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Management Tools for Parking Area Sweeping |
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Part Two of naPSa speaker, Kraig Kramers' speech.By Ranger Kidwell-Ross, editor of World Sweeper magazine. 
In part 2 of Kraig Kramers' presentation, we'll cover his ideas about how to better sell your services, train key personnel and achieve better communication among your management team regarding the operation of each of their responsibility areas. When you sell your company's services, don't make the mistake of selling what you actually do instead of what it achieves for the customer. For example, you shouldn't sell parking lot sweeping. Rather, you might instead assert that you provide a sparkling storefront that will make for happy, safe customers. Look at your services through the eyes of your customers. He also touched on the topic of neurolinguistic programming (NLP), which is a more effective way of communicating with the various individuals you're trying to reach. In a nutshell, NLP recognizes that each person learns best in one of 3 basic ways, through hearing something said to them, seeing the information in print, or actually touching something that conveys the idea. For this reason, communication is most effective when you speak to people about things and accompany your talk with written materials they can hold and read. Although this is an especially useful tool for sales situations, the concept applies to all types of communication. "How does this look, sound and feel to you?" is a question that uses this valuable NLP concept to connect everyone no matter which way they best absorb information. 
Kramers also provided us with a management tool that involves writing your top 5 priorities/vision for the future -- what might be called the 'big picture items' -- on the left side of a divided piece of paper. Discuss these with your managers to get their input and buy-in to your ideas. Then, suggest they each focus on the 5 priorities for each of their areas of responsibility, and reconvene a week later to share the results. In most instances, Kramers said, this will become the first time in the history of the company that all managers will know each other's priorities. This will create a better level of teamwork because everyone will now be aware of the goals company-wide. He advised limiting these priorities to no more than 5 to ensure they don't become a 'do-to list.' Three months later, all participants fill in the center column of the same paper, showing their results in reaching the goals they set. He also emphasized that, when you get everyone back together to reveal the outcomes, you don't "beat people up about their results section." You will find, he assured us, that everyone's productivity increases ("A rising tide raises all ships") because each person's results are in view of everyone else. Finally, use the third column of the paper to list the next round of goals. Kramers emphasizes the importance of identifying what he calls your company's "key customer impact jobs." Identify the top 3-5 positions in your company that have the most impact on your customers, he said, and then do whatever it takes to make sure the ability of those workers is honed to perfection. In nearly all companies, he reminded us, this includes the receptionist position. This is true, Kramers insisted, even though most managers don't give the receptionist much training, or even a business card. (If they have one, it should read 'Director of first impressions'!) In contrast to the norm, and continuing to use the position of receptionist as his example (what he called "one of the toughest jobs in the company") Kramers cites ways to ensure that these individuals provide a good impression each and every time. First, make sure you have a winner in the job. Then, let them know exactly what they need to be doing, train them well and provide them with the tools they need to do a good job, as well as give them good compensation and recognition. For example, your receptionist should be good at giving directions to your office. With maps now available online, Kramers suggests having a MapQuest (http://www.mapquest.com) map of your location ready to attach to an email and/or ready to be faxed. Brainstorm the top ten toughest calls they're likely to receive and how to deal with each: unhappy customer, bomb threat call, police, etc. Throughout, remember that your receptionist is your "window into your customers' soul." A receptionist training is available, Kramers told us, through American Management Association's Key Productivity Center. Another section of Kramers' talk was on the topic of getting organized. Mail and other information that comes in to your office each day, he said, can be segmented into 5 categories, A, B, C, D and R. A's are the most important items that must be dealt with immediately. B's are items you can delegate, which you need to do without delay. D's are trash and are immediately dumped. R's are reading material you want to go through later, which are placed somewhere, such as in your briefcase, to take home for later perusal. "Anything that's left," Kramers told us, "are C's. These are items that aren't easily dismissed but also not easily classified: can't delegate, can't handle it. Put them into the 'C' drawer so you can reference them later when someone calls about their communication. After awhile you'll have to dump the bottom half of the 'C' drawer to keep it from getting completely full. (Repeat as necessary so as to be able to keep getting your drawer shut.) All-in-all, Kraig Kramers provided a host of ideas and tools to assist his sweeping contractor audience become better goal-setters and overall managers. His presentation was both interesting and understandable, and we'd encourage anyone who has an opportunity to attend one of his seminars to take advantage of doing so. If you learned from this article, you will want to check out the other articles by Kramers we have at WorldSweeper.com:
Kraig W. Kramers may be reached by contacting: |
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