Habits can either make or break your kitchen and bath business, and since we’re all human here, we tend to become creatures of them from time to time. Now that summer is here and things are hopefully picking up for your kitchen or bath business, it’s time to become mindful of your habits.
As things pick up, namely over the busy months, kitchen and bath dealers start to develop more duties, which trump some of the pre-existing “less urgent” responsibilities. Over time, muffling these tasks can lead to forgetting them altogether. Make it a habit to create time for the things that “can be set aside for later.”
Monitoring Your Staff
When is the last time you checked on your staff? And I’m not talking about asking them how they’re doing. I mean, when’s the last time you really checked in to see how they’re doing? Especially if your company has multiple locations, it can become difficult to monitor each and every one. Utilizing available industry specific tools, such as industry specific software, makes it simple to monitor performance at each location through management dashboards and integrated scheduling features. Simple observation can allow you to see who’s pulling sales, who is not, and know whether or not you’re right sized.
Another way to check in on your staff performance is to test your team. Make it a point to bring some secret shoppers into your operation to note their overall experience, look for inefficiencies and bottlenecks, and test your staff’s use of your uniform sales process. Even a secret phone call made by you or someone you know can give you a better sense of staff knowledge and customer service.
Maintain your Tools
Have you kept up with tool maintenance, or has that fallen by the wayside? If you’re not monitoring all of your tools, one of them is bound to jump up and bite you in the “you know what” sooner than you expect. Keep a list of tools that require maintenance (and when), and make sure you are keeping up with and recording their status.
Have you had your vehicles inspected as recommended? Attending to a transmission with a $200 fix now can save you from a $2,000 bill down the road. And on a similar note, replacing the broken saw cover now could keep you from falling short one employee (and paying out worker’s comp) if they were to slice their hand as a result of negligence.
Refresh on your Vision
Take time each quarter to reflect on your company vision and make that a habit. Reading over your mission statement and reflecting upon where you are currently, and where your paths are headed is a great way to make sure you don’t veer from things that truly matter due to daily fires that scream for immediate attention. Hold company meetings to make sure that it’s not only you who are in line with that vision, but that your employees are on that same page as well. Maintaining this strong foundation upon which your company sits will ensure your business doesn’t crumble from lack of focus.
Make sure to keep up with things that matter, even when times are busy. The kitchen and bath dealerships who stay on point with easily ignored “do it later” tasks are the ones that will be better off down the road with less cash leakage and minimized unpleasant surprises. Start building routines that will allow you to keep on top of things without getting lost in the daily grind.
