The world of "Potential"

[Guest]

Many, - make that "most" - contractors, be they remodelers, builders, or specialty contractors, play the "game" as it's been played for hundreds of years: operational, sales, PR or production wise.

Perhaps this article will tickle your thought process. As the article states, "Innovate Now", and trash some excepted industry practices. I'm doing just that this week for my own clients. There's a reason why, as the article states, Starbucks can charge customers $3.50 for a latte! And they do so by turning a boring cup of coffee into a "powerful customer experience" thru "a mindboggling array of alternatives."

Further in the article it states: "To innovate, you need to spot the absurdities that no one else has spotted, to ask the stupid question that no one else has asked, to take some existing performance parameter and push it so far that suddenly you have illuminated a new possibility."

Don't let the first few paragraphs bore you. Continue on into the "meat" of the article. I suggest that you print it, and use a highlighter to accentuate the phrases, sentences or paragraphs that make you think.

Then just think. Stop what Gerber calls: Doing it. Doing it. Doing it. Take an evening or two and just think "What if.......?" All you have is the potential loss of doubling your net margins.

Some will say: "It's all hype." Some will say: "How?" Some will be self-motivated, and still others just wouldn't get it at all.

Enjoy! It really is a thought provoking article for idea people.


Innovate Now!

[Guest]

Re: The world of "Potential"

Sonny,

Against my better judgement I read the article. I was not very impressed----here is why.

The article was published in a free magazine which began showing up in my mailbox--un-invited about a year or two ago.I am an avid reader with a lot of spare time---but I find this magazine UN-READABLE.This article,like most in this particular publication ,has a good idea which gets totally lost in very bad writing.Poor organization,non-sensical anecdotal evidence,and relentless name dropping consistently side-track the focus of the story.

Although this particular publication isn't quite capable of handling this topic ,I would like to see this topic handled by a different source-----then I could learn something,because this is a good idea

[Guest]

Re: The world of "Potential"

Stephen, thanks for your comments based upon your own perspective. Your comments validate the diversity of each of all of our personalities, and how each of us interpret the many, many things to which we are all exposed. Look at the article and Fast Company as an example; you like neither one, and I like both.

Anyway, I'm sorry for wasting your time in reading it - and anyone else who feels as Stephen does. I hope in the near future you do find what you consider to be a better source from which to discuss innovation.

[Guest]

Re: The world of "Potential"

Sonny-

Very well said- I personally like Fast Company as well, though as Stephen says, the writing could use a bit of help at times. While I haven't read the article yet (downloaded it for later), it sounds like a good primer to get us all thinking "outside the box".

Normally I avoid such cliche terms, but that is one I've latched onto since so many contractors tend to stay within the pre-conceived notions we've all been accustomed to. As I've seen in the business forum lately with the reactions to showing profit in an estimate, there are many who are set in their ways and won't change. All we can do is try to nudge them, and spur them on to greatness. But as I've seen you say many times before (if I may paraphase)- "To each his own".

Bob

[Guest]

Re: The world of "Potential"

Sonny:

Reading the article, I am somewhere in the middle between you and Stephen. I am all for innovation, but I also believe one first master just the good old basics of sound business in order to be successful. Your article can be summarized by that tired old phrase “think outside the box”. It has only been in the last 100+ years that homes for the masses have become more than just basic shelter. Today homes are much more a part of our everyday life, almost the fabric our lifestyle. In spite of great advances in technology, design, communication, economic wealth, builders like me still build houses the same way builders have for the last 100+ years. We gather the material to the job site, we hire people to perform the labor, and we assemble it.

So my challenge to you Sonny, myself, and anyone else, is how can I or other contractors really innovate this industry? I don’t mean just improve on our existing way of doing things, like customer service, quality, employee-sub relations, etc, but I mean really innovate. Heck, do we even need to innovate? Any tangible and actual suggestions?

Allan

[Guest]

Re: The world of "Potential"

Allan-

I'll take a crack at this one-

Do we really need to innovate? Not if you're happy with your current pay, position in life, free time, etc.- if you're doing ok doing what you're doing- more power to you- and I truly mean that.

