Why communication should be your #1 priority

Transcript:

Morning everyone just 1 minute to go. I always like to give just we'll start whatever one always good even just a minute or two to get on. It's going to be the full hour. And in fact, we're going to run over. But there's a lot to go through actually. So do buckle up and do actually doing what you rejoins it's going to be it's going to be quite good actually it's going to be challenging. As always. Well, I hope it has quite a bit of work and effort into it. And I think you'll find not a lot of us talking yet. Kyra it's just talking about business and leadership. Is always so it's to quite fun. So this will be available on download. This interactive site you to worry about that. I always, always encourage people to not worry about taking notes because we will see and use the notes if you want them if you want. I've got it all written down. So you can read it afterwards. Well, what's more important is that you just balloon and your style. So if you're solid just listening then just listen, you want take notes. Take notes just do what works for you. And we also meet whatever you require can see go through. So 12:00 where we're stopping starting and I always kind of start a little bit about myself and just so when you people who don't know just so then they know they know who I am. And I will stop that now and give people a minute. So this just talks all about communication and why it has to be the priority for your business. For those of you who are new. And don't know me, I'm Dan a lot veteran trader and founder of things. I to Dota and I've been playing since I was 17 and started my own business forced me to close at one of Texaco all time low is 24. It kind of didn't he didn't put enough money away from my texts and GST and stuff. And it frees you. So that was hard. And then I closed my secret business when I was 28 start again to 26, 28 and closed that one from stress in the grief of running a business, but the third one was very, very successful. We had 25 staff and two branches and it was relatively easy for me to manage. But I sold it because the software company got too big. Ben Ferguson has 45 staff in two countries. So I had two failures in two very successful businesses as well. And I've been through I've been to the wringer I've been through the ups and Downs in the managed to come out the other side. Neal do give me a pop. We always like to know what you want to get for future topics. And it's also the questions that opportunity. So you can ask questions. And I Jenny pretty good at answering them all as we go or at the end. So please do put questions and housekeeping. There's always your lines that they meet to avoid background noise that's all. The very point simply talking to Cuban and I will get through them. If someone else has the same question about it. Because it does come up as a priority for me. Right here we go. Right for those of you who don't use fist on joining in. I always start my talks with what I call fist principles and what this means is you can always reduce things to this basic core principle such as gravity right. All of all of the world works from gravity. So it's a cool principle. There's no opting out of gravity. But all of that foundation, you can build what I like to call a cascading narrative. It's like a waterfall. There's one source of truth that can be trusted. They can all come back. Come back to. So I've got three core principles are going to base the communication on. And the first one is sufficient patients is why. Why we even exist in business. And this principle is we only exist because the customer has something broken. We need to proving right. That's the only reason we exist. So the exchange of value happens when we solve or provide that solution to the customer. So that's the first parent on the scene. These things when broken well things in one improving it being no reason for us to exist. So very important to understand that. And so that same principle exists for your staff. They want something in their life. They want to improve their lot in life. Right they got bills to pay. There's something missing in their life. So they need to work for you right. You can you can solve that problem for them. But you won't exist because your customers have a problem. It's just interlocking thing. But you mustn't stand it because very important because you only have customers is something that is broken and you can fix it. Very important. And we only exist because of this value exchange mechanism and hit it saying, hey, you is wins right. And what I say is who sees yes wins because what you have to work out is all of your communication internally and externally is that we are a solutions provider. So when customers are calling you they're only calling you because something is broken or wrong. So when they talk to you. They just want to hear a yes. So your company wants to start becoming a yes we can solve this problem for you, it's never known. Oh maybe we consultants know they use in solving that problem might be referring it onto somebody else. But it's never. I can't help you. This deserve it. That's pretty rare now we'll come back to that right. So your business wants to be. Yes, we can solve that for you because that's why someone has contacted you and you need to ingrain that in your thinking and your businesses. Yes, we can solve this will you. Now the second principle in action is as I talk about all the time is always the time cost, quality. So when you now deliver the solution you must deliver and a framework around time cost, quality in this managed outcome. I talked about this a lot more last week. But if you're not familiar. It's very important you must understand this. So I'll touch on it briefly. So in construction, the old adage is you might have any two. But never all three. But the reality is as tradespeople we must deliver a managed outcome that is the balance of all these three things. And I shared this last week, which was obviously from the city. It was an eye quiet for most of you is that you probably aren't in the trade business. I know you guys are aligned on fastest time lowest cost, highest quality and where it all breaks down is that the trade secrets and doesn't know what those expectations are. So to deliver the first principle of fixing something is done by the right communication. So the tradesperson understands that time cost, quality triangle right. The third principle is the law of the vital few. The I don't know if many of you here are the potato principle or the 80-20 rule. It's just an interpretation of the bill. If you don't know much about the standard deviations. If you do not you work out very quickly where the 80% comes from. Now if you've never heard of it before it's worth a quick Google. It is. It's unbelievable. Once you understand it and what it means is 80% of your profits conference 20% of your customers say 20% of your customers give you 80% you work 80% of stuff problems from 20% of staff 80% of customer problems are from 20% of customers. It's just the way it always works. So when you understand a load of vital few the trader principle you used to think about. That's quite interesting. What sort of customers and why engaging with food all I want. Now I just touched is that some customers deserve it. Now we all know that sign the customer is always right. Now I personally don't agree with it customers are often difficult and not the easiest to work with. However, the customers always deserve respect, right. So there's a vast difference between the two statements. Now let me think about customers we can think I'd love to say things like birds of a feather flock together. I don't know. It's an old saying right. But what it means is cohorts of behavior go together. So if the person you're dealing with is already well done. The way, they're already bit grumpy they're a bit angsty they're