How do you determine who your most valuable player is? How do you determine pay increases? How do you know if someone needs training or improvement?
• There is no need to measure customer service, my customers will let me know when something is wrong. Most customers who are upset just leave and tell their friends, they do not tell you.
• I don't care about my rating at the BBB, Google, Yelp, they really don't matter!. Oh, yes they do! They really do matter. Take the time to research yourself on a regular basis and resolve or reply to any negative comments.

I could probably go on and on. Unfortunately, the people who really must have a better insight on running a business, will probably never read this. For those of you who do. . . Congratulations! You are yet another step closer to becoming the best you can be! Thanks again for reading my posts! If you enjoy my articles, please email me at the email address below and let me know. Just like any person working to help others do better, I love feedback!

Proper Care and Handling of "Millennials"

I'm sure you have heard the term "Millennials". I'm also fairly positive that you may have already developed an opinion of what they are all about and who they are. I will make an attempt to clarify this group and hopefully share some insight into how to best lead them to create a win-win situation. Whenever I mention the term "Millennials" in a group of contractors, I here people start moaning about how these people don't want to work, spoiled brats, don't know anything and expect everything, etc, etc.

Although there is plenty of debate about how this group developed, why they have a distinctive personality and work ethic uniquely different than all previous age groups. Especially when it comes to the workplace. To understand who they are and how they were created, we need to understand the circumstances that created this group of people called "Millennials". Generally, they are those who were born from about 1985 to sometime before 2000. It may vary one to 10 years depending upon geography and social background.

The "Baby-Boomers", which happens to be the group I am in, were defined as the group who brought sex drugs and rock and roll into our society. Although they did party and included the "Viet Nam Era" of youths. They eventually developed a strong work ethic and drive to show everyone, including themselves, what they will be able to accomplish and were fairly successful at doing well financially. We wanted the boat on the lake, had great friends, have fun and enjoy sporting events. The "Generation X" group were those born from between 1965 and 1985. Gen Xers were defined during a period of broken homes, turmoil and parents who typically were more concerned about self-interests, personal pleasure and basically themselves, probably a bit more, rather than focus in on the specific needs and wants of their own children and classic family situation. They were the group who had parents that would use television as a babysitter, probably used drugs at one time or another and also had social circles of similar other parents that were within their own class or financial circles.

This group of "Generation X" people who eventually became parents and wanted to make sure their children received plenty of attention that they may have not received as children. Eventually this resulted with the development of a group of young adults who were constantly fed positive feedback, no matter how well or poorly they behaved or functioned. They were rewarded for just being there and struggled do differentiate between working hard and having good feedback and not doing anything and getting the same result. Eventually causing confusion as to what was expected of them in the real world. The Gen X parents made it a point to make every attempt possible to make sure their children did not have to experience or get exposed to negativism, criticism or violence. Eventually even many our school systems decided that no one would get a failing grade and that any negative behavior demonstrated by a child was not the child, but it must have been something in their personal environment, or medical disorder that needed treatment, that was causing the problem. Parents did whatever they could to minimize any negativity or potential failure of these children, including creating various disorders that resulted in the medicating of millions of students. This developed into a group of young people who, on the average, do not have the ability to adequately perform in a typical work environment that was originally designed for the "Baby boomers" generation.

Now that we have an understanding of how this group became who they are, let's discuss how to best adapt our business methods to be able to operate with millennials in our places of work.

First, it is important to understand that millennials do not like to be micro-managed, being told what to say, how to act, what to wear and have to deal with huge bureaucracy when they have an opinion or idea. They have limited experience receiving that type of feedback or even being told what to do. The idea of giving tasks to this employee and just expecting them to do something without an idea of what the final outcome or goal is, does not work.

Keep in mind this group of team members, Yes, I said team members, are expecting to have a defined role in an overall mission that is heading towards an established goal that rewards everyone on the team. In other words, they want to be part of what the business is really trying to do and understand how it will involve and reward them when they contribute. It is what they have learned in their childhood.

They care about the future. Millennials want to know what the next logical step is for their career. So make it a point to show them a possible career growth chart and help them make one for themselves. They also need to know what they have to do, within this team to get to the next steps.

They love technology. If you are still filling out invoices on paper and dispatching by telephone, these people will not stay long if they see no changes being made to keep up with the rest of the world. These folks make it a point to immediately buy a new I-phone within a week of its introduction, even if the device does nothing much different than what they currently have. They will sure not want to start using a pencil or pen. If you are in the process of transitioning to a paperless workplace, get the millennials in your place involved. Believe me, they know what is going on, much more than you do.

Change is good for them. Doing the same thing over and over again is boring to them, they need to be exposed to different things often to keep their attention. Don't be afraid to let them try installing new products, looking at reviewing new technologies and meeting with distributors.

Be a company that is impressive. They look at their career as something to brag about to their social group. If you are Joe Blow Mechanical Company and have no advertising, no real market presence and have virtually no impact in the community, most likely they will be looking for a new job as soon as they believe in their mind, and their friends believe that you are company that really has no presence in the market and doesn't seem to be changing things to improve that..

