KickStart: Promote a 1) Safe, 2) Sane and 3) Stable atmosphere in your company to attract and keep the Very Best People. (HINT: It starts with YOUR example.)
Outline
Introduction – Create a Desirable Workplace
Hey there, fellow home service pros! Are you constantly battling to find and keep good people? You’re not alone! And your competition is ANY job where your target candidate could qualify for and then be hired!
So fight back with my 5-word, not-so-secret weapon: Develop a strong company culture!
In our high-pressure world, building a strong company culture isn’t just a nice-to-have – it’s a required ingredient to attracting the very best employees while creating a business that thrives long-term.
Let’s dive into how fostering the right atmosphere in your residential service business can transform your team and your bottom line.
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The Typical Small Business Company Culture
If you’re reading this I’m guessing that you (like me) are a steely-eyed Home Services ‘gladiator’ (entrepreneur) that glories in the daily cut-and-thrust of commerce!
I was (Sioux says I still am)🙄 an adrenaline junky that ‘gets his fix’ from winning in the grand game of business! Is this you too? If so, here’s your danger…
Your ‘abnormal’ frenetic business obsession likely has become the new ‘normal’ in your company culture!
Remember, to grow into a Critical Mass Business (OR to just get off the ‘off the truck’) you must hire stable, quality workers. Your challenge? Even great employees HATE the constantly scrambling, obsessed, under-the-gun work pace of the typical Home Services business owner and his or her business.
RESOURCE: You’ll get 100’s of new hiring ideas and systems in our 3-hour, online SFS: Hiring the Very Best! LIVE seminar. To learn more and/or easily register online click HERE.
Therefore, to attract and keep the Very Best People long term you must create a routine company culture based on what I call…
The ‘Triple S’ Company Culture: Safe, Sane and Stable!
Create a Safe Workplace
SAFE:
People everywhere today (including your workers) are living under incredible pressure. So, when your employees come to work they should feel emotionally ‘safe’ and protected.
I know. You’re thinking, “Steve, wassup with this touchy-feely, ‘safe’ stuff? I’m already giving them a paycheck- what more do they want?”😡 Here’s the deal: No quality, ‘Very Best Person’ will stay long term with any employer ONLY for a paycheck!
Instead, to stay long-term with your company an employee must ‘buy in’ emotionally to your business. (And very honestly- to you personally too!) Just imagine wrapping yourself up in a warm, fuzzy fleece blanket on a bitterly cold night! (That’s how I wanted my staff to feel as they clocked in every morning!)
Translated? STOP screaming at your workers and here’s why:
1) You’ll lose LOT’S of employees. Remember, we’re in the middle of a brutal hiring crisis! This means the ‘supply/ demand ratio’ for hiring replacements is all screwed up! So, more than ever it is essential to improve workplace culture! Remember, I’m assuming your employees aren’t total idiots so…
Any of your people can quit today and easily find a new (and possibly even better) job tomorrow! (And they know it!) This means your empty threats will fall on deaf (and possibly departing) ears! And even IF your downtrodden employee doesn’t quit…
2) Screaming is ‘counter-productive’. No one (and especially today’s worker) has ever been motivated to change after being verbally wrung-out. At best a bullied employee will shut down and lose whatever initiative they had to change and/or to improve. Plus don’t forget that when you lose your temper…..
3) Your blood pressure goes through the roof!😡 That’s right, when we treat others rudely (Yes, even employees that ‘deserve it’!) we feel badly too. And repeated studies have shown that uncontrolled anger actually lowers your life expectancy!
So transform your company culture into a “safe place” emotionally and you’ll have A) much less turnover, B) enjoy motivated workers and, C) you’ll live longer too!💖 (Plus you’ll become wealthy from your Home Service Business!)💲💲💲
Now let’s talk about the second “S”: Sane.
Keep it Sane, Avoid Toxicity
Reliable people (the ones you want to hire) will only stay long-term in a sane, non-crazy work routine.
All residential services businesses are desperately searching (praying?)🙏 for sane (no-drama) employees.💖 You too? Of course you are! After all, your business growth (and inevitable turnover) means you should constantly be ‘recruiting’!
WARNING: For you as a Home Services Pro sane and stable employees are even more critical than the average business! Why? Because you’re sending your workers into your customer’s ‘inner sanctum’, their home!
This ‘delicate’ work environment involves huge legal, ethical and financial implications! Simply put? You must hire (and keep) ONLY the ‘Very Best People’!👍
CHALLENGE: The ‘Very Best People’ (they ARE out there) will only build a career🤝 with a Very Best Company that offers the right company culture.
We just flogged you high-octane Home Services entrepreneurs on the crying need to create a ‘safe place’ emotionally for your staff. (No more screaming 😖 at your employees!)