really difficult to talk to. Don't take them all because they're going to give you trouble. They haven't done the work and it's already difficult imagine what it's like when you're doing the work to get paid. So if someone's not nice then don't take them as a customer. It's just not with it. Because what you really want to match is you really want bad customers working for bad tradespeople. That's the best outcome and you want to have good customers and being good tradesmen instead of low karma comes into your. So this test. What you're trying to aim aim towards. The other thing we also know is if a difficult people with their friends often difficult can it be nice if someone is nice and kind and easy. If means a nice and kind of easy. So birds of a feather flock together work for good people, but to wait for good people you got to be a good person yourself, right. So in summary, you must work in a company that's a company will solve it. Will you show your solutions in communications must always be in the time cost, quality framework and communicating it to the trade groups. And so they know what's expected of them and three only work for nice people and that means you have to start becoming nice yourself. So we need to know when we talk about communication. I talk about Mike I talk about what a congruence talk or concordance right. So you need things to line up. So it is a cascading narrative. You want things to stack up through the whole stack of business. So for example, my values at my climbing company was friendly and write friendly and reliable. That's about all of those right my so social business idea is to convey that impression to my staff and to my customers that were friendly and reliable right. We got five minutes to talk about. And these are called internal comms external comms customers required work existing customers and new customers right. So let's sort of write down. We've not got this narrative of these principles that operate in our business right. But how do we bring these principles to life in the business. So that the staff and customers interact with those principles. So let's start with internal comms. So have you guys ever heard of before you can satisfy the external customer first, you must satisfy the internal customer. So how many of you actually think that you will staff are actually customers of the business and treat them with that level of respect that I personally, I can't stand the two employees that Ferguson is the plumbing company, even if it's a co-worker we're all working together to achieve outcomes for the customer. If there's any sort of dynamic where you need to feel that there's an employee employer relationship as a boss and a worker. If that's sort of thinking this. That's actually terrible you shouldn't be thinking there's a Howard on etiquette of power either someone that is that sends the wrong message is the wrong communications. It's the wrong environments, their own culture. So first, you must satisfy the internal customer before you can satisfy the external customer because the people whose status fly the external customer are your staff. So if they're not happy and we're looked after. This very hard for them to deliver great outcomes for people when they're not feeling valued themselves. So what's your place like to work. Have you got a small on your dial as they say has even got a small on the dole. So your job is to make a nice friendly, reliable place to work. This you treat values. What are your expectations. Because the thing that is you remember communication. You've all heard of it 80% of it is nonverbal so if you think about it, it's the old saying I can't hear what you are saying who you are is shouting too loud. I can't hear what you are saying who you are is shouting too loud. Now what is the non communication that you've seen day out by accident. What you brand like, what are you what are you what are your uniforms like, what are your vans like what is your office like. How do you dress how do you talk. What is that experience like working for you. Is it monkey see, monkey do. Or is it do as I say, don't do as I do because if it's do as I say, I don't do as I do. It's what happens. People do as they say it's just the way people are wired. If you're not inspiring leading your people through your example, people will just float to the example that you sit. So how is your workplace friendly and reliable. What is it that you're living and demonstrating that makes the place friendly, reliable. Because once you got this sorted, then it's much easier to do the next thing. So the next step is trying to remove away from being an accidental hypocrite right cultures and values is about removing this equity to confirmation bias at why we self justify what it's like to live a poor customer outcomes. I'm busy. I'm tired of got this work on all this has gone out I'll this what we do as humans right. We self justify why it's OK to be a hypocrite and this absolutely has to be removed. So your job as a leader is to absolutely live a life in concordance with principles with the values of the business to be friendly and reliable because once you do that, you can then do this right. And so you need to make a commitment to your staff, which is good will guys and others. My commitment to you is I will be training and reliable. I won't yell at you and I will pay you every week right. That's the deal. You make to your staff and I will put the time cost, quality on every job. So you know what you need to achieve. Now what I need from you is be kind to each other and especially the customer to do an honest day's work. You know, I hate to be here. Are you well placed. I seen you hold the line on when you're fine. Well, I'm not going around please just do an honest day's work. And third please deliver the outcomes to the customer right. Because once you think sticking it out. You can now ask stuff of yours or of your employees, right. It's on that principle. You have to give to get right. Always to come up to you and say, what's your name. She kind of delicate stuff. Are you. But if I can actually say, Hi, I'm Dean. Nice to meet you. What's your name that is such a much a nice interaction because I gave you like my name first and then I can. Then you will give me something back. So you have to give to get as cool. So if you want your staff to do things for you. You have to give. First, you have to give to get. And so how do you give no. Well, you make sure your principles are kept getting from the top right down. Does that makes sense. The first satisfy the internal customer before you can satisfy the external customer. Right some external comms now say on this foundations you are ready to engage customers. Now there is a really good podcast, I listen to about the army a few years ago, and they were doing a big recruitment drive to get people in and they did a sort of study on why people didn't want to go to the army because the army was advertising great career have a great life. Good stories good good comrades. All this sort of stuff. That's what their advertising said they had lots of sign UPS. But they knew very few people actually took the contracts up because in the contracts, it said, if you leave before the year to year up. He had, like fines to pay you to pay all this sort of stuff money. And it was a huge risk. And so the consultant explained to the army if it's such a good place. And of all the messaging and words you say it's such a good place. Was anyone going to leave. Like if you have to have these threats of fines and punishment in your contracts, it goes to show that your culture must be must actually be wrong because if your culture is actually good people won't leave. And that is a very, very important principle to understand. So when you read the team to try to stand with Ferguson those are ones that I write personally and I've been kicked off on the they're actually very