AUGUST 2015
In this issue: 1 Hero Ready 2-3 Personal Best Volume June 2015 3 Chart Toppers 4 Top Ten Volume Leaders 5 KUDOS 6 Basic Marketing Ideas 7 Marketing Theme Calendar 8 Convention Remembered 9 40 Years Ron & Louise Dion 10-12 Celebrate Our Employees 13 Words of Wisdom
SUN
THE
SERVPRO® of Southern New England and New York
HERO READY
Our mission is to develop a team of quality people developed to
“Be the Best” with continuous development and improvement. Finding and hiring a good person to join the SERVPRO® team is the result of considerable effort and energy. Training that new team member to “Be The Best” is the next step in building your business with continuous development and improvement. If quality people are not given quality training, they will never reach their potential, and the business will not benefit from the employee that could have been. Every member of the team, from owners and general managers to the newest technicians and administrators should have continuing and updated training on the newest methods of performing their assigned roles and responsibilities. ServproNET®, IICRC certifications, and meetings with Franchise Business Consultants, are some of the various resources available for continuing education to advance industry knowledge among SERVPRO team members. Daily, weekly, and monthly training should be implemented (if not already in-place) for each department, with managers and key employees cross-trained within other departments (Production, Administration, Marketing). In addition to the development and improvement of the people within your franchise, your infrastructure should be consistently upgraded as well.
Production Equipment should have a cleaning and maintenance schedule. Tools should be inventoried, and checked for performance capability. Computer software and hardware should be updated, monitored, refreshed, cleaned, and organized on a schedule. Job files – both active and archived – should be filed in an easyto-understand system. Vehicles should be painted, decaled, and equipped with the same attention to detail that SERVPRO® brings to our customers.
QUALITY PEOPLE From: Allen Randolph To: Fred Cohn Fred — two of our technicians, John Ardito and John Cohn were cleaning a suicide scene and found $25,000 cash in a box under the bed. They returned it to the housing authority. We heard about it from the manager they gave the money to. These awesome Heroes are the perfect example of the QUALITY PEOPLE you want representing your Franchise
Continuous Improvement of employees and equipment, and developing a team of quality people and parts is a recipe for success in SERVPRO®. What can you do today to help your SERVPRO® team Be The Best?
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Personal Best Volume Month June 2015
PERSONAL
BEST
AUGUST 2015 - 3
Chart Toppers April 2015 Associated Revenue Sangiorgi/Wandtke Cleaning Commercial Citrangola Fire Commercial Luzzi Resale Rookie Keating Rookie Fox Subcontract D. Kluger
Well Done!
Water Residential Luciani Mattos Total Volume D. Kluger
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Top Ten Volume Leaders PER LICENSE AVERAGE VOLUME LEADERS JUNE 2015
GROSS VOLUME LEADERS JUNE 2015 1,805,184 1
Ralph & Noemi DiCristofaro
1
David Kluger
2
Robert Citrangola
825,017 2
Robert Citrangola
412,508
3
Allen & Susan Randolph
794,562 3
James Gibbs
349,821
4
John Maughan
781,873 4
Risa Kluger
325,217
5
Frank Mattos
651,786 5
David Kluger
300,864
6
Risa Kluger
650,424 6
John & Shayna Luciani
293,505
7
John & Shayna Luciani
587,010 7
Lisa & Doug Jameson
242,961
8
Michael Keating
573,048 8
Dion & Lynn Luzzi
237,260
9
Dion & Lynn Luzzi
474,520 9
Mitch Kaikow & Stuart Cleary
235,919
10
Ralph & Noemi DiCristofaro
468,478 10
John Majeski
235,889
We regret our error – Please note this correction Per License Average Volume Leaders May 2015 5. Lisa & Doug Jameson 312,534
468,476
AUGUST 2015 - 5
Sue Steen CEO Servpro Industries Fred Cohn Robkat Inc. Dear Sue and Fred, I am writing you both today to tell you about my recent experience with Raymond Norowski, the owner/operator of my local Servpro of Bellmore and Wantagh, NY. On the evening of July 2nd, right before the long holiday weekend, I ventured into the crawl space beneath my home to pull something out of storage. Upon entering the space, I was hit with a strong smell. Further investigation with a flashlight, shocked me as I saw bugs, water and mold growing. I started to “freak out” a bit as I have an infant son in my house and the thought of mold growing right beneath him was not one I ever expected. Upon finding this discovery, I reached out to a friend of mine to ask advice on how to proceed. This person told me that I should call Servpro as they deal with such matters. Before this, I have never had the need for your services and honestly did not even now what you did. Being a technology executive by trade, my first instinct when looking for help from a company I have never met or have done business with before with is to check out their website. I was already on edge from this ordeal, but the moment I reached your site, I started to calm down quite quickly. Information was laid out nicely, the site is professionally done, pleasing to the eyes and very informative. Especially the section I went to first about mold remediation! After spending a few moments surfing and already deciding in my mind that a call was definitely worthwhile, I was very pleased to see you not only had a local representative to me but his info, customer reviews (which are awesome by the way), and immediate contact info were at my fingertips. What a relief for someone who moment earlier was lost and confused. I called Raymond and he was so nice and calming on the phone. He immediately made me feel like