Ep 165 - Make The Most of The Office Manager

Hello and welcome back to another episode of Electric Prenu Secrets, the premium service electricians podcast. I'm Clay Neumeier. With me, as always, my esteemed co-host, joseph the sales bot, lou Canney, if you're watching, if you're with us live and you're also seeing this little name right here, right there, that's the pleasant peasant wearing it proud, your friend north of the border. It's almost snowing here, Mr Canada himself, clay Neumeier, how do you like that? In short, of myself, joe.

I definitely like it, but I think the requirement should be you wearing a flannel jacket while also having a. Mountie hat and drinking maple syrup. If you're going to be Captain Canada, we got to go all the way.

Did you just watch Super Troopers or something?

I mean technically, it's a great movie.

All right. Well, it's a great Wednesday. It's a great day to have a great day. It is Wednesday and we are here again to help you master sales, simplify pricing, deliver premium level electrical service and, of course, today, making the most of your office manager position. Which man? We've got this action piece and we are pumped up to give it out. We're actually going to run through some of that on the podcast today. Would that be wrong of us to do with such a powerful piece? Joe?

Would not be wrong of us. I am so pumped to do it because I know this one's going to really help a lot of people.

I'll just preface this again, guys, by letting you know every Wednesday is this action post-Wednesday. We're giving you real, actionable, valuable advice, and how you can get that is by joining us on our Facebook group, electric Printer Secrets, or even just by typing in the Electricians podcast there, or joining us on our website at serviceloopelectricalcom to leave usa message there. We'd be happy to send this to you and, of course, this is first hire secrets. But, joe, before we go all business, how was your night man? How are you doing?

It was actually really, really nice, I was going to say for the most part. I had one of my close friends come and stay with us for a few days, just head out. It was one of the first nights where it was just a family again. It was really good, except for the girls didn't want to sleep. But the joys of having two beautiful children is that occasionally you get to chalk up to they sleep just as well as you do, which is in my case not well at all.

When friends or family leave, I always feel like it's a bittersweet thing. You're like, finally my space back. But at the same time you all kind of sit there sad like oh, they're gone.

Yeah, Now, this is one of those guys that he could move in with me and I. It wouldn't be enough. I love them to death. I think he's a great member of our family and we could not have asked for a better friend, you know.

Awesome, man, awesome. All right, I want to talk about this Electric Printer journey for a moment. Can we do that? Oh yeah, I'm so down. Many young Electricpreneurs, electrician entrepreneur see what we did there Electric preneurs right, you've heard it a few times by now come to us for guidance to well master their sales, simplify their pricing, deliver premium level service or, as we say, get off this first floor. And that first floor really means well, the first hierarchy of your business, the first requirement, and that is to really master those sales and all things that are involved with those sales. Really, we're talking about mastering the exchange. If you have it well plotted out how to conduct that exchange, create happy, long lasting customer relationships and the ability to train and teach people how to do that, for you to delegate it, then you're kind of home, free to work on level two. Would you agree with that, joe? I would.

As long as you can establish actionable training skills, to where your team can grow, to where you don't have to handle it every way, that is really that. That's the key. That is the key that gets you to unlock the next door.

So we have a certain class of electricpreneur that comes to us for help and they're maybe younger into the business or in their first few years and haven't quite hit stride yet, or sometimes even in their first few months, like a couple of our electricpreneurs who have set some great monthly records, hitting between 50 and 70k months in their first months with us. But the next problem then comes. See, they come for that exact help Before they know it. I mean, law of separation kind of is a thing, and you're emotional, you're in the heat of it, you're sales, sales, sales. The next thing you know, the end of the month come, they're feeling like they haven't accomplished much. But then we look at QuickBooks and see, holy shit, you just had a $68,000 month, great job, high five. And they're like, oh wow, I did. And then over the next few weeks it gets a little bit quiet. Why is this happening, joe? You know what I'm putting down.

Yeah, I know you're getting that. So the thing is is that most new businesses as well as most, you know, electricpreneurs, we have this mindset where, once we finally find a play that works, we keep running that same play. But if the play was acquiring more clients and closing more deals, eventually you've got to deliver on that right, which means that instead of actually now focusing on growing their company, they're stuck in the deliverables, which means you can have a super high month, but if you don't have the key steps required to sustain it or to allow you to keep moving at that same pace, you eventually have to slip back, get the work done and then ramp into it, and that's not the best way to see success.

So we kind of go from this you know, attract, convert, deliver, and then we get stuck in this delivery with the overwhelm of those conversions that we've made and the cash in those checks, and so for a few weeks you're in install and of course the knee jerk reaction is to hire an electrician. Yeah, they help you with all these installs so that you can back up and catch up on all the office stuff and everything else that's been adding up for all these sales you've been cashing in on. You agree with this so far? Absolutely, jump on in.

So far I agree with. That's the line that the electrician technically does. But it's like a dagger to the heart because I know how the story ends and it's just it's so sad to know that a lot of people are like, oh, if I just get more vans on the road, then I won't have to work as much, when really it's like, yes, you will have to work as much because now there's the training, the maintaining, the ongoing support, the additional leads. You required a main, larger team, higher pressure on now closing and converting more jobs and you still haven't solved the office problem.

And that office problem, of course, is what we've been talking about all week. But you know, it's just not your queen B role, as you'd say, as an electrician guys like us, master electricians, here with you talking and communicating on this exact subject, because we've been through it too. I've been overwhelmed in the field and thought, hey, I need another electrician to help me with this so I can get back to the business. But if the business isn't your strength, should that really be your focus right now? No absolutely not. We should probably try to leverage that strength a little more.

No, I would really say that if you're in a functional team, it's not a bunch of clones of the same person. Every individual has a different strength, acts different and performs differently. So if you're a phenomenal technician and that's your specialty and that's what you do you eat, sleep and breathe electric then you should be doing electric work or at least training others to do it to the same caliber that you are. It shouldn't be on the office duty if you're not gonna serve at the highest level. The reason why I say this is that your office position is probably the most important position in the company Is. That's where, when someone calls you, they determine whether they even want to use you in the first place. They're setting the stage of what your technician is gonna be perceived at before they even rang the bell. So if you didn't serve at the highest, most professional level, they could show up thinking he's a seven out of ten and now, even if he does everything perfect, he's still three less than the first person they met, or he has to work so much harder just to gain the lost ground. So make sense clear definitely, man, definitely in.

All this came from. You know what a different approach of saying, well, what our clients are experiencing in that sales bump to instiller bump. Let's talk about what the average electrician in our experience is actually going through. Is it cool if I just run down this list? Yeah, all right, so you let me know if you agree with this. Electrician Working for someone hits a conflict, a block in the road, some reason decides I could make more and have more control if I just work for myself. Became my own entity. Present, yeah, present. That electrician becomes a contractor. The contractor then takes any and all work that comes their way. Yep, the new construction. I've been that guy, I get it now if you're in our value piece of, you haven't gotten it yet. This is illustrated by a nice little inverted org chart, which I can't wait to dive into as well, and that division of service and construction. But why this happens from the get go, why we take everything in anything and in our experience what we see is construction guys that come over Tend to take a little longer to ramp up and take off because they don't have the marketing and sales experience. Because in construction it's actually easy come, easy go as far as getting the work. It's really easy to find someone to give you a package to bid on because they want numbers. They're looking for that. There's no threat. It's actually an advancement for them to see your numbers to. And if your numbers are right and your presentations right, then you get that construction work right and there's a shortage of construction outfits out there. So hey, that's easy. Am I right on that, joe? Would you say I'm right on that?

I'd say you're right and you know, speaking to which there is a shortage of construction work, and for good reason, like coming from someone who's done new construction and then transition to residential service. I mean, I know that's not the topic for today, but I'm certain that there are some of you right now that I like oh, I'll just float the winter with construction work. Stay tuned, because we're gonna be telling you why not to do that.

Yeah, definitely so. This contractor has no business marketing sales or office and customer service experience. Customer service is not a priority in construction. We can tell by the beards, by the dirty fingernails, long chewed on fingers, whatever it is right, and then that backwards and baggy jeans and the rest of it. That's a bit of a stereotype. No offense to anyone in construction. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. You guys and project background. I've gone to work many days not giving a shit what I looked like because it didn't matter. You're not there to impress anyone, you're there to get a job done. And if the beard makes you faster, then by all means sport the big beard.

Mm-hmm.

All right, yes well with that limited experience they struggle to get all the daily field work done for their clients Already because of the underpaid, overworked scenario which is, since we're on the race to the bottom, since we're competitive on price and since we're relatively inexperienced still and getting work, we tend to over commit. You ever seen an electrician over commit out there, joe?

Oh my god, I mean, every one of us has been that guy before where you're thinking yourself like I remember one of the first generators ever put on my own Was like, yeah, you know what? It's? A portable with a manual. Maybe we can do it for less. You know, I actually have some material left over on a job from a previous job. Maybe I'll just cut that in. We'll change how we're doing the install. So like, yeah, there are so many of us that are trying to cut corners just because we don't have the time. Knowledge means material. It's not a good thing to do, but it's also fair to say that most of us have done it.

And here's a nugget like over commitments do not equal value. That's why they happen, because intuitively we were like you know what I can add value here? But we make promises that we can't, we write checks that we can't cash, and that actually Sacrifices accountability and integrity, because then you can't fulfill the promise and you're feeling that on your conscious right. So now we've got field promises that we don't have schedule for. We're feeling the urge to hire and get some help and we're going home at night to a pile of office work that is also either eating our health and family time, relationship time, or You're hitting that fuck it point and you're like you know what, tomorrow, tomorrow, okay. Saturday, okay, saturday and Sunday, okay, this isn't. Oh, I'm in trouble. This is hot water. You see where this is going, right.

Yeah, and the biggest problem that happens is that a lot of us believe that we have Endless time because we have endless energy. Right Like you, can wake up in the morning and have nothing but a cup of black coffee, a pack of cigarettes and a heart full of anger, and you're gonna get a lot of things accomplished. Like anyone who's in construction knows, that's usually the trifecta. But the problem is is that you eventually burn out Before you actually get the work done, because enthusiasm works off adrenaline, and adrenaline is a non-sustainable chemical. So you may hype yourself up to do it, but just biologically you cannot keep up the hype that your brain can. So even if you wanted to go all Saturday and Sunday, you're now working off fumes, which means your Monday, tuesday, wednesday, thursday, friday is less productive than if you took that time. So it's a vicious, non-relenting cycle of just beat down.

Mm-hmm. And in that reactive mindset, the only option feels like, well, I can't bring someone in to do all this paperwork I'm behind on. I need to bring someone in the field who can do electrical so I can go back and focus on running my business and I don't want to be in the field anyway, completely ignoring that that is your strength, that skilled, customer service oriented electricians are actually hard to find. It takes some training to get there right, having systems in place, as we've talked about. So we sacrifice now customer relationships by putting someone into place that doesn't have the training to meet the quality that we desire. And when you overview their quality, you're seeing stuff that's not up to snuff with your quality expectations. Now there's a conflict, a wedge, a rock growing between you. Eventually, this electrician gets pissed off at you because you don't have those standards laid out. He thinks he's doing a good job or she thinks she's doing a good job, and you're feeling the opposite and you're still feeling the pull to the office. They wrap up and quit, but not before taking shortcuts on the work they're doing for you in the field anyway. And now you're back to one square one and one person just you and customers are now calling you back to fix the gaps in the shortcuts that they took. Also, you're angry answering the phone, the reviews are going down, the paperwork's adding up and we're back to this fork in the road. Do we try this again or do we go back to working for someone else? Ouch.

Yeah, yeah. And it hits home because there's so many people who are like you. Know what it's almost like credit card debt. I've gotten in so deep. How do I get out? Am I even making a dent? Am I even making a dent on this? Why do I even try and you end up giving up. And the thing is that that's why so many businesses fail within the first five years. Because we can be so enthusiastic and we can push and we can try and we can have our hearts to succeed, but without help. Sometimes it takes a village, and a village consisted of only one people isn't a village.

Couldn't agree more, man. The sequence is happening to electricians, electric printers every day. Is it happening to you, dear listeners, viewers? You know what. You're not alone. This happens to so many and there is a huge weight here. Obviously, we just talked about it and maybe put some people in tears, joe, I apologize if that's the case. I know this is hard and it's hard to talk about. If you grab this value piece today on our first hire secrets, what you're going to see is this org chart that we kind of referenced. And there's a very important distinction about this organization chart. It's upside down, it's inverted and inverted org chart, as they would say, and that is intentional from us, by us, and for a good reason. I hate that. The traditional org chart puts you up top, high on your throne, high on your horse, and makes it look like a nice little waterfall down, like the responsibility will just wash on down to anyone I hire and everything's gonna be okay, god that hurts the soul to hear, because I'm sure every business owner listening is like what are you talking about?

nothing rolls off of us, like it's just constant shit rolls downhill and I'm at the bottom of the hill.

Absolutely, man, and that's why on the inverted org chart it starts with the owner, dead center in the middle and builds up and balances out from there. Builds up and balances out, and what you're actually feeling as an electric printer is the weight of all of those positions. If you grab this exercise from us, what you're gonna see is a position title and a line underneath and the encouragement here. The first action of the day I'm gonna give mid sentiment here is actually to print that off and write your name beside every position that you yourself are doing currently. Ouch again. And what you're gonna find is some of the earliest positions on that chart have to do with your office management and that customer service, and that your strengths lie in the field. Your strengths need to be leveraged first. Unless you're a bookkeeper or accountant starting an electrical company, get out of the office, go, do what's best for you. Let someone else answer the phones, let someone take this off your plate. And here's a bonus tip for you it's easier to hire and retain someone long term for your office Because of the conveniences that you can put forth, as well as the lack of four years of education, at least in my province, my area 40 weeks of school, four years, just to become an electrician, never mind a master. A couple more years on top of that, plus additional training that person's harder to find, are they?

Yeah, and I was gonna say in my area, I love the thought of being able to do for for us it was 11 to get a master's or you had to do seven with a degree. So it's so wild that we look for the same electricians, realize that the requirements to find them is so hard and then we pass up all these other great positions that would add some real, tangible value to their clients today. Why aren't people doing this?

I love that man. We've agitated this problem and we're going a bit long here, joe. We're gonna have to pump the brakes. Give out another action. The first one was to grab this value piece, use our work chart, put your name down, start to look at this From a strategic standpoint. Even if the paperwork is already adding up for you, even if you're already an overwhelm, take a break. Permit yourself the five, ten minutes it takes to reach out to us. Grab this piece and sit down with it and start to strategize your way out of this Because, as Joe mentioned yesterday, we need to be present, not perfect, here. We've got to get someone to start taking this stuff off your plate so that you can start selling and serving at the highest level. You haven't all started mine today, joe.

Oh yeah, I got to go on for another. So have I ever introduced the concept of mental equity before?

I think so, but let's dive into it again.

So mental equity, almost imagine as financial equity. You have certain amounts of your internal self that is either up or down based on the situation around you, right? So someone with a lot of mental equity can handle more tasks because they're less burdened with everything else around. Okay, so, taking that concept in mind, what we need to do if we already know that we have to write down all those hats under the position like what are we doing? Where are we? I'm gonna go a little bit further and say to preserve your mental equity, you need to write down the top three things that make your skin crawl. What are those three things that, if you didn't have to do, would free up your soul? Now, why I say that is I know personally that when I feel like my day is smooth, and then I'm not stressed about particular tasks, I'm more productive across the board. Every single thing that I do becomes more productive because I have more mental equity to give. Give what you don't have. You don't have mental equity. It's impossible to ask someone to receive it from you. Can squeeze blood from a stone. It doesn't work. Yeah so if you can start removing these key areas and delegating them to your office Now, you'll find that you're gonna be more successful, more profitable and happier throughout your day, just because you're able to delegate the things that you didn't want to do.

Yeah, I love that man. Can I add just a little grain of salt to this, please? There's really just three options that you have with any task. You're either going to do it actually going to do it, you are going to do it. Or two, you're going to delegate it. You're actually going to give it to someone else because you shouldn't be doing this long term. Even if it takes you an additional effort at first to delegate that task, it would be worthwhile in the long run. It's not your strength. Or three, you're going to eat crow. This task is not going to be done by me or anyone on this team. It doesn't need to be done. It shouldn't have made the list. It needs to go. That's your three options. You're doing it, someone's doing it, or no one's doing it. So let's get realistic. Let's take Joe's All Star Action Advice, let's make a list of that shit and separate it from those three and start taking action based on the highest intent to serve your customers, serve yourself, serve your business. Guys, this has been an extremely powerful episode of Electric Printer Secrets, the Electricians Podcast, episode 165. And I would love to close this out by saying for the first time to you, joe, and to our listeners. Thank you for 25,000 downloads in just under 10 months of doing this together. I'm absolutely happy to hear that, to say that and to continue showing up with you guys five days a week to help you master sales, simplify pricing and deliver premium level electrical service. Get with us on the group and grab this value piece and then come back tomorrow for more of it, because we're not done here this week.

Man, I'm so I love that. That's awesome.

Pumped up. Cheers brother, Thanks again. See you tomorrow.

Namaskaram.