US Glass and Paul

Why It Is So Important To Follow My Predictions

2012-01-24T08:04:00.000-08:00

It's Tuesday, you are reading my blog, courtesy of USGlass. When this blog started it was intended as a vehicle giving practical advice to our big family in the glass industry. Today I offer you proof of how to take my advice.

Do the opposite.

Here's the story. In September our heating oil technician visited and did the annual tune-up on our boiler. We have steam radiators powered by a large boiler in the basement. He told me that everything was alright, but the boiler was beginning to look a little tired. I asked him how he knew, and he couldn't tell me. But he had been doing this for twenty years and it was just instinct.

I called the heating company main office and a young engineer came out, inspected the boiler, and prepared a quote to replace it...almost $6000. The engineer said we had a couple of years left, and not to rush in to it. He left it up to me to make the decision.

OK, you have guessed what happened. I said 'no' to replacing it when it would be easy and no rush in September. Yesterday, the boiler cracked. It's done for. Last night was 4 degrees and it got cold in the house. Today it is going up to 20. A heat wave. We have gas fireplaces and a few electric heaters, so we have made the house liveable, with three layers of sweatshirts on.

When an old-timer gives you a suggestion, it pays to listen. Now, some people think I am an old-timer, (just ask my son) but I think I am young.

So, back to the headline, whenever I give a prediction, do the opposite.You are guaranteed to come out ahead.

What Do You Do About An Employee That Has Given Notice?

2012-01-17T07:42:00.000-08:00

Susie, your bookkeeper of eleven years, walks into your office and tells you that she will be leaving at the end of the following month. She has decided to move closer to her aging parents. You loved having Susie work with you and she has always done a great job. But, what do you do now? You are grateful she has given you a long notice allowing for a replacement search, but you are worried about her being a lame duck.

If you knew Susie, like I knew Susie, you wouldn't be worried. I know she will be a great employee up to the last minute.

But what about the employee who gives a proper notice, leaving to join a competitor? Or doesn't tell you why they are leaving or where they are going? If you have covered this in your employee manual, then follow the procedures you have created. My recommendation is that your manual state:

Employees are expected to give two weeks notice of their intent to leave. Failure to give this notice will impact future references and may result in forfeiture of accrued vacation. In rare instances, the company may not accept the two week notice and ask employees to leave immediately. These instances include, but are not limited to, leaving to work for a competitor, leaving after an event that leads to the employee's arrest, or other events as management may decide.

I mentioned withholding accrued vacation. In many states this is OK. Check with your local attorney. Vacation is a benefit, unlike retirement account payments or social security benefits, which are regulated. You can never withhold salary or wages, under any circumstance. When giving a reference, one of the more damning things is to say that an employee failed to give proper notice.

What if you have no policy or handbook? Then you should act based on prior occurrences when circumstances are similar. The next thought is: How will this play out in your current workforce? If you make it hard on a departing employee, will your current employees be happy that you protected the company, or will they be upset that a co-worker was mistreated. Will the same thing happen to them? If they think so, you will not receive notice from anyone.

If an employee gives their two week notice because of going to a competitor, do you have to pay them the two weeks, or can you just show them the door? There are no regulations concerning this. It is up to your personal feelings. Here's what I have done. If the employee has been a good employee and is honestly trying to improve their life by going to another glass company, I would pay them the two weeks, but have them leave the company now. If the employee was a rabble rouser, always in trouble, always arrived late, then I would just show them the door.

If you pay an employee the two weeks, even though they are going to a competitor, that employee will tell his new co-workers that you are an OK guy. Maybe that will help you recruit others. And maybe, the grass won't be greener at the new job and the employee wants to come back to you. If you would rehire him, then pay the two weeks now as an insurance that the employee might come back home.

Your goal is to protect your company and your current work force. If your loyal employees see you booting out a 'good person' you will lose their respect. They will know who the rotten apples are and will applaud you for taking a tough stance in that case.

In another blog, we will discuss the situation of an employee giving a long notice, for instance a retirement, and keeping them motivated for the last couple of months.

For those of us in the North, stay warm. For those of you in the South, I am jealous.

Problems, Problems, So You've Got A Problem?

2012-01-09T14:51:00.000-08:00

Who doesn't have a problem? Maybe your team didn't make the playoffs, or you didn't get that concert ticket you wanted. These are easy problems. A broken leg or a car accident are bad problems but are personal issues. What happens when problems hit your business?

Business problems fall into two classes:

Good problems---like you are too busy
Bad problems---like you are too quiet

Doesn't it seem like you are constantly in one of these situations. Has anyone ever said they have just the right amount of business? I doubt it.

Good problems---like you are cash positive but only getting 1/10th of a percent on your money market
Bad problems---like you are negative in cash, and can't find a bank willing to make a loan, at any rate.

So, what can you do with your business problems? Turn them into opportunities for the whole company to solve and make progress. (Speaking of 'progress', what is the opposite of progress? The answer will be at the bottom of this blog!)

Study your problem and find the root cause. It is not that business is slow, but why is your business slow? Ask your employees what they would do to increase customers calling or walking through the door. What would they do to reduce waste in the back? How would they set up the shop to be more efficient?

Your employees know more than you do on these types of basic questions. In fact, they want to solve them even more than you! If times are bad, their jobs are in trouble, as they know they will go before you do. Their self-preservation will kick-in to the benefit of the whole company. No need to pay for ideas, or have a contest. Just lay it out that there are issues that are hurting the company. Most employees will step and help. And the ones that don't, well, just keep that in mind when times get better and you can again give raises.

