“The high cost of replacing employees means it’s important to find ways to retain the best performers, and studies show that transparency from the top can be a solution, boosting employee engagement and motivation.

One way to achieve that transparency is to show employees the company’s numbers and teach them the business. Why not get them in the same game as the owner?

The strategy is to create a business of business people. Then and only then will they begin to make a connection to the numbers that measure their performance and talk intelligently about improving the business.”

– Steve Baker

Steve Baker joins Victoria and Mark to talk more about the benefits and advantages of open book management, as well as some of the challenges that business owners face.

Steve is Vice President of The Great Game of Business, Inc. and co-authored Get in the Game as well as the update of the number one bestseller, The Great Game of Business—20th Anniversary Edition.

Known for his engaging and irreverent style, Steve is a top-rated, sought-after speaker and coach on open-book management, strategy and execution, leadership, and employee engagement.

Victoria, Mark and Steve talk more about:

• The best reasons that a business owner should teach their people business
• Common perceptions that employees have of ownership when there isn’t open-book transparency
• How employees can benefit from an open-book policy
• How you can get started
• And more…

Resources mentioned in this Episode:

The Great Game of Business

Download the Get in the Game Audiobook

R/A Lumber Yard Run Calculator 

The post Creating Rapid Financial Results and Lasting Cultural Change with Steve Baker – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.

In this episode, guest Alan Hanbury of Hanbury Builders Inc. discusses three common areas where remodeling contractors are underperforming because they believe their gut rather than facts.

Alan also talks about referral marketing, the effects of job costing done half-heartedly, and hiring when taking net profitability into account.

Alan is president of House of Hanbury Builders Inc., and recently retired after 45 years as owner of the full-service remodeling firm in central Connecticut. Alan now concentrates on teaching, consulting and other business coaching opportunities. 

Victoria, Mark and Alan talk more about:

• The importance of referrals
• Why monitoring job costing reports may be more important than accounting results
• Hiring during labor shortages
• And more…

The post Common Remodeler Mistakes that are Hitting Your Bottom Line with Alan Hanbury – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.

Online reviews can be the “Lifeblood” of any remodeling company’s business and marketing strategy and in Episode 9, Victoria and Mark speak with Bryan Sebring a very successful remodeler who has mastered the art of collecting online reviews from his satisfied clients.

Bryan is the Owner of Sebring Design Build in Naperville, IL and has quickly become a valuable resource and thought-leader for R/A and our Roundtables members.

According to Bryan he is a self-taught marketer who jumped in with both feet following a website re-design project that went sideways.

Bryan’s 7 Step process for driving positive reviews is more than just a marketing strategy. As Bryan describes, his firm’s process of asking for reviews and earning them with hard work, great design and a client-first attitude has become more of a company culture.

As Bryan, Victoria and Mark discuss the 7-step process, we learn more about:

• Strategies around specific websites such as Houzz, Angie’s List and Yelp.
• Infusing the review process into your sales/lead intake process
• Dealing with bad reviews
• How to encourage and educate your clients to read and provide reviews
• Setting expectations with clients at project kickoff
• How to work with client on project completion and walk-through

As Bryan describes his sales and lead intake process, he mentions that he provides his clients and prospects with information to educate them about online reviews: what to look for, good signs, red flags, etc.  Here’s the blog post he share’s with them, which also includes his free Remodeling 101 ebook.

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To many remodelers, a project works like a relay race, depending on good handoffs of the baton. The sales-to production-handoff is critical, and if you drop the baton, the race is over.

But there are ways to make it less of a hard handoff and more of a continuum, says Bruce Case. Bruce joins Victoria and Mark to explain how to break down the barriers and bring Sales and Production together as a team.

Bruce Case is the president and CEO of Case Design/Remodeling Inc., one the largest full-service remodeling firms in the nation with more than $60 million is annual revenue. Focused on the Washington, DC, metro market, the company provides a unique mix of design/build and home improvement services. Over the past 15 years, the company has extended its reach across the US through a network of licensees and franshises working under the Case Handyman & Remodeling Services banner. All these initiatives is focus on inspiring team members and clients.

Involving Production from the beginning of a job makes the projects more seamless and collaborative, creating a process that empowers employees and keeps them all focused on the bottom line. Bruce tells you how Case handles this team approach, including:

• The need for accurate estimating
• Why Project Managers get to sign off on a contract before the client does
• Structuring compensation for Sales and Production based on gross profit
• Who goes to what meetings and why
• What to do when you need a tie-breaker
• And a whole lot more…

The post The Sales-to-Production Handoff with Bruce Case – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.

It’s not about the money, rather the feelings the money can bring.

In this episode, Jay Wheeler dives into the psychology of financial management and investing in order to provide listeners with the potential reasons behind the way they may manage money. 

Whether it’s business or personal finances, Jay describes how to better manage your behavior surrounding spending.

Jay is the President of Wheeler Financial and while he provides traditional financial planning and investment advice, he believes the best value that he provides his clients is helping manage their behavior when it comes to money.  He also believes that there is a lot that goes into the decisions we make around our finances and that many of those decisions are based on emotions.

Victoria, Mark and Jay talk more about:

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Marketing is getting more complicated, and search engine optimization can seem like voodoo or black magic. The SEO landscape is always changing, as Google adjusts its algorithms every day.

The goal remains the same, though — growing your organic traffic online to rank higher in the search listings, so you get found by the people who will become your clients.

