Have you ever wondered why some companies just take off and head for the stars, while others just spin their wheels constantly? It seems everything That Guy touches turns to gold. You have been in business for years now, and not much is different. Yes, you are doing better than when you started, but you have almost given up on the dream because you are stuck in the rut and can’t get out.
I will bet if I go see That Guy here is what I will see:
A clean facility that is not too big, but just big enough to hold the business adequately and provide a place for everything needed;
Reasonable furnishings that are not fancy, but get the job done for an office to be efficient and not have clutter;
Clean trucks, inside and out, that are dent free, have good tires, no cracks in the windshield and although those trucks are not new, they are very well maintained;
Neat, well-groomed employees that are very efficient that their jobs;
Systems in place for taking and dispatching calls, handling customers, handling the receipts of the day, maintaining the accounting, and providing an air of professionalism;
Follow up calls after the jobs are completed to ask the customer how they did and to see if there is a way to improve their service;
Office personnel that make decisions everyday on their own – I mean real business decisions – without calling the owner every five minutes, by deciding what is right for the customer, the business and themselves; decisions like how to handle customer complaints by offering additional service or even giving a customer refund if necessary, without ever troubling the boss or the owner;
Service Technicians that operate in the field just like it was their business, by providing the customer an evaluation with information that is beneficial for the customer, but also for the company and themselves; they make decisions on their own, treating the customer like gold, without ever bothering the owner;
The owner trusts all of his team to make decisions about his business, even when it affects cash in the bank, if it was the right thing to do;
The owner can go on a business trip or take a vacation and his phone never rings;
And, without a ton of prodding every time they turn around, they are breaking a new sales record.
The things I have described here is called Owner Mentality. It is what makes some businesses great while others barely exist. To create this business you have to train, trust, respect, and rely that everyone acts like an owner. That the employees know the vision of the business and own part of that vision. They can even see themselves in the vision and how the business relies on them. Everyone is an integral part of this smooth running operation.
Do your employees have an owner mentality? If not, there is only one place you can look; in the mirror. Train them; trust them; respect them; rely on their decisions and let them do their job. Change your business to this model and you will feel you retired early, because now it’s no longer just you, it truly is a team effort. Owner Mentality – Necessary for a great business!
The Plumbers Coach™ Detailed personalized business coaching for plumbing contractors. Like us on Facebook @ThePlumbersCoach, follow us on Twitter @T_PlumbersCoach and on LinkedIn at KeithGlass15.