Break your problems down to bite-size pieces and ask different people in your company to work on each piece. When you pull them all together again, you will often find a new and successful solution.

Let's say you are the manager of a four man crew doing installations, and no matter what you say, they come back every day a half-hour late, except on the days you get a chance to go with them. How about appointing a foreman who is responsible for time management, letting him make suggestions on how to cut that overtime, and together you pick two or three ideas. The foreman is personally invested in the success of the idea and will try a lot harder for success.

The moral of the story? Ask those around you for help with problems, be they good or bad. The best resources are right next you most of the day.

(And the answer to the question, what is the opposite of Progress?
It is, of course, Congress.)

I Love, I Love, I Love My Calendar Girl

2012-01-02T16:36:00.000-08:00

This is a famous oldie, written by Neil Sedaka. Do you have a calendar for your glass business? You know, the one you look at each day with a silly joke? Or is it the one with the daily baseball trivia?

No, it is the calendar you prepare to create special sales in your glass business. You are in the business of selling glass, metal, labor, energy savings, design and more. This is the calendar to let your current and potential customers know more about your business in 2012.

Every event on the calendar can jump start another part of your business. Start the planning 4-6 weeks ahead of the schedule date. If you do regular newspaper or Internet advertising, coordinate your ads. Lay out a flyer or newsletter to mail to your customers along with statements or invoices. Plan if you are going to decorate your store, order T-shirts, bring in extra inventory, get brochures from vendors, coordinate with other retailers in a community wide event, and schedule your employee's hours.

Start the sale three or four days ahead of the actual holiday day, and run through the next weekend. You can offer 10% of table tops one week, 20% off mirrors on another. In the Spring, push screen repairs, and in the fall, low-e replacement windows as temperatures go down. One sale can be 10% off on customer shower doors, and another would be a free bathroom mirror with a new all-glass shower. You are not limited in your ideas...be as crazy as you want. The goal is to bring traffic into your showroom and on your phones. These both will result in new sales. Remember, a customer that calls in response to an ad is not as price conscious as the customer who is calling ten shops for fixing a broken door glass.

Here are the holidays sales events you can plan in 2012:

Jan 12 Martin Luther King Day
Feb 12 Lincoln's Birthday (20% Discount if your birthday too!)
Feb 14 Valentine's Day (Free roses with each purchase)
Feb 20 President's Day
Mar 11 Daylight Savings Begins (Key on 'savings' at your shop)
Mar 17 St Patrick's Day
Mar 20 Spring Begins (Commercial doors get 15% off)
Apr 8 Easter
Apr 25 Administrative Professionals Day (Sell glass for desks)
May 13 Mother's Day (Free purse mirror with all purchases)
May 19 Armed Forces Day (Discounts for all active and retired)
May 28 Memorial Day
Jun 17 Father's Day
Jun 20 Summer Starts (All screening with a discount)
Jul 4 Independence Day
Sep 3 Labor Day
Sep 17 Autumn Begins (Start pushing energy savings products)
Oct 31 Halloween (15% discount to anyone buying in a costume)
Nov 11 Veteran's Day
Nov 20 Thanksgiving Day
Dec 21 Winter Begins
Dec 25 Christmas

Now, you are not going to run something special for all these days. Pick between 8 and 10 dates for your specials. Work with your fabricators to give you special programs based on your schedule. Maybe you want to have an open house on the first day of Spring where you highlight new windows; or how about a July 4th party, with hot dogs and popcorn for everyone who comes to your showroom.

If you think your ad will be lost in the clutter of all the other Memorial Day ads, then run your specials around Mother's and Father's Day. The idea is to stand out from the crowd, not be part of it.

Set up a local radio station to do a remote broadcast on one day. Sponsor a mobile blood bank in your parking lot for Memorial Day. On St. Patrick's Day, give a discount for all store fronts made with green aluminum. Be different!

These sales have two goals...sell more products and create buzz about your shop so that more people will come to your showroom.

Mark the dates you want on your office calendar and get started now.

A Very Hippo New Year

2011-12-27T05:58:00.000-08:00

Sure, you read it right. Hippo, not Happy.

Here is why you should have a very ~~happy~~ Hippo New Year:

The male hippo weighs an average of 3300-4000 pounds, with the heaviest recorded at 9900 pounds.
The female only weighs 2900-3300 pounds.
Hippos are from 11 to 17 feet long, with tiny feet and legs.
Hippos almost always live in a river bed, in the mud or with 95% of their body under water. So, you have big, old, weirdly shaped animal who lives in the mud, and can't do much except eat 150 pounds of grass a day and make babies.

So you think they are simply a dumb, muddy, fat but cute animal. Boy, are you wrong about hippos.

On land they run up to 19 mph, faster than we can.
They swim underwater at 5 mph, coming up for air once only every 5 minutes. We can swim 1/2 that speed, above water!
The bulls are very protective of their wives and their children.

So if you see only 5% of something, you have to do research before you form an opinion. If you see an empty building about to be renovated, find out if it is a project for you. If a weird customer walks in, listen to the complete job they need done before you say you are not interested. A geeky guy comes in looking for a job, and before you say, "Are you kidding?", he fixes that computer bug you have had for three months.

Let's start the new year with an open mind on every possible business action. Don't say "No", before you do the homework.

