Pumpers - It's your turn

[Pete Morici]

Some of you may know of me. When inspection cameras hit the scene, I wrote numerous articles for Cleaner magazine about new market opportunities for drain cleaning companies. From there, I went to the Nashville show and delivered seminars. The notion of new technologies exposing new markets had a tremendous appeal. Today, the issues we addressed early on have become commonplace and considerable fortunes have been made. The past 8 years have been a boon for the drain cleaning business.

What I can’t get my head around is, “Why hasn’t the pumping industry picked up on the opportunities available to them?”

Not only can they utilize those same technologies, but also there are so many other things they can do and products they can offer to a septic owner.

I am suggesting that there is a massive opportunity for growth for pumping and installation companies—Particularly for those that deal primarily in residential service. You have more opportunities now than ever before.

For example:

The Sewer from the House to the Tank –
You can cable it, jet it, video inspect it, install a cleanout near the house if none is available, repair or replace the pipe.

The Septic Tank itself
Inspect it, pump it, pump it, clean it, put in risers, treat it, add filters, and add alarms

The Leach system
Locate it, jet the leach lines, install various cleanouts for jetting and monitoring, rejuvenate it, video, treat it with bacteria, etc

The Soil
You can lift it to open fissures in the biomat, desalinate it to loosen the soil, treat the biomat with bacteria, etc.

Look at what you can do with chamber systems. These, by the way, open a whole new opportunity in field restoration, but beyond that there is a whole ‘nother opportunity in rainwater and runoff. Rainwater is a real problem for a lot of homeowners. Many of them have no place to divert their rainwater and sump pumps. The answer for them may very well be underground. Give it some thought.

You can install a drip stem in a house that doses your products to the sewer then on to the tank and then the field. What a great opportunity to sell or lease the equipment and lock yourself into the repeated refills and a maintenance program.

Friends, I know a lot of pumpers that “don’t get it.” They run from one house to the next, competing on price. I’m telling you – expand your services by employing all that’s available and you can not only draw more cash into your company, but you can capture that customer for repeat business – and that’s the name of the game – isn’t it? You’re already at the house. So, you can either grow your company by looking for more and more tanks to pump in the face of ever-increasing fuel and dumping costs, OR, you can expand your offerings.

Take your pick... Do you just pump tanks or are you a full service provider of private disposal systems?

[Mr Stinky]

I love your zest for this business. We have several new products an services to offer our customers that will increase our business. I know that I am excited about it as an owner, but getting the Technicians excited is another ball game all together. To them it is overwhelming and just too much to sell. They can't see past teh next tank to clean. All these wonderful programs and products would only increase their income too, but we just can't get them to feel the excitement.

We make our own septic vent filters, have O&M service agreements, guarantees, bacteria / septic & drain treatment, jetting clean input line (jetters on each truck), out put filters, water treatment units and the list goes on.....
I guess we need to sell this when we take the calls.

We have great invoices that show what was done, brochures telling of all the services we offer, reminder stickers for the next cleaning and a great Homeowners Septic Manual to provide our customers with a good understanding of their system and a website for more info. Some of the Technicians don't even give this info out, as we later learn.

How do we get these technicians motivated? We need team work and talk about being a team, but it's like talking to a wall.

Any advice here?

[Pete Morici]

I love your zest for this business. (CLIPPED)

How do we get these technicians motivated? We need team work and talk about being a team, but it's like talking to a wall.

Any advice here?

Stinky,

Motivating technicians is a challenge for all of the service trades. I've seen it over and over again- in Plumbing, in Drain Cleaning, in Pumping, Electrical, HVAC and others. An owner builds his product line, buys all of the latest toys, employs the latest techniques and then wonders why the technicians don't jump on board quickly. The thinking usually goes that these are all good things that everyone in the company can benefit from. The owner usually has a difficult time translating the company's investment into something that's in the technicians' best interest. In other words, the techs don't see "What's in it for them."

Here's a line I use often in my seminars.... "You can bring a horse to water, but can't make him drink. The trick to making that horse drink is that you have to make him thirsty. When the horse is thirsty, you can't stop him from drinking, even if you wanted to."

Motivation that comes from monetary incentives like pay raises, commission increases, bonuses or other externals are short-lived. The returns for those incentives diminish over time.