I was in good hands and I could trust what he is going to tell me. The initial fear of such a call in my own opinion is you are about to get taken to the cleaners because the service person knows you need them more than they need you. The horror stories about plumbers and various contractors are abundant, so I am really glad that Raymond turned out to be one of the good guys. Raymond wasted no time and was at my house within an hour (mind you this was past 7:30 pm so he could have easily told me to wait until the morning). He looked at the area, again put my mind at ease in regards to my family’s wellbeing and pointed out the fact that this issue can and will be corrected quickly and painlessly. He suggested I get a plumber to stop the leak and he would come in immediately afterwards to remedy the situation. The following morning, a plumber was at my home and the leak was repaired. Raymond, as promised, showed up and treated the area. He cleared out rugs and other items damaged by water and even wiped down everything I pulled out to make room for him to work. I was so pleased with the level of effort. As I mentioned earlier in this letter I am a technology professional. By day, I am the CIO/CTO of one of the largest home service companies in the Northeast. As such, I have heard and personally experienced customer horror stories more times than I can count. Which in fact did not help my initial fears. It is to this end that I decided to go the extra yard and tell you how impressed I was not only with your corporate website, which attracted me initially, but all the way through the local owner/operator follow up. My experience is only limited to Raymond, but if everyone in your company is as dedicated to his customers as he is, you will continue to thrive and succeed. I already told and continue to tell everyone I know about my pleasant experience with your service. Although I hope no one ever needs it, it is good to know that if they do there is someone they can trust to assist. Warm regards, D. Jagnet
cc: Raymond Norowski
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BASIC MARKETING IDEAS By Lori Villardi
Disaster restoration involves the cleaning and sanitizing of clothing, carpets, furniture, buildings and other goods in the aftermath of events like floods, hurricanes and fires. Marketing disaster restoration services presents unique challenges because disasters can happen at any time and in disparate locations. Because of this, restoration services must already be on the minds of potential customers when the need arises. Disaster restoration businesses use a number of different unique marketing tactics to ensure a steady flow of customers.
Building Relationships When disaster strikes a region, the first wave of responders after police, fire and emergency services are usually insurance agents, non-profit organizations and local churches. Each SERVPRO® Franchise must establish relationships with these people and organizations prior to a natural disaster so that when the time comes, local insurance agents, charities, churches and synagogues refer those they help to your Franchise. Once a relationship is built, maintain contact by sending educational and marketing materials to your partners on a regular basis.
Event Marketing Most communities and neighborhoods hold events such as parades, fairs and carnivals that rent out space to local businesses. Each SERVPRO® Franchise can remain top of mind for potential customers by becoming a fixture at these events, offering disaster safety demonstrations, handing out small gifts and paying to sponsor the events in return for marketing benefits and signage. Over the course of this event marketing campaign, potential customers will come to know your SERVPRO® location and grow to trust you.
Safety Seminars SERVPRO® franchises can reach potential customers by holding regular safety seminars on topics like “How to Prevent a Fire,” and “Keeping Your Family Safe from Natural Disasters.” Providing free workshops and educational opportunities will position you as an expert in the field and will provide outlets for your staff to build relationships with members of the local community. Newsletters Many local businesses mail newsletters to potential customers on a regular basis as a way to stay top of mind in case a local business or resident needs their services. Disaster restoration companies can use newsletters on a quarterly or monthly basis to offer safety tips, customer testimonials and entertainment items such as fire safety coloring contests. In order to be effective, newsletters must be interesting and well designed and sent often enough so that customers build up name recognition for your SERVPRO® franchise.
AUGUST 2015 - 7
SCHOOL SUPPLY COLLECTION Some Franchises host a charitable “back to school” supply drive where they collect necessary school supplies for children less fortunate in their community. Consider leaving drop‐off bins at local client offices, as well as at local businesses in your area that wish to participate in the drive. School supplies may include paper, pencils, glue, scissors, highlighters, crayons, book bags, etc. Ask local schools what items their students may need, or ask if you can get a class list of school supply items required to ensure you are collecting usable items. Host the drive for the entire month, picking up supplies from the collection bins on a weekly basis. Donate the supplies to the school at the end of the month. This is a great way to show community support! One Franchise created collection boxes to look like SERVPRO® box trucks for their event. Consider making the school supply collection drive a friendly competition among your clients by offering a prize to the office or business that collects the most items.