Lastly, from my family to yours: Have a healthy, ~~hippo~~ happy, safe and prosperous New Year.

And The Phone Didn't Ring Again

2011-12-19T18:22:00.000-08:00

A couple of months back, after the Boston Red Sox lost their manager and general manager, I sent a note to the owners that I was available for either position.

The phone didn't ring.

OK, I lived through it, saddened, but still able to function. On Sunday night opportunity reared its head again. I was ready. I could do it. Here's why:

Kim Jung Il, the exalted leader of North Korea died of a massive heart attack. Now, most people around the world are OK with this. But I saw opportunity. I wrote a note to the People's Congress laying out my credentials to take over North Korea, and my plan to improve the whole country.

First, I told them about my time as a baseball coach, bringing different teams together. We would battle on the fields, but afterwards, we would still be friends. This proved my ability to be tough, yet still maintain a friendly leadership role.

Then I told them about my business career. I managed a company of 250 workers, who spoke many languages, and was able to communicate with all of them. I described going to Glass Trade Shows, which was kind of like going to a session of the UN. You want to stand out in the crowd, drawing people to your side.

Then came my master plan. I would take over North Korea, and manage it like a business. My prediction is that we would be profitable in two years. And then, we would do the plan's finale. General Electric is, to me, the most successful company around. They take good care of their people, give great medical insurance, and do a superb job of training leaders.

My plan then, was to let GE buy North Korea as a new business unit. All of the citizens would immediately go on their medical insurance plan, and all would get sick time and two weeks vacation. Their lives would be immeasurably improved. GE is a multi-national corporation, so they would have an easy time integrating North Korea into the conglomerate. The army there would slowly become workers on a world-wide solar and wind energy project. The nuclear bombs North Korea owns would be used in power plants.

GE would get rich owning its own country, everyone would come out ahead, and as the ruling leader, I would get stock options. It doesn't get better than this.

Alas, the phone didn't ring this morning, and a twenty-nine year old kid was handed the title "The Great Successor". I bet he didn't get any stock options.

How To Get Extra, Profitable Sales Right Now!

2011-12-13T06:29:00.000-08:00

You can add dollars to your sales total by selling everyday items around your glass shop as holiday gifts! It doesn't require a penny of investment, just some time and creativity.

First, clean up your showroom. Get rid of all the junk that has been sitting in the corners for a year or two. If you don't remember the job you ordered the samples for, get rid of them. Clean every piece of glass in your showroom. Make your showroom sparkle!

Now, here is what you can sell, and at tidy little profit. Professional grade glass cleaner. You have a couple of cases out back. Put up a simple display, add a sign and you are set. Double your cost of the cleaner...be sure to add your inbound freight.

Glass gloves, the perfect glove for the home mechanic. Many stores sell them as the perfect gardening glove. Glass cutters are also great for the home mechanic section of your display. Put out a couple boxes of razor blades, too. You have a dozen tape measures you just received from CRL. Put these out for sale. Safety glasses, too. You don't have to match the prices at the big box store. These sales are all impulse items and price is not relevant.

Do you have tubes of caulking in back? Now that is a silly question. Of course you do. Put them near your register, they will sell. Do you have bottles of plastic cleaner? Sell them. How about sanding belts? Sell them as the cloth belt that is better than the paper belts sold at the hardware store.

Do you have mirror accessories--like mirrored switch plates? Don't store them in back--put them right up front by the register! Something as simple as desk buttons will sell for a dime each.

Cut your cutoff 1/8" mirror into 2" x 2" squares, seam the edges, and sell pocket mirrors for a buck. These are great as stocking stuffers. Some people will place a sticker with their name on the backing. A little advertising doesn't hurt either.

Sell gift certificates for a windshield replacement, or a new mirror, or a table top! You get the cash flow now. It doesn't get better than this for a retailer.

It's easy. A little creativity and you will make some unexpected sales this year.

Holiday Gifts For Your Employees

2011-12-06T10:48:00.000-08:00

All right, who are you?

Old Man Scrooge
A Hard Working Joe
Part of the 1/10th of 1

Old man Scrooge wouldn't own a computer. If your are in the 1/10th, you won't be reading this blog. So, you are a hard working Joe.

Looking at the calendar, it is time to decide on your holiday gift program for your employees. Yes, it was a very tough year for most of us. (In my consulting business, we have one full-time employee, my wife Elaine. I told her that she was getting a new set of flannel PJ's. Without the feet. It was a tough year.)

Your employees know the year you have had. Nonetheless, they do expect something. You have given a cash gift for years, and just about everyone counts on the bonus for their holiday budgeting.

If you had a good year, then surely thanking your employees should be high on your list. Giving a gift to smiling employee is better than giving to an ornery, back-charging customer. The customer won't change their attitude, while giving to an employee is the perfect investment in your company.

But, and there is always a but, for the 85% of us who didn't have a good year, what do we do? You need some kind of plan for your gift-giving. The easy way out, give everyone a week's pay. This way is simple and won't cause waves. The more complicated, but in the long-run, much better way, is to set a budget, maybe equal to the one week payroll, and then give more to the people that worked their hearts out, and less to the folks that are out the door at 5:00 on the second.

This takes more work: good employee reviews, solid feedback sessions, and speaking with the grumpy people who get less than the full week. You will be a hero to some folks, but Scrooge to others. People will say you gave more to Stan because he supports the Mets, or seriously, some will make claims of prejudice on your part. You have to decide if the reward and encouragement to the stars on your team are worth the effort.

