How NOT to conduct a service staff meeting!

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KickStart: “If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself.” – Henry Ford

overwhelmed home services business owner

If only for the sake of your aching back (not to mention your own Personal Freedom) I sincerely hope your Home Services Business (HSB) is more than a “group of one”! If so, you need to meditate on Mr. Ford’s sage observation above!

By far the biggest challenge you will ever face as a residential services entrepreneur will be recruiting, hiring, onboarding, training, motivating and managing employees. Am I “preaching to the choir” here?🤔 However…

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Are you known for your humility?😲

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KickStart: Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less. C. S. Lewis

I’ll admit it. When I started my first Home Services business I was a cocky, proud and yet insecure jerk!😲 (My dear wife is saying right now, “So Steve, you think you’ve changed over the last 50 years?”)🤔 Hmmmmm…

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Why (and How) to Not Be on Your Phone 24-7!

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painful business phone callKickStart: Develop remote workers to answer your service business lines when you (or your office staff) aren’t available. Read on to review the four simple steps to “git ‘er done”…

I’ve been (unjustly) accused of being a bit OCD in my Home Services business!🙄 And yes, too often I was guilty as charged when it came to me personally answering incoming calls on my business line(s)… 24-7!

Steve’s Embarrassing Confession: Even after we were grossing almost $2,000,000.00+ yearly I STILL was answering my business lines… even at home 24-7! In fact, (GULP!😲) I STILL kept on doing this AFTER I sold our company. That’s when my dear wife Sioux blew up! (Hopefully she won’t get mad again reading this- 30 years later!)😡

Sure, you should focus on your business phone. After all, every missed/mishandled call can literally cost you many 1,000’s of dollars in downstream income. But eventually I realized that not every call needed to be answered by me (or any business owner) personally! Instead…

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How to Keep Great Home Service Employees from Leaving

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KickStart: “There are two things people want more than sex and money: recognition and praise.” Mary Kay Ash, Founder of Mary Kay Ash Cosmetics

I count four very strong “wants” (desires) in Mary Kay’s quote above. And yet, I’m guessing YOUR #1 business desire/ want/ need is finding committed, hardworking and (most of all) reliable employees!

This ongoing recruiting quest for quality workers is brutal in today’s hiring crisis. But wait! You likely already have these reliable employees… already working for you!👍👍

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FOCUS on Service Prospects Incoming Phone Calls!

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KickStart: Stop treating your business phone as a distraction. Instead, obsess over each and every service inquiry! 

nervous home service proWhen your business phone rings do you: A) ecstatically scream with delight?👍💪💖 B) fall into an anxiety attack?😬 or C) collapse in panicked dread?😨 For all you “B” and “C” folks, let’s move you into the delighted “A” category with a ringing phone!

First, reflect on the HUGE stakes with this caller. I know, you’re thinking, “Ummmm, Steve, I thought you were going to cheer me up. I’m even more freaked out now!” My reply?

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Never “Price Match” What Your Service Competitor Charges!

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KickStart: Maintain your prices high enough that homeowners routinely wince… and then book the job anyway!

True Confession Time: Steve Toburen is not remotely an accountant and/or a financial planner. In fact, Steve HATES and despises “number crunching” of any type!😡

In fact, I tell each client and every online class I teach: “I’ve always been good at MAKING money. But I’m terrible at counting, tracking or even investing this money!”

And yet, even with this major financial disability I’ve enjoyed a very successful career as the owner of multiple Home Service businesses! I’ve built my (very profitable) success on one informal pricing concept I call…

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The Unexpected Happens! Will You Be Ready in Your Service Business?

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KickStart: “… the inexperienced keep right on going and suffer the consequences.” (Proverbs 22: 3)  If you choose to “stay small” protect yourself going forward.

content home service contractorI’m so very proud of you! You’ve analyzed your personality, skills, circumstances and what you (and your family) want out of life.

This honest self-appraisal may have convinced you that the inevitable stress, drama and (at times) agonizing sacrifices required to build a larger Critical Mass Business simply aren’t for you. Instead…

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