Social and personal lives are more important to them. Allowing them the opportunity to adjust their work hours to be able to accommodate their personal and family life will strengthen your odds of hiring better people and keeping them. This doesn't mean you let people come and go as they please. It just means that it is important to consider their needs, much more than you ever had before to allow personal time. I ran a service group with over 75 field service technicians and had some starting at 6:30AM in half hour increments to some even starting at noon. The starting time for each employee was determined through a review of the history of what our customers demanded and requested, plus the personal needs and wants of my team members. I was not going to force an employee, who prefers to work all afternoon and doesn't like to get up before 10AM, to start at 6:30AM when I had a segment of my customer population who created more than enough work to keep him more than busy every evening of the week. It turned into a win-win-win situation for everyone.

They want you to listen. Creating and establishing a consistent method for feedback that you actually respond to is critical. Since they are part of the team, they want some say as to how things are done. This doesn't mean you have to sit and have a meeting every time they think of something. Perhaps just an email or text would be suitable, acknowledge and respond every time. Some of the best ideas that were implemented when I was a manager at GE and RCA came from employees, they usually will be able to give you better insight as to what is really going on.

In 2015, Amazon overtook Wal-Mart as the biggest US retailer. Amazon is a unique employer who goes out of their way to draw millennial employees. Originally they were not very "employee-friendly". Employees were driven to perform at their highest pace possible. Run like last century's workplaces, the employees didn't last long. Unlike "Google" or "Quicken" who are highly desirable to millennials, Amazon falls short of providing all of the expectations that millennials are looking for in an employer. Yet they still employee more millennials per capita than most every other employer in the US.

As we've seen, Millennials need constant affirmation: Amazon supplies this with ongoing evaluations, reviews, and status-updates. They also expect ideas and recommendations from everyone. If an employee has an idea that will improve productivity, they are expected and recognized for bringing it up. The warning of a high turnover rate (only 15% of the company has been there more than 5 years) is a good fit for a generation of workers who average two years per employer. The fact that their starting pay is higher than most every other employer in the area. (Starting pay at Amazon may start at fourteen dollars an hour up to twenty-one dollars an hour, plus full benefits, even for part time workers), is also attractive. During holidays, workers are expected to work sixty or more hours per week.

Lazy people do not last at Amazon. The trial-by-fire approach Amazon employs will speak to Millennials' desire for constant improvement and the acquisition of new skills-a generation raised on video games is always looking for the next way to "level up."

Sure, Amazon's corporate culture leaves a lot to be desired, but the company is not in danger of a Millennial employee exodus. The constant evaluations, evolving workplace, and ethos of constant improvement all appeal to a generation in need of regular feedback, short-term, career-focused positions, and achievement-driven employment.

Although Amazon may be getting the softer side of corporate culture wrong, it is serving the needs of career-focused Millennials. Forbes Magazine listed Amazon as number 10 in the top 25 in a 2016 Millennial Career Survey Preferred Companies to work for.

The good thing about hiring a millennial who worked at least a few years at Amazon, they learned how to work hard, but do expect a great deal of feedback on a regular basis.

The NSHSS (National Society of High School Scholars) surveyed 13,000 students, ages 15 to 32. Over half, (55%) expressed entrepreneurial interests and would want to start their own business. To me, this means that you may have a better chance of promoting or getting a millennial to have more interest in business and management than other age groups.

The most important factors in choosing an employer to millennials are as follows:
Treat employees fairly - 73.1%
Flexible work hours/schedule - 70%
Benefits - 60.1%
Corporate social responsibility - 46.6%
Base salary - 45.9%
Brand image of the company - 39.5%
Prestige - 30.5%
Performance bonus/rewards - 19%

What does this mean to you, the contractor and business owner?
First and foremost, on top of the millennial list we have "treat employees fairly" and "flexible work hours".

Keep in mind, these people have been exposed a mindset that many corporations and businesses are only out to take advantage of their workers and are only concerned with making money. So naturally they are very concerned about being in an environment where they are treated poorly. Make sure that a new millennial is exposed to and engages with your most enthusiastic and positive team members. This will get them past the fear of just being a spoke in a wheel.

In regard to flexible work hours and schedule. It is a 24 hour a day world today. I see no problem making a schedule whereby an employee may work a 10 or 12-hour day and get additional day or days off. In fact, studies have shown that an employee is more productive working 4 - 10 hour days rather then 5 - 8 hour days!

Obviously benefits are important simply because we have a law that requires that everyone has health insurance. This is no doubt going to be on the top of the mind of any employee.

Corporate social responsibility. Once again, we have a group of people that have been given the idea that big business doesn't care about people and is only concerned about profits. It should be a regular practice of any business to be socially responsible and involved in local events. It is not only a good thing to do but helping out your local community reaps plenty of rewards for your business in various ways.

Salary is on everyone's mind, but the next one, "Brand image of the company" is unique to millennials. The number one company that millennials wanted to work is "Google" in 2015. It is a well-known brand that they see all day long simply because they are spending a large part of their day connected to the internet and social media. A millennial wants to be able to share and be proud of the brand they are working for. If your company is not on social media, and has a nice website with a great presence, you may be missing out, not only for potential employees but to your new upcoming customer base of millennials.