nice and reasonable because things don't need to be onerous. If you actually deliver a really good value in service to your customers. If it's very rare you end up on the wrong side of conflict. So if you're giving poor communication poor service you think stuff. Customers are the enemy going to take it to them, you get more and more ideas. If you're with your team to try and they just sit on a bit on Eric. Now, the other thing I say if you're external comms and you think about it, it's the way you want to be talking to your customers. With this concept and these concepts in mind you absolutely have the right to be paid no question you absolutely do not have the right to spend someone's money without permission or repeat it again. You have the right to be paid. Absolutely that you absolutely do not have the right to send money without permission. And if I'm honest, I'm shocked at how many how many tries to spend money spend customers money without talking about costs. And then wonder what they end up in a dispute. So this August thing you must start fixing with your external communications is understanding you don't have the right to spend someone's money without permission. So you must up pricing and estimating upfront and giving the customers an idea of price. I mean, you'll experience it. It's like when you go to guys in the Kinect to get you Cassius niece's phone box you think it's fine. Now, if you come back into the day you need to fix the brakes since now $600 you'll be like, that was outrageous. But if we could you and he's all night, all your brakes it stops coming. Another 12 in the box what do you want to do. Nine times out of 10, you go get your father OK. Do it, fine. Occasionally some might say, oh, I haven't got the money. Can you patch it up for next time or do you offer a payment plan. Well, what can we do. And then it's all fine right. But for people just to come home and find that those are just out of control. This is just totally wrong. Now, the other thing I like is I will say this to people all the time. I says, I will do whatever you want. All I ask is that you pay what I want. And I think there's a really nice way to frame it when you're inside is all do what you want. If you pay me what I want. And this is a really nice fee why do you got to go about like on a pricing situation as you talk about it. Yes, I am to be about to grand and that's a bit a great. You say what I can use for 1,500 and then you go. Yep like I make it happen. And that's as complicated as it needs to be. And when you do that, you can then start setting the terms of when you expect payment. So we will have achieved this outcome. We will not get payment in this lifetime. What do you think. So it doesn't need to be confrontational. It just needs to be a conversation. So for example, into some quick example. I thought about when asking for money. This is one of the statements. I pointed out that I'm very, very proud of my city in the very often told the town of the body off here. So just audio. So for example, this is worth rolling down on it. She's just saying she's saying it's OK. So buy the best things. We're not asking for money. It's a really challenging time right. But a really nice way to go about it is sort of being kind is about when can we budget on payment. So that takes it that takes all the heat in streets. And of a direct confrontation right. Because I thought about that, and said, well, if you're awesome. When can I get paid. Well, it's quite intense right. But when you say when can we budge on payment. It's a question now that the customer can go. All right. Let me think about that. It's a much. It's a much softer way to approach a conversation. For example, on your website need to be communicating we're all about achieving outcomes for you and on cost, quality. Talk to us today. So we can find a solution if we didn't know the answer. We know someone who does all our staff are friendly and reliable. We pride ourselves on this. We know that you just want a good job at a fair price. We will call you actually. We've got to make sure we deliver the outcome. We forward. Come back. Same day or next day if we didn't get it right. Because it's the putting it's the putting it off things right that counts. So all that communication is open, transparent, and it's got it's all delivered with the outcomes of the customer and one, which is all based on that principle of time cost, quality delivering outcomes. All right. And so you for everyone to be putting your customer's mind at risk that you will achieve an outcome for them. Right So let's talk about customers requiring work with may take a loss order that is holistic questions. Now this is another principle. This is called the repeatable customer service proposition. Say it again, is the repeatable customer service proposition all service based businesses exist in this framework. You can't avoid it. You can't opt out of it. I don't care whether you want to. You're part of it. And it is this principle that you're all the growing or you are dying. There is no in-between for a service by business. So what this means is your customer calls you and you get a really good job. Really a really good experience a good outcome. They tell to people you have three customers, they tell two people you got five. See where it becomes exponential. So if you're in a city with people with a good population and you're not growing. Why is that. The reason that you wouldn't be growing this because in your time cost, quality metrics you have got something wrong. Probably a bit of all three. But if you're not growing from word of mouth. It is because you are not delivering a managed outcome that the customers are satisfied with. You don't need to do a lot of marketing. If you are delivering it all you try to tricycle roads are great outcomes for customers. You will always have work. The reason you start advertising is if you want to grow quicker. Or to mask up for bad customer service you need two things. So there's a really good example. What about McDonald's right. It is really an example that some McDonald's is quite shitty food, but it's the same shitty food every shitty time. That's why we go back because we can trust we know what we're going to get right. It's an amazing experience to go to McDonald's. Unbelievable normally 60 seconds for a drive for. You've done gone foods in your hand. That is an amazing experience. You can trust. And that is why we will go back time after time. Now you compare that to the other example of getting a haircut and you got to you got a new barber. The fifth time is amazing right. You wait a few minutes you're ready to talk in a friendly, happy. Great haircut. Also you could make a second time. You wait three minutes he's a bit distracted it's not quite he's not quite there yet. That was kind of a bad experience. You get back a third time someone else catch you it's a bit disheveled and you go. I'm not going on back yet full time. That's the same with your customers. What is the experience like dealing with you. Is it like McDonald's joints for it's awesome. Or is more like the haircut going. So it's things like food, but it's communication is such a big deal that it's just going to lie straight out tonight. It's not acceptable to not have a message service or to go to voicemail or not to respond to people these days. I know that people have turned off the messaging services so people can't leave the messages. I know the treatment. I ask defines which is all fine. But there are so many services available. The one I loved was it was onto services where if I didn't answer my phone it redirected to the person who answered it. Paul is answering service can I take a message its people need to talk to someone they don't want to leave like call you because I want to speak to prison, I didn't call you because I wanted to be ignored or to send you a text message I called cause I wanted to speak because I have a problem they weren't solving your job is to solve problems is to be a solution through invited to be a use company as per the first principle of why you exist. So if you break that first principle everything else in your chain of business is going to break. And that's one of the reasons why you won't right right. You're not living customer outcomes, not delivering a great experience. So now let's be really clear like I got done in the plumbing can you talking to customers right. We would in 6,000 jobs a year pay right. 