Floor Gossip

Happy New Year

In the past few weeks the theme has been the New Year—this is the year we will be healthier, quit smoking, make and save more money, get that raise, and find Mr or Ms Right or get out of the relationship that doesn’t work. TV, radio and the internet bombard us with products and services promising you will get it right this time.

The subliminal message is last year you have failed doing something. Too much emphasis is placed on “out with the old and in with the new”. Yes, the past year was imperfect, and this year will be imperfect too. We learn from our mistakes, more importantly we learn from our successes. Look not only at our flaws, but our potential. Choose to make this a positive, empowering time.

If your goal was to lose 10# and you lost only 5# have you failed? Didn’t you have some great experiences you wouldn’t trade? Weren’t those family dinners’ experiences you wouldn’t trade? You can make different choices in 07 without feeling those in 06 were disasters.

Anaïs Nin makes an unfortunate but typical quote. “I made no resolutions for the New Year. The habit of making plans, of criticizing, sanctioning and molding my life, is too much of a daily event for me.”

Consider resolving to put those kinds of quotes “out” and bring in the “new” with a positive New Year. Make this simply an empowering year and make one resolution you can live with. This year, resolve to start the New Year looking at your successes and NOT seeing only failure. Look at, replicate and celebrate the successes. Take your best success in 06, scrutinize what you did to create the success, the tactics and strategies – and do it again.

I learned this from a very wise manager. I had just closed a very large and enriching contract. My manager called me in to talk about “what is next”. I talked about targets, prospects, SWOT’s, the typical salesperson debriefing. He patiently listened and told me that wasn’t the information he was looking for. He asked how I found that client, what made it happen— and he simply told me to “go out and do it again”.

When we focus on what we did wrong, we attract and repeat our mistakes. It is very easy to recall friends (yourself) who have made the comment “this always happens to me”. We say that in failure, not in success. Make this the year you say, “This always happens to me” and be referring to your positive successes.

Its hard, as often only the failures are brought to our attention with great impact. It will take deliberate, conscious action to look at things this way, deliberate, conscious action to look at things this way; while not being complacent, and continuing to set aggressive goals. Aggressive goals mean you are sometimes going to strike out, expect short term failures. Accept that if you don’t get out there and take some risk, you will already fail. The game is more often won with base hits than home runs.

Here are some ideas:

Resolve to…

Review and affirm why you are in business. What service do you provide and how your clients better for it.

Call your clients and thank them. During this phone call do not try to sell them something (don’t close the door on an opportunity either) but call with no other motive than to say “thank you”.

Strengthen existing relationships. Review your client list. Target existing clients for more business and plan how will you make it happen.

Contribute to your industry. Get involved in an industry related nonprofit or trade organization as a volunteer and make a difference.

Keep learning. Take a course, hire a coach, and continue to grow professionally.

Step out of your comfort zone. Make those marketing calls! Call one person a day you don’t know.

Make a marketing plan, calendar and daily action item list. If you have one, dust it off, revise it and make it current and relevant in 07.

Give away your knowledge. Do more than sell a product. Create a way that you can add value to your product.

Differentiate. Find a new niche and fill it! Explore trends and anticipate change.

Quit whining! While there are things out of your control, draw upon your resiliency to see the opportunity in change. “No one can make you a victim without your permission!” to create a variation of a famous Eleanor Roosevelt quote.

Remember that your body and self is the machine that makes it all happen. Take care of yourself in all ways.

Spend meaningful time with your family and loved ones. Tell them how important they are to you—often. They really are the reason we do what we do.

Keep all your experiences and build on them. Tear nothing down, throw nothing out, keep the mistakes as lessons learned.

Remember every day is a new year! Best wishes to you and your family.

Sell Well and Prosper tm

Dynamic Governance

Dynamic Leadership

I have been a recent student of “Dynamic Governance” (DG). This concept was introduced to me via the national chapter of the US Green Building Council. Most of my clients know I am a founding board member of the Colorado Chapter. Developed in the Netherlands as "Sociocracy" in the 1980s, DG enhances productivity through a system of decision-making and self governance that facilitates feedback and allows the rapid ability to change. The USGBC adopted DG to manage the working relationships between the national org and its chapters. When we started the chapters we felt isolated. Chapters were new to national, and we felt like we were reinventing the wheel. DG has made a huge difference in how we communicate. I appreciate and enjoy the training I have received and am working toward certification.

Nonprofits are very challenging to lead and wonderful training for anyone you are grooming for management. It will teach them to manage without the usual threats, and with few incentives. You also are working with your peers, or if it’s a children’s group—you are not only managing the children but their parents. You have lost the traditional sticks and don’t have a lot of carrots. To motive and enlist the willing cooperation of volunteers, you have to praise and recognize each achievement. The buy in is critical and everyone, wants their carrots.

