I’m one of the best house cleaners I know. Which surprises my wife. You see, my wife is a worker bee. She actually likes being a homemaker. You can be sure I’m not going to do or say anything to jeopardize that; However, for my wife, raising 9 kids meant constantly working to keep them fed and keep the house cleaned and maintained. I, on the other hand, saw it as “cheap labor.”
Which meant to me that if we kept them fed and clothed and also kept a roof over their heads, well then, they owed us something. My brothers and sisters (8 of us) all learned that from a pretty tough mother who kept us in line by methods that I’m not sure would be legal today.
We didn’t always have nine kids at home. Sometimes we’d send some to the neighbors and tell them to stay there until they got kicked out. Well, maybe I stretched that a little, but what I mean is that the largest group was composed of eight kids from 17 to 1. The ninth child came about five years later.
So, with eight kids, I noticed the stress on my wife from being a full-time home-school mom and a full-time housekeeper. Meanwhile, I was running (well, attempting to run) an electrical, HVAC, and plumbing company, plus teaching at the college 2 nights a week. It wasn’t easy feeding this bunch.
This was about the time I found, deep inside me, a very convenient skill. I discovered that I could clean the entire house in 20 minutes without leaving the couch. I realized that while my wife was an exceptional doer, I was an exceptional delegator. I expertly laid out the 2-story house into quadrants; four sections that, though not equal in size, were pretty equal in work input. I tasked each of our oldest children with cleaning one of the sections. My duty was to inspect and approve their work.
Using this method, it never took more than 20 minutes to achieve a spotless house (by my standards); My wife says her standards are higher, but my approach only takes 20 minutes, and then I’m free for the evening.
What Needs Attention, Daily?
So, can you run your business from the couch? It’s easier than you think. Start by determining the areas that need attention each day, and write up a simple process; then, have a “call for inspection” time for that job. Example: If we have three techs and one salesperson, then we need at least nine service or opportunity calls, and two to four sales leads.
Break your entire company down into quadrants, sections, responsibilities, tasks. Write process out in simple descriptions.
Notice the task is simple. Getting it done takes a process. So, who is responsible for making sure the leads come in each day? And what is the process for when we don’t have the leads? If you’re looking for an example, here’s how I would break it down…
• Process: Lead Generation
• Methods: Referrals, technician notes, advertising, website, Facebook, postcards, wrapped trucks, customer list from last 2 years, four bona fide offers that we can give over the phone at any time.
• Attention: Friday, look over workload and prospect lists for next week; verify that Monday is filled, overflowing to Tuesday. Monday at 10 a.m.: verify that Monday and Tuesday are filled and that Wednesday and Thursday are looking good. Tuesday, verify that the week is filled and note where potential slots are for emergencies and high-level opportunities to go.
• Actions needed: Any lack above means immediate opportunity integration now. When the numbers aren’t there, someone had better get there. Meaning if there is a hole, look at your lists, pick up the phone, and find a customer to fill the gap.
Run that process for several weeks, and it will become easy to manage from the couch (or wherever you are). Call your management person Friday afternoon for a status report on next week; call again at 10:30 a.m. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday afternoon. Pretty soon, that operation is like clockwork. When a process fails, fix it, tweak it, or adjust it, but do something to keep it flowing.
Now, how many parts of your company can you run from the couch? Try it and see. Just remember, don’t be overwhelmed. Break your entire company down into quadrants, sections, responsibilities, tasks. Write process out in simple descriptions like the ones I did above. Then keep in mind that it isn’t rocket science. As the Eagles said, “Take It Easy.” You can do this.
Call me anytime, at (706).581-0622.
Pricing enthusiast Rodney Koop is the founder and CEO of The New Flat Rate, a home service menu-selling system designed to put profit directly into the hands of plumbing, electrical, and HVAC contractors.