KickStart: “Seek first to understand.” Stephen R. Covey
Many, many, many🙄 years ago I finally learned that all successful Residential Services companies are “Emotionally Based”.
I know, you’re shaking your head here while muttering, “No, Steve you don’t get it. I own a plumbing/ carpet cleaning/ lawn care, and/or HVAC company”. My reply? “No, these things are the physical service(s) you deliver. BUT…
KickStart: Homeowner Customer Cheerleaders provide a huge emotional ROI to all involved in a Home Services business.
Your business should be about much more than pure, naked gree… I mean profits! Instead…
Your residential services company should build a close emotional bond (dare I say even “love”?)😲 between you, your employees AND your clients.
Reflections: For me, I LOVED💖 creating “something of value”, a residential services company that (most of the time!)🙄 ran like a well-oiled machine. But my true focus was on “values”.
KickStart: Residential Home Services Cheerleaders not only provide immediate benefits but will also help your company indirectly!
We recently focused on how delighted “Customer Cheerleaders” can help your residential services company immediately.
After all, Cheerleaders will help you immediately with 1) booking skittish callers*, 2) improved cash flow, AND 3) let you charge (much) more than the “going rate”!
KickStart: Smooth the way for new service employees and your “keep ratio” will soar!
Think back to your first day of school.🤔 How did you feel? Nervous? Confused? Scared? Did’ya pee your pants? (Come on… they say confession is good for the soul!)
Guess what? Your brand new techs face these same traumatic emotions as they timidly work on-site in your client’s homes! Who cares how they feel?🤷🏼♂️
You should! Repeated studies prove that a consistent, structured “onboarding routine” will dramatically decrease new employees quitting quickly and often with no notice. In fact…
KickStart: Anticipate “New Hire Remorse” by investing time in a new service employee immediately after hiring.
As a Home Services entrepreneur you deal with “Buyer’s Remorse” daily. And I really do feel your pain!😥 After all, the “I talked with my husband, and he says…” last minute cancellations I got were incredibly frustrating!
And yet you face a “remorse” that is MUCH more dangerous to the growth of your residential services business than a “remorseful prospect” bailing out! Think about this…
KickStart: man·age ˈma-nij To direct with a degree of skill.
Finding a balance in business (and life) is an ongoing, moving target for most of us. Our shared Home Service Pro entrepreneurial challenge? Managing our OCD tendencies to not get distracted off into Displacement Activities!🙄 Instead, you must focus ONLY on the high-profit, “important stuff”.
True Confession Time: I still find myself going down obsessive rat holes while wasting enormous time on pursuits that add nothing to my happiness, relationships or even my financial net worth!🤔 (You’d think I would have learned by now!)😲
Remember, your residential services company is an incredibly fragile creature. This means as a service business owner or manager you must…
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!👍👍
KickStart: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Maya Angelou
I’m guessing the late poet Maya Angelou never owned a Home Services business! But her words are the key to build a “Critical Mass” residential services company. Here’s why…
KickSTART: Program a brief but enthusiastic welcome reception for a new service employee when they arrive for their first day of work.
CONGRATULATIONS! You’ve recruited, verified, interviewed and hired a Very Best Person.👍 (Hopefully you’ve also performed a ‘Working Interview’ to make sure ‘Charlie’ won’t hate doing the work you’re offering!)
Even better, immediately after hiring Charlie you gave him a tour of your company. You also warmly introduced Charlie to your office staff.
Your goal? To foster an immediate sense of belonging and commitment to help Charlie fight the inevitable ‘New Hire Remorse’! (Too often my ‘New Hire’ would bail on me even before his or her first day on the job!)😲
KickStart: Tie your new employee to your company emotionally when you ‘stage manage their hiring’.
CONGRATULATIONS! You’ve hired a great new employee! Charlie is pumped about his new career, you’re over-the-moon excited and you can’t wait till Charlie starts on Monday morning! But then…
On Friday afternoon you get the dreaded text: “Steve, I appreciate the opportunity. But I’ve decided to go a different way in my career. Best wishes and I’m very sorry to do this to you. Charlie”
AAAARGH! What happened? Who knows?🤷♂️ Charlie got a better offer, his previous job called him back to work and/or his wife made fun of his new job working for your company! (You and I both know our Home Services industry is wonderful. But come on… we don’t have the greatest public image!)😲