Techniques To Survive An Economic Storm Survival for all sectors will be dependent on implementing proactive strategies today. The key will be to remember the strate-gies we implemented and not to forget to apply them on a continual basis in both rough and smooth times. of just the good times. The elements of time management and procrastination indicate that we need to concentrate on what is truly important — the provision of supplies and services to our stakeholders. For instance, we may say that we are going to deliver a service like stripping floors or provide supplies such as floor stripper. But, is it planned so the stripping process is least disruptive to the customer or when it is convenient for us? Is the floor stripper delivered on time, to the right location and in working order? The critical element in this whole process is planning to provide the stakeholder the level of service that he or she expects, regardless of our own paradigms of plan-ning. We need to put ourselves in the cus-tomerʼs shoes. This opportunity was passed down to the distributor who then sub-contracted to a local wood floor operator. The school that requested the service expected the level of professionalism that was demonstrated from the national level. However, on the floor, the work was far from satisfactory. The large floor company representative never followed-up and it is more than likely they will not be given the business again. Failing Factors Recently, we had the opportunity to con-duct a literature review of the top reasons businesses fail. Literally hundreds of reasons were cited and not all may be valid for all sectors or types of businesses. However, there were several factors that kept repeating over and over again that could have an impact on the way that we do business — now and tomorrow — and how we survive in the future. The following is a summary — not in any order of priority — of some of the repeating reasons for business failure: Poor planning Time management Procrastination Excuses Failure to follow-up Ineffective sales performance and fail-ure to market effectively Concentrating on short-term profits rather than long-term gains — one source listed this as the greed factor Inability to adapt to change Decreasing or poor customer service An attitude of indifference. There are many more; however, this list provides some of the issues that we all can address today so that jointly we can survive tomorrow. What should facilities professionals and JanSan distributors do to earn new busi-ness or retain existing business? Remember, this equally applies to in-house operations, outsourced operations and JanSan providers. We all have a customer base to serve and the following techniques apply to all of us. Effective Marketing We are all in the sales business, selling our services and products to our customers. Too often, there is a disparity between what is in the portfolio, what is said and what is actually delivered. Recently, an institution sought to out-source its custodial operation. As part of that process, site visits were made to accounts of companies that had submitted proposals. All stated that they had glowing training and quality assurance programs; however, once the site visits were conducted, there was a huge gap between the glitz in the portfolio and the gloom of poor training and quality assurance on the jobsite. The message did not match the reality. During tight economic times, we need to ensure that our message is consistent with our levels of service, no matter which com-ponent of the JanSan industry we repre-sent. Cut The Excuses When times get tight, it seems that excus-es abound. It is when times get tight that our cus-tomers also have their backs against the wall and certainly do not want to hear excuses. The best exercise that an ISP, BSC or distributor can demonstrate is to under-promise and over-deliver. Analyze your resources and align the resources in such a manner that services are provided that exceed customer expec-tations, all of the time. The secret to ongoing business success is the repeat customer. Retaining customers in times of pain will reap rich dividends when the marketplace changes. Concentrate On The Long-haul During the past several months, service companies have surfaced with aggressive marketing campaigns. Many of the companies offer short-term deals that are usually too good to be true. But, these companies have to under-stand that customers build up a loyalty with companies that will provide goods and services during the good and the bad times. First, the key here is to understand that the provision of a service or product is rela-tional. Also, the bridges have to be built with people. This takes time and effort so that the Follow-up One of the greatest pitfalls for providers of facilities services and supplies is to assume that what we have planned will be complet-ed in a timely, cost-effective and efficient manner. The only way to find out the customerʼs level of satisfaction is to ask — follow-up, follow-up and follow-up at all levels. Case in point, a large commercial gym floor maintenance company won an award to refinish a gym floor. Proper Planning The first three reasons cited in our busi-ness failure list are: Poor planning; time management; and procrastination. Today, we need to prepare and plan bet-ter for tomorrow and not rest on the laurels 22 CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management ® • October 2009
CMM – Archives Oct 2009: 22
