That Trade Show – He Liked it
That Trade Show Your Boss Went to
What Your Boss Had to Say About the Trade Show
- Not too many new things really, same ole same ole
- A general response acknowledging a few things learned
- What seminar? We never made it out of the bars
- I learned such and such. I really like it. It’d be nice to try out
- I learned such and such. I really like it. We’re going to try it out
I learned such and such. I really like it. It’d be nice to try out – All righty then! Your boss isn’t blowing you off, it sounds like he paid attention and learned a few things, and he’s considering trying them out. Whew! We finally got to this point and I need wave our race car over into the pits for a second to check something out.
A football team needs to pass, block, tackle and hold onto the football before it can gain the benefit of running a complicated offense and defense. The same holds true for your boss’s business. Your team needs to install, repair and maintain things correctly and efficiently. Also, from a technician point of view, it needs to perform all the functions necessary to keep a business operating smoothly – like paperwork, procedures, truck care etc.
I learned such and such. I really like it. We’re going to try it out – That’s what I’m talking about! Your company is performing the basics and your boss wants to move his business forward. If you’re working for a company like this, it is best to support your boss and do whatever you can to keep the idea / program working. No doubt there will be change. When anything improves however, it has had to go through change.
That Trade Show
That Trade Show Your Boss Went to
What Your Boss Had to Say About the Trade Show
- Not too many new things really, same ole same ole
- A general response acknowledging a few things learned
- What seminar? We never made it out of the bars
- I learned such and such. I really like it. We’re going to try it out
- I learned such and such. I really like it. It’d be nice to try out
Not too many new things really, same ole same ole - At first glance it would appear that your manager is just blowing you off. If not then, this response opens up many questions. Why did you waste the company’s money going in the first place? You and I can shadow a kindergarten teacher for one half of a day and learn something that would be of value to your job or your boss’s business. There isn’t one positive thing to say about this response other than it’s a red flag, flagging you to start looking for another company.
A general response acknowledging a few things learned - This isn’t a bad response. Ask him if what he learned interests him. Pay attention to the sound of his voice. If it is flat without excitement then it didn’t interest him no matter what he says. If there is excitement, ask him how he sees incorporating the ideas into the business. When we rap up with the responses here, we’ll give you some ideas that you can follow up with here.
What seminars? He never made it out of the bars – Don’t always jump to conclusions. Maybe the whole intent of your boss’s trip was just to socialize with his peers from across the country. Let’s say that is not the case though. For starters, don’t think his behavior is cool. Your boss is a leader, maybe the owner of your company. You are depending on him to lead all in moving the business forward. You do not want to be associated with a so called leader who passes up learning opportunities to pursue night life and all of its entrapment’s. If this is behavior is consistent with your boss, it’s time to find a new boss.
What Your Boss Had to Say About the Trade Show
That Trade Show Your Boss Went to
- Not too many new things really, same ole same ole
- A general response acknowledging a few things learned
- What seminar? We never made it out of the bars
- I learned such and such. I really like it. We’re going to try it out
- I learned such and such. I really like it. It’d be nice to try out
These responses carry the potential of unbolting the cover off your boss’s head, peeking inside and discovering how he feels about moving his business forward. The goal here is to gain a better understanding as to whether or not he has the desire and is capable of growing the business. Think of it like this: your boss is responsible for planting, caring for and harvesting a garden. This food keeps you alive. But you want to be more than just alive. You want to grow a strong, healthy body and mind. There are places your boss can go to learn how to achieve the results of producing food that will do just that. You need to know if your boss is satisfied with just keeping you alive or if he wants you to grow.
One can take each of these responses and by way of questioning, dig deep into your boss’s psyche. Unless you have a deep affection for him, it’s probably not worth it. By way of a few questions you can gain a toe hold on understanding where he is coming from without getting in too deep. Overall, how your boss approaches trade shows and opportunities of learning for himself, should factor into whether or not this company is a fit for you. If however, one day you want to be a manager yourself, it might be worth a shot. Take a second here and pretend you are a manager.
You need to have certain things accomplished at the end of a service call. The technician must have paperwork signed, have the customer fill out a short feedback form and offer the customer a service contract. You have a technician who is not doing these things. You need to understand why he isn’t doing them. You take time to meet with him and learn. You find out he is lazy and will not comply with instructions, or maybe you discover he is painfully shy with customers and could use social skill training. You have to make a decision, is he worth working with or is it time to send him on his way.
That Trade Show Your Boss Went to
Your manager or his manager attends trades shows, right? Cool. Good. Because if your managers are not attending trade shows and the seminars that go along with them, then that would not be a good thing. Why? Okay, real quick cause I don’t want to get off track…how do you feel about your doctor not attending trade shows and staying on top of his profession?
HVAC Comfortech, a large and very well attended trade forum, just finished up this past week. I heard through vendors and industry trainers the event was positive and contractors seemed to be inspired by the business ideas and information that they learned. These folks also said, and to paraphrase, “I hope these contractors can go back to their companies and implement what they learned.”
And I hope that I can win the lottery.
Now, I am not being cynical, just real. Your managers are so busy being busy at what they are busy at, that it is difficult for them to implement newly learned stuff.
How would you like to help? Remember what we say about helping your manager: you help yourself first.
Ask your manager what he learned from the trade show. There’s a good chance he will talk about the show at your next service meeting. Don’t wait. Ask him what he learned and if there is anything he plans to introduce to your company. Here are a few replies that you might hear:
- Not too many new things really, same ole same ole
- A general response acknowledging a few things learned
- What seminar? We never made it out of the bars
- I learned such and such. I really like it. We’re going to try it out
- I learned such and such. I really like it. It’d be nice to try out
We’ll break these responses down tomorrow.
Your Salesman (Part II)
Education – Is your salesman involved in pursuing education? While the company owner might require that he take certain courses, you need to know whether or not he is pursuing knowledge on his own. After all, you are, right? During the course of a day, you can tell whether or not someone wants to learn. Is your salesman out there asking questions to you and the other technicians? You can get a feel for this by watching how he interacts with others.
Sense of urgency – This is related to how hungry he is. Does he show a sense of urgency when it comes to customers and his coworkers? Do you get the feeling that he cares and wants to take care of customers?
Follow up – This one is easy. Without even trying you’ll hear about your salesman not getting back to customers. If you open your ears to this topic within your company, you might get more than you wanted to know. Bonus point: if you’re hearing about your salesman not getting back to people, then most likely he is neglecting another kind of follow up that you typically don’t hear about, but is crucial for building a flourishing customer base.
Creating own leads – Take this one with a grain of salt. It might be that your salesman has all the leads he can handle from within the company. It’s always a good sign however, when your salesman is bringing in his own customers.
Working with your salesman - We’ll be visiting more on this topic in the future. For now, start with basics. The right thing to do is to help and support your salesman with the things that you can.
