- Posted by Leslie Shiner, MBA on March 31, 2010
What’s the first thing you do when you get to work? Read email? How many of you check your email even before you make your first cup of coffee? Come on, admit it – how often during the day do you check your Blackberry, iPhone or other smart device.
With today’s multitude of communication options, many of us are experiencing communication overload. And without self control and good time management skills, we are actually less productive than in years past. Most time-management professionals will tell you that the first step to improving time management is to take control of your communication by not reading your emails first thing in the morning. Why is this?
First, emails cannot communicate importance or significance. Even with the little red exclamation sign, it takes time to sift through your email to find the few that are the most important. Each time you read the same email and put off answering it, you’ve wasted time
Second, email is disruptive. Some email takes only a few seconds to respond to, others require more action on your part. Set aside a specific amount of time each day to answer email. Limit each email session to one hour, to make sure you continue to be productive. You may schedule multiple email sessions during the day, but make sure they have a definite start and stop time. Otherwise, you’ll feel like you wasted the whole day answering emails.
Think about the message you send when you respond to emails immediately. You are telling everyone in your network (your clients, your co-workers, your friends) that the best way to communicate with you is to send an email. The consequences of quick response to emails will only generate more emails. As you try to respond quickly to clear out your inbox, you’re only asking for more clutter in your inbox.
Another problem with email is that threads can become so long that a phone call would have been a much more efficient method of communication. If your thread is more than three emails, pick up the phone and talk to the other party. You can always follow up with a review email, to reiterate what was discussed.
The best way to spend the first hour of the day is to select a few tasks to complete before you check your email. Review a job schedule, check with a subcontractor or supplier, produce a proposal – these are all tasks that require concentration. Lock your door, turn off your email, and produce the work you need to produce.
Commit to spending the last part of every day determining two to three tasks you need to complete the next morning. Then, when you come into the office, do not open the email, but complete those tasks. Make yourself spend one full hour producing work, before reading your email. It’s a hard habit to break, but I’m confident you will see yourself become more efficient. Try it and post a comment to let me know how it goes.
Leslie Shiner—author, speaker, and trainer—has more than twenty years experience as a financial and management consultant. She is the owner and principal of The ShinerGroup, a consulting firm helping businesses gain financial control. As a business coach, she has worked with both small and large businesses to help them better understand their business practices and maximize their profits. She is the author of “A Simple Guide to Turning a Profit as a Contractor.” Ms Shiner is an engaging speaker with a long history of rave reviews. She continues to receive high praise for her ability to make financial management interesting, understandable, and even entertaining.
www.TheShinerGroup.com
- Posted by Michael Stone on March 12, 2010
We get on average 15 – 20 phone calls and emails in our office every day from contractors throughout the US and Canada. Eight out of ten are not advertising like they should, and want to know how to get leads in the door. Many have been counting on getting leads by referral only, because that’s what they’ve always done.
Advertising is a must. It is not optional; it is required. When the economy is slow, it’s even more important. You have to increase your advertising, not cut it back. And advertising isn’t just about getting people to call. Advertising is more about generating the best type of leads for your company.
Referrals will bring in leads, no question. But are they leads for the work you make the most money on? We are not talking here about what you like to do. Your focus should be on where you make the highest percent of profit. A good advertising program gives you a chance to “sell” your brand. Your brand is what you are all about; what you do best,and where you make the highest profit percentage.
Advertising will bring in leads that allow you to pick and choose the type of jobs you want and the customers you want to work for. When you are able to focus on the jobs you want, you’ll build the type of jobs you know inside out. When you are able to work for the type of customers you want, you effectively eliminate many problems that crawl out of the woodwork. You also get more of those jobs done on time with much happier customers, which equal good referral potential.
Stay focused on projects that you make the highest percent of profit on. You get those jobs by doing a good, well thought out advertising campaign that pushes your brand.
Michael Stone of Camas, Washington, has more than four decades of experience in the building and remodeling industry. He is author of Markup and Profit; A Contractor’s Guide, published by Craftsman Book Co, and his second book, Profitable Sales, A Contractor's Guide was released in 2007. Michael offers Coaching and Consulting services for construction companies throughout the U.S., as well as products for business management, and is a frequent speaker at national and regional construction related events and will be speaking at JLC LIVE in Providence. www.markupandprofit.com
- Posted by Dennis Dixon on March 9, 2010
In today's economic world, the ability of contracting professionals to accurately produce a Cost Estimate is a skill that is more essential now than in previous times. When things were booming in the contracting business, the consumer contract price was often a back burner consideration, behind financing, the interest rate and the market value of the work after completion. Consumer demand for services often exceeded supply in the form of qualified and professional contractors, suppliers and tradesmen. "Time" seemed to be the driving force in our industry.
Market prices were not always directly related to the level of quality.
The demand for contracting and remodeling work has declined since 2008 and is not expected to experience a dramatic growth spurt for quite sometime.
Here in the first quarter of 2010, consumers are demanding facts, figures, services ...and accurate pricing for their projects. It isn't just the consumer, as the financial rules have been and are still being re-written and modified to produce clarity and accuracy - whether it be new construction or remodeling. All eyes are on the money!
One key to success in the current situation of the construction industry is accurate and factual Cost Estimating. Professionals, such as architects, designers, contractors and remodelers need to know their facts, figures and production costs. Ballpark guesses about a projects' costs won't allow you to get past the cattle call audition.