Motivation comes from within. No one motivates us more than we motivate ourselves.

You have to remind them why they go to work in the first place. Is it their family, Is it their children's education, Is it the house on the hill? What are their goals? Why do they show up everyday? Trust me, they want more than a paycheck. Don't we all?

Find their buttons and show them how your company is the vehicle for them to get what they want out of life. Demonstrate how what your company offers to customers expands the opportunities for everyone in the company. You must in fact, offer to help them succeed.

You must remind them that their success is a conscious decision that they must make and they can't just wait for things to get better. The world is changing all around them and they must "decide to succeed. It doesn't happen by chance or by wishing for it." They must ACT to be successful. Not someday - now. It's up to them to take control of their futures and their families are counting on them. Remind them that no one can nor will do it for them. Remind them that where they are today is a direct result of decisions they've made in the past.

Look at your techs right in the eyes and ask them, "Where will you be in 5 years if you just do the same old things day after day?" How many tomorrows are they willing to accept before they turn into a career of empty yesterdays?

If they just give you a glazed stare, then you ask them straight out... "If not the company's plan - then what's YOUR plan for a better future?" That usually gets the idea across. That's their jugular vein. Most have no plan.

Once they see "What's in it for me?", you then take it to the next level: "What's in it for us?" That's where the teamwork comes in. Show them how they're all tied together and depend on eachother's performance. Together, they are the company. Michael Jordan, as great as he was, couldn't do it alone. He needed a team. You need to do that or you'll end up with a lot of Lone Rangers. You, Stinky, are the coach of that team.

Stinky, MAKE THE HORSES THIRSTY. Then, once they drink from the pool, get out of the way and let the horses run.

Write to me if I can help.

[Mr Stinky]

Thank you for your prompt response. You are a wealth of information. This has my mind hopefully headed in towards the watering hole.
I know that I don't provide the warm fuzzy strokes as much as I should. Fell like I have to keep o them like a parent telling the child to keep their room clean,
so that when the room is clean I am relieved from the constant nagging to do things right. It is so nice to have a moment of peace of mind when they follow suit that
I forget to thank them for their efforts. I feel sure they view me as the bull dog boss.
It is had to put myself in their shoes, because I am such a goal oriented person that I think people actually think the way I do. NOT.
I do need to get to know what brings them pleasure. We have once a month Monday morning meetings, that would be a good time to acknowledge
the Technicians that did the kind thing for a customer they called and complimented on, or helped a fellow worker out, put something back where they got it, being consistent in wearing a clean uniform or cleaning the truck without us asking. I guess if I want change, that I better be prepared to change a little myself too.

Would it be good to let them know that this is not personal...it is business.
It is "Our business", as in yours and all the other people that show up here every morning. That everything their cohort does effects the business and in turn that effects you too. Like a ripple effect. One little action spreads a long way. Is it good reputation spreading or is it a bad experience that spreads even further and faster. Are you proud of your fellow workers? Do you try to help them out to learn not to make the mistakes you made and to be as good as your are? The Technicians that have been here for years abd still here from a good reason. Because they are professionals. They know their jobs. They know how to treat the customers, They know what is expected of them and do their best to acheive good results. They are "Our Business".

U are all a pat of:
oUr
bUsiness
sUccess
Us
sUpport
sUrvival
cUstomer satisfaction
retUrn business
thankfUl customers
Understanding
repUtation
pUlling together
Union
fUtUre

All of this is nothing without U

* As for questions to twik the thought process, I like these the best.

* Why do you came here early in the morning?
Why is this job important?
Why do you like this work?
Why do these customers matter to you?
Do you take pride in what you do?
Do you take pride in the equipment you use?
What challenge do you find in this work?
Is this career field rewarding to you?
Is team work important to you?
* How do you want to make a difference between your business and your competitors?
* What can you offer to your customers that makes you the best business to service them?
* Why should customers choose you over the other businesses?
* What makes you the right choice?

These are just fod for thought or is my thought process not headed in the right direction yet. My personality type is, black and white, follow the rules and do what is expected of you. It is not easy for me to walk in their shoes for better ubderstanding, but I am trying.

I look forward to your feed back.

Thanks for your insight.

[Pete Morici]

Thank you for your prompt response. You are a wealth of information. This has my mind hopefully headed in towards the watering hole.

I think you're gettin' it.