Most all business’ work better as a team, atleast that is what I have come to learn. With great team work, comes great result, with great results comes happy costumers! Don’t we all like happy costumers?
Here are ways on how to start improving your shop or grow larger then you already are, to increase revenue and create better communication within the shop.
Creating a detailed plan is the very first step to start your trail to success. A plan that calls for landing more jobs, becoming more efficient and improving communication between the front office and the shop floor. Without a plan, the shop operators tend to get stuck in the day-to-day operations, often overlook key changes in the industry and lag behind competitors.
Creating and having regular meetings with employees can reduce the stress level, in the shop and cut the employee turn over by more than 50%. In the meetings include strategies to get employees on board with the changes that the plan requires and what expectations you have.
With a future of consolidation of the shop, technology, and social media comes challenges and makes repairers start to think of what do next. There is a basic acronym to follow, SWOT; strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of your business. To see how all of these enter twine into your business start by identifying your values, looking at the important aspects to up-hold like honesty, integrity, and teamwork.
Create a vision plan, basically specifically defines and describes the future of your business that employees see and hear on a regular basis. Set goals, and not just in your mind. Write your goals down atleast 3 at a time, make them specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-bound so you can easily determine your progress toward achievement. Once your goals are set, lay out processes and activities that help you to accomplish them.
It’s important that the employees are also involved in the goals that you have for your business. Employees should know what you’re doing and understand how they fit into that plan, so everyone is moving to the same beat. Leaders have to direct heir employees into the culture of the business every day. A shop must be transformed into a place that embraces change and moves forward with new processes to help the business grow.
To better help employees, to help you, have an open-door policy. This policy tells employees that they can feel comfortable asking questions and challenge ideas. The employees will take ownership when they feel their voice is heard. Hold regular meetings so employees can give there feedback, recommendations and ideas for improvement. This is your chance to sit back and take notes on what is said. Also, during the meetings let employees know of any new changes to the shop and make sure they have a good understanding.
Effective leadership is impossible without trust. Be open, honest and approachable and follow through with everything you say you’re going to do. This is where taking notes is handing, to be able to refresh yourself on the goals and tasks mentioned. Leaders need to understand that everybody communicates differently. There are four main styles, behavior, driving, expressive amiable and analytical-capture how people communicate, and understanding your employees’ style will help you build a bridge of open communication.
To wrap it all up, remember there are so many possible improvements, it’s sometimes tough to know where to start. Identify three things that would have the most positive impact on your business if they are achieved. those are the things that are most important to achieve first and will have the highest impact on you business.
admin says
December 9, 2010 at 11:38 pmGreat article Richard. Thanks for posting 🙂
admin says
December 22, 2010 at 3:52 pmWow! Your article is doing great. Almost 700 views….Great Job!