Business Management

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One of the greatest business management gurus of our time, Ken Blanchard, wrote a book several years ago with Sheldon Bowles titled “Raving Fans.” It was written in the same style as many of Blanchard’s books over the years: almost painfully simple, yet so applicable.

Why do installers fail to bring install jobs in on time and within budget? Why do service techs fail to do service work within the time allotted in the flat-rate pricing book? I don’t know about you but this used to drive me downright crazy when I was a contractor!

Technology is driving digital marketing to new heights. Though traditional advertising such as billboard signs, flyers and banners remain popular, they are being overshadowed by the Internet’s methods of advertising

I’ve been asked questions during my seminars, teleseminars, webinars, free 30-minute consultations and one-on-one client consultations. I wanted to share some of these with you in the hope that my answers will help you and your business be more productive and generate more revenue to reap the rewards of success.

The first cautionary bit of advice I received from my dad was that I learn how to “avoid stepping over dollars to pick up dimes.” I was just a kid getting started in the family business. This seemed confusing to me so I asked him, “What does that mean?”

One of the advantages of being a plumber is the independence that comes with the job. While you may have maintenance visits set to a regular schedule, more often it’s a job of emergency calls and unexpected situations. This type of job keeps away the monotony of a more structured career but also can leave plumbers in a pinch when an emergency call means an unexpected purchase of an expensive part.

The approaching New Year is always a great time to stop the craziness long enough to reflect on what went right last year, what went wrong last year and what you want or need to do in the coming year to make things better.

Briggs Plumbing Products, a major manufacturer of enameled steel products, vitreous china and faucets previously known as Briggs Industries, has been acquired by its senior U.S. management.

The economy really has been down for the past year or two. The reaction of most contractors has been the same. As an industry, we have lowered our pricing.