For my part, I feel it is worth the effort...provided you have the employee reviews in file. Recognizing the hard workers is worth it. They will continue to work hard. But if everyone gets the same amount, what is the incentive to work hard? Sure there is self-pride, but at this time of the year, cash is king.

What if the year says your bonuses/gifts have to cut down. Tell your people ASAP; don't wait for the day you hand out the checks. Families will need to adjust their budgets. If you do cut gifts, don't under any circumstances, get a new car for yourself, redecorate your office, or buy new equipment in December, under he guise of spending money before the tax-year ends. You will never see worse morale if gifts are cut and other spending goes on.

Thoughts on Holiday Gifts

2011-11-28T18:20:00.000-08:00

Tis the holiday season. I figured this out watching TV last night. In a one-hour show, there were 19 different ads for holiday gifts. Subtle, oh-so subtle. I imagine it is even greater on kids' shows on Saturday morning.

The question is what to do in your business environment with vendors and customers. (We'll talk about 'with employees' next week.) Of course, you want to say thanks to your key customers, and a nice gift is always appreciated. But can you do better than the cookie tray or bottle of cheer? I'll bet a nickel that none of your customers buy from you because of holiday gifts...it is because you offer quality service at a price that fits their budget. An extra $25 or $50 gift in December will not keep them as a customer.

I want to share two special companies' programs with you. First is a company here in NH, a financial advisor that I work with. They send a letter to all of their customers asking them to make a donation to any recognized charity, anywhere in the country. The customers mail the check to the advisor, and then they match it and forward to the charity. There is a maximum amount of $120 per family. So, my donation is doubled, the charities come out ahead and everyone feels great about it. I don't want another bottle of booze and my particular charity benefits. I really like this program and while it is not the main reason to work with the company, it does let me know they care about people and charity as much as they do about earning fees.

The other company is Galaxy Glass in New Jersey. It is owned by Eugene Negrin, who is a fellow blogger here on the USGNN. While I worked at Floral Glass, Eugene would always send me a cookie tin filled with delicious rugalech, a traditional eastern European cookie. I always thanked him for thinking of me and when I left work, Eugene tracked me down here and started sending the tins to my home. I always looked forward to them, because you don't get this kind of cookie in New Hampshire. This year, I received a note telling me that Eugene was discontinuing the cookie program as he felt that it was more important to donate to charity this year than to give out the cookies. The charities win, Eugene feels good, I don't get the calories, and the world takes one small step towards being a better place. This is truly a better example of holiday spirit than a box of cookies.

You do have to give a guy on the loading dock his bottle. When you think of something for the owners and managers of your vendors and customers, let them know you are honoring them with a donation to a local food bank or a national charity. I know that will be more appreciated than the calories.

You should have a firm policy in your company about accepting gifts. We allowed employees to receive gifts from vendors or customers, up to specified value; $25 was the level when I left. They had to let managment know they received a gift, and we would write a corporate thank you note. Did everyone tell us? Of course not, but most did. We encouraged vendors to notify the office when they gave gifts to our employees. We also encouraged employees to share their gifts with others in their departments. We discouraged vendors from sending gifts to employees' homes. Although, I do remember a very beautiful cut glass bowl that was sent to my home by LOF. I told Chuck Kaplanek, the owner, about the gift, and he received one at home also. My wife still uses the bowl, and I remember LOF when I see it. This is a rare occurance. Most gifts get forgotton about ten minutes after the sales rep leaves them in the office!

Thanks for reading today...there will be more on gifts for the holiday season next week.

Is Leadership In The Glass Industry Different Than In Government?

2011-11-15T08:17:00.000-08:00

In a word, NO.

This is not a political blog, after all, our reason for being together is the glass industry. To me, leadership is making the right decisions, even if they are unpopular, and then teaching why it was the right decision to the people you are responsible for. Not everyone will agree with you, but they will respect you for your honesty and reasoning. You can't keep changing your position on subject A or B. But if variables change, like the economy, you may have to thoughtfully change.

Let's say your glass shop has never had a layoff. Now, this year, you have to go there to save the entire company. You do have to make this unpopular decision, and that is when you become a leader.

You have to decide what benefits will be paid for, and how much the company will contribute. Your obligation is to the whole company; if you balance the needs here, you will be a leader. There is a current phrase, 'stake holders', that defines who you are responsible to. You run a glass shop; your stake holders are:

The ownership of the company, whether one or two partners, or thousands of shareholders
Your employees, every single one of them
Your customers
Your community, defined anywhere from local to regional to national
Yourself, so that you can sleep at night with the decisions you've made

If you balance all these groups' needs, you are a great leader. You will make decisions that ownership may not agree with, but you can convince them that long-term stability is better than short-term profits. Research all of the facts about a decision that is needed. Test drive it by asking key people what their opinions are. Look at similar companies and what they have done and use that as a template, maybe copying or doing the opposite!

Don't flip-flop, going different directions every year. Don't put off a decision and hope the need for it goes away. Don't knowingly make the wrong decision, just to be popular. So you say, why not, I own this place, I can make any decision I want! Because you will begin to see turnover in your employees as soon as the market begins to grow. Your best people will go where they will be respected for the work they do and the honesty of the leadership.

Your customers will look around for a different vendor if your service policies change or your prices are not predictable. You can raise prices, but do it above-board...not with silly hidden fees or changes in how your bill for travel.

