I thought this would be a good time to remind everyone that a retuning of our company might be a good idea. So let's look at some of the major expenditure areas and see how we are doing.
SALES
Have we hit the goals we set out to accomplish? Do we need to revisit the expected monthly volume we need to add next year? Do we need to be looking at the types of accounts we are chasing and look at new market segments or maybe discontinue pursuing some of the market segments we are chasing now? How are we trying to bring business on? Should we be looking at targeting certain major customers, maybe developing some customer/prospect luncheons, or sending out weekly executive briefs to our prospect list?
Should we be more aggressive in the telemarketing arena? Do we need more training for the individuals making our sales calls and proposal presentations?
These are all questions we should be asking ourselves as we enter a new year. If we haven't got the results we wanted, does it make sense to keep doing what hasn't worked? There is no better time than NOW to analyze the way we are going to the marketplace with our sales program.
Should we be more aggressive in the telemarketing arena? Do we need more training for the individuals making our sales calls and proposal presentations?
These are all questions we should be asking ourselves as we enter a new year. If we haven't got the results we wanted, does it make sense to keep doing what hasn't worked? There is no better time than NOW to analyze the way we are going to the marketplace with our sales program.
OPERATIONS/HUMAN RESOURCES
So in this down economy do we have all the RIGHT people we want in the right places? A slow economy is the perfect time to be putting into place the recruiting and training procedures to assure that we are doing the right things to recruit and train the people we are bringing on board and retraining those that are already with us.
Are you recruiting people for career positions or just hiring to cover the turnover of the day? There is a difference you know. Remember, the attitude projected by your people most of the time reflect the attitude you are reflecting toward them. Your cleaning technicians and supervisors are your "inventory". What is the quality of trained inventory you are putting in the field to represent your organization? They are a reflection of the culture you are developing in your company. Happy with what you have? If not, you can change it. What systems do you have in place to assure that they continue to receive the training on the latest products and equipment you are putting in the field? Have you trained them on how to meet and greet the customer when they meet them in the buildings?
The HR and Operations department are critical to your success. As this year closes is a great time to assess what you are doing and make changes to be sure you have the best trained and finest staff in the field.
Are you recruiting people for career positions or just hiring to cover the turnover of the day? There is a difference you know. Remember, the attitude projected by your people most of the time reflect the attitude you are reflecting toward them. Your cleaning technicians and supervisors are your "inventory". What is the quality of trained inventory you are putting in the field to represent your organization? They are a reflection of the culture you are developing in your company. Happy with what you have? If not, you can change it. What systems do you have in place to assure that they continue to receive the training on the latest products and equipment you are putting in the field? Have you trained them on how to meet and greet the customer when they meet them in the buildings?
The HR and Operations department are critical to your success. As this year closes is a great time to assess what you are doing and make changes to be sure you have the best trained and finest staff in the field.
ADMINISTRATION
This is an area so often overlooked when retuning a company. Have you checked lately to assure you have the most economical phone system available? What about cell phones? Have you checked prices lately on different plans? Even things like office supply pricing is important to double check at least one time per year.
How about insurance? Do you just accept what the agent brings you or do you request proposals at least every couple of years? Remember, your customers are always checking the market to see if your pricing is competitive and you owe it to your organization to do the same on the products and services you purchase.
I could go on and on with retuning processes and procedures we should be doing at this time of the year---paper products, cleaning supplies and equipment, fuel companies, uniform suppliers, etc.
You get the idea. This is by no means a complete list but my objective is to get your thought process started so you can begin the procedure and add to the list as you become more involved in doing this important task of streamlining your company. I was constantly amazed in my company how much money we saved each year just by doing some of the things mentioned above. So often, we think just add more sales and we'll make more profit when many times there are hundreds or thousands of dollars available to add to the profit line just by retuning the procedures we have in place. Trust me, there are dollars there.
Let me encourage you to do this process and have a HAPPY NEW YEAR with the dollars you will find by just double checking how you do things.
Hope to see many of you at the BSCAI convention next month in Chicago. Don't forget to tune into our free daily pod casts leading up to this great event. You can hear them at www.tripodcast.com.
Till next time.
How about insurance? Do you just accept what the agent brings you or do you request proposals at least every couple of years? Remember, your customers are always checking the market to see if your pricing is competitive and you owe it to your organization to do the same on the products and services you purchase.
I could go on and on with retuning processes and procedures we should be doing at this time of the year---paper products, cleaning supplies and equipment, fuel companies, uniform suppliers, etc.
You get the idea. This is by no means a complete list but my objective is to get your thought process started so you can begin the procedure and add to the list as you become more involved in doing this important task of streamlining your company. I was constantly amazed in my company how much money we saved each year just by doing some of the things mentioned above. So often, we think just add more sales and we'll make more profit when many times there are hundreds or thousands of dollars available to add to the profit line just by retuning the procedures we have in place. Trust me, there are dollars there.
Let me encourage you to do this process and have a HAPPY NEW YEAR with the dollars you will find by just double checking how you do things.
Hope to see many of you at the BSCAI convention next month in Chicago. Don't forget to tune into our free daily pod casts leading up to this great event. You can hear them at www.tripodcast.com.
Till next time.
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