Free Republic Business Networking Ideas

7/13/2002 | PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain

[Focault's Pendulum]

We run 1 crew and are buying more equipement and hiring a new 2nd crew to help with the work load.

Having reread this part of your comment.....consider this:

Hire on temp labor
Take your best mechanics and make them foremen (again temp)
Realize the fact that not all good mechanics are good supervisors.....temporary bonus time (not competition) for any and all who complete the work satisfactorily to spec.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Sounds like a good plan, start small, stay out of debt, you will need some debt, but make sure when you go into debt, it the kind that makes you money, ASSETS! Also life never goes as you plan, be open to any good business start up idea. Good luck.

BigMack

[happytobealive]

So the attempt at starting a Free Republic Business Networking Ideas thread came to mind

I hope your networking idea gets traction, but I'm skeptical because FReepers don't post many business articles.

[patton]

This is how I handle it - I establish first, what my labour resources are now, next week, a month from now, etc.

By resources, I mean number of people, skill type etc, number of foreman, type, and so on.

Now comes the hard part.

You gotta decide - and sell it to your labor force, how many hours you will work, and how many they will.

And you have to make up your mind to stick to it.

Now, you make a calandar. Every job is bid not just by price, but by man-days. On your calandar, add weather delays, and a fudge factor.

Next, all projects go on the labor calandar, by size, priority, order recieved, whatever.

When you bid a job, you fit it on the calandar - tell your customer that you are not going to screw the guy on the calandar to give the new job his slot. Tough.

Most customers understand this - they don't want to be bumped, either.

Then you stick to it. When you start to slip, or get ahead, fiddle with your fudge factor.

That is the whole secret.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

I'm in!

Good, I'll add you to the bump list.

BigMack

[mdittmar]

You need a butt kicking sales crew with a top notch sales manager who knows how to negotiate the BS that every customer..."needs it right now!"

Right you are.

Nothing ever happens until you make the sale.

This must be followed up with a butt kicking customer service crew.

The ball cannot be dropped anywhere.

[Texaggie79]

Perhaps ole John might make another topic area...........

[Dave S]

I'm skeptical because FReepers don't post many business articles.

Unless it has to do with plant closings or H1B visas.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Large construction firms combine this with a second shift when they want to fast track a project.

Good idea, I could to use both crews on any fast track jobs, and then have them on seperate jobs for the rest, 2 jobs at once. 40 won't do for us, we work 6 days a week or 48 to 50 hrs a week.

BigMack

[Gore_ War_ Vet]

This is a great idea! Now if only I could figure out how to make money in a food fight?

Ooooo! Ooooo! Ooooo!

Sell pies. #;o)

[rabidralph]

Just an idea that I heard while watching a customer service video. In a nutshell: Getting new customers isn't as important as keeping the current ones happy. Maybe you could hold off on the bidding until you get these current customers scheduled with concrete timetables for finishing their jobs.

Thanks, for suggesting this thread. I hope it bears fruit for the users.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Do the jobs you can handle perfectly(which I'm sure you do),and you'll always have more business than you can handle.

Good advise, but my problem is my work is seasonal, and we have to make hay while the sun is hot. We do have a good customer base and most understand, I just looking for a better way.

BigMack

[dtel]

Instead of having one crew "repave" I would assume that is asphalt maintenace correct if wrong, would it be possible to assembly line the work to a degree?
Have a prep crew and a finish crew, possibly.
This would keep your main machinery on-site a shorter time and allow you to squeeze in one more job a day.
Could you describe the process a bit?

[rdb3]

So, I've run it up the flag pole will anybody salute it?

Present arms!

Have you ever thought about "farming out" the overload?

Order arms!

[XBob]

sounds like you are bidding too low, or not willing to grow enough, one or the other or both.

If you are doing quality work and winning more bids than you can handle, raise your bids. Figure out what is a comfortable percentage of bids for you to win, which you can successfully accomplish.

Or alternatively, grow and manage your company to handle the business you win. Growing too fast is always a major problem with small, growing companies, and can lead to total business failure.

[litany_of_lies]

I for one would be HUGELY interested in a business networking thread, both to help others and ultimately, of course to help me--that's capitalism :>)

As to your situation, I don't have a specific suggestion, but I know that you should be trying to read Jeff Gitomer's weekly column on sales that is in about 40 weekly business newspapers around the country (somewhat accessible at gitomer.com, but much of it is pay-oriented, but also may be worth it).

The networking idea would work best if we got together a consortium of no more than 15-20 small business and sales people needing leads. We get an understanding of each other's businesses, and (VERY IMPORTANT) consistently every week or every other week we should schedule a fixed time together. At that online meeting, which might last 60-90 minutes, we suggest for at least a few ot the 15-20 businesses either 1-2 specific leads (best), business development ideas (OK), or business management ideas to keep you on track (OK).

This is the way the networked "leads clubs" I am familiar with have worked. The problem has always been carving out the time for the commute back and forth, and the resulting drop-off in attendance because it's hard to keep coming consistently. Doing the same thing online eliminates that problem. Now all you have to do is come up with a group of people who are willing to try the idea out and are open to helping others while they help themselves. In fact, the whole idea of online leads clubs, if it isn't being done already, is actually a pretty decent business idea, but I'll let someone else make their millions on it :>)

[rdb3]

I like this idea and it helps the cause of conservatism if we are all rich? Bump from a 20 year old college kid capitalist pig wannabe( with a rich girlfriend).

Play on, playa. And something else we say around the hood, "Ball 'til ya fall." ;-)

[fatima]

add me to your bump list,we have a little non-profit Catholic gift and thrift,just opened 1 year ago,we also have a yahoo store and for yahoo store owners there is a new forum for just that.Freep mail me and I will send link.

[mdittmar]

but my problem is my work is seasonal

That's a tuffy,do you lay off crews in the off season?

[XBob]

sounds like a good idea - a FR business forum, we have a lot of talent in a lot of areas on the forum, but do they want to discuss business?