And for how you serve your community, just do the right thing, even if it may temporarily hurt you. Just look at Penn State to understand what sweeping bad news under the rug will do to your reputation.

If you can place your head on the pillow and sleep well, and have served your stakeholders, you, Sir or Ma'am, are a leader.

Fee, Fie, Foe, Fum...and I Hate Mr. Fee The Most

2011-11-08T05:46:00.000-08:00

Fie, Foe and Fum are not bad. But it is their brother Fee that has me the most upset. Why can't businesses quote a price that actually relates to what we are paying. Just this morning my wife bought two things on line, some tickets to a play and she sent a fruit basket to a family as the father of a friend passed away.

On each purchase, brother Fee tacked on over 20% to the purchase price. Paying shipping is OK, but Internet handling fees, and rush service charges are slowly pushing us back to local bricks and mortar stores. I buy a lot of books, and my wife pointed out to me, just a few minutes ago, a local book shop is having a great sale. I will visit this store in person. And when I visit in person, I always end up spending more than I would have on the Internet. Browsing among many items is always more fun in person.

Back to the wicked brother, Mr. Fee. Airline fares, train tickets and every other form of travel, other than walking or riding your bicycle has a fee attached. My cell phone bill is 21% fees! There is now a cell company advertising a flat rate, including all fees. When my current contract expires, that's where I will be heading. We all have fees in our businesses, but we call this overhead. I don't know any glass shops that add fees for the taxes they have to pay, or because they go into rural areas. Your service call may be higher, the farther away from your office, but you don't charge that to everyone as a fee. Would you get any business if you did?

Does this effect us in the glass business? You Betcha! Energy surcharges, delivery surcharges, waiting time, recycling fees and so on. When you quote your customers a price, make it all inclusive. If your competitors add on after-sale charges, then be sure to advertise that you don't. Keep it simple and your customers will be happier, which means you will be happier, too.

Blog follow-up---I recently wrote about my applying for a job at the Boston Red Sox, and I figured that it was a done deal. As a show of support, I now understand quite a few of my regular readers wrote to the Red Sox, asking them to hire me. There was a common thread, too. They all wanted me to get away from the glass industry. It was sweet of them to try to help me.

A Few More Ways To Communicate With Your Employees

2011-10-31T14:00:00.000-07:00

Last week we discussed a short, weekly meeting with your co-workers. Today we will expand on this idea-- how else do we communicate with the people we work with? A sticky note stuck to their computer screen? Sharing gossip at the cutting table? Purposely telling the office loudmouth, knowing your comment will be spreading like wildfire? Worse yet, maybe you don't communicate and just expect your crews to learn what's new by reading your mind?

Some people are not just good communicators, or good listeners. As a leader, though, communications are an important skill. If you are uncomfortable with a group setting, this is a skill you can learn by practicing what you want to say to your family at home. Write out your thoughts, making sure you do say what is important. Say your thoughts into a tape recorder and play it back. You will hear the areas you need to work on.

So, you have held your Monday morning, ten-minute meeting, now what. On Thursday, send a brief email to each person on your team with any updated thoughts. For your team members without email, just print out the note and give it to them with their paycheck! This should be short, maybe a hundred words, just enough to tell them something that will help their job. Maybe, just a funny story to place a smile on their faces.

Once a month, you should send out a company-wide report. Again, short and succinct, sharing sales targets and results. Many companies don't share actual dollar numbers, but you can discuss the number of installations without a complaint or the number of new customers. Make this metric something that everyone on your team has a hand in achieving.

Next on the communication checklist is a quarterly gabfest. About a half-hour, where you discuss numbers and results. It is not always rosy news either. You can discuss problems in your company, or the industry in general. Schedule about twenty minutes of company news and leave ten minutes for questions. This should be the whole shift or the company, based on size. Cross-pollination of ideas can only help you!

Next item, a semi-annual company event. Maybe a summer picnic and then a winter holiday party. A hay ride in the fall, or anything that fits your locale. This is more fun than business. Encourage people to let their hair down and just enjoy being with their coworkers.

The last planning events for communication are the employee's annual review for the quality of their work and to plan for the future. This should be done on the anniversary of their employment. This is the most important hour you will spend with each person you supervise. I'll discuss this more in a couple of weeks.

Lastly, the review for the employee's financial changes. This should occur about ninety days after your fiscal year ends and you have a realistic understanding of your success and how much you can afford to give in raises, if any.

Don't put off or skip any of these. You will be better off as a manager and your employees and the company will benefit.

You Should Over Communicate With Your Employees

2011-10-25T08:40:00.000-07:00

"You have two ears and one mouth, so you should listen twice as much as you talk." An old and still very true saying. But communicating is different than talking. In your role as a business manager or leader, communicating with people you work with is essential.

Sure, you see them every day, handing out work assignments and doing paperwork. You even ask how their kid's Little League games are going. But this isn't communicating about the business and their role in its success. Each Monday morning you should have a ten minute meeting with the people you are responsible for. Not formal, not a classroom type presentation; schedule around the coffee pot or out at the cutting table. Start out with three minutes having one person talk about something they did well; a project that came in time and on budget; an installation that went well, or a manufacturing goal that was exceeded. Then take a minute to translate that into how this success can be achieved in another department or by another person.

The next three minutes become a quick description of a new item the company is handling, a product update, a technical point or any company news that your staff should know. It may even be that Molly had her baby and everyone is healthy.

