Monthly Archives

September 2018

Sep 25
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Three Tips For Handling Stress At The Busiest Times Of The Year

By Health and Wellness No Comments

Depending on the region you live in work can ebb and flow based on the weather. For the most part, summer and fall are the busiest times of year for most contractors and public adjusters because the weather is best for building, and storms are usually the most damaging. That also means that you are your busiest during those times as well, and things can get crazy in a hurry.

Regardless of when your company is at its busiest, it can get difficult to get everything accomplished and not feel like your hair is on fire 99% of the time. Handling stress when almost everything you’re working on needed to be done yesterday, and you have more and more tasks coming in daily can be difficult, which is why we compiled our top three tips for handling stress at the busiest times of the year.

Take Little Breaks)

When you are really stressed taking a break can seem like a waste of time that is only going to make your day harder, but more often than not, taking even a small break can make your day a lot easier. Giving yourself even five minutes to step away from work and clear your head will help you to re-focus and feel more capable when you sit back down at your desk or head to your next inspection.

Some of the ways that our employees take little breaks are:

  • Going to fill-up their water bottle and taking a lap around the office
  • Focused deep breathing your car
  • Having a snack or actively taking a quick lunch break
  • Stepping out to get a coffee or tea

Most of these things take only a few minutes but they give you a chance to step away from work a few times each day, and remind yourself that you will be able to get everything done.

Find Time For You)

For a lot people, work isn’t the only thing that demands your attention. Family, friends, and other plans are there as well, pulling you in different directions and adding to your workload. When work gets stressful, it can make your other obligations seem more stressful as well (and make it easier to take your stress out on them). One good way to combat all that stress, is to find time for you when things get crazy.

While it might seem like that means doing more things, taking even 10 or 15 minutes for yourself can be a game changer. Some of the things Scoperite employees like to do for themselves are:

  • Get up early to have time drink your coffee by yourself
  • Stay up a little later than your family to read, watch TV, etc.
  • Meditate or deep breathe using a guided app
  • Pick a household chore that you don’t mind doing to do by yourself and focus only on that

You know what works best for you, what puts you in the best mood, so find the time to do it every day. You will thank yourself later.

Don’t Over-Plan)

When there is a lot to do, it is easy to over-plan your days and over-estimate your ability to get things done. During busy times of the year, new tasks pop-up and demand your time every single day, despite the tasks you already had planned for the day.

For every day, plan out the few things that absolutely have to get done; whether it is appointments with homeowners, sending out invoices, or getting an estimate written, plan what has to be done that day and nothing else. That way if other things come up you still have time for them, and if nothing else happens, you can add a few more things to your list and knock those out early. When things get crazy, it is easier to go with the flow rather than feel overwhelmed with each new task that gets added to your to-do list.

Sep 14
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Best Practices For Upselling

By Contractors No Comments

When it comes to construction, one of the best ways to increase profits is to upsell customers. Whether it is for better products, better warranties, or just more peace of mind for them, it is good for you when your employees can get customers to make improvements and upgrades beyond the original scope of work.

Upselling, however, isn’t always easy. Whether your salesmen are new and timid or homeowners are a tough sell, it can take a lot of convincing to get a commitment to a better product, service, warranty, etc. There are a few things that you, as a leader in your company, can do to make your team more effective in their upselling efforts.

Take The Time To Train)

Some guys are just good at selling, and upselling, they can get contracts signed and warranty upgrades agreed to without hardly any work at all on their end, but some guys just aren’t; they struggle to create a good relationship with the homeowner and to get contracts signed, much less get product upgrades in the mix.

Taking the time to train all your guys on good tactics for upselling can hugely benefit your company. Helping them to have rebuttals for denials, tools to explain the value added, and tactics to open the upgrading conversation will make them more effective at upselling, but also at selling in general. Have them practice on each other, role play the scenario so that they can get used to fending off excuses and working the benefits into the conversation; the more they practice on each other, the easier it will come when they try with real homeowners. It also gives the salesmen an opportunity to help one another out. That great salesman can show your new guys how he goes about selling, convincing, and getting the deal done. The new or timid salesmen can ask questions, and clarify things they are unsure of. Getting all of your guys together in one room gives them the opportunity to teach each other and collaborate amongst themselves the best ways to upsell homeowners.

Use Your Resources)

Part of being able to upsell is to know what it is you are persuading the homeowner to add to their project. Whether it is a product like an impact resistant shingle or anti-wear paint, or a better warranty for using only one company’s products, your guys need to know everything about it so that they can ensure the homeowner that it is the right thing for them do to.

This is where having good, strong relationships with manufacturer reps is essential. The manufacturer representatives are a wealth of knowledge, and it is their job to get your company to use more of their products. Many reps will be more than happy to sit down with you and your salesmen to go in depth into how certain products work, how they are better than others, and even ways to sell them to the homeowners. Similar to the training, working with the reps gives your guys the opportunity to ask questions, see demos, and become experts on the products and services they sell. Being able to understand exactly what they are selling and how it will be a benefit to the homeowner will make you salesmen exponentially better at gaining the homeowner’s trust, and convincing them to upgrade their project.

Sep 04
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Why It’s Important To Unplug From Work

By Health and Wellness No Comments

How frequently have you included that you will “still have your phone on you” in your out-of-office message? Or checked emails when you get home from a Saturday night out with friends? When was the last time you actually unplugged from work entirely?

Phones, tablets, and mobile technologies have made work easier in a lot of ways; you can work from home rather than the office, get calls when you’re away from your desk, and make sure you don’t forget about that Saturday at 8AM phone meeting your boss scheduled you for. But all the technology has also made it a lot harder to unplug from work and walk away every once in a while.

Taking the time to truly unplug from work is becoming more and more important as people’s lives continue to get busier and more stressful. Being constantly connected means work is happening when you are at dinner with your friends, watching a movie with your family, and at 2AM when you get up to respond to a note you received earlier that day. It makes work the most present thing in your life, which can wear you down really fast. Even if you greatly enjoy your work, when it consumes most of your time you start to miss out on other things you enjoy, and sometimes, you stop liking your work as much as well.

Unplugging, and we mean really unplugging, can help you get back to enjoying work and enjoying your life. Whether that means turning off your notifications on Friday at 5 and having your weekend to yourself, or going all the way out-of-office with no emails and no phone calls that can be received. Taking the time away isn’t going to end your career or set you years behind, but it will make you more motivated when you return; when you haven’t spent all weekend thinking about problems you need to solve on Monday, the problems are easier to solve because you are approaching them with fresh eyes.

Disconnecting lets you get back to being just you, and giving work you a break; take advantage of that. Let yourself do what you love when you have the time off, so that you can you enjoy your work when you are doing that.