Prestige and bonuses for performance should always be part of your culture. Using great metrics that are in line with organizational objectives, and a reward system that recognizes performance improvement, will always encourage gains in profitability if implemented correctly.

Millennials are much more socially connected than any other group ever in society. They know about everything that is happening, not only within their group of friends but also every event that happens to occur moment by moment. They expect to get feedback regularly not once a month, but every day and perhaps every hour if possible. They live in the right now. They expect results and information immediately and often. Should you have a situation within the business that may cause an effect on them, they feel like they need to be involved. Millennials also like to be able to share their ideas and concerns openly with management. This means there needs to be a method of connecting with management and allowing open communications. Amazon for example encourages and expects feedback from every employee in regard to problems and recommendations.

Millennials also expect a learning environment are very willing to learn new things if they recognize the benefits of why they are doing what they are doing. If you happen to get a millennial asking for a job who looks professional, shows up early, willing to work long hours and then pummels you with questions about what you have to offer and the expected long term benefits. . . Hire that person! You have yourself a winner who will actually work. They have the right attitude. You can teach them everything else!

Please recognize that this group has been insulated from a lot of reality, steered in a direction of looking for utopia and requires a period of transition into the reality of a career in the contracting business.

So now what? The biggest challenge facing our business is finding employees. I encourage you to take the time to visit middle schools, high schools and even colleges to share your knowledge and information on what is becoming the best career opportunity in this country. The potential for success and the highest need for employees is in the skilled trade industries.

You may not realize it but people who know and do what you do are becoming rare. When a commodity becomes difficult to find, the value increases and the price increases. Raise your price, set aside some funds to hire motivated people and teach them what they need to do. The days of the same group of guys who have limited ambition and are jumping from one contractor to another for a few extra nickels will soon be over.

Now is the best time to move forward, creating new objectives and considering different ways to get there. If you need my help to do it, or would like me to speak at an event. I can be reached at frankpresents@gmail.com.

Getting it All Together

I've been struggling with some issues these past few months. Divorce, living alone again, PTSD issues resurfacing, struggle to get off of Opioids. Business changes. Losing medical insurance and having to go to the VA, Etc, Etc.

I have to admit I've learned a few new things about myself these last few months.

There is a story about every person, including me. All of those stories and experiences have made me who I am today. Some are horrific, some I will never forget, some I really want to forget but can't, Some I never want to forget. Several of these events replay in my head, over and over again, I keep looking for a possible solution to what happened. Trying to examine what I did wrong or could have done differently to make the result turn out better, hoping I can fix it somehow. Even though I know it is impossible, I keep trying to figure out a way to change history, to fix it, just make everything be okay.

I'm just starting to accept my history, I can't bring people back from the dead. I can't remove pain that is already done and gone. I can't ignore the pictures in my head, but I can choose to not look that way or pull them out to re-examine them.

It is my history, I have to learn to just accept it, they are my stories, my life experiences, it is who I am. All of these experiences molded me into what I am today. I realize there is some damage and issues that really cannot be fixed, I can't go back in time and undo everything or erase things. It is totally impossible to make them better.

These experiences molded me to become what I am. There is a reason for everything. It is how I was made, it is why I am here. Because if it wasn't for my history, I wouldn't be who I am today. So my new goal, my new mission is to create new history that makes a positive difference, that promotes my thinking, lets me refocus. Making things happen that will help me and others, maybe change lives for the better.

I'm starting to figure out how to be okay and become happy about who I am today. It is a slow crawl up a steep hill, but it is well worth the trip.

My history is something that only God understands and put there, He makes everything happen for a reason, to make that special me.

The one and only Frank Besednjak.

Setting up Your Kids for Failure

Hey parents! Spending a bunch of money on a college degree may be the worst investment ever. In the past 10-15 years, parents and high school students have been led to believe that a college degree is a must have to become successful. About 40% never finish college then believe they are a failure and go on to work in an unskilled job that will never lead to a rewarding career. In fact a larger and larger percentage of college graduates begin their careers in a job that requires nothing but a high school diploma, and they stay in it for years because they lack any skills that are needed in the workplace. They wasted time and money in getting a degree in something they found interesting, rather than useful. Seems no one is taking a look at the market and trying to find a skill, talent or career in something that people want to pay for.
I remember discussing this in one of my workshops and I mentioned a degree in Anthropology for example, as something that would limit your marketability. I had someone in the group tell me they had a degree in Anthropology. I asked her how long ago she graduated and what she was doing now and how much she was being paid. She said she graduated five years ago, currently in her fourth job since graduating. Since college has worked in various jobs in hotels and restaurants. Most recently she is working in a clerical position supporting a sales team. Current pay is $12.75 an hour. Still paying off student loans.

Recent studies have shown that a beginner plumbers apprentice, with no experience, makes more than the average four year college graduate. As the years go by, statistically, we are finding that over a lifetime, a person would be much better off financially in their career choices to get a job in the skills trades, simply because the demand is so high, causing the average pay to continue to climb.