Dynamic Governance is the perfect way to organize a nonprofit and any forward thinking organization. The equivalence in decision making creates immediate buy in with feelings of identity. It inspires creativity and a sharing of ideas. Leaders find they are better informed and able to lead easier. In DG, a decision is made by consent decisions instead of consensus, vs traditional winner/loser roles. A proposal is put on the table, and, rather than focusing on whether they are completely "for" the proposal, individuals react quickly, indicating whether it falls within their range of tolerance for achieving the group aim.

Decisions are made by both the hierarchical layers involved and feedback on implementation of the decision gets back to the top. The double linking principle means that an organization becomes more responsible and can quickly adapt. It also engages all the intelligence within a group to evaluate a problem or opportunity.

In the Netherlands any company with more than 50 employees, by law, must have work groups—a group resembling our unions. Companies using DG are excluded from this law. Imagine suggesting the UAW that they can be represented to management without the need for unions? In Holland instead of the knee jerk US reaction of “I’m giving up my power!!, it has been proven over and over that leaders are more, not less empowered. It shows the lack of trust created in traditional management hierarchy.

DG creates not a top down management style, but functional units called circles. The circle exists as an individual unit in relation to other circles. Each semi autonomous circle has its own aim, given by the higher-level circle, and has the authority and responsibility to execute, measure, and control its own processes to move towards its aim. It is connected to the circle above in the form of a double link. This means that at least two people from one circle take part in the decision making in the next higher circle. One of those two is the person charged with accountability of the expected results, the other elected by the group. In traditional management, the hierarchy creates the policy and the workers implement. Those implementing the policies don't always have input into the decisions, and feedback on implementation doesn't always get conveyed back to management. Both positive and negative information is continuously fed back through the system so that incremental adjustments can be made. This makes dynamic governance appealing in today's rapidly evolving environment, where business decisions and adaptations need to be made and executed quickly in order to stay competitive.

In DG classes the example of riding a bicycle is often given. You think you are moving forward in a straight line, but in reality you are constantly checking and balancing. If you were to ride that bike eyes closed, you would crash quickly. Traditional management without important feedback rides often, eyes closed.

An employee’s behavior in general is a function of what he knows and believes. Employees need the KSA’s (knowledge, skills and attitudes) or they cannot perform. However, no matter how knowledgeable you are, if you aren’t motivated to perform the activity you won’t. Traditional punishments, actually motivates you NOT to do it. Threats “do it or leave” result in the top performers leaving for a position that will be respectful of their talents. The employees that are marginal, fearful they may not find another job, stay. To the children of the Great Depression, having a job was a matter of survival. This is no longer the case.

You have seen the results of surveys of why people stay at their jobs—the most recent survey I saw asked for interesting work, appreciation and feeling like they were “in” on things above “good pay”. Employees work to satisfy their needs, and understanding the type of needs is important to motivation.

We too quickly regard workers as focused on outcome. Consider a story about Volkswagen in 1992. The carmaker was negotiating a new labor agreement in Mexico. The company signed with the union a generous 20% pay increase for workers. VW thought everyone would be happy. But the union leaders did a poor job of involving the employees and didn’t communicate some changes of work rules. Workers did not understand the basis for the decisions and felt betrayed. The employees walked out, costing VW $10Mil a day. Violence began and the government had to intervene to restore peace.

Contrast this to an event in the 70’s at Endenburg Electrotechniek (EE), the company where DG was formed. Almost half of their staff worked in Dutch shipyards installing the electrical wiring for big ships. Heavy competition came from the Japanese and the shipyards closed their doors. The EE top circle decided it had no choice but to lay off the shipyard staff.

Within a few hours of the announcement, a member of a team circle had an idea and called an emergency meeting of his circle. He was not a person slated for lay off. He suggested the company could avoid a layoff by training the shipyard workers to become salespeople. The circle liked the idea, added details and elected him as their circle’s representative to the EE top circle. He was then empowered to call a second emergency meeting to the top circle. He presented his idea, and within a few weeks the workers, new marketers, brought in a number of small diversified jobs resulting in only a few staff layoffs.

This is an example of a company pulling together vs traditional me vs them thinking. In the US a proposed layoff has workers thinking “whew, glad its not me”, without inspiration to look for another solution. Stand beside any water cooler—the conversation is almost always, “they never listen”. When a new sales person is hired rarely is the sentiment “great we need the help!” They are more likely to be seen as a competitor. When an aggressive sales goal needs to be attained, companies often put in a sales contest. Having a winner means the rest are losers.

Does DG work in the private sector? Ternary Software claims to be the first for profit entities to enlist it. Their CEO, Brian Robertson, has adapted the process and calls it Holacracy™. In reading from his site, the only difference I see is the name. Their basic premise is still to give voice throughout the organization.

There are 4 basic premises of DG.