For those out there who don't meet that criteria, there are two options:

1. Continue doing what you're doing, as you've been doing it, but do more of it to grow.

2. "Innovate" within the industry, which will allow you to meet an unsatisfied goal (more money, more free time- whatever).

As far as actual case studies- a few brief ones from our industry:

- The guy (or gal) who first thought of coating/lining an existing bathtub rather than replacing it, saving his clients time, money, and a mess. Think he's making a good living now?

- The guy who first thought to electrostatically spray existing appliances to change their color, rather than throwing out a perfectly good appliance just to match new decor.

- Here's a bigger one, culled from "The E-Myth Contractor". The team that determined there must be a better, faster way to renovate a kitchen, and came up with "Three-Day Kitchens". They found a way to innovate (offer a far faster completion than ANY competitior), developed a system to actually "do" it, and now have grown to the point of franchising. What customer wouldn't be willing to pay more to lose their kitchen for only 3 days instead of weeks? Even if they paid the same, do you think Three-Day's overhead per job is a tad lower than the average contractor doing the same job over a matter of weeks? How about his customer satisfaction rating? His uncollected last payments (the client's head is spinning too fast to realize anything is wrong, if anything even is...)?

These are just a few examples off tbe top of my head. Have I found the "one" for me? No, but I'm looking for it constantly.

If I remember right from previous posts, you build custom homes (my apologies if I'm wrong). Is there some way you could build faster, or build better, or alleviate a common fear of clients, or offer a new financing package, a new selection process, or any other thing you could think of to make your company unique? Think in terms of increased customer satisfaction, reduced callbacks, increased profit, less headaches, or anything else you'd like to see improved.

Please don't take this personally or sarcastically, as it's not meant to be either- if you're happy with the status quo, by all means go with it. There are plenty of folks out there that aren't, and will hopefully look to innovation to improve their situation (and unfortunately may be your competition).

Bob

[Guest]

Re: The world of "Potential"

Good answer Bob, and to respond to your question I am happy with the status quo but I am always looking for ways to improve, be different, innovate, and improve.

Allan

[Guest]

Re: The world of "Potential"

Bob, no more "nudging" for me, only occasionally "exposing" those here to an idea.

Stephen stated: "Poor organization,non-sensical anecdotal evidence,and relentless name dropping consistently side-track the focus of the story." Unlike Stephen, not being a journalist nor an English professor, I don't care from whence ideas generate, nor "how" they are presented. I'm only appreciative of them being presented at all, and am able and willing to sift through the "filler" and rambling to get to the "nuggets(s)".

So I say, to those of you who think: "Yeach!" about some sources of ideas, I say "Fine", but to others out there, keep looking, and as I stated originally, think to yourself, "What if......"

Allan, your challenge to me will go unmet. I've decided to keep my ideas (sometimes really radical) to myself for a while and let others formulate their own from the various sources they intentionally expose themselves too, including these forums. What might work for me might be a disaster for you. I know one thing for sure; I'll never again take for granted the way we all do things in our respective niches in this industry, as though "they" are the only rules of the game by which it is to be played.

Bob just gave us a few radical ideas that have now become separate industries within an industry.

Recently I decided to push this idea of a 10% net profit as "the" industry norm thinking to myself: "Why?" So based upon an idea I got from the above article, and combining it with something I used to do and resurrected it, during a recent sales call for a small remodel, I increased my final price by 17%, for an additional 15% extra net profit. The clients agreed to that price. Allan, you build multi-million dollar houses so an extra $1360 on a $8000 remodel to you is pocket change, but since I specialize in small projects, it represented a lot of money to me. Different priorities.

Allan, you also stated: "I am happy with the status quo but I am always looking for ways to improve, be different, innovate, and improve." It seems to me that statement is a contradiction. How can one be happy yet still be looking for ways to improve? I'll bet you're really "happy" about 90% of the time, and it's that other 10% that is driving your desire to improve. Personally, I'm never quite happy with any part of the way I do what I do.

[Guest]

Re: The world of "Potential"

I know a contractor who rather than faxing and FedEx-ing information all around to his trade contracting partners instead posts all that information on his web site as well as photographs of the projects venues so that those trade contractors can "view" the project site's conditions without necessarily having to make the trip in person.