Most of my customers are contractors and are struggling to find employees. When I ask what the qualifications are, I hear things like, "Someone who is willing to learn, drug free, will show up everyday, follows instructions well, good communication skills, knows how to use hand tools and is friendly and can work well with others."
Unfortunately, parents today don't raise their children with the understanding of how important these simple basic skills are to becoming happy and successful. I would bet if you asked the average 18 year old to go find a crescent wrench or Phillips screwdriver in a tool box, they wouldn't know what to look for. But I would bet money that they would be able to tell you everything about the life of Kim Kardashian or what the latest trends in shoe wear is.
We need to get our kids ready for life folks. It's going to be a very difficult future if we don't stop and realize that the future of our country is at risk here. Stop kissing your kids butts and telling them it's okay to waste all of that money and time on something they find interesting now. Encourage them to look at the job market and plan for the future. Otherwise their short term goals of being entertained in college will result in a long term feeling of being a dismal failure. Unless of course you are happy having them hanging out in your home and being taken care of by you the rest of eternity.

Six Important Things to Consider Every New Year in Your Business

1. How to Increase Sales
What changes can can be made in the coming year that will help increase sales to your customers in the next twelve months? Will it be a new pricing structure? Sales training for employees? Or maybe a new advertising campaign that actually works. Keep in mind about 70% of your clients are repeat customers. What can you do to get them to spend a bit more or use your product or service more often?

2. Dump Non-Profitable Services and/or Products
How may things are you involved with that generates virtually no profit? Focus on products and services that provide a high return on your investment. If it hasn't paid off yet, it never will.

3. Look for New Profitable Services and Products
Is there anything that you should be offering that you are not? Maybe you should take a second look at what you were considering when you went to the last trade show or conference. Perhaps adding a service to your menu may bring in more clients that you couldn't get otherwise.

4. Evaluate Your Relationships at Work
Every team member needs to hear from a manager as to how they are doing and what is expected from them this year. This is also a good time to look over your business relationships like, partners, vendors and suppliers. Are you really benefiting from this relationship or not?

5. Evaluate Your Systems and Processes
No better time than right now to figure out what you are doing well and not so well, and how you can improve it. Get your team involved in this. (Click here for a link to a video I made on that subject.) You may also be missing some incredible efficiency improvement methods by not considering a technology change. There are so many systems available out there that make running businesses easier, that you would be an idiot to not check them out.

6. Find New Ways to "WOW" Your Customers
Customers make buying decisions primarily based on emotions. Busilding relationships, creating awesome experiences and doing things none of your competitors will do is what makes you the best at your game. Constantly be on the lookout on what can be done to enhance what you offer your clients. Try calling and asking them, it does make a difference.

Fundamental Attribution Error

Many managers struggle with employee performance, motivation and attitude. As a business coach, I find the majority of time, it is not the employee creating the problem, it is a poor process or lack of a process altogether. The following is an article discussing "Fundamental Attribution Error" I believe you will enjoy it!

In social psychology, the fundamental attribution error, also known as the correspondence bias or attribution effect, is the tendency for people to place an undue emphasis on internal characteristics (personality) to explain someone else's behavior in a given situation rather than considering the situation's external factors. It does not explain interpretations of one's own behavior, where situational factors are more easily recognized and can thus be taken into consideration. Conversely, from the other perspective, this error is known as the actor-observer bias, in which people tend to overemphasize the role of a situation in their behaviors and underemphasize the role of their own personalities. The phrase was coined by Lee Ross some years after a classic experiment by Edward E. Jones and Victor Harris (1967). What does "Fundamental Attribution Error" mean in business? Managers and supervisors have a tendency to look at a team member and place blame on their inability to perform on the persons internal characteristics or personality. In other words, we believe a team member cannot do the job because of who they are or how they think. I've had hundreds of employees in my past, and as you probably agree, people are different. We think differently, act differently and respond to stimulus differently. This being the case, leaders should also recognize that different personalities respond differently dependent upon the type of environment, the tools they have, information that is presented to them and how it is presented. So how does this relate to the job? Beware of blaming people for things they really have no control over or are simply doing what they think is right in the environment they are and with the tools they have. For example: Let's say you have an employee who may have a problem completing a series of tasks in a specified order at a specified time. Instead, this person occasionally forgets steps, takes too long or just fails to document what they did. To the manager, this may seem as a simple act of insubordination or lack of concern on the part of the employee. The manager just committed "fundamental attribution error". Instead of looking for a process or method to resolve the challenge, blame was immediately placed on the employee and his or her personality traits or work ethic. The problem could have been corrected with a simple check list or log that allowed the employee to confirm and verify that all taske were completed and when they were completed. What I recommend is to have a system or process that encourages, measures and confirms specific tasks that limit the possibility of error rather than hoping someone follows verbal instructions and remembers everything they were told to do. I speak about this quite a bit in my workshops. Reduce or eliminate problems by focusing on the process rather than the person. Improve the process so that it is dummy proof and you eliminate the error. Don't expect everyone to know exactly what to do everyday, for every situation. Allow them the opportunity to have the information and resources to do the job as intended, at the time when it is most needed. Don't commit fundamental attribution error. I had a boss who told me many years ago; "If you eliminate all possible excuses from an employee, they have no reason to not perform well".

