DECEMBER 2014
SPOTLIGHT www.dakotasupplygroup.com
Tom's Current
MVP
REWARDING GREATNESS In business, it’s tempting to take your best customers for granted. After all, they sort of take care of themselves. On the other hand, prospects hold the promise of new business while complainers, disorganized planners and late payers demand constant attention. It’s not uncommon for you to spend 80 percent of your time on these groups while your best customers quietly account for nearly all of your profit! History has shown that this is the wrong approach. Think back to how many of your problem customers have somehow changed into good customers. Can’t think of any? That’s because they almost never do. Even big customers can cause you to lose money if they constantly beat you up over price or demand too much of your time. And while you do, indeed, need
to spend time on new business, consider this: growth with current customers – particularly good customers – is one of the best bets for success in any business. In other words, playing favorites is indeed, a sound strategy for business! Here’s how you do it: First, carefully identify your best customers (for example, your top 10 or 15 percent). I say “carefully” because you may be surprised that some of your favorite customers are not necessarily your most profitable customers. Don’t be fooled. The numbers rarely lie, and it’s important to recognize the real standouts and not just the nice guys. Next, develop a plan to reward your best customers in a way that builds loyalty and reinforces your relationship. This doesn’t have to be expensive. Handwritten notes are a good example of a personal touch that says “you’re a special customer” with very little cost. No matter how you choose to approach your best customers, devote the lion’s share of your energy and attention to them. Make them feel important, and they will only become better customers in the long run. That’s how you grow your business, and DSG is here to help.
POP QUIZ Flag
1. Which quarterback holds the NFL record for most passes intercepted in his rookie season with 28?
dedication at MDM
2. People over what age are the fastest growing group of users on Twitter?
Supply, a division of DSG, in
3. According to Boone and Crocket records, what’s the score of the highest-scoring (typical) whitetail buck ever killed?
Helena, Montana.
4. How tall was the Guinness World Records’ largest snowball (made by students from ASME Michigan Technological University)? ANSWERS: 1. Peyton Manning (1998)
2. 55
3. 213 5/8
4. More than 9 feet
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The Sound Of Success
MARKETING TOOL KIT
One of the most informative programs offered under the University of DSG umbrella is the Profit University audio series. These brief training sessions are recorded by the small business experts at Grandy & Associates, one of DSG’s longtime educational partners. These audio-only presentations are easy to listen to anywhere you have access to the Internet (and a speaker). Each of them focuses on an important aspect of small business, with many of them concentrated specifically on the challenges facing contractors. Titles include 50 Places To Find Techs Right Now, Building A Business That Will Run Without You, 31 Principles For Making More Sales, 101 Five Star Profit Building Tips From Actual Contractors and many, many more. With just a few clicks, you can take a break from your local radio station and listen to an expert who has helped businesses just like yours to succeed. You can go through the topics in any order and at your own pace. There is no evaluation or testing – just easy-to-play audio presentations that you can listen to while you’re having lunch, sending out bills or changing the oil in the service truck. It’s a little bit of multitasking that can make a big difference to your bottom line. Best of all, the Profit University audio series is completely free, courtesy of DSG. Just go to dakotasupplygroup.com, click on Resources, and then Online Training – or go directly to dakotasupplygroup.com/profituniversity. There are new presentations uploaded periodically, so check back often for topics that can serve as the soundtrack of your success. DECEMBER 2014 | SPOTLIGHT
NIVERSITY OF DEVELOPING SUPERIOR GROWTH
Stock Up With Oatey Or Hercules And
Div i si ons of DS G
Score A DSG Beanie! Purchase any full case item from Oatey or Hercules and receive a camo fleece beanie.
September 12 - December 31 Place your order today for: • PVC/CPVC Cements • Primers & Cleaners • Roof Flashings • Boiler Treatments • Drain Cleaners • Tub Boxes • And More
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Special offer valid on purchases of full case quantities from September 12 through December 31, 2014, or while supplies last. Other limitations may apply. All items may not be stocked at all locations. Contact your DSG representative for details.
Hydronics installers:
DSG Has Got A Honey Of A Deal For You! Get a $20 REBATE from Taco when you purchase a Bumble Bee High Efficiency, Delta-T Variable Speed ECM circulator. Flexible and easy to install – Pump up your productivity! Featuring a bright digital display, universal swivel flange and a wide-open terminal box, it’s easy to see why the Bumble Bee is the right choice for a top-notch job every time.