“SANE”:
Yep, employees crave an orderly, predictable and sane work routine. Can your staff rise to the occasion and perform herculean tasks in an emergency? Absolutely! But…
When every, single day is a CRISIS even your Very Best People will burn out and move on to a less crazy job.😥 And who can blame them?🤷♂️
NOTE: If you do find a worker that glories in constant ‘crunch time’ they’ll likely become your future competitor!😲 ALL good employees (especially the solid, organized people you want to hire) need ‘sanity’ in their daily work routine.
SOLUTION: Build a ‘Business Infrastructure’ of written systems and procedures that details out step-by-step each task in your company.👌 Then chart how each task relates to others and your overall workflow. For example…
RESOURCE: Does your office panic when a caller opens with, “How much do you charge for…?” If so, your staff needs a ‘Phone Infrastructure’! You’ll receive over 80 pages of phone scripts and procedures in my ‘Winning over your caller’ LIVE seminar.💲💲💲 Click HERE for upcoming dates or to learn more…
Think about this: A ‘Business Infrastructure’ should function like a machine with many gears all consistently meshing together to consistently produce your Desired End Product… a delighted, loyal and very profitable Cheerleader customer!
And finally, after focusing on a 1) “Safe” and 2) “Sane” work environment and company culture you must become “Stable” when you build a…
Culture of Stability
I can hear it now. “What’s with this stability stuff? Has Steve gone off his meds again?”🙄 Nope- Steve is just trying to save you from yourself! But don’t fret…
You’re not alone! Most Home Service business owners (including me) really are their own worst enemy!😲 However, after a lot of agony I finally developed a Home Services business that provided a…
1) Safe, 2) Sane, and 3) Stable work environment for employees. Let’s quickly review the first two as discussed above…
1- Safe: Strive to avoid being a hard-driving workaholic boss that (without realizing it) emotionally abuses your employees. (I fell into this trap too!) When your staff doesn’t feel ‘safe’ they don’t stay.
2- Sane: When every, single day is a CRISIS even your Very Best People will burn out and move on to a less crazy job.😥 And who can blame them?🤷♂️ Your solution?
Create a ‘sane routine’ of written systems and procedures (I call it a ‘Business Infrastructure’) that charts out an employee’s day. (But no worries! I’ve done the heavy lifting for you!)
STABLE:
Build a ‘steady’ company that your customers AND your employees trust. After all…
Customers are inviting your staff into the ‘inner sanctum’ of their home. And your employees? They’re trusting you with their family’s future! A heavy burden? YES! So, let me help with…
Steve’s Hack: Much of a ‘stable company’ is based on your A) employee’s and B) client’s PERCEPTION ‘ as in ‘never let ’em see you sweat’! Doubt me? Then here’s some…
HOMEWORK: Look at your company culture through the eyes of ‘A’ and ‘B’ by answering these tough questions:
1. How’s the ‘curb appeal’ of my business?🤔 Does your company ‘look stable’? Are your work vehicles well maintained and clean? Is the signage on all your trucks consistent and in good repair? What about your place of business? Is it clean, well kept and uncluttered?
2. What about my front line employees? Are their uniforms in good shape? Does every worker have their own personal business cards and photo I.D. badges? (They should!) Are your employees trained in how to consistently build a professional relationship with the homeowner?
3. Are my online reviews consistently ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐? (They should be!) And it’s not just potential clients. The Very Best People will check you out online before they even apply to work for you.
4. How good is my company’s ‘Life Jacket’? When you hit the inevitable ‘rough seas’ ahead will your business survive? Have you communicated your employee commitment to your staff?💖 (You should.) Even better, detail out to your workers your back-up emergency plans. And share their essential role in keeping you all afloat!
5. Am I paying more than the local ‘going wage’? You should be! And do you offer the potential of advancing within your company? A Very Best Person will want to grow financially and professionally in their career. Which leads us too…
“Safe” and “sane” combined help create a “stable” company emotionally. However, “stable” also means financially.💲💲💲 (More important than ever in these CRAZY TIMES!)
Were these five SANE points a difficult (even brutal) exercise for you? If so, GREAT! Truly successful Home Services entrepreneurs are willing to do what most business owners refuse to do- 1) engage in a brutal self-examination and 2) take ACTION to improve their company culture! Now since all of the above will require money let’s finish up with three financial Action Step(s):
A) Can you implement pre-paid residential service plans to even out your cash flow? Or even better…
B) Promote Additional Service Options to increase profits per job and cut wasted ‘windshield time’? And don’t forget to…
C) Increase business savings and/or your credit line to guarantee STABLE paychecks! (Very important to keep good employees!)
WOW! We’ve got a lot of work ahead! Thank you for trusting me to lend a hand!
Summary – Build a Team for Strong Company Culture
As you continue to navigate the exciting (and sometimes chaotic!) world of residential services, remember that cultivating a positive company culture – one that prioritizes safety, sanity, and stability – is an investment that pays dividends. It’s about more than just getting the job done; it’s about building a team that’s in it for the long haul, contributing to a business that’s not only successful but also a great place to work. Here’s to building a thriving culture and a rock-solid team!