So...How can I tune-up and polish my estimating skills for the 2010 marketplace? Incorporate the five steps and suggestions as listed below:
1. Plans and Specs need to be fully defined before offering a price. You cannot accurately estimate and solicit bids from subs until things are fully defined. (Maybe this should be steps 1 through 100 because lots of contractors and subs ignore this rule).
2. Work with the clients to complete the plans. Incomplete plans often lead to problems of indecisions, expectations not being met, and a requirement for lots of client-builder-architect interaction while that time should be spent building the project. Does a skier ever secure their bindings after proceeding down the mountain? You working hand-in-hand with the client produces synergy and comradery.
3. Minimize, if not totally eliminate Allowances. Filling in a spot with an allowance is postponing a decision. It generates a void/a pothole/a problem that must be resolved later. When is later? If a client cannot finalize selections, models, wants or needs associated with a specific line item of the production, such as appliance models/details, the ramifications of indecision multiply quickly. Lack of appliance models and selections impact: Cabinetry, Elec/Venting/N-Gas Plumbing, Countertops and even perimeter items such as floor coverings and wall colors. Allowances are a catalyst for discontent, false expectations and an unhappy client. Lastly, projecting an accurate allowance cost for an estimate Line Item Cost Category is difficult. Any additional costs, charges, fees, taxes, etc. are going to leave clients with an unprofessional opinion of you.
4. Estimate projects that you can handle. Taking on and estimating projects that are out of your experience realm are dangerous. You're in shark infested waters. And the sharks are the client, their referrals and their bankers. They'll be poised for attack at any sign of poor professionalism or experience. This situation occurs in difficult economic times because everyone is seeking work. If you still proceed into a situation such as this, be prepared to spend more money on supervision, book-keeping and paperwork.
5. Don't spin gold out of straw (as if you can anyway!). Novices can always find ways to save or cutout non-existent funds to save money and land the job. "I'll do the tile myself for $5 per SqFt and I'll use up all the old tile scraps that I have from my other previous projects". Some jobs aren't worth landing. Just because a potential client has an approved budget of $35,000 for a total Kitchen Demo and Remodel, does not mean that you should take this job. The clients arguing with you about the budget being able to provide funds for granite countertops vs. laminate tops is an argument that you cannot win (unless you donate the cost out of your pocket and or profit). Work with realistic clients, budgets and financial expectations. And, never, ever cut field supervision on the job to save money. It will lead to more problems.
Dennis A. Dixon, owner of Dixon Ventures, in Flagstaff, Arizona, is an author, speaker and general contractor, mainly focusing on combining craftsmanship with profitability in custom home building. Dennis has more than 25 years in construction, plus he is the author of Finding Hidden Profits: A Guide for Custom Builders and a columnist for Custom Home magazine. dixven@aol.com
- Posted by Tim Faller on March 3, 2010
Not enough has been said about leadership on the job site. Project manager, lead carpenter, and site superintendent all imply a role of leadership. But when it comes down to it more emphasis is put on tech skills and getting the job done than leadership. However, good leadership will result in better productivity with less effort.
There are essentially two extremes of leadership and one middle of the road type. It won’t be hard to see that I favor the middle of the road, but we have to see the extremes to appreciate the right course of action.
Authoritarian: The first is what we call authoritarian. This is the person that not only barks orders, but expects everyone to jump. They typically do not listen to input and will think and sometime say, “It’s my way or the highway.” Making it more complicated is the fact that this type of leadership is often conveyed not in words, because most people are smart enough not to say those things, but in attitude and actions. This type of leader will get instantiations results, a large amount of work gets done while they are present, and are often able to achieve goals by hard work. However, they often lose good staff members, stifle creativity and limit growth to what they can handle alone. All of which are not conducive to a company growing.
Laissez-faire: The second type is the polar extreme: laissez-faire. This essentially means “hands off”. The style is represented by a leader that simply allows the employees to work independently, gives little or no guidance and is often couched in terms like “I trust them completely”. This style can be good for highly self motivated people and works well in highly creative areas. It also offers a great deal of freedom which many enjoy. Unfortunately there is a downside. The leader may not really trust them and becomes extremely stressed about their work, while the employee feels that all is well. Often goals, like a budget, are not met because of a lack of involvement by the leader. And some are insecure, not knowing if they are performing to the leader’s standards or not.
At this point an old saying comes to mind that I believe is only half true. “You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.” Most flies will enjoy, in fact, take advantage of the honey unless there is some teeth in it. This leads me to the third type of leader, authoritative or a coach.
Authoritative or coach: This is a leader that has a good nature, is comfortable with people, builds report easily, but also holds people accountable for commitments. This person gives clear directions; confirms that people know what is expected; achieves agreement and then holds people accountable for their performance. The benefits of this style are clear. Goals are reached because of the attention to results. Morale stays high because the leader knows their people and the work place is fun. Self motivated people get the chance to excel while others get the direction and guidance they need. But most importantly people are productive to the leader’s standard, even when the leader is not around, allowing growth to occur independent of the energy of the leader.
Tim Faller of Westerly, Rhode Island, founded Field Training Services in 1999, a firm committed to training production staff in good job-site management and helping companies develop production systems that produce profit. For 12 years, Tim worked at Hopkins & Porter Construction in Potomac, Maryland, where he started as lead carpenter, became production manager and then helped begin the New Homes division. Based on his extensive experience, Tim has conducted many successful lead carpenter training programs across the country. He is the author of The Lead Carpenter Handbook: The Complete Hands-on Guide to Successful Job-Site Management and the Lead Carpenter Audiobook. www.leadcarpenter.com