Spencer Powell joins Victoria and Mark to explain how to maximize your SEO, and share the recipe for a successful SEO strategy. 

Spencer is the founder and president of Builder Funnel, a digital marketing agency that helps remodelers improve their marketing and sales systems. They help you generate more leads and sales by putting the right technology in place to measure what’s working and what’s not so you can improve over time.

SEO matches up with the way people shop and buy. Users ask questions and do research, and you want your site to be there with the answers. But a successful SEO program is more than just choosing keywords and topics. You have to know what else comes into play. Learn more about:

Including this link to the 200 SEO ranking factors Spencer talked about. If you’ve got questions for Spencer, shoot him an email at [email protected]. There are more resources for you at Builder Funnel’s website.

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Most work requires more than one person to get it done. Effective communication is essential to the enterprise. Everyone has to learn the skills to communicate effectively. One key is concentrating on what brings you success — in work, with your spouse or partner, and in the rest of your life. Build on that.

In this episode, Paul Winans joins Victoria and Mark to dive in to work on having effective arguments, resolving conflict, and working on listening.

Paul and his wife Nina owned a remodeling company for 30 years, living and working together, selling the company in 2007. Paul continues to work in the industry as a consultant, writer, and former facilitator with R/A’s Roundtables.  As a facilitator, Paul works with our members to help them improve every aspect of their communication.

The biggest problem in effective communication happens when people just want to be heard, and don’t take on the responsibility to listen. For entrepreneurs, especially, It’s easy to say you have to listen, but you’ve built your business on others hearing you, and that habit is hard to break.

It takes a conscious and constant effort toward improvement. Paul gives examples and tips for improving your communication skills, including:

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We have covered the dangers of stress and anxiety for you and your business a few times; most recently on Episode 108, where we touch on ways to battle and reduce it, including mindful meditation.

To explore this topic further, Victoria and Mark welcome Peter Feinmann, President of Feinmann, Inc, a design build company in Lexington, MA, just outside of Boston.

From the company’s beginnings in Peter’s home in 1987, Feinmann has grown into a multi-million dollar, award-winning firm, with a staff of 20+. Peter is a nationally recognized writer and sought-after speaker in the design/build industry and is the recipient of numerous local and national awards, including the NARI Contractor of the Year Award and Remodeling Magazine’s Remodeler of the Year.

In this episode, Peter talks about how to use mindful meditation to help manage anxiety and reactivity when dealing with clients and employees. Peter has been able to use meditation in order to be more effective by facilitating great attention and focus.

Victoria, Mark and Peter cover:

The post Using Mindful Meditation to Deal with Clients and Employees with Peter Feinmann – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.

Adaptability and leadership in times of crisis—whether personal or business-related—are essential skills for any business owner.

In 2018, Jef and Monica Forward were coming off their best year yet and gearing up for an even stronger 2019. Everything was on track—until life threw them an unimaginable challenge. Two key team members were diagnosed with cancer, one of whom was Monica, the company’s only estimator. The other was their lead designer.

Fast forward five years, and the Forward Design Build Remodel team is stronger than ever. In this episode, Jef and Monica sit down with Victoria and Mark to share their journey—how they faced adversity head-on and what kept their business moving forward.

Jef and Monica are business partners at Forward Design Build Remodel in Ann Arbor, MI. Jef has participated in every level of Remodelers Advantage Roundtables, is a member of the Mentor3 group, and serves as a Roundtables facilitator. Over the last four years, he has honed his leadership and coaching skills, leading to healthier growth, stronger client relationships, and a thriving team culture. He credits this success to his collaboration with Monica, their team, and the insights gained through Roundtables.

A strong company culture played a critical role in how their team rallied together and adapted to the emotional and operational challenges that came with Monica’s diagnosis. At the time, they were about to implement The Great Game of Business, a system that empowers every employee to think and act like an owner. Then, everything changed.

In this conversation, Jef and Monica open up about how they navigated the crisis, including:

Today, thanks to their resilient company culture and well-established processes, Forward Design Build Remodel continues to thrive. Tune in to hear their story of perseverance, leadership, and the lessons they learned along the way.

The post Adapting and Leading Through a Health Crisis with Jef and Monica Forward – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.

As companies experience growth, there are tipping points where changes need to be made. One of those points is when you realize you need additional management for the organization. Many remodelers are considering adding a General Manager, but are unsure how it will work in practice.

The Cleary Company of Columbus, OH, reached this tipping point in the Development Department in the Fall of 2016. The company was changing rapidly, adding staff, and stressing the existing systems in place. Things were getting bogged down. Owner George Cleary promoted Aaron Enfinger from Production Manager to GM to step in the gap. He’s currently wearing both hats while searching for his successor as PM.

In this episode, Aaron talks to Victoria and Mark about his experiences in taking over his new role and what it’s meant for the company. While Aaron oversees the operations, George has more time for business development and long-term planning.

The decision to add an overlay of management was caused by three factors, says Aaron. The staff was stressed by the workload, they were having trouble getting projects through the different phases of the job, and steps were being skipped in previously reliable systems because of the rush to get jobs to production. He talks about what his job entails, and some of the challenges, including:

As promised in the podcast, here’s the link to Aaron’s appearance on The Tim Faller Show, where he outlined his approach to creating a master schedule to control the flow of jobs through the pipeline.

The post How and When To Hire a General Manager with Aaron Enfinger – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.