Acquiring and Motivating New Employees

One comment I hear a lot is “I can’t find anyone who wants to work!” or “I can’t get my employees motivated!” I’ve always said, “Manage processes, not people”. If you have the right processes in place, with the right people, include the right motivating factors, they won’t need someone to tell them what they need to do, they will already know and they will want to do it, the right way. One of the best articles I ever read about getting better employees was “Business Buzz” by Tom Grandy in last month’s issue, titled, “The Tech Shortage is Really a Pricing Problem!”. I encourage you to find it and read it. Mr. Grandy points out that increasing employee pay and benefits, plus, transitioning over to a flat rate pricing system, is a very simple way to encourage potential employees to come work for you. Want the best employees showing up at your door? Be the best place to work by offering the best pay and benefits anywhere! Since Mr. Grandy did such an awesome job pointing out how to get people showing up wanting to work for you, I will focus on motivational factors of new employees. Over 44% of the workforce in HVAC will retire in the next ten years*. That will leave a huge hole in an industry whose employment needs are projected to grow 21% through 2022*, faster than any other occupation! So now we have an aging workforce leaving with a new generation of workers coming in with a set of different motivating factors and different goals. We need to be ready to handle this. Below is a report put out by “The Intelligence Group” a business investigations and intelligence firm. Here are the results of a study about millennials in 2015; • Will make up more than 40% of the workforce by 2020 • 64% of them say it’s a priority for them to make the world a better place. • 72% would like to be their own boss. But if they do have to work for a boss, 79% of them would want that boss to serve more as a coach or mentor. • 88% prefer a collaborative work-culture rather than a competitive one. • 74% want flexible work schedules. • 88% want “work-life integration,” which isn’t the same as work-life balance, since work and life now blend together inextricably. • 80% said they use social media and the internet as a primary source of news and information. • 64% would rather make $40,000 per year at a job they love than $100,000 a year at a job they think is boring. How do these statistics apply to an HVAC business? Since I am limited in space for this article, I cannot get into great detail or specifics, but I will say that all of these factors have to be taken into consideration when hiring and managing employees. For example, since 88% prefer a collaborative work culture rather than a competitive one, set up goals and contests that reward the team along with individual compensation. As far as offering flexible work schedules, I already know of several contractors who have set up four-day work weeks, allowing a longer period of time off. Some employees may not mind working four, ten or twelve hour days if they could get a long weekend. Since they consider work and personal life blended, a company should consider having the employees spouse or family involved in company activities if possible. Insight into a person’s workday may help the spouse have a better understanding into what is really going on every day. I would also highly recommend that your set of work rules and employee handbook be rewritten by the employees every 2-3 years simply to get input from the team. If they made the rules, they are more likely to agree and go along with them. Being that social media and the internet is such a big part of their life, make the use of technology as part of their jobs. Everything an employee should need to perform their job should be made available when they need it. Those who have the most information always do best. I encourage you to look at some of the technologies available that make it easier for employees to do their jobs by having the information they need to do it available through a link online. If you don’t know where to find these systems, go to my website at frankpresents.com. I have a list of various resources that will help. We have to begin looking at people differently. Getting people to do something just for the pay isn’t enough. The employees of today and the future want more, they want to have some control over their routines, they want some say into the future of the company they work for, they want to have more time with their family and they want to feel like it isn’t just work. They want to have access to information when they need it. They want to believe what they do makes a difference. They want to be proud of what they do and enjoy doing it. Changing everything to meet the needs of the future workforce doesn’t happen in a day. A few steps at a time will eventually get you there. Focusing on the needs of your team has to be a priority, because if it isn’t, you wind up with people who just show up to get paid, instead of driven, hard-working team members who want to win. Start making the change by asking and talking about what they want to see or do differently. You’ll be surprised how much you’ll learn.

Free College?!? What the f--k?

I hear these politicians coming up with ideas and plans that everyone should get free college, tuition paid by taxpayers. We already have enough people going to college and graduating to come out with a degree in Music History, Art History, Anthropology, Philosophy or Creative Writing. None leading to a career in anything. Yes, let's have more of that!

Five words you should stop using in your advertising

Five words you should stop using in your advertising * Quality * Value * Service * Caring * Integrity I personally believe people have become numb to the claims of great service and high quality. Whenever I'm coaching a business I will regularly ask various employees in that business why a customer should select them over anyone else. I always hear the same things; we do quality work, great service, we care about the customer, honesty and integrity or great value. I'm sure you've seen these types of slogans in ads. "Quality Service", "Great Value", "Caring People", "Integrity Matters to us", Best Service Around" or this awesome statement; Value, Integrity, Quality and our Caring Staff is What Makes Our Service Great". So read these again and tell me if these words will make you want to do business with that company, versus the other fifty companies in your town who say the same thing. These five words, and other ones like "Honest" or "Best" really are useless too. If you live in most any large city, you've probably seen signs that say "Best Corned Beef Sandwich" or "World's Best Coffee" . . . Is it? . . . Really? How could it be possible to have so many places rated the best? I put on business workshops across the country and sometimes I'll ask the group; "Who provides honest, high quality service, has caring employees and provide a great value?" Everyone in the room raises their hand. Is there anyone out there who will admit their service and quality sucks? Imagine seeing an ad that says "We might suck at what we do, but, at least we are cheap!" In fact when someone asks me why they should invest in one of my workshops, I tell them "Because I'm going to change your life, you will change the way you do business forever, and if you don't believe you have gained valuable information and received a payback on your investment during the first hour of being there, I will refund your money, and you will be free to leave". I have yet to have anyone leave. Want to get a customer's attention? Tell the why you are different than everyone else. Let them know why you stand out from the rest. Tell them things like "Best warranty in the state", "Guaranteed on time arrival or it's free" or list a bunch of comments from real customers. Tell them your job is to make them happy! So happy that they will never go anywhere else and they will also tell all of their friends how awesome you are! Talk about why you are different and stop wasting time and money telling folks you are going to do what you are supposed to be doing anyway. What's special about doing the job you were paid to do? I know, I can hear you now. . . "But Frank, there are a lot of my competitors who do a bad job, are not honest, have bad quality and don't care" Of course, but I would bet money they say the same things in their ads that you do. So who will the customer believe is telling the truth? I recently had dinner at the Chop House in Lexington, KY. When I sat down I asked the waitress what she recommends. She said everything is really good and if I wasn't happy, they would do whatever it takes to make sure that had a great experience and would come back. I ordered a 9 ounce filet mignon and requested it be medium rare. Also had a salad, baked potato and a few cocktails. When the filet arrived, I immediately sliced it in two to check doneness and it was cooked completely through, well done. Just as I looked up, the waitress was there and asked how it was, I showed her and said "this is not medium rare". She asked if she could try it again, took the plate and later returned with a perfectly prepared filet mignon. When I went to pay the bill, she said, "don't worry, everything is on us". I was surprised, I said "really? Everything? She said "Yes, you're all set. I told you that we would make sure you were happy no matter what, didn't I? So are you happy?" Of course, I was thrilled and will definitely be back, I left her an incredible tip and left very happy and satisfied! Imagine telling your customer that if everything doesn't go well, it's free, and that all you care about is that they have a great experience and no matter what, you'll make it right. No matter what it takes. That is what you need to be telling your customers! One more thing, stop selling on price. Statements like: "We'll Beat any Competitors Quote. Low Price Guarantee. Quality Service at the Best Price" do nothing but attract price shoppers who are looking for someone to work cheap. Focus on customers who don't mind spending money for a great experience with a great business. Stop trolling the bottom of the barrel. You're much better than that.

The Law of Exposure

Studies have shown that over 90% of our behavior is the result of what we've been exposed to on a repeated basis. What does this mean? It's the idea that if you tell someone something enough times that they will believe it is true, whether it is actually true or not. If you are told your whole life that your potential for success is limited simply because you are of a certain race, religion or ethnic background, and this is the fault of a specific group of people who want to "keep you down", you are almost guaranteeing failure and the only possibilty for self-gratification is to punish those who have caused this grief in your life. This, a result of a fabrication and belief that you were exposed to and told by many people, over and over again. I believe one of the major problems in the United States today is the idea that people are "owed" a certain level of success without contributing anything. Simply because the idea has been repeated over and over again, at home, on television, in church and the general media that they have been treated unfairly and deserve some level of compensation for it. I came to the United States as an immigrant when I was ten months old. The first day in America, in Washington DC, our capital, my parents arrived on a flight from Italy, went through customs and were basically lost. A man befriended my dad and showed them how to catch their connecting flight and said he would take care of their luggage for them, not to worry. Unfortunately, this man, who happened to be black was not really being helpful, he was thief who stole everything my parents owned. Everything they had was stolen, they had nothing. My parents did not blame every black person for this. My dad felt stupid and blamed himself for letting someone take advantage of him. As we grew up, I never heard anything negative about people of other races, I was not exposed to any prejudice except for the fact that my parents were not to thrilled with Germans, since they saw all of the horrible things that German soldiers did first hand in their villages during world war two. Many of my great aunts and uncles were taken to Dachau, a nazi concentration camp and some survived to tell their story. I was fortunate enough to hear what they had to say and maybe learn from it. It was when the American soldiers came in and treated them well, when my parents decided to move to America, the land of opportunity, a place of freedom. Somewhere that treats people fairly and everyone has the opportunity to become successful if you work at it.

