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7 . BE FLEXIBLE Work-life balance is crucial to a happy workforce . Be generous with time off and understanding about scheduling whenever possible . A mom or dad might be happy to stay late one day if it means they are able to cut out early and catch their daughter ’ s netball or son ’ s rugby game the next day . Actively encourage employees to take vacations , too . Well-rested employees are happy employees .
8 . DON ’ T PLAY FAVOURITES Maybe your crew includes family members or friends . Maybe there are just some employees whom you get along with better because you have similar outside interests . That ’ s fine , but when it comes to raises , promotions , and job assignments , you must treat everyone fairly . Any hint of favouritism can lead to longlasting resentment or defection .
10 . HANDLE ALL DISPUTES IMMEDIATELY AND FAIRLY Nothing hurts morale like a disagreement between coworkers , especially in a small company where employees cannot just be reassigned to a different partner or team . An employee who has a beef with management can also spread negativity through a company like the plague . Nip it in the bud . Listen to all sides , try to get the facts , and settle things fairly . If necessary , bring in a neutral party for mediation to resolve the issue .
If your company could improve in any or all of these areas , take steps to implement changes . Concentrate on making your company a great place to work , and it will help you sail through the upcoming busy season with a full crew . Preventing workers from leaving for greener pastures will reduce the time , effort , and money needed to find last-minute replacements . PA
BUSINESS AND TRAINING
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9 . DON ’ T HOG THE CREDIT Recognise employees for their achievements . If a particular employee went above and beyond for a customer , give credit where credit is due . It could make better customer service contagious rather than spreading the “ Why bother ?” attitude that comes with the frustration of seeing the boss take credit for an employee ’ s hard work .
Judy Kneiszel is a specialist writer focusing primarily on topics around business success .
Improving on your company ’ s culture could be the difference between keeping a good employee and having to post a vacancy .
Five things to avoid when selling customers your services
Selling is something you cannot completely ignore in the plumbing game if you want to ensure you maintain a steady workload .
By
Mike Agugliaro
Here are ways to make that part of the job enjoyable and effective . As a plumbing business , you define your work as plumbing work , but the truth is that it is more . To get more plumbing work you have another job as well : sales . The more you sell , the busier you and your team will be and the more money your company makes .
Unfortunately , sales is often considered to be an annoyance , an inconvenience , a hassle , or even an afterthought . Maybe it even feels inauthentic and slimy . You would probably rather be plumbing than selling .
But with just a few simple tweaks to your approach , you can sell a lot more to your customers without all those accompanying negative thoughts . It all starts with dropping the following five things from what you do . When you stop doing them , you will focus your energy on more effective selling ( and selling that does not feel slimy ) and you will close more deals .
1 . STOP TRYING TO SELL If you are trying to sell , you are overthinking it . It should flow naturally . If you are trying to sell , you are going to hate it and the customer will sense that it is forced .
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www . plumbingafrica . co . za April 2018 Volume 24 I Number 2