In Episode 008 of REHAU On Air, host and REHAU Academy Manager Max Rohr and Al discuss the power of planning and good communications. Here it is! (You Tube Link).
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Al Levi Quoted in FitSmallBusiness.com
Al Levi says staying in front of the situation with creditors and trade partners makes them a lot more likely to work with you to […]
Callbacks—They’re Déjà Vu All Over Again
“Déjà vu All Over Again” is a famous quote by the late, great Yogi Berra. I’ve lived this scenario, and I’m betting you have, too. I’m talking about callbacks–the bane of the contracting industry.
I worked in my family plumbing, heating and cooling business (today they also do electrical), so I know first-hand how demoralizing and damaging callbacks can be.
Here’s why:
1. Your customers have to needlessly take off extra time from their paying jobs to be there for your Techs again and again.
2. Callbacks rob your ability to do new service and install work because you have to redo a repair for no money.
3. They ruin your good reputation, especially today, when unhappy customers go online and tell the world.
Yikes!
How Great Techs Become Successful Owners
You quit that tech job at an established plumbing, heating, cooling, and/or electrical company because you figured you could be your own boss, make your own hours and charge a little less, and the money would come flowing in.
Maybe yes. Maybe no.
If you’re reading this I’m betting you also discovered there’s so much more to running a successful business than just being a good tech. And if you’re like most, you’re probably not completely sure what all of that “more” is!
Don’t get me wrong, actually knowing technical stuff for the work you do is helpful. But, it can be a double-edged sword if you’re the only one who can run a call the right way (at least, in your mind, anyway). It automatically limits your growth.
Are the Stings Set Up by TV Stations Fair to Contractors?
February may be when Valentine’s Day is, but too often there’s not a lot of love sent towards contractors in general, especially when a local news station sets up a sting operation targeting your industry!
Now a sting operation set up by a TV news station sounds like a good idea, but it’s not often fair.
Yes, there are still too many unscrupulous contractors out there who take advantage of the unsuspecting customer. But too often, the way these shows set up the problem the contractor is asked to uncover is equally unscrupulous.
For instance, the show will take a furnace that may be 25 years old or more and rig up a problem. The problem is the unit is statistically reaching the end of its useful lifetime and very unlikely to be as efficient and green as anything that’s been manufactured in the last 10 years. In that case the tech is obligated to offer both a repair and a replace option. Unless…
Don’t Have to Love It. Just Have to Do It.
There’s always a project that you know you need to do, but you always manage to put it off…don’t you? Relax, it’s human nature to procrastinate, especially on things we know we hate, or we perceive as difficult.
The great news is once you commit to getting it done, it’s rarely as hard to do and normally well worth the effort.
I know because once upon a time I was a procrastinator. I would have stayed that way if not for the help of my mom. She saw that I struggled with my homework and had bad study habits, but she coached me, “Start with a plan. Do something easy and build your confidence vs. starting with something tough and getting frustrated.”
It really works!
When is the Right Time to Expand a Contracting Business? | The Site Shed Podcast
In Toolbox Talk Episode TSS113The Site Shed host Matt Jones invited Ellen Rohr and I to respond to a question from listener Anthony from Plan B Plumbing in Melbourne, Australia who wanted to know: “When is the right time to expand a contracting business? When you have the work, or in the planning stage?” Insight and hilarity ensues. Have a listen.
Run Your Contracting Business With Less Stress and More Success | Contractors Secret Weapon Podcast
Can implementing systems, policies and procedures really make that big a difference? Yes! On episode 157 of The Contractors Secret Weapon Podcast, I explain how The 7-Power Contractor system can help contractors run their businesses with less stress and more success, changing lives for the better for those owners who put it into place.
Host Dave Negri and I talk about struggles many of us have (some we actually create for ourselves) and how to overcome them. You’ll also hear how implementing systems can lead to reduced call back times, less down time, better customer service and customer interactions, fewer repetitive questions and more as well as how to roll it all out in a way that will enable employees to buy in.
Written Policies and Procedures Help Everyone Sleep Through the Night
I grew up in my family’s plumbing, heating, and cooling company and among my earliest memories are my Dad getting calls in the middle of the night from people with heating emergencies—a homeowner whose furnace had quit or a bakery where they needed the steam from the boilers for their baking. When this happened, rather than leave me at the house, he’d take me with him.
I remember it being fun to go on those calls. The bakers liked me and would feed me bagels, cookies, and cake while my dad toiled to get their boilers up and running. Not so much fun for my Dad, or me, later, when it was my turn to do it!
It’s Always Going to Be An Uphill Battle Without Operating Manuals
Businesses either get better, or they get worse. At least that’s what I finally realized at my own service contracting company years ago. It’s akin to pushing a boulder uphill. The business is either moving up, or it’s moving down. You don’t want to be caught in the path of that boulder rolling south.
Yet in so many businesses, rocks big and small are continually sliding back down to the bottom of the hill because as the owner, there’s never just one rock to push up. There are many. We dream of the day we can stop pushing, yet we can’t even keep what we have going in the right direction!