Decision Making by Consent: Decisions are made based on discussion till no one present has a paramount objection to the proposal presented.

Circle Organization: The organization is built of semi-autonomous circles. Each circle has its own aim, given by the higher-level circle, and has the authority and responsibility to execute, measure, and control its own processes to move towards its aim.

Double-Linking: A lower circle is always linked to the circle above it via at least two people who belong to and take part in the decision making of both circles.

Elections by Consent: People are elected to key roles exclusively by consent after open discussion.

DG assumes that often there is no “best” candidate or solution to a problem. Managing by consent means we are not seeking perfection because there is rarely a perfect candidate or decision. Decisions are not made in a democracy “majority rules” or consensus—of unanimous agreement. These processes can be used, providing the group consents to using this method on this occasion.

The top circle can get out of the details confident the circles below are fully empowered and feedback is established. Managers do not give up their power, just the time draining micromanaging. Their job gets easier and time is freed to develop other strategies and aims.

asbestos concerns

I recently had a call from a dealer-- they were asked to bring a carpet that "glues on top of carpet".  The concern was the rep had convinced client-- that the carpet, done in 87 was installed with a glue that might contain asbestos.  I thought the research I got into would be helpful to you.  These are general guidelines and in no way do I suggest they are 100% accurate.  If anyone thinks they have asbestos, they should consult a professional.  If you pass along this info to a client, be smart and put in your own CYA language. 

First, asbestos was used in products 1970-78.  A quick look of the glue might indicate asbestos -- it is black. 

Then I researched home test kits and found one @ www.prolabinc.com.  The site indicates it is available at any retail outlet like Lowes, Walgreens etc.  Online, you can order the test @ www.homestoreproducts.com. 

This is a typical scare tactic some factory reps use (I know who it is but will not list the name).  The intention is to "add value". 

Installation procedures recommended by the Carpet & Rug Institute http://www.carpet-rug.org/pdf_word_docs/104.pdf -- this is a large doc, you want page 7, par 7.8.  state that carpet should not be installed over carpet.  My mill will allow it on a one by one basis, and warranty it.  But will also caution-- if there is an uneven surface-- it can accelerate wear, causing a carpet to "ugly" out.  My manufacturer specified they install over a commercial pad or attached cushion. 

It is very common to install product over VAT vs abatement. 

When you get crazy requests-- use your factory reps.  This is a perfect example of the value we add-- and how we are able to research vairous tech support people to get an accurate path. 

everyone is a client

Everyone is a potential client.  I do some coaching because I was asked, but I have plenty of field time and my experiences come from that—experience.  When I have a client with a "no soliciting" sign on their door-- that is the first thing I tell them to take down.  We are all in sales, and you can't be out looking for business, soliciting yourself, with a sign like that on the door—and complaining how rude people are when YOU call.  When I turn down a door to door solicitor I say, “no thank you, and good luck to you”.  Because I do my share of door banging and may not want what he’s selling, but I have empathy.  I don’t get paid the kind of money I do because its easy.  And this guy may be on the other side of the desk someday, with me trying to market to him.  Its easier to be kind—there is no glory to be had putting down the little guy. 

Professional sales is about relationships.  Like the merchant who won't give change for the meter, or directions at a gas station-- that merchant is only in for the sale.  You are nothing more than a walking dollar bill to that person.  That person does not care about you and expect that attitude if you have a problem with your dry cleaning.  A peeve of mine is a sign on a restaurant saying “restrooms for clients only”—well I may not be a potential client at that second, but I bet sometime today I’ll be looking to eat.  Why are you giving them your dollars?

I also sell product.  I recently had a woman rant about a contractor’s shoddy workmanship.  It was ridiculous the condition he left her home.  Her refrigerator wouldn’t even fit in the allowed space.  I told her to get him back in here!  But she said she didn’t want a contractor back in her home, and was angry at me for not having empathy for her sob story.  All of a sudden it was my problem.  And she laid into me, the woman was a loon.  Its probably not the contractors fault if she was this irrational to him.  Some people are content to complain and get more satisfaction being a victim than taking action. 

When you accept situations like rudeness, shoddy workmanship, you keep those companies in business.  It doesn’t matter to me, shoddy workmanship and redo’s are great for me—I get to sell them twice.  But then I see good, honest contractors struggling for the biz, and the slick Willies just creating problem after problem.  Some so bad I’ve refused to let them carry my product.  Vote with your dollars.  Keep the “good guys” in business vs going for lowest price.  That isn’t how you make your business work.  Or at least I hope so, selling just on price isn’t selling, but a loser’s game.  You whine when a client buys on price alone and didn’t see your “value”.  So don’t buy yourself what you are trying to persuade others to do.  Walk your talk.  When a product fails – even if it’s the clients fault, you can save that relationship with empathy.  Sales is about relationships. 