Close up with a couple of minutes of questions from your team. If the questions require a long answer, write the answers out and distribute them at the end of the day. Some questions can't be answered, and it is OK to say that, or that you will answer that question privately.

A ten-minuter like this, weekly, will keep people informed and motivated. They won't feel like they are left out, which causes poor performance in any company.

The group should be no more than eight people. If you supervise more, split into two groups, do one in the morning, and one in the afternoon, before the end of the day. You will find employees look forward to this and after a couple of weeks will come prepared with their success stories and their questions! When this happens, they will feel a greater sense of being on the company team.

Next week we will discuss other communications tools for employees and managers.

And This Was Supposed To Be My Final Blog

2011-10-18T09:26:00.000-07:00

My plan was to say good-bye to the glass industry with this blog. You see, I knew I had a lock on a new job which would have taken all my time. The Boston Red Sox were hiring a new General Manager, and I was just the absolutely most perfect candidate they could have had.

I coached little league for 12 years, so I know how to deal with children who play baseball. Right now that is what the Red Sox team is made of. While my main team is the New York Mets, my American League team is the Red Sox. After all, I live in New Hampshire, the heart of Red Sox Nation. I even have a Red Sox hat. I have been to a dozen games at Fenway in the last couple of years, so I know my way around the stadium. This proves I am a loyal fan.

It would have been tough leaving my beloved glass industry. It has been very, very good to me over the years. I thought, maybe, I could continue with the blog, but I realized my blogging time would now go to Sports Illustrated rather than USGlass. I had even called some of my consulting clients and told them that I would probably be leaving. They all understood and wished me well.

My resume went to John Henry, the Principal owner of the Red Sox. His secretary called me to set up an appointment, and she whispered that I was the first call she made.

We had lunch yesterday, it seemed to go well. The only sticking point was the salary. I basically agreed to pay Mr. Henry whatever he asked. The job-of-a-lifetime shouldn't be missed because of a few dollars.

Then it happened. The news this morning was that Mr. Henry hired a gentleman from in-house. He had many years experience...blah...blah...blah. I was crushed.

So, this won't be my final blog. The glass industry is stuck with me. The moral of the story is that you always need a back-up plan, no matter how sure you are of the future.

'See you' next week.

Solyndra Wasn't The Greatest Investment...Does That Mean We Stop Investing?

2011-10-11T09:25:00.000-07:00

Sure, we got beat up pretty good on this one. All of us. $500 Million is more than most of us make in a month, unless we had a really good month. Is this something to joke about? No. But we can't cry about it either. Mistakes were made, but we have to go forward with investing in the future of America, our people, and yes, our glass industry.

The politicians are going to drag this one through the mud. Blame him. Blame her. Blame the whole east coast. Blame the New York Mets. Yes, we should learn something from this--how to better screen investments and how to create more effecient controls. But we shouldn't give up investing.

You are in the glass business, and most of us feel that we can't grow until the economy picks up. After all, what's the use of a new truck if there is no place to send it doing work? Right. So the answer is to find new places to do work!

The numbers tell us the construction industry is down anywhere from 10% to 30%. That is scary. But that means there is 70% to 90% still out there. Go chase it and you will need that new truck. This is not just taking business away from your competitor down the street. It is opening new markets for your glass shop.

Do you do board up? Do you sell to the local school district? Convince a large contractor to stop doing their own glazing and sub it to you. You would even hire their glazier! Are you calling on every interior designer? Are you calling on aquarium shops pitching that you can build custom aquariums? (It is just 1/2 glass and silicone!) Do you have any boat yards in your area? This is the time that they get dry docked and repaired. Do you call on sign companies? They don't use a lot of glass, but I bet you'll take a small order and be happy.

Enough...I have a proven list of 88 types of companies that use glass. If you want a copy, drop me an email at paulbaseball@msn.com and I will send it to you.

There is still a lot of business out there, and many reasons to invest. Go get it.

Have You Hugged A Window Washer Today?

2011-10-03T16:23:00.000-07:00

My Brother-In-Law, Les, owns a window washing company in Vermont. He works hard, leaving his house around 5:30 most mornings getting to restaurants and retail stores before their customers start milling around. During the summer it's OK, but in the winter, he mixes anti-freeze in the water on his truck and works in below zero weather.

So, why is this important to someone in the glass business?

Because Les knows when a window is fogged and he knows when a store front leaks air or water. Les talks with his customers every day, and they talk about their windows and entrances. And when people finally ask him about upgrading their store front, he knows who to recommend. Does he recommend you?

Translate this to the thousands of commercial window washers with at least a couple in the trading area of every one reading this, and you have a convergence of businesses that can help each other. Window washers see your customers more often than you! They can be your best friend in getting leads! Add to this the residential windows that are cleaned, and you have a great source of leads.

On the other hand, you should recommend a good window washer after you do an install. You just put in a new storefront. If the customer doesn't keep it clean, they will blame you in year when the glass is stained. Give the name of a reliable window washer in your area and you will have less call back problems!

It is a perfectly equal relationship. You will help each other on just about every job that either one of you works on. A good window washer won't use razor blades on coated glass. They know how to deal with our products.

So, if you run into Les, give him a hug. You'll recognize him, he has a squeegee stuck in his belt.