If the law of exposure were true, and I believe it is, I learned as a child that all people are equal in the eyes of the Lord. I never looked down at anyone. So when it was time for me to go to Junior high school, this is seventh through the ninth grade in Cleveland, I did not have a problem going to Empire Junior High, even though I was the only white student there, who cares? I thought people would like me because I was different, heck, a lot of our neighbors were black and I had a story to tell about being an immigrant. My first day didn't turn out well. I was a very timid kid, kind of a dork with thick glasses. I never stood up to anyone and would try to talk people out of being violent and my mom always told me that if you are nice to others, they will be nice to you. I learned as a young teenager, this didn't work very well. I was beaten so badly that I had to be hospitalized, for being white. My dad didn't have insurance, he tried to get the school to pay for my medical bills, they didn't want to hear it. Witnesses said I started it. Well, the only witnesses were the fifteen or so thugs who beat on me. Nothing was done, no one was arrested, my dad had to pay all of the medical bills himself. All that happened was that my parents sent me to St. Vitus an all-white private school. My parents struggled to pay fr my tuition and eventually ran into some fiancial issues and sent me back to the public school system. I was sent to Collinwood High School. So what happened there? I was beat up again during a racial riot and hospitalized simmply for being timid and white. The crazy part was that some of my black friends were even in on the attack. None of it made any sense. At that point I learned how to fight and decided that I would not take any abuse from anyone and I wouldn't trust anyone I figured out that if I stood up to people who were thugs and didn't take any of their verbal abuse, it would never get to the point where it became physical. People learned to leave me alone after that. I was known as a crazy person, weirdo, who could probably not have a problem killing someone. It worked well. Still today, I don't understand why people who attack me, simply for existing, believe I owe them something. I have to chalk it up to the "Law of Exposure". their actions were not a personal, thought out decision to attack someone, it was a mob mentality. A response based on the idea that they believe all of there ills, all of their problems were coming from white people. So naturally when the opportunity presented itself to vent the frustration and anger, they took it. So whose fault is this? I blame the media, movies, music and the idiots who go around claiming they and their race have been tretaed unfairly like Al Sharpton and Barack Obama. Barack Obama was raised by rich white people and had everything he ever wanted. I have more of a connection and understanding of what it is like to be poor and in the ghetto than Obama, cause that is where I grew up. I make it a point in life to surround myself with successful people. I know, because of exposure, I will think more like them and eventually be more like them. I don't blame anyone for negative things that happen to me, it's all me. I control my destiny and no one else.

The Client Journey - The point of Contact

Managing Your Clients’ Journey – The Initial Contact Last year I attended the international Night Club and Bar Show in Las Vegas. The main reason I attended was to meet with my friend, Jon Taffer (host of the TV show, Bar Rescue on Spike TV) and his producers regarding the possibility of a new television series. As you can tell, it did not happen. Well . . . While I was there I thought I might as well make the best of my time and attend some of the workshops offered. I sat in on a class that discussed various scenarios on properly handling the “Customer Experience”. I have to say this workshop could have been presented at any HVAC contracting business convention. Same challenges, same issues, same solutions. The one thing that stood out and was very clear to me was that no matter what type of business you may be in, understanding and controlling every aspect the “Customer Journey” is essential to success. There could be any point in time where a business could either add value to or detract from the overall level of experience during that journey. Whether you own a bar, restaurant, hotel, gas station or HVAC contracting business, the level of value the client perceives will be based on the journey you provide for them. Since this “Journey” is so important to the success of your business, I’ve decided to write several articles that specifically deal with each segment of the journey and how to best manage it to increase your odds of success. Let’s look at a typical HVAC service contracting business. The “Client Journey” begins with them having a need or problem that needs to be resolved. Based on the negative impact of the need or problem, this client will already have a predetermined level of priority. The part of the journey that involves the contractor will begin when they see the website, business card, flyer or ad. Based on what they see at the time will determine whether you meet their specific needs enough to warrant a contact with your company. So let’s say they do call or email you. Once the initial contact is made, the customer will have a sense of the type of value you offer. For example, if a client hears a recording that does not sound professional or does not make any commitment that seems to fulfill the need they have, he or she will immediately set a predetermined level of value to your services. In some cases, your level of value may be so low that when they hear the recording the potential client may just hang up and call someone else. This is one reason why I always recommend that contractors have real people, who have a scripted and practiced responses, answer the phone, twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. Don’t believe that people will always leave a message, hoping for the best. I rarely do. The phone is the front door of your business, don’t annoy people with an unprofessional, lack of concern attitude. To me, if I call a business and hear a recording to “just leave a message and we’ll call you back”, I automatically assume that business does not consider me as a priority. I do expect the people on the other side of the phone to be thrilled that I, a potential client, picked your business, out of all the possible places to call, as the one I want to do business with, so don’t screw this up! The biggest obstacle has already been passed, you got me to call you! Be thrilled and excited that I want to give you my money! If you can’t have a staff of your own people do this, pay someone to do it. A great answering service may put you back one hundred to two hundred dollars a month, but think about it, all you need is one new client to pay for it! The phone could either kill you or save your business, don’t take that part of the journey for granted. Do the right thing and don’t leave it up to chance to get it right every time. Next issue we will discuss the scheduling and initial visit with your client and how your organization can ensure that everything communicated and presented increases your odds for success!