6,000 jobs. It was mixed right. And I had no more bandwidth to keep for customers. And I never forget the customer that kind of brought me in after that was kind of banned from talking to customers ever again. I still love my trainees and the workers and didn't want it. But the customers. I had no more to give and it was just job. I never forget it. So we are what we don't do train blocking we do train line, but there was a guy that we always recommended he charged 250 any which he would do a camera and unblock to drain right. So it was really good price to what people would call up. They were blocked by mistake I'll call this guy. He'll go around or came right in a jet and we didn't get any back. We just want to get we wanted to be a US company solve the problem and move on from right. So anyway, this lady is Lady fired up and we gave her this guy's number come weeks later, she's seen as a bill for $90 and ignored it the first time seeking on my case, I called up to see what was going on and what did happen was that this guy went round to the block drain and it was just the galley great. So he had reached down and pulled out the great cleaned it off. And that was all that was wrong. And so she found that she could have probably got there $460 from an normal drain on blocker because I'd recommended a guy he chose to 250 I'd cost her $90 more and she wanted that $99 back to me. That was my recommendation. Well, that was the last rule for me. I was just like, I don't know want to give like. And after that, I really, really limited the amount of time. I interacted with customers from that point closest down on me. I was running Ferguson traveling a lot, but I didn't it didn't violate my first principle, which is customers always deserve respect. So I just made sure that if I wasn't in the mood or the emotional framework we had to cope with customers. I just made sure I didn't deal with him. But I had prices as people. So that someone always talked to them. And it is the same for you if you don't like talking to customers. That's fine. But put in prices as a policy. So that the customer always has communication that will just mean you have to pay money. And that's fine because you've spent all that time and effort to get someone to call you. And then you don't answer to define is madness. I just try to understand it. So if you do want to talk to people. That's fine. But just outsource a solution. So that they do talk to someone. It's only things available right now. I often joke you know, see if the first thing is to know thyself right. So if you don't talk to the customer. That's fine. But what's not acceptable is to let the customer know thyself. So I just always make sure they experience are friendly, reliable happy experience. And outsource that. If it's not, you. But I don't want to hear any excuses anymore. And put in processes and have to finance a blind person. OK So existing customers. How your customers want to be communicated with during Kiva. Right But this also applies in general because principles are universal right like gravity. It's always exist. It's always universal. But once you understand the principles you can apply them with more force in certain applications. So staying in touch with your fellow with your customers, and you follow the Pareto principle, the 80-20 right, sir only contact your top 20% customers. You don't need to contact all of them, especially not the painful ones or the ones to give you no. But if you look a bit if you look at your jobs items and your profits come from 20% your customers. Those are the ones you want to be calling right now. Now, I don't know if you know, but I've been in the last two weeks I've made myself available for an hour a day to speak to traders who want to talk to me now each and every single one of them appreciates the time that I make myself available to talk. And I always say to them that I live on my own example, make myself available to talk to my customers, and they all appreciate this. And are open minded to everything one of them. Have you enjoyed that. I've made myself available. Yeah, it's great. I'm like so please extend this same opportunity to your customers because they will all appreciate it. And relationship and community will just lead to more work. So do pick up the phone and do call your good customers because you will get work from them. So very important. Now also existing customers will follow it will should also fall into one of these sort of three groups. You money people got workouts and people have got work outstanding and they need to make sure. Good customers, which we touched on. So people owe you money and call them by sending an email or texts and just ask them when can we budget and payment. And if you can show and take some payment over the phone by credit card right there. And then. And then discuss a payment plan for the balance you know even if you get 50% upfront now as soon as you take some money off people. That's the least money from to pay. And it's much easier for them to start paying more to pay it off. But as soon as you get some payment. It like triggers an emotional release so that I can keep paying a bit more. So that you must cool those cuts and find out what's going on for them right asked me satisfied with the job with the service with the outcome. And then if they're not going to plan to go. Well, I cannot take 50% payment and we'll have you all on the first shop to get back to when we're open again for business. But do call them and try and get some money off them. I do they call all your customers with work outstanding see with a written book them in and you might to start pricing over the fine. So they've got a budget of what to expect to finish the work off right. Because the customer is going to be very concerned about the wallet right now. So you absolutely want to make sure you're giving them some assurances on price managing expectations before you go yet. So I can't screw it up. You want to talk to those customers existing work in stop forecasting workload and the time costs for everyone. Now another thing is no one gets a big business on charge up a line everyone who's got a larger business like 15, 20 staff or more have all worked layoffs. You have to price everything your pricing doesn't mean quoting a fixed price is often estimating and guidelines. You just have to give customers guidelines that everyone knows because of the reason that most of tradesmen like charge up because it's easy for us right. That is easy because we get to be lazy. It works for us that doesn't work for the customer. I mean, the customer just super light is fine. But those customers like gold. Right So don't be lazy on your taxes. What you want strong workout pricing decent for the customer is doing more work on your part because it's achieving the good outcome for the customer. Now you would customers just talk to them and see what comes out of the woodwork. Relationships just work and people buy off people they like. Right this is what happens now. New customers brave new world. Just suddenly. For those of you who know that reference was still and old figuring it all out right. What's happening in this time. But the one thing we know for certain is that now only is while Julia was such a good experience of Dan will never come back. Knowing Mrs. I'll go back to more. Try to honey called