Healthy Pays Off For Everyone

2011-09-27T07:32:00.000-07:00

Like most of you reading this blog, I am a small business owner. I purchase health insurance for two full-time people, both over 60, both in general good health and no recurring illnesses. That's the good news...I am healthy. The bad news I pay over $27,000 per year, plus a $4,000 deductible. And, I think this is a good rate. I switched companies this year and saved almost $6,000!

I have a good plan, with lots of coverages, including pharmacy and dental. But, the best thing my new carrier gave me was a wonderful chart on the benefits of keeping employees healthy. This is right from the carrier, based on solid, current data.

"Studies have shown that as employees become healthier, they also become more productive, and companies with highly effective health and productivity programs have cost increases that are:

5 times lower for sick leave
4.5 time lower for long-term disability
4 times lower for short-term disability
3.5 times lower for general health coverage

"In addition,these companies yield 20% more revenue per employee, demonstrate a 16% higher market value and deliver 57% higher shareholder returns."(*)

You will still get increases year over year, but your increases will be a lot less if your employees stay healthy. Sounds so basic, you use less insurance, your costs are lower. But the key here is to keep employees healthy. Here are some tips:

Encourage all employees to get flu shots.
Most insurance policies pay for an annual physical without the deductible... check your policy and explain how important it is to go, even if you feel fine today.
Quit smoking, help your employees quit.
Encourage healthy life styles---have fruit around the office for snacks, not candy
If you have room, put a treadmill in the office somewhere and encourage people to use it during the day. Don't make people work through lunch; in good weather encourage walking teams.
When you go out for lunch, avoid fast food. It only takes five minutes longer to eat a salad than a couple of hot dogs.
Don't encourage drinking of alcohol.
Eat your vegetables. (Sounds like your Mother, doesn't it?)
Quit smoking (It's worth repeating)
Get mammograms and colonoscopies when you are scheduled. Don't put this off.
Pay for a gym membership for all employees who have been with you for a year, provided they go at least twice a week. You can get this info from the gym.
And the toughest one of all, loose weight. Take it from one who knows.

Healthy employees result in lower turnover, which reduces your costs significantly, and improves productivity. You and the employee both win. I know you have heard this before, but maybe, this time you will do something about it.

(*) This data is from Harvard Pilgrim Health Care.

Sometimes It Is Just Too Easy

2011-09-19T12:19:00.000-07:00

My blog is published on Tuesdays at US Glass News Network. I start thinking about it on Saturday, and usually have it roughed out by Sunday. Occasionally, my mind goes blank, (cut out the wise cracks), and Tuesday morning I am frantically looking for a topic.

But this week is just too easy. There was a story on MSNBC about a Barbecue restaurant that wouldn't buy a phone directory listing from a local publisher. In apparent retaliation, the salesman for the publisher made up a category called 'Carcass Removal', and listed the restaurant. Here's the story:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44459855/ns/business-small_business/

This story was picked up by Jay Leno and used in his monologue, asking would you go to a Barbecue Rib restaurant listed in the carcass removal section of the phone book?

The restaurant owner found out about it when people called asking to take away dead animals from their farms. Read the story, you will feel that the suit by the Restaurant against the phone book company sure sounds valid.

The moral of the story? Check your local phone book for the headings:

We break your glass
Shower doors that leak
Safety glass that isn't
Windows broken
Guaranteed heat-loss insulating glass
Used glass--cleaned up somewhat
Glass wholesalers--we sell glass with a hole in it
Bullet proof windshields for your motorcycle
Partially tempered glass
Picture frames with smudges on the inside

Got any more? Drop me a note at paulbaseball@msn.com.

Have You Ever Whelmed A Customer?

2011-09-13T05:31:00.000-07:00

Most people have, and when they do, they only do it once.

By the way, what is a 'whelmed' anyway? When you deal with a customer, you can overwhelm them with good service and quality. They will return to you again and again. Or you can underwhelm them, with poor value and weak service. You won't have to remember their name for their next visit to your showroom. A simple, single whelm is when you do neither under or overwhelm your customer. When you are just a ghost in their memory where you didn't stand out either good or bad. The customer, when they need glass again, will always try someone different, because they are looking to be overwhelmed. No question about it.

The simple key to success in our glass business, or any business, is repeat customers. And you earn them by consistently doing your over whelming thing. Be on time, leave the job site cleaner than you found it, clean the glass, be polite and neat in their home, stay quiet in their retail store or office. These are overwhelming things to do.

Underwhelm your customers by showing up late, not calling early enough when you have to reschedule or doing the minimum amount of work you can.

Think about it...do you want to do just this one job for this customer, or do you want the next job and a couple of referrals as well?

A glazier once whelmed his client
He was lazier and defiant
His work was so bad
His clients were mad
And never became compliant

Where Were You On 9/11

2011-09-05T08:02:00.000-07:00

There have only been three news-significant points in my life. You know, it's when you remember exactly what you were doing when you heard the news. For me, it was the assasination of John F. Kennedy, the moment Neil Armstrong first stepped on the moon, and when the second plane hit the World Trade Center.

There is no joke at the end of this blog or moral to this story. It is just what happened to me and my best friend, Chuck Kaplanek, who owned our company, Floral Glass.

We were in Houston, Texas, on Monday, September 10th, visiting a major fabricator, looking at a software system they had installed. We were flying to Newark, NJ, Tuesday morning, visiting our plant in E. Rutherford, NJ where we would meet Chuck's son, Corey, who also worked in the business, and would drive us back to our homes on Long Island that evening.