[Guest]

Re: The world of "Potential"

Jerrald:

What a great idea. If you had web cams in every room every sub could monitor the job any time he wished, and schedule accordingly. The subs could even discuss the job with you from your respective offices, while you were both monitoring the project.

What about employee fears of spying on them? I guess we could just tell them: "Get use to it, it's what's happening, the future is here". I had resistance when I first installed my computerized time clock system, but they have gotten use to it, and accept it now. It could also drastically reduce my trips to the jobs every day; I could sit in my office and monitor the jobs.

Talk about a system! I could even build into an older age if I could work from my office without having to run to the jobs all the time, I bet a guy could build into his 90s! I'm not joking, I wouldn't know what to do if I couldn't build anymore.

[Guest]

Re: The world of "Potential"

Dick I was sort of being coy, facetious, and surreptitious with my last post here. It seems to me like Sonny likes to admonish us like we’re children instead of peers and that were not at all creative and innovative and I object to that.

The "contractor I know" who publishes on the web rather than faxing and FedEx-ing is me. In fact of all the contractors I know of personally and/or work with I am the only one who does that. While I know that a lot of the maxi-builders do use intranets and extranets amongst the small (mini and micro) builders and contractors from searching around the web I can count the ones that do it on my hands.

I think it’s a great idea and I thought that something like two year ago.

One of the things that got me started on it was I had one builder client who was always losing or misplacing my invoices. In there case it wasn’t just a stalling excuse I knew that it was true. What a disorganized office they had. So what I started doing was in addition to sending them a hard copy paper invoice I also published there invoice as a PDF file in a password protected folder for their company on my web site. In other words they would have a URL like mycompanyname.com/theircompanyname to go to and the index of that directory would show them a list of the documents I had issued their company so if they couldn’t find the invoice or fax I had sent them they could download another copy of it….24/7/365.

The first project I used that idea for was one where I had to coordinate the design efforts of structural engineer; the interior designers; two stair building shops (one in FL and the other in the mid-west); a structural steel shop; a decorative ironwork shop; and my installation and fabrication crews.

If anyone on the team wanted to look at a particular location or condition all they had to do was look a GIF of the plan, click on a hotspot, and it would open up a JPG photograph or photographs of that location.

In addition to that the designers (or clients) could:
1.) download working drawing or SKs
2.) look at photos of the balustrade and handrailing fabrication in progress in our shops.
3.) Download PDF of memos and whatnot.

On that first project we took one stage of the design process that with all the potential back and forth trips to the project venue and the exchange of documents that could have taken up to two months of calendar time into two weeks.

The kind of thing you are talking about Dick with "web cams in every room" while it’s something I think and have thought about I not at all sure how effective, useful and COST EFFECTIVE it would be right now. One of the problems I can see with it is that a camera shooting from one point of view is very limited in terms of what it can show you. And the deployment of multiple cameras would be logistically difficult and once again probably not very cost effective in terms of its actual ROI and "novelty" ROI.

It interesting in that one of the companies that I did find in the "searching around the web for other companies that share information via extranets" that mentioned started using "job cameras" a while back and went belly up just a few months ago. Nothing scientific about that, it’s just ironic.

Here’s another bit of irony. I make that post last night and this afternoon I get a promotional e-mail from webcamstore.com. for their "ConstructionCam". Maybe someone was reading our conversation? I’ll post the link because it’s still worth checking out and is definitely worth exploring.

Here’s two other derivations or alternatives (systems) to the live ConstructionCam idea that I am probably going to try and implement and deploy.

One have a hand held video camera available on a project. I like that idea much better that the stationary ConstructionCam. A super or lead carpenter could walk around with it and then transmit the video file via the web (or possibly stream live) to be viewed back "in the office" or in a remotely held production meeting.

Dick I think from the discussions over on Joe Stoddards forums you may have picked up on my Macintosh advocacy. Well this is one area where the Mac OS and third party software is going away superior to the Windows.

The second thing and probably what I am going to start doing sooner rather that later is get a Picture Phone. A phone that is also a camera. I saw a T-Mobile commercial for Picture Phones just the other day and since I think that Catherine Zeta Jones is just so stunningly hot I’ll probably get one from them when the service becomes available in my area.

My objection to Sonny admonitions regarding innovation comes from over the years seeing him get so zeroed in on his own vision and his own idea of the way things should be that he squelches or quashes a lot of the abstraction in these discussions on line that is an essential part of innovative thinking and the creative process.

In recent weeks I made mention several times of a book I recently read that I thought was very very good. Customer Culture; How FedEx and Other Great Companies Put the Customer First Every Day by .Michael Basch. Since I saw Sonny quote from the book in another forum I happen to know he’s reading it.

I made mention once that "Chapter 14 The Seven Dynamics of Change alone is worth the price of the book." When I read in that chapter how Fred Smith let his original idea which was to cut out the "float" the Federal Reserve banks had in processing checks evolve into the FedEx that we know of today that I thought, Sonny would have a lot to learn from that story if he was to REALLY hear it’s message.

You don’t dictate and control innovation and creation. You guide it, nurture it, and ride with it. You don’t suppress ideation. You encourage it.

I could go on and on on the subject of innovation and creation (as I’m often told I do by the people I work with).

I liked the article however but then again I especially like reading Gary Hamel and I really liked his book Leading the Revolution: How to Thrive in Turbulent Times by Making Innovation a Way of Life too. I liked it so much I bought the audio tape of it too so I could "read it again" in my vehicle while I drive around although I haven’t listened to it yet so I can’t review that version of it. (I thought Competing for the Future was good too).




ConstructionCam

[Guest]

Re: The world of "Potential"

Jerrald:

You have some really good ideas and points, I always enjoy reading what you have to say (well, most of the time anyway).

Allan

[Guest]

Re: The world of "Potential"

Your comments about me, Jerry, are funny, but not quite correct. Go back a few weeks and count how many times Allan asked as he did again recently with: "So my challenge to you Sonny, myself, and anyone else, is how can I or other contractors really innovate this industry? I don’t mean just improve on our existing way of doing things, like customer service, quality, employee-sub relations, etc., but I mean really innovate. Heck, do we even need to innovate? Any tangible and actual suggestions?"

I've never "admonished" anyone for not being creative or not being able to come up with ideas. Nor do I think I've ever alluded that only "I" can come up with ideas. What I do often or sometimes depending on one's perception, is to try to get my peers to be more creative and create their own ideas. We all have a creative side.

You'll notice from my posts over the months that I neither enjoy, nor play, mind games, innuendoes, oneupmanship, nor do I have any illusions as to the capabilities of my peers here. Their capabilities are limitless. I also speak plainly and as I type here. I like who I am and have no need to play the who's the sharpest on the mountain game. I'll accept that position if it's you, or Allan, Dick, Ed, Glenn or whomever. I've stated several times over the years that I am not an expert on anything, and that includes a monopoly on ideas. I've also stated that most of the guys here are better at their respective trades than I.

Again, I'm here only to help others who are not as experienced as many of us in the nuances of our industry, not to see who gets the ring. I never even wanted it. So please. Do not infer that I think I'm an idea guru. Between some asking me for my ideas and you stating that I'm "admonishing" others for not being capable of generating their own ideas, in spite of the fact that that is exactly what I try to get others to do, I guess you are trying to place me between a rock and a hard place.

It didn't work.

Furthermore, if you want me to be the type of person who would play your game, remember when you chastised me a few weeks back for among other things, making errors in my posts? I suggest that you check your own for the last few weeks including your last one here. See, unlike you, I get no satisfaction from doing things to people as you do. It's simply not me.

Finally, and specifically about you, I've often stated in private emails to contributors here, including recently, that I considered you to be one of the most creative and sharpest people I know.

[Guest]

Re: The world of "Potential"

Quids pro quo Sonny, despite my disagreement with what I see as your blanket absolutism that all contractors should charge for estimates I gave a contractor friend of mine some of the text I’ve saved over the years on the topic along with your text "The Process".

As I stated above I happen to think the Gary Hamel article was a good one to but perhaps what I objected to was your "conversational style". You don’t think telling us "I suggest that you print it, and use a highlighter to accentuate the phrases, sentences or paragraphs that make you think." is condescending and patronizing? What are we high school kids? Come one. What would you think if I told you that? It sounds like here’s a hammer, here’s a nail, if you swing the hammer and hit the nail it will hold the two pieces of wood together. I think we all know that. If a contractor can use a computer to navigate these forums I’ve got to think they would probably know how to use a highlighter.

I would suggest as an alternative way of putting a style more like that of Max DePree. In the introduction to his book Leadership Is An Art, he says ---"In some sense, every reader "finishes" every book according to his or her experiences and needs and beliefs and potential. That is the way you can really own a book. Buying books is easy; owning them is not. There is space for you to finish and own this book. The ideas here have been in my mind for quite a few years, changing, growing, maturing. ...As a child, I often watched adults study books and learned one of my first lessons about reading. They wrote in their books. Intent and involved readers often write in the margins and between lines...Good readers take possession of what they are learning by underlining and commenting and questioning. In this manner they "finish" what they read." ---

He isn’t TELLING US to highlight he’s SUGGESTING IT TO US. His very first sentence leaves us as readers an option. Once again he isn’t TELLING US. HE IS REVEALING TO US AN INSIGHT HE HAS GAINED and learned from over the years and leads us on till he gets to a point where he can say in the affimative that he thinks "Good readers take possession of what they are learning by underlining and commenting and questioning". And even then its not patronizing. Instead of a lecture on how to read it becomes a dialog and he gives us a perspective we can agree with.

I think that’s a better style,… but what do I know.

I’ve often been told at times I have a very in-your-face writing style. I never saw myself like that but I listened to those voices and became conscious of it.

I’m reminded of a passage from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. In a conversation between Cassius and Brutus they spoke of seeing and discovering your true self

Cassius :
Tell me, good Brutus, can you see your face?

Brutus :
No, Cassius; for the eye sees not itself
But by reflection, by some other things...

Cassius :
...And since you know you cannot see yourself
So well as by reflection, I your glass
Will modestly discover to yourself
That of yourself which you yet know not of

I realized a while back that I can’t see myself. I count on others to be my glass.

[Guest]

Re: The world of "Potential"

Jerry, here's what you posted about my highlighting comment:¿You don’t think telling us "I suggest that you print it, and use a highlighter to accentuate the phrases, sentences or paragraphs that make you think." is condescending and patronizing?

Notice in my statement I said: "I suggest.........."

Farther below of your last post about an author you said: "He isn’t TELLING US to highlight he’s SUGGESTING IT TO US. His very first sentence leaves us as readers an option."

So let me see how this works. I get criticized for using the word "suggest" but it's OK when the author uses the word: "Suggested".

Am I getting it right?

How else am I, but not the author, being condescending? Let's get it all out - everything about me that bothers you. Perhaps I can work on changing or eliminating those things about me that initiate your comments.

BTW, the reason for my highlighting "suggestion" was because unlike you, I and others here who are not only older but also read a lot, there are in fact young peers of us here who perhaps have not yet developed an effective way to read or even study a good business book. Thus my "suggestion." In fact, the majority of anything that is discussed or presented on these forums, be they new ideas or different takes on established norms are indeed "suggestions" (by the poster) for the readers to consider or contemplate and make their own comments/replies. Also, I too highlight, underline, make notes in the margins, etc., and probably for the same reasons as yourself. I also use a digital mini recorder to record more lengthy notes regarding a book idea, if paper is not available.

As for writing style, and possibly speaking style, I also guess it's OK for you to have an "in your face style", but not for me to have my own style. Which brings up the fact that the only difference between you and I is the manner we each present our comments, either on a forum or in person. However, I think you will notice that I've never brought up your style, whether I liked it or not, unless it was in defense of one of your comments about me.

As I've said before, I look for content, in everyone's posts, unless sarcasm is blatant. And I don't take pot shots at anyone, unless it a return shot, or in defense of someone I don't feel warranted a shot from someone else.

So in the future, perhaps we can cut all of the crap, childish games, tits for tats, and use these forums for their intended purposes.

Decades ago I learned one important thing from an older mentor with whom I disagreed on several social issues : Everyone with whom I come in contact, like him/her or not, has wisdom from which I could learn. To do otherwise is to employ self emposed barriers to knowledge. He was right. I choose only my friends, not sources of knowledge or wisdom.

In other words, I play down one's weaknesses or disagreeables and instead, concentrate on one's strengths or positives. That philosophy has served me well.

So, can we quit now?