AUGUST T EACHER APPRECIATION MONTH A t the beginning of the school year, consider donating giveaway items to teachers at local public schools. For example, one Franchise donates hand sanitizers and stress balls to show appreciation for teachers and to serve as a way to kick off the new academic year. B ACK TO SCHOOL THEME T he Clean Schools flyer #50451 communicates the value of SERVPRO® services to school systems within your local territory. This flyer is unique in that it can be used for marketing to elementary through college institutions. Consider presenting at a local school in your area where you can teach safety tips to children. Depending on their age, this Action Heroes Coloring Poster and crayons set; item #56019 and this Kids Activity Booklet, item #47009 are great giveaways to incorporate with younger audiences. Also, consider passing out customized SERVPRO® pens with the saying, “Make the WRITE choice and call SERVPRO® of Anytown for all of your cleanup and restoration needs!” to older audiences.
SEPTEMBER N ATIONAL PREPAREDNESS MONTH (NPM) S ervpro Industries, Inc. is proud to be a member of the National Preparedness Month Coalition and is committed to helping the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in their efforts to promote the importance of preparedness planning. As a Coalition member, SERVPRO® is responsible for promoting and distributing emergency preparedness information. The September Restoration and Residential Newlines will be dedicated to National Preparedness and will discuss the importance of developing a preparedness plan, like the SERVPRO® Emergency READY Profile™ (ERP). In addition, there are NPM promotional tools available online. You can also visit the National Preparedness Month website through ready.gov for more information about this initiative.
LABOR DAY IS SEPTEMBER 7. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Labor Day is a national tribute to the contribution workers have made to the strength, prosperity and well‐being of our country. The Citizen Corps website suggests, “In recognition of these contributions, reach out to local businesses with appreciation and information about keeping their employees safe through developing emergency plans and kits, providing on‐site training opportunities, and practicing evacuations and sheltering.” You can utilize this holiday as an opportunity to tie into National Preparedness Month by promoting business/employee communication plans, SERVPRO’s ERP and SERVPRO’s national sponsorship of the American Red Cross Ready Rating™ program. NATIONAL DAY OF SERVICE AND REMEMBRANCE IS SEPTEMBER 11. This day is to honor the victims, families and volunteers of 9/11. Councils and partners can work with members in your community to determine the most appropriate way to commemorate this observance. Throughout the month of September, Americans will coordinate in somber remembrance the terrorist attacks of 2001.As a result, citizens will be thinking more about keeping their local communities safe. Reinforce the value and importance of preparedness in your area by distributing information on how to do so. The American Red Cross offers terrorism preparedness tips on their website. FALL/FOOTBALL THEMES T he first day of autumn is September 23. Consider incorporating a fall theme into your monthly marketing giveaways. September is the beginning of college football season too.
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Convention remembered There were many valuable programs and vendors available to Associates at the National Convention in Chicago…. it rained, the Cubs didn’t play well. Some highlights include the new Commercial Accounts Program, the continued implementation of WorkCentre, and a number of developments in Production Technology and Equipment. There were classroom lectures and business development programs that are now available on ServproNET® for inspection at your own pace. Please take the time to investigate some of the lecture series. Associates will always find something relevant that they can use to help their business. Some of the new equipment on display included upgrades in extraction, dehumidification, and air movement. There were new thermal heaters and advances in floor pads and thermo-hygrometers. We hope all in attendance were able to learn something from other Associates, something from SERVPRO Corporate, and something from official SERVPRO Vendors. See you next year in Sin City!
AUGUST 2015 - 9
40 40 YEARS! Ron & Louise Dion With well wishes for a bright future, and a great appreciation for steady and professional leadership, we offer congratulations to Ron and Louise Dion as they celebrate their Forty Year Anniversary with SERVPRO®. Ron and Louise have been serving the Greater Hartford Area since The Carter Presidency, and we appreciate their prolonged commitment to operating a successful business. From other SERVPRO Owners: “ Ron and Louise have always been an inspiration in the SERVPRO community, their longevity and success in the industry is something we can all use as motivation.” “ The Dions have been a great part of the SERVPRO community here in Connecticut for the entire time I’ve owned a Franchise. Always ready with a smile and a handshake, and willing to offer their advice and share the knowledge gained over a successful career.” From team members at of SERVPRO of West Hartford: “ This is a great place to work, every day we get a chance to help people in the community, and the office is an easy place to belong.” “ I’ve been in the industry for a while, and I’ve worked at other restoration companies, and SERVPRO is a highlight. I like working here because it’s a good company with good feelings, and those good feelings start with the owners.” Thanks again to Ron and Louise for 40 Years of Service to the Hartford Community!
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20 YEARS
Thomas & Lyn Braun Charles & Donna Vingoe
15 YEARS
Herman & Catalina Glaser
10 YEARS
Daniel & Karen Aller Joseph & Denise Comilloni Charles & Donna Doyle Michael & Megan Geria Thomas Irvolino, III Mario Luciani Ralph J. Rimualdo, Jr. Mark & Mary Lourdes Zegarelli
CHAIRMAN’S BRONZE Thomas & Lyn Braun Ron & Louise Dion
Charles & Donna Doyle James Gibbs Mitch Kaikow and Stuart Cleary John Majeski Gil & Sheryl Morrissey Michael & Donna Necci Anthony & Danielle Palumbo Antoinette Pelli Ralph Rimauldo, Jr.
CHAIRMAN’S SILVER Herman & Catalina Glaser Lance & Jennifer Harvey Brad & Barbara Johnson Patrick & Barbara Jones Risa Kluger Michael Reilly James & Michele Wandtke Joe & Lisa Sangiorgi
AUGUST 2015 - 11
CHAIRMAN’S GOLD Gregory Geaski John Halko Michael Keating Michael Logue Patrick & Kathleen Logue
CHAIRMAN’S PLATINUM Rob Citrangola Doug & Lisa Jameson Charles & Donna Vingoe
MILLIONAIRE’S BRONZE Robert Allen Daniel & Karen Aller Gregory Bock Christopher Delfino Christopher & Diane Fyrberg Michael & Megan Geria Douglas Glassman Salvatore & Vita Marinello
Kenneth & Rebecca Matejek Kevin Muro & Patrick Muro Scott O’Donnell
MILLIONAIRE’S SILVER Thomas Balcom John & Madeline Beck Richard Fevola Donald & Tina McKendall Robert Morrison & Karl Spinner
MILLIONAIRE’S GOLD
Joseph & Denise Comilloni Richard & Shannon Delfino John & Kathleen Moschella and Michael & Kaitlyn Moschella Bill & Beth Russell William & Patricia Sullivan and Jennifer Sullivan Dan Violante Ted & Kristen White
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MILLIONAIRE’S PLATINUM Ralph & Noemi DiCristofaro John O’Sullivan, Jr. Scott & Lisa Smith Frank & Daria Solano Daniel & Allison Wallace
FIRST –TIME MILLIONAIRES Christopher Delfino Ralph & Noemi DiCristofaro Douglas Glassman Michael Keating Kevin Muro & Patrick Muro Scott & Lisa Smith
ROLEX RECIPIENTS
Richard & Shannon Delfino Ralph & Noemi DiCristofaro Bill & Beth Russell Scott & Lisa Smith William & Patricia Sullivan & Jennifer Sullivan Ted & Kristen White
DOUBLE VOLUME AWARDS Ralph & Noemi DiCristofaro William & Kristin Good Mario Luciani Kevin Muro & Patrick Muro
HERITAGE SILVER Frank Mattos
HERITAGE PLATINUM Allen & Susan Randolph
FOUNDER’S BRONZE Mario Luciani
FOUNDER’S GOLD
Louis & Michelle Sepe, J. Sepe, D. Yurka, N. Travis
FOUNDER’S PLATINUM Dion & Lynn Luzzi John Maughan
LEGEND BRONZE David & Gina Kluger
AUGUST 2015 - 13
Words of Wisdom If a man does his best, what else is there? George S. Patton The man who has done his best has done everything. Charles M. Schwab Always do your best. What you plant now, you will harvest later. Og Mandino The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand. Vince Lombardi Good, better, best. Never let it rest. ‘Til your good is better and your better is best. St. Jerome It is not enough that we do our best; sometimes we must do what is required. Winston S. Churchill Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning. Benjamin Franklin No company can afford not to move forward. It may be at the top of the heap today but at the bottom of the heap tomorrow, if it doesn’t. James Cash Penney Excellence is not a destination; it is a continuous journey that never ends. Brian Tracy Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success. Henry Ford It is literally true that you can succeed best and quickest by helping others to succeed. Napoleon Hill Interdependent people combine their own efforts with the efforts of others to achieve their greatest success. Stephen Covey Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence. Vince Lombardi Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren’t used to an environment where excellence is expected. Steve Jobs Desire is the key to motivation, but it’s the determination and commitment to unrelenting pursuit of your goal - a commitment to excellence - that will enable you to attain the success you seek. Mario Andretti