The Client Journey – Actively Waiting for You

In my last article I discussed the “Client Journey” and how the proper use of the telephone will either make or break that first step of the journey for those customers who call you for the first time. This article will discuss the act of scheduling and showing up, a very important part of the “Client Journey” Many service contractors give their customers a time span of the expected arrival of their technician or “Comfort Specialist”. For example, you would tell your customer that you will arrive sometime between noon and 4pm. In your mind, this means arrival could be any time between noon and as late as 3:59pm. To some customers, no matter how you say it, this means you will be done and gone by 4pm. You have to also keep in mind that once the time span begins, that is noon in this case, the customer begins “actively waiting”. “Actively waiting” takes energy and brain power away from things that could use their attention. In the mind of some people this is almost like work. So, think about this. A customer may be waiting your arrival actively, actually devoting brain resources to an event that may or may not transpire during the allotted time. If for some unforeseen reason, the representative doesn’t show up, or shows up late, this customer now believes you owe them since they have actually devoted time and brain resources to something of no value. This will now diminish your value, since you owe them for their time now, and price will become an issue, no matter what you say or how low it is. So, Frank, what is the solution you may ask? First, be aware that the customer is “Actively Waiting”. This is kind of like going to a restaurant and they tell you the wait time is 40 minutes, yet you start consciously listening for your name one minute after they told you that and the closer you get to the 40 minute mark, the more active you become in waiting. Secondly, make it a requirement from every employee that as soon as you know an approximate time of arrival, someone calls the customer. I know some companies have a policy to not give technicians more than one call at a time because some expert at one time said that giving a tech more than one call will overwhelm them and they won’t be able to focus on the one customer. I disagree. I believe if you have a pretty good idea as to who will get what customer, let them schedule themselves and allow them the opportunity to contact the customers and let them know an approximate arrival time. I managed one of the largest service companies in the world, and we had one of the highest customer satisfaction rates in the country along with the highest profitability per technician. Trust your team to do the right thing. I think you will find they will. Avoid doing things or using practices that diminish your value. Every aspect of the journey will either contribute to or take away from the value of the experience encountered. Limit errors and diminish mistakes by setting up systems and processes that increase your worth to the customer by creating a great experience. In my next article I will discuss the next part of the Clients’ Journey . . . The visit, and how important it is to plan the anticipated reaction of your clients so that “the visit” becomes a success for everyone.

Motivating Employees

I visit a variety of businesses and probably speak to at least 2500 individuals every year in various venues. I usually hear the same gripes from business owners and managers like: "I can't get my employees motivated", "These guys just don't want to work", and "Seems like I have to constantly check on people". When I meet work teams who have those challenges, it is almost always the result of poor leadership and coaching. I go into organizations and perform something I call a “Business Tune-Up” which consists of an evaluation of processes and systems to identify areas that have a need for improvement. During these evaluations I occasionally meet managers or owners who, after observing them on the job, would be better suited in a position not requiring any leadership or coaching skills. I usually wind up telling them what I really think, that we don’t have a business or employee problem, the real culprit is a lack of good leadership. In most cases, they listen, accept the reality of what I am saying and we work on coaching and leadership development to improve the business. Those who refuse help, typically go out and pursue a solution that reinforces their personal beliefs and occasionally they will find someone who will either charge them a lot of money to tell them what to do in every aspect of their business, or, they will find someone else to tell them what they want to hear, not what they need to hear. I’m neither of the two, I usually have no filter and sometimes people need to face reality that they are not a good leader and need to have it hit them like a ton of bricks. I follow certain guidelines and have come up with a list of key attributes a good leader and coach should have.

Great leadership requires specific skills and determination to win as a team, not as an individual. Here are my 10 Great Rules of Leadership: 1. Lead them to victory by helping them set personal goals and putting together a plan of action to get there. 2. Make sure your team understand the business mission, work rules and overall performance objectives. 3. Using the team’s input, develop processes and systems that they will follow rather than just telling them what to do. 4. Be positive, optimistic and energetic. Happy people create a happy environment. 5. Be transparent. Your team should now what is going on with you and in your business to avoid rumors or morale problems. 6. Have the courage to make unpopular decisions and gut calls. You are not running for office, you are running a business. 7. Empower team members to make decisions on the job without fear of retribution. Respond positively when great decisions are made without your input. 8. Ask a lot of questions when things don’t make sense to you. Don’t wait forever when dealing with an employee’s performance problem. 9. Know when to stand firm (Legal, ethical and moral issues) and know when to bend. 10. Celebrate successes and reward great achievements. Motivating people is not a very complicated task, typically I find demotivated employees in places where I have demotivated managers. The workplace has become a place people go to in order to get a paycheck. Ambition is lacking and, generally, everyone has reached a state of burnout. This doesn’t have to be you, maybe it’s time to reinvent, innovate and work on a strategy that makes work a fun place to be. Try changing things up a bit every day. Drive to work a different way. Throw out all of the crap that has piled up on your desk. Set a goal to change at least one thing for the better every week. When I managed people in the past, I made it a point to let them know how important they were, and that my job was to make sure all of the obstacles that kept them from being the best they could be were removed. In order for that to happen, I needed their help and input to reach my goals. In turn I helped them reach theirs. And we all win.