Plumbing inventory management is one area of the plumbing business that we do not spend a lot of time on. The parts are the necessary evil of doing a repair. We wish we didn’t need them. Some owners pay no attention to their materials and get into trouble because of it, while others spend too […]

This two day extensive training program for service technicians explores the proper procedures for running a routine service call, customer communication, and the right skills and mind set for a professional to interact with the customer. In this class, participants will learn essential communication skills: listening, asking insightful questions and recognizing the power of non-verbal

In the service plumbing industry hourly paid technicians is the norm. I will guess that 80% of the businesses pay hourly. Paying hourly a blessing and a curse. Labor is generally the largest expense of the business. When things are busy and you have good employees, the business can get a little ahead on profit.

How did you establish your pricing? Generally it is a little less than what your last employer charged. Or, you called around town and a few would give prices on the phone for work site unseen. I’m really going to trust those prices – plumbing by phone – maybe there is a new industry there.

With any good company to be consistent, you need systems. Systems for everything: how you answer the phone, how you dispatch your techs, how you process your paperwork, how you do anything in your business. With systems everyone can learn and do them the same way. Those systems are what makes franchises, especially food service,

I just looked up and wondered, where did it go? The year just started yet the kids are back in school. Where did this year go? You said, “I’m going to improve my business this year. I’m going to start doing the things I need to do to make my businesses better and more profitable.”

Many residential plumbing business owners don’t realize that one of their best management tools is their Profit & Loss Statement. This document is also called the Income Statement. The owners don’t realize what a fine tool this is because their accountant set up the Chart of Accounts. The accountant’s sole purpose in life is to

Small contractors start out doing everything. They wear all the hats. Their title is “Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.” Since they just started this business they feel they cannot afford to pay a full time person to answer the phone. Plus, as the owner, they feel they can answer that phone just as good as

I have often said that plumbers end up being business owners for two reasons. The first one is they thought they could do it better than the boss they were working for. The second reason is they had already worked for every plumbing company in town, and needed to put food on the table. And