Everyone is a potential client and we should treat each other that way.  The person you just gave the finger to while road raging might be your next client.  Its one of my favorite stories.  I was in a store and another salesperson walked in.  The owner took a minute to chat and his wife walked in.  She started jumping down the guys throat.  The other rep had given her a ration of road rage just a few blocks away, screaming, gestures, cutting her off—he gave her a liberal dose.  She was so upset she was in tears.  Even more ironic, I saw it as I was driving to the client, taken back by this rage, she had every reason to be upset.  The owner simply walked the guy out of the store.  No drama, no explanations and no opportunity for an apology.  Then he sat back down to finish his deal with me. 

Entry Systems

Most of my clients are familiar with my involvement with the CO Chapter, US Green Building Council (usgbc.org) as a founding board member. If you are not familiar with the org, it is best known as the administrator of LEED, the environmental rating system that has become the industry standard. At a recent evening meeting, we were addressed by Ken Sargent, who is with Porter Industries in Ft Collins, CO, a local leader in janitorial services. While Ken’s presentation focused on cleaning and maintenance using eco-products, I wanted to pass some points along, as so many claims are due to improper maintenance.

LEED EB is a rating system of the environmental benefit of "Existing Buildings" offering a potential point for an entrance mat system. Certainly one of the basics of green building is to reuse, and this is promoting the renovation of older buildings. However today, old is not all that old. By 2010, 80% of the SF on the market will be from 2002. Making the case to reuse is the fact at the EPA estimates 30% of all solid waste is generated by demolition and construction.

Most manufacturers of flooring, whether carpet or hard surface, recommend entrance mats. Its something most let the end user purchase, those ugly 6’ mats that clients often lease. However these are not adequate by most manufacturers’ guidelines and dealers are walking away from potential sales dollars. Including entrance mat systems to a sale should be an easy add on, and it’s one that will prevent call backs and future claims. Here are some interesting selling facts to help you convince your clients of the benefits. The International Sanitary Supply Assoc, states it costs $600 to remove a pound of soil once it has entered and distributed in a building. As few as 1000 foot traffics can bring in 24 pounds of soil in ONE MONTH. That is a $14K issue!! Don’t say “it costs too much!” I am sure all of us have dealt with dissatisfied clients whose issues were not the fault of product or installation— but poor maintenance. The speaker of course spoke about good equipment, good cleaning, green materials, but his first bullet point was to "stop soil/pollutants at the door". Remember, this is a man who makes his living cleaning buildings!! It sounds like he’s talking himself out of a sale—or is it good consultative selling?

85% of all soil enters the building on the feet of building occupants. 80% of this is dry particulate soil and the rest is petroleum basked. 30' of properly maintained entrance matting can remove nearly 100% of tracked in soils. Most guidelines and this speaker agreed that entrance matting systems should include 15' scraper, 5' foyer, and 10' carpet matting. There are many decorative ways to do this, and the colors and my product, Coral allow this creativity. Coral’s literature states that 86% of the cost of floor coverings is its maintenance. Walked in dirt is responsible for 85-90% of these costs!!

The speaker also listed as general guidelines to the environmental issues, to choose hard flooring surfaces with low or no requirements for sacrificial coatings, and reiterated the importance for entry way design to stop and isolate soil. Architectural Floor Systems offers resilient flooring products that need no sealers or wax. Permagrain is also a no wax product. Parterre and Lonseal offers products with minimal sealers. Recommending entry mat systems is a good add on sale and is insurance against claims due to accelerated wear caused by ground in dirt.

Many dealers present a check list to the client and they must sign off when declining necessary services. Consider offering these systems as a natural part of the sales process, and documenting should they decline might help you deal with future claims. This system more than pays for itself as it enhances the life of your floor coverings. Don’t go for the inexpensive solutions, if they don’t do the job it won’t give either of you protection.

Success!! Carol

www.carolblaha.com

Carpet Cleaning

I subscribe to the Carpet & Rug Institute's mailing list.  Todays' was a good one, talking about cleaning carpet.  We have all had claims due to improper maintanence.  The article states that there are more than 80 spot removal, pre- spray, in-tank and extractor products earning the CRI Seal of Approval by passing a series of strict tests for cleaning effectiveness and appearance retention. 

However, "Independent testing has shown that many cleaning detergents and spot removers are no better than water. More seriously, some leave a sticky residue that attracts soil at a faster rate. Plus, there is significant variability in the performance levels of extractors. Not all extractors are created equal,” said Werner Braun, CRI president.

Been there?   To always be sure, ask your manufacturer to give you cleaning guidelines.  If in doubt, call their tech service departments. 

Success!! Carol

Welcome!!

Welcome to my blog!!  I hope to give you selling tips, updates and other information.  Please send me your comments!! If you have a question you'd like to keep private, please send it to Cblaha1219@aol.com. 

Success, Carol