More comfort and less energy – Improve customer satisfaction! Unlike other systems, the Bumble Bee reacts to how many zones are open and how cold it is outside, and it pumps only the BTUs needed to match the actual heat loss. The entire system runs at peak efficiency every day with no boiler short cycling. Your customers will be more comfortable; plus they’ll save electricity and fuel.
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Contact your DSG sales representative today to learn more!
The Job site
What It Means To Get Lean In a recent post on The Fast Track blog, organizational psychology expert Eva Rykrsmith wrote about “6 Lean Principles That Can Make You More Efficient.” It’s easy to overlook articles like this when you aren’t involved with manufacturing. “That’s advice for factories,” we tell ourselves as we skip the story, searching instead for something that addresses installation or repair work more directly. This is a mistake. We can actually learn a lot about efficiency from anyone who successfully employs one or more processes or systems efficiently in their business. Rykrsmith points out that as businesses grow, processes and systems tend to develop somewhat organically. The first employee (many times the owner, especially in a small business) does the work, informally developing systems based simply on how they like to see things done. As they hire additional employees, each subsequent team member adds something to each process, and the result is an evolving system with no true “right answers,” only interpretations. As we know, this can go on for a time, but once a key team member leaves, they take their knowledge with them. If you don’t have the system recorded for everyone to agree on, turmoil can ensue. In order
to avoid these situations – and to optimize your team’s time – you should clearly define your systems, at the same time evaluating each one to ensure that they are efficient and profitable. Rykrsmith calls this lean process improvement, and she recommends six principles to remember as you begin:
① Focus on your customers, offering them value that exceeds the cost of the work. ② Figure out how the work gets done. No assumptions here. Look at each system closely, from installations to customer service. If you can, have a third party watch each process and record the important steps. ③ Remove inefficiencies and waste. Now that you know how things really work, take out any unnecessary steps or improve those that are too slow. ④ Track numbers and manage by evidence. Test your processes in order to improve them. Experiment with new twists, and you may save time and money. ⑤ Empower the people operating the process. The best person to improve a process is the person who carries out the process. ⑥ Go about all this in a systematic way. No process is perfect. Being able to replicate it allows you to make decisions based on facts rather than on feelings. By defining and implementing lean processes, you may be able to improve both your work and your bottom line. Source: http://quickbase.intuit.com/blog/2013/06/20/6-leanprinciples-that-can-make-you-moreefficient/
DECEMBER 2014 | SPOTLIGHT
Pull Electrical Cable Faster With The Pack N' Roll No need to roll up your sleeves – the new Pack N’ Roll wiring system by AFC Cable Systems lets you pull cable easily without tangles so you can install more in less time. Simply drop a coil of wire or cable into the tub, then pull and retract as needed. Plus, the Pack N’ Roll:
PRESORTED STD US POSTAGE
PAID Detroit Lakes, MN Permit No. 14
Divisions of DS G Box 13573 • Grand Forks, ND 58208-3573
• Moves easily between locations so installers don’t need to wait • Eliminates scrap so you make more from every coil you install • Reduces cable memory so it goes where you want it to without a struggle
Inspired By Computer Tablets, The Max Tester 720B Access OTDR Reinvents The Way You Test Fiber Optimized for access point-to-point (p2p) construction, the MAX-720B series is the first tablet-inspired OTDR line that is handy, lightweight and rugged enough for any outside plant environment. It delivers EXFO’s tried and true OTDR quality and accuracy along with outstanding optical performance. You get the right results the first time, every time. Lets you focus on getting the job done, not on your equipment. The amazing 12-hour battery life will never let a technician down, and the plug-and-play hardware options – like the visual fault locator (VFL), power meter and USB tools – make every technician’s job easier. Turns multiple and complex trace analysis into a one-touch task. The MaxTester-720B OTDR is bringing the iOLM, an intelligent OTDR-based application, to the handheld market. Easy to implement and use, so you can start testing better, sooner. Its intuitive Windows-like graphical user interface ensures a fast learning curve. Plus, its new and improved OTDR2.0 environment offers iconbased functions, instant boot-up and automatic macrobend finders, as well as improved auto and real-time modes. DECEMBER 2014 | SPOTLIGHT