Our hosts in Houston were extremely cordial. Our original plan was to stay in Houston that evening, have dinner with the salesman, and then leave Tuesday morning. Since we weren't completely sold on the system, we finished early, went to the airport, and got a flight to Atlanta with a connection to Newark, landing around 1:15 in the morning. We took a cab to the hotel near our plant in East Rutherford. Chuck and I both commented that the driver was crazy. He was from the Middle East, and spoke little English, but what he did speak was his anger with everything American. We don't know what caused his outbursts, but the half-hour drive scared both of us. This petty fact means nothing if not for the events the next morning.

We had set up for Cory to pick us up at 10:00 am, allowing us to catch some sleep.

At 9:00 am the phone rang. It was Cory on the line, saying turn on the TV and look out the window if I was on the New York City side of the hotel. I was. I looked out just as the fireball on the second tower erupted. I still didn't know what was going on, but knew that it was something horrible.

I got dressed quickly and met Chuck in the lobby. We both knew what was happening by then and were both upset. The plant is only a half-mile from the hotel and we got there around 9:50. Ten minutes later, someone from the plant screamed out, "look at the city!" By the time we turned we saw a huge dust cloud and plenty of smoke coming from the towers. We didn't know it was now singular.

The plant shut down and we all watched a small TV in the lunch room. I wandered outside to see the city just as the second tower fell. I saw the big antenna slide down out of sight. I knew thousands of people just died. I couldn't speak.

We called the plant together. All of us held hands, owner, and glass cutters alike, and many said a prayer.

Chuck and I got home about 10:00 that night, thanks to Cory driving north about two hours to find a bridge over the Hudson River that was open. Watching the news all day was frightening. Chuck and I should have been in the air that morning at 8:00 am. I still think of that.

Over the next couple of days the stories came in. There was a student in Elaine's class who lost an Uncle, a firefighter. We knew other families that had lost members. We knew many of the first responders who went into the area for the rescue and recovery.

I will never forget that day. I will never forget we should have been in the air that morning. I will never forget 9/11.

What's Next?

2011-08-30T05:43:00.000-07:00

We had an earthquake.

We had a hurricane.

What could possibly be next? Here are some options on the next one-in-a-million events that may hit us on the East Coast:

Congress could agree on something significant.
The glass industry will rebound because Donald Trump declares Buy American on all projects.
One solitary Republican will say something nice about President Obama.
All tempered glass will be delivered on time on September 1, 2011.
One lonely Democrat will say something nice about Michele Bachmann.
In the month of September, 2011, no glass fabricators will go out of business, be merged, or change their name.
The Mets will play above .500 ball for September
You won't receive a single IG unit with a sticker inside during September

So, just when you think something can't happen, it may. Be ready for anything in your business. Remember when you said you didn't want to do board-up work anymore?

Never say never. What goes around comes around. The sun will be shining tomorrow. And it is time for me to go do something productive.

The Solution That Will Work For Every Glass Shop

2011-08-22T17:01:00.000-07:00

So, this past week was not a good one in terms of the US economy. We are all thinking, "What's next?" I hereby offer every glass shop the answer to increasing sales and making millions. Honest. This Will Work! Don't you trust me?

I am sitting at my desk working on a project for a consulting customer, and need to print a 28 page document. Hit the print button, 19 pages come out, and the printer stops. Look at the display panel, it says insert a black cartridge to continue printing. I do that, and the wondrous little Hewlitt Packard (HP) printer continues to spit out paper. And the light bulb clicks on over my head.

The printer cost me $199, four years ago and has worked flawlessly. On the back of the scratch pad, I figure I have spent over $1100 on ink and $300 on paper in the four years. HP is a firm of geniuses. Sell the printer cheap, make a fortune on the ink.

So here is what every glass shop should do. Drop the price on every piece of glass you sell. Flat glass or auto. Just about give it away. But, tell the customer that they must clean this glass with your brand of glass cleaner and paper towel. Otherwise, the glass won't work properly, if at all.

You are now out of the glass business, you are in the cleaning supplies business for glass. You'll have to build a drive-through window just to sell glass cleaner and paper towels. You will be shipping cleaner and towels everywhere. Price won't matter. Charge what you want for the paper towels, because your customers will have to buy from you or their glass won't work!

HP's sales last year were about $133 Billion. It may take you a couple of years to get to that level of sales of cleaner and towels, so start quickly. You trust me, don't you?

What Would You Do With $228.9 Million?

2011-08-16T07:16:00.000-07:00

This is more than pocket change. Its even enough to cover the increasing cost of gasoline for at least a couple of years. This was the amount won in the Powerball lottery last week. By one person. I called him the other day, and offered myself up for adoption, telling him I was eight years old and homeless, with a big dog named Molly protecting me. When I sent him my picture I hoped he wouldn't notice my gray hair and beard. He offered to adopt Molly.

So, you own a glass shop and considering the times, you make a living. A fair living, but certainly not fantastic. What would you do with $228.9 million?

Would you keep working? Would you give up your business? Would you invest in the business? Your chances of the millions are remote. But what would you do?

Do you plan for the future years of your life. If you don't, shame on you. I have seen so many people keep on working because they don't know how to slow down. Then they work themselves to death. Start planning your exit from the business world by the time you are forty. It may be ten years out, or twenty, it doesn't matter. Run your business with this in mind. Look at potential hires as possibilities to run your business, or maybe buy it down the road.

Do you run your business by making all the decisions? Or do you train your staff to make decisions in your absence? