Page 14 - The Compass 2017 | Volume 12 | Issue 4

TRAINING

9. Week 9: Respecting Client Homes & Local Codes: When are you going over content with your team?
We discuss protecting clients’ homes with floor sav- These 12-steps will be conducted during our Tuesday
ers, drop cloths, and all that. We’ll also talk about meeting. I’m going to spend that whole block of time
doing the work and being code compliant. talking about each of these things. On our Thursday
10. Week 10: The Way to End the Service Call: We meeting, that’s when we go over numbers, how we’re
talk about the importance of clean-up and doing doing relative to goals, etc. When we’re not meeting,
what we call a “goodie,” which is doing something my managers will have a daily huddle with the guys. So,
extra for the client. We also talk about asking for re- that’s Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, just 15 minutes.
views and collecting payment. These conversations usually center around, “Hey, we had
11. Week 11: Paperwork Rquirements: We show them this come up yesterday,” type of things.
what we want and what we expect. You train daily. You or one of your managers
12. Week 12: We talk about SWRemote and inventory. touches base with your techs every morning,
Once we’re through all 12 modules, we start again helping them, constantly giving them feedback?
with week one. My thinking is, by the time we get to Yes. We just recently went to these huddles because of
week 12, everyone needs a refresher on week one and so what you’re talking about. Before, we would wait for
on. If we follow this schedule, we cover each of these a problem to happen, then you’re putting out a fire. If
important topics four times in a year. I’m hoping that
maybe it sinks in. you’re connecting with your guys daily, you can prevent
big problems from flaring up.
What made you come up with this schedule? What kind of things are discussed in huddles?
Here’s the hard part about training—especially if you’re
not big enough to have a full-time trainer—is you have What kind of feedback are you providing?
100 things to worry about and do in a day. I’d be sitting That’s when we’ll talk about if there was a customer
here on Monday and it’s six o’clock in the evening, and I concern. Recently, we had something come up with an
say to myself, “My gosh, we’re meeting tomorrow! What inspector. Or if we’re having an inventory issue—say,
am I going to talk about?” we’re running out of a part a lot—we’ll discuss that. It’s
At that point, one of two things would happen. I de- that kind of stuff. Or, hey guys, no one is sending us
cide I’m going to talk about this topic or that topic, and before-and-after pictures of anything, be sure to do that.
I’d walk in the next morning and sort of “wing it,” which The point of the huddle is to help your guys consistently
is not effective. Or I’d sit in my office until 8:30 or 9 pm, do what you need them to do. We try to keep these to 15
putting something together for the next day. So, my minutes.
thought process with this is, I’ll take the time to build
each week out and have it ready. If I’m not here, whoev- Looking back over the past 13 years, what's
er is can deliver the PowerPoint and handouts. They’re training meant to your company’s evolution?
ready to go. Looking back, we should have done more sooner. I will
Do you have all 12 weeks completely developed? tell you, the way I tend to operate—and I figure most
No, this is the first time I’m rolling through it, and devel- contractors operate this way—as long as things are go-
oping each week as I go. I’m on week four right now. The ing okay, you feel like you have that piece of the busi-
first three, I have. I’m sure, when I do them again, I’ll ness done, and you move onto something else. What
change some stuff. I’m developing it so it’s plug-and-play. I’ve relearned is that you’re never done with training.
As business owners, you feel like you’ve “done that.” You
check that box and move onto
kerry PosinG with his wife carol, his ontime services team, anD his “mentor of the something else. It doesn’t
year” awarD sGi PresenteD him at the awarDs Gala, Part of the las veGas exPo. work that way in training.
And I know guys will drift
away from it, because it hap-
pened to me at one time. If
you don’t have your people
trained right, nothing works
like it’s supposed to. But if
you do have your guys trained
right, you’ll see an amazing
return on your time and in-
vestment.

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14 THE COMPASS | Issue 4 | 2017