Information and…Wasted time and…

Information and …Hitting the ball

When we pitch service as our greatest strength does that impress that prospect? When we mention that we only live fifteen minutes away insuring quick response time for emergencies, does he care? If we say that we’ll deliver sparkling tableware or white, bright great smelling linens is that a winning idea?

Well, the answer is maybe so and maybe no.

The difference between any of those having impact or falling on deaf ears is how relevant they are to his perceived needs. If his tableware is already sparkling or linens are great, telling him that we can maintain the status quo isn’t likely to move the needle. And if he rarely experiences emergencies, and the incumbents’ response time has been acceptable, again close but no cigar.

The difference in any benefit we might pose, and its impact is relevance. And to know that we need some intelligence. Having knowledge about the operation is the difference between hitting home runs and striking out. If results are great – but we learn they’re being delivered at the expense of excessive usage, maybe the sweet spot is pitching lowered costs.

No matter how we gain insight about where the fertile territory lies, without an idea as to what it might be, we’re swinging at the ball blindfolded. And that’s pretty unlikely to result in base hits -let alone home runs.

Next up: Gaining attention – and information

Wasted time and…Wasted earnings

As the saying goes, time is money. Despite all of us knowing – and appreciating that fact, we often fail to keep it in the forefront of our thinking. Time and its efficient use are pretty much all we have available to maximize our earnings.

If we had a magic app on our phones that would measure every minute of our working day and display those wasted and those profitably used, we’d be shocked at how much of our day isn’t productive. Of course some of that inefficiency isn’t within our control. That traffic backup that cost us thirty minutes, or the legitimate emergency call are probably unavoidable.

But many are. Take the wasted time needed to double back to the shop to pick up silastic tubing for that cracked low temp or laundry dispenser tube we found. We know those fail and not having spares with us is pretty much self-inflicted damage. Or perhaps it’s having to make an emergency delivery when that account really should have been seen last week.

But despite those unforeseeable and unplannable issues that can break our stride, the first stage of gaining efficiency (making it a mindset) is the most important step we can take to better it.

Next up: Planning for efficiency.