Resistance—I get a lot as an industry consultant but when it comes to convincing a contractor client of the importance of training, resistance is something I can bank on.
I listen politely as they recount a bad experience or two they have had because they invested in someone who then left the company and went work for someone else—usually a competitor.
After a few minutes of this, I interrupt them and address the elephant in the room: “So, what you’re asking yourself is, ‘What if I train them and they leave?’”
“Yes.”
My reply, the only one that makes any sense, is, “What if you don’t train them and they stay?”
The next thing I typically hear from the owner is, “Darn it. I know you’re right and I hate it.”
With it being out there, we can get down to the not-optional business of becoming great trainers. This results in building a culture at your company where everyone is getting better and because everyone is always in some form of training for as long as they’re on your team.
The mantra at your company should be “Our obligation is to get them good, or get them gone. Either way, the company and our customers are better served.”
So, what kind of training do you get?
Ready for more consultant-speak? “It depends.”
The reason it depends is based on the following:
- Do you have a well-structured Organizational Chart?
- Do you have well-written policies and procedures for each box on that Org. Chart so the person being trained knows objectively what they need to master to own their box today?
- Do you have the necessary training in place required for them to move from the box they’re successfully occupying today to the next box higher on your Org. Chart?
- Have you invested in your own training skills with training classes like Dale Carnegie®, to name just one example?
- Are there weekly meetings for team members to review the resources you have in place at this point?
- Are these weekly meetings well run with things like my 10 Meeting Guidelines? (You can email me at [email protected] and ask for a free copy of them.)
- Are there salary guidelines and bonuses in place for coming to training and earning your way higher up the company’s Org. Chart?
What do you get for all this training?
You get to live my company’s tagline: Run Your Contracting Business with Less Stress and More Success.
Here’s what I learned during the boom years at my own plumbing, heating and cooling company about the value of training.
My people were known to the industry and industry headhunters as some of the best—if not THE best—out there. My staff members were constantly fielding calls from people trying to woo them away from my company with money and more.
Want to know the funny thing? I lost pretty much no one.
Why? They shared with me the reason they remained was because they loved our culture, they loved being part of the team, they loved that they were always training and getting better, they loved that they knew their career path and they knew those who were seeking to get them to switch sides offered none of this.
Get busy with becoming a company that is always training everyone on the team and follow my lead to not only more profits, but happier employees. Leave those companies who won’t invest in training in your dust!