back. He was late and a bit rough and cost a lot what no one ever sees that it runs he is all that was such a good experience. I really enjoyed working with Dan. Yep they delayed over the job on price on time on cost. They're going to use me again and again and again and again. And that's what you have to instill into your business. So when we examined that situation is it. No one ever complained about getting good service. When we take on that. We're going to make some very logical decisions. So as I said earlier, it's a little bit of a huntress day because, well, it just it's so the hundredth time. No one cares about you and your feelings you're in business to deliver customer outcomes based on time cost, quality when you achieve that you get paid. And that's when you make profit your whole focus is to get the business engineer engineer to run delivering value exchanged outcomes the many people I talk to. And I never want to hear any of you ever say you. But I want my business worked like this. And I want customers like this. And I customers who get it that this is me. And I want my business to work this way makes I got this lifestyle. This going on. And this is the way I want to be. No, no, no, no all I ever want to hear you say is my sole focus is to get the business to understand deliver and meet the needs of the customer business is never about you. If you think that business is about you. Yeah, I don't want to be any tougher than that. It's not about you. It's about the customer. I'll come about business is about introducing processes and policies that replace you. And the foibles of your personality. So cosmic implications is actually about actually replacing a personality. So the customer experiences the repeatable customer proposition the same outcome. Time after time after time is they say the biggest barrier in anybody's life is themselves. So you put processes and policies in place that remove your personality. Hello In this time this private what an absolutely great period in history to be able go through this time. I mean, we're so place with technology. And I imagine if this happened 20 years ago. No internet. Oh my goodness. Things would be vastly different. It would be very, very hard to get through this in such good shape. So what are you doing to make the most of the technology, the tools available. Have you built a dedicated computer with a camera and microphone. I'm amazed how many people I'm talking to your fellow trace that is what an issue. It is to try and speak to visually because you've got a camera set up the order is not set up the settings aren't done. It's just so frustrating. This drag a picture here. So this is music. Here's my setup. This is my computer. I've got it on the stand and it's all set up. It's plugged in. So the camera. Everything always works automatically. I don't ever have to spend time mucking around trying to get my audio cities to work a video feed to work trying to get the right electron just the screen nuts on the stands plugged in doesn't move. I sit here and we just go. This is amazing. Life is easy, right. So if you want your dedicated computer heavy, heavy download and set up the Zoom flextime Scott have you done two schools in his family to make sure it all works have mastered it. And you have to. It's just going to be. The world is going to move this way very quickly and you mostly just get onto it if you don't want to do that. Once again, stop it business is about casting is not about what you want in the way you want business to be. So once you have a technology in place this year. I'm talking just a computer. Then you've got Skype and Whatsapp and Zoe and all that sort of unsold and working, then update your website with additional ways to contact you. I'll take your quote and hit a footnote with the additional content ways of actually getting hold of you. And then you want to be following up or your quotes as soon as possible by video calling especially during this time. Right now I'm doing a demo this afternoon with a customer to teach me how to quote on the phone by asking the customer to walk around the site to look at the hot water cylinder and then the water main tap and under the house. So they can understand the joke. So they can quote, the job visually. And then seen it through. So as soon as his Cobra is over. And I can get back to work and makes in place right. So you're thinking about ways you can start quoting through this technology. And if you think about it. Let's say you have to go to a site. So if you're driving through traffic, if you will say it's 45 minutes minimum of travel and you get to quite on sitting in the comfort of your office desk and seen it right there. And then now what do leave a question if you want to learn how to sell a bit more head actually when quotes. It could be a good topic. Talk about how the notification tables are doing. The question if you want to learn how to sell. Now, I haven't talked specifically around actionable things you can do just what covered. The reason for that is that's a Band-Aid right flight. That old adage give a man a fish feeding predate different, especially in your lifetime. So what I've been trying to teach through this session is teaching you how to communicate from the very top right down because on those first principles then you can easily see how your communication around Kiva needs to work, which is like take care of it that I care first of that my staff and then about the customers. So communicating to both us people. How you going to keep them safe. And then you can bring in process and policies to action that. So for example, if Fergus has custom forms and custom checklists. You can put in processes and policies that the staff and customers can be made aware of and is a system to deliver that outcome. And you may say yes, my staff have a checklist and it fills out this form they fill out and leave with you that we will follow all of these prices to keep you you and your family safe in my staff's life as well. And so if you need training on forms and ship listing contacts customer success. And then book information on how to do those things. But all of it comes down to what I started is I kind of hear what you're saying here you are shouting too loud there's no point, there's I point you saying stuff that you don't actually believe in and start to live it. So there's no point saying to you stop all you need it. This is serious it in another way I think I are such a pragmatic oh god, I've got your mask, gloves, and sanitizer you never know. You don't believe in it. It is an inconvenience. You're not you're not truly living the base of your business. If you go. I'll go. This is serious. We really respect our customers that we respect you. I don't mind what it costs is to sanitize it. He's the face mask kids the wipes. It's important that we respect everyone. You're living the values. And that's what you must do you must live your values. You must believe in it even as difficult and frustrating that is life. You may say I mean, this is frustrating and difficult. I find it really challenging. But I respect you guys I care. You got a great customer. So we're going to do it. We're going to do the right thing. That means the pain. It's completely OK to phrase it that way. And even guys. He is a real pain. But yet. We'll do it. So that's this. That's the attitude that I want to see you instilling in you and you in your communications with your customers and with your staff. Now what are other things you can move to adjust to this new reality. Make sure you adjust in your team's team to try to the friendly not too onerous. Making sure your employee contracts with your staff aren't too onerous at the corner friendly and reliable. If you're such a good guy and such a good place to work your contracts don't need to be too tough because what would people want to leave working for you. Well, the things you can do if you're a customer to be friendly like, can you organize more favorable credit terms for them. Can you organize finance for them. Can you defer payments. What can you what can you do to make it a central place to work. What else can you do. And Fergus to make a pleasurable for your staff and for yourself to work. Like, you should work on favorite as easy to quote into the grips of how to do purchase orders as a materials. Just get your business really organized. It's this. This is easy to do business in. So because 80% of communication is nonverbal. The experience of dealing with you is your major communication way that people will start experiencing right. Because experience is communication. Now This is the fun a little bit. And that's really quite interesting. A hammer on this point, I play well to the day I die. It's a bit. You know, we always talk about you as an organization need to learn to price every job estimate quite. It doesn't matter. Just always managing customers' expectations around called you've always got to be mindful of costs and building processes and policies that keep you in context with keeping the customer informed just like the mechanic called you with the brakes. You must call the customer when costs are going over the budget. So what policies and processes do you need to put in place. So that you trace people site. They know that they will call you or the customer cause traffic would come to work for confrontation. Either and you can't abdicate responsibility for poor office management to try to people try to come to work, they don't want to be the boss. So if you need them. They have a difficult conversation with the homeowner less often an unreasonable thing to ask of someone. So what processes and policies can you put in place. So you could trace people feel comfortable emotionally safe to call you to talk about the price and then you'll talk to the customer. If you don't do that, the trays will just find a clue what they will just carry on in your gut. What do you call the customer. They get on. I forgot I didn't look and I wasn't paying attention. Now they all know if when the job cuts his four hours to an adult materials by Friday next. No excuse. They know you talk at the start what you can ask of them, if you give in return, you can ask for this. So that I know overnight. So I call you. Because I didn't feel emotionally safe to call you the customer. So therefore, it's like a psychological safety you need me putting in processes that make your staff, your side's psychology safe to cool. Or the customer to discuss the price. What's going on. Right So what can you do around that cause. Jenny, what happens is if you keep the customer informed of the costs and get agreement with your cash flow problems go away in and you will always pay and agreed to the extras anyway. But this is great saying I always love pay now or pay later. But you always pay. So poor communication. Now right. You're on the job. You're not communicating and at least a confrontation and also payment. And then emails and calls all you got to try and get paid. So you stop communicating if you're holding a lot more communicating trying to get paid than what it would have taken for one phone call did something just like I hope something just clicked then your and your heads just then is like, oh my goodness he's right. If I don't communicate. Now when things are going bad cops are going on and show why you're doing all this confrontational communication and even trying to get paid. So high now or later. But you will always pay the price. Right So this life. That's karma in action right like this is a wonderful way of making or trying to force you to actually deliver customer outcomes. That's why it's the law of the repeatable customer service proposition. It's unavoidable. And when you go when you collect and you go to yield one must always yield for the principles no operation. And so therefore, you must yield and communicate to customers when the cost of going out. And then the rest of them, then the scales balance that right. The business has to become fun and easy. And when you accept that and you put it in prices and policies to increase communication and clarity, then business becomes really fun and easy because it occasionally happens, when you are cash flow and profit life is a lot is very good. And so fun a little heavy excitement. It's me alone today. Now, let's say we have thousands of them just tucked away inside my brain. It's the golden rule for those of you who don't have the golden rule. He has the gold makes the rules right. So what you want to try and do is don't let the customer get control of the rules because they've got the gold you say, are you, man. They've got the gold they set the rules communication levels up that scale right. Because they can't say you didn't tell me what a discount you got not what they tell you because when you go to court some mediation. It's all about communication. Were you informed wasn't informed consent. And if you hear it in writing. I told them then then you'd always get the judgment. But when you keep a reformed guess what. You very really in the industry because because you followed the first principles principles as many of them first principle as you rightly paid. But you don't need the right incentives money without permission and because he seen some of the money without permission they knew they said yes then they paid cash goes away happy customers, then you get repaid. Referring customers. So if you can see how it all stacks up it all just takes up from managing it tall on cost, quality triangle. It's incredible. And so you just always want to be communicating from a position of strength not weakness right. As soon as you in that weakness position of communication. It's just a terrible dynamic. And you just don't you just don't want to ever end up in the land of hard choices right. Because it's just always bad choices. It's discounts on either customers emails time land of poor choices is not the land to be to be working in. So if you follow the above principles you want innovate where you all end up in is the land of cash flow and profit. Next week this week, the good crops grow. And that's where you will be based. And then you'll have repeat customers in referring customers, then the world is good and the sun is shining and we can all relax. So just 16 customers we talked about that new customers. Yeah Now, you talk about that. So one of the things that was transformational. For me to keep growing because the 2002 1,000 rotation was a very, very hard time to be in business. But we still grow through that time. We still put in one staff. Now, this is pertains to businesses more really doing service work. Not so much when you housing and commercial people. But I employed on lady and her job was to call every new service job customer job the next day and asked them. Are you happy. Did we achieve the outcome where we are on time will we clean and tidy because of the principles also another one to write down is what's inspected is respected right. We all know that same feeling when the voting spirit is on site. The checkout drainage we're playing with. We always do work to a little bit better because we are. Yeah and is going to pick me up. I'm going to do it right. Well, it's the same thing. If you care about customer service. And then you don't put anything in place to check it people are naturally low. But I argue with you about that. It's just people were all saying. So when you put in a price is that someone checks the customer will be on time. We do a good job or you satisfied. The choice people in your night are. Someone's going to follow up because what's inspected is respected and so that was a very, very good thing. And this lady just she could just do it from home. $20 Now locked into figures remotely and just called all the charger jobs when the previous day. And she would call all the rage not Saddam's time just to make sure. And that was transformation in achieving business outcomes and any other thing we had to do was the staff as I had the saying is paid you to do it right. The first on. I'm not paying you to do the second time now do the legitimate callbacks you'll pay for that. But if you haven't taught in a track. We have none of us silicone you lift a bit of rubbish or even just a bit rough. I would like to try to trace people go back at the end of the day or the start of the first day. Now you're a liar. Thinking about business as a whole right. Straining reliable good place to work. Good veins good signage whatever tithing. Good prices good systems, lots going on. Good on the good and fair employment to work for a co-worker I know. But to an all I can ask things of you, right. So I brought a lot. I wanted to ask of you is to do it right the first time we've talked about this right. Let's see here. But you cannot pay me. I got you. So strategically you're right. I can't. But I'm not going to. And if you don't like it, you can leave. It's as simple as that. It's a tradesperson has that sort of attitude. That they won't accept that they were rough and bad and that it was unreasonable to expect them to do a good job the first time. If that's the attitude that I'm being unreasonable. It's best that they not work for me because they don't fit into the values and culture that I'm talking about. And because then I'm not going to get paid and you're expecting it. Then guess what happens. The customer outcomes start going up because are you checking in. If they don't do it right. They're not getting paid to go back and fix it. And if they don't like that, then they can leave. So guess what. You know people who are actually responsible and kind and caring. And isn't that a great place to be in. So that's a full of every job every customer and expect standards of your staff living in the health system. And then live them and Poland's right. Take action actually take action. Get that computer get a seat up on a stand. Absolutely make it easy. So you set the end every time. The thing set up. Then he'll play with it. They can't touch it. That's right. This computer stays on the stand doesn't move or plug the set down. Press a button and where she goes it's wonderful. It's easy. Make life easy. We talked about all these things around external Nixon who comes right. It's always about managing expectations man. That's life. Life in this space and business is about that. And it's not about you right. It's not about what you want. It's about what the business needs to over for customers to get paid. There's a whole lot of information on Ferguson a traitor. How to use it better. So don't ever be afraid to go there online deli deli online training portal. This is me. Yeah, go right now. How old. At least we must put my link to the book. Now I have written a book. It's only $9 on Kindle. It will tell you everything you need to know to run it to grow business to about 20 staff. It's a very, very good book. I used to give it away for free. But I found that when you give it for free people don't read it when you pay for it. It means you kind of reading it now and beat it something. And it's only $9.10 dollars. It's not. I think that's just enough to make you read it the very easy rate. But it will absolutely give you all the tools in the way to think to grow a business. Right We read a few questions a question from anonymous. Is it reasonable to ask the customer to claim the services, which you would touch you if we get there to waive PPA while you're in the home. In return for you doing the same. My well I think depending on the situation right. Like all the other talk I took I talked about this you know, life is like a six sided dice you need to look at every side of the dice like is like got a house with four kids young toddlers running around. Yeah, absolutely. My goodness like a is it worth the risk. But after a retired couple in perfectly good health. The house is spotless and probably a bit of overkill. So you would just absolutely have a face to face discussion with them around what's going on in the household right. And work it out with the customer. But I don't think it's unreasonable to expect people to wear face masks in these times decisions. I mean, if you were there. I just see the master plumbers recommendation was that the person stated another room or went outside whilst you're in the house. And that's probably the best plan. But it's a conversation you should have with every person to work out what's unique about this situation that needs to be well managed. I mean major breaking a risk time. Oh my goodness. You would absolutely be going over the top on PDF gear up. Well, are you interested in selling. That's good. Yeah usually with the client or the customer. Yep, that's very true. I agree with that terminology is very, very interesting. I normally I try and use the word property NFL for clarity for this conversation. I didn't use the word customer just to try and be jinny well understood and from Jordan Reed having a use entry to his customers. I'd be worried to a customers to different tradespeople people to complete their jobs in case I've had a bad experience with them. How do you mitigate that risk. So Jason's asking he'd be wary of recommending customers to different tradespeople to complete their jobs. That's not your concern. I mean, we had relationships with dry on blockers. So we knew in roofies that we knew and two very good guesses that we knew I wouldn't hesitate at all recommending people. Because if the person you recommended to this like you you've had that same discussion or recommend to someone just getting a good experience. I wouldn't recommend it to somebody who would give him a bad experience. But birds of a feather flock together. So therefore, if you're a good tradesman you'll probably be slicing with other tradesmen who are good. I mean, it's not if you're doing high end work. It's because you must be good tradesmen and otherwise, they're generally very good. No no, you should never be afraid to recommend someone. It's just it's a recommendation that would need to be worried. Billy Martin's ask me would you tell the customer you will not do the work until they're cleaned around the site. I think. Once again, it's that whole conversation around. What's your attitude going into it to achieving to achieving outcomes of safety right. So that the outcome is, I want my staff to be safe. First and I want you to be safe second drawer. So then having that discussion with the customer around what we need to do to make sure they run safe. And so just approaching it like that. So just approaching it from our friendly kind perspective rather than a confrontational adversarial approach. So classic questions topped UPS of staff on when I was asked. I've seen the guys. I see voice is that treat the work you do as if you were paying the customer and ask yourself. Would you pay for the job you just did for the. Those are good questions like this. Those are the right statements to be saying. The issue is that subjective because some guys, y'all. It's OK for me to be happy with this. I Good for me because the capacity for humans to lie to ourselves is phenomenal. Confirmation bias. So hypocrisy is phenomenal. We're amazing at justifying why it's OK for us to be bad. I mean, humans are just amazing at it. So I wouldn't phrase it like that. So that's why it's a phrase things like the values here are friendly, reliable the outcomes of achieving is customers were great with fearing we will meet the time cost, quality outcome that is on every joke. That is what this business does. So if this remove anyone's interpretation and also what's at stake. It is respected and so to make sure that you deliver the outcomes we call every customer the next morning to make sure that these things were delivered and so it speaks to try and remove things from people's judgment as much as possible. So anonymous has us. Where is the line that separates. Making sure you stop to the right job and doing it once and enforcing your rules and being unfair. But once again, it's a discussion right. Like thing is it just always a conversation right. Like we must always try and move away from things being too black and white right. Things are always cry a little better. I so if the tech was leaking it go right text leaking you know the pay here. The first one was that leaking. So if he goes round and takes a fight in the arming didn't seal because a ceramic bison actually had a bit of a dent in it and a ring didn't catch you guy guy. Well, that's fair enough. Yet only that one got higher as fine. But if it's because the trench leaking because he didn't tighten it and didn't taste it now, and it makes a conversation you don't even want to be dictatorial right side. Never setting yourself up to never see yourself in the dynamic. We just happened to coin a week to come out swinging now. So what I say to people is I'm not going to back you to corner push you to fight. What I will do is I will go and hold your hand and we'll walk together and work it out. And this is this mindset of like actually working towards customer outcomes together. And so even with your staff even when you're being tough. You can still be you can still be kind and caring and friend all at the same time. And Vaughn is image damaged plants properly to the extent you need to make an insurance claim when you make them pay the taxes. Man is a good one typically. Generally speaking no unless they were under the influence of alcohol or drugs right. The law is quite clear on that you're in business, you have insurance. That's your loss. So if staff do damaged goods even through carelessness that is life. But the correct way to do this is for the employment prices of warnings. You don't want to get into a culture where you are trying to claim funds back off your staff. This is a bad culture. It's a bad experience. And that is completely It's a line too far. Now stopping we should volunteer if stopping it has or just pulls my you can see him a about if you will staff member has good morals good intentions and they will just offer to pay the taxes from the you know, from their sense of self-worth if they justify to themselves, what it's like that they did this. I don't pay for it. And take no accountability then just stop the employment process and warnings and they probably need to exit your business. I mean, if I did that as an employee I'd feel so bad. I'd offer to pay. So would most of you. So if you'll stop offering to pay. It shows you what I like. I can hear what you are saying who you are. Shut your. So their actions will let you know who there is a person in you. You will say to them you know most normal people would offer to pay for this. Pay the excuse because this is outrageous that you did this. Fact you're not offering to pay is a great deal because of that, we're going to stop the disciplinary process. So that's how I handle it. That would be me being very fair. But incredibly thin. I just won't tolerate staff. We don't take accountability right. If they don't you just don't want me in your business. And the good thing about you right now. Is you're going to GoFundMe more treatment in the market right now. Right So now for a long time the powers that has been for the employee. Right now the power is going to go back to the employer. So Aaron has asked me, how do you stop. Baker need signs to read you something you repaid in three months. What it's you know as we talked about Aaron, it's a conversation So if you were to come with me. Don't forget I'd been demonstrating who I am and the values. Since you've been working here. Right So you know you now know the organization you were working in because you're experiencing it firsthand right. And then you come in and we sit down or friendly but buffoon and we I say Aaron, we've talked about this. I paid you. I it once wrote the first on. What are you going to do to put it right. You know I'm not going to pay to go into it a second time. What are you going to do about it. And put the onus on him to solve it. And it's easy. It's not fair. It's not fair. Not even a penny of a lawyer got you. It's what I do. I'll tell you what we can also do if you want to play that game. This is important price. Yes, we have to follow all reasonable instructions. Now These are the outcomes we specified you didn't achieve the outcomes you didn't do the check. You didn't test you didn't follow instructions would you like to go through a disciplinary process and start your first Warning does that what you would like to do. Is it the way you want to play this situation. Because we can do that if you like. My suggestion to you is to take the path of least resistance is to get back in your own time and fix this leak that you'll call. What would you like to do from here. So that's how it answered that anonymous had asked, how do you suggest you manage drug courts with staff mainly drugs as intense as it remains in the system for several days. Well, I think I'm always as I've said before birds of a feather flock together in cohorts of behavior go together once again, 80-20 rule once again, if you've got one staff member like that. It's going to be one problem child. And that problem child is probably light is a bit rough as a bit disheveled probably is drugs now goes a whole lot of poor behaviours. It all fit together like it's very unusual that someone is this smoking weed well Yeah somebody comes with light. And they beat the shit out all the time big label they're probably overindulging in substances of alcohol and weed and they like as a black cape better chaotic right. One person never knowing just has one thing going on. So if that person is coming to your attention that even need to think about drug tasting. It's like, dude what is going on there. And then you would like a new employment contracts it's state. And now you can always ask for some to take a blood test or urine test to prove. You have a duty under the law to make sure that no one is in your operating under the influence of alcohol and drugs and you would. And I would absolutely get tested. I wouldn't have it. I wouldn't hesitate. Suddenly tonight if someone is you know someone cannot be impaired. Operating dangerous machinery. I mean, is in Lake Charles a very dangerous, and you just can't have it. So I wouldn't hesitate to just take the night night high because as we consume. What's going on. I'm of request that you take a drug test as per the employment policy because I'm concerned about your safety and the safety of others. Our energy. So I wouldn't have any trouble asking Jones asked me have you tackled the subsidy for paying co-workers. Thanks Joe I appreciate that. I know, luckily, I have to go into that because I don't have a trades company anymore, so I don't know the exact details around it. You have to contact your accountant. Now I agree. You can go to the master Plan List has a lot on it. So yeah. Not one of these has a lot of information around this. I suggest joining the plumbers group form on Facebook. Lots of good trades on the asking lots of good questions and getting answers. So you do your subnet 1 there is 1 10. We've done 60 minutes. Let's say. Good station. Sorry it was so firm and strict that I like to be a bit more lighthearted. But that's a topic like to be really flame on. I think to be really strict around communication. Thank you once again for your time. I do hope you guys are getting on top of your business and using this time to improve your processes and stop the communication to your internal customer and external customer. And if there's nothing else coming in the force I'd to see you. Nice, nice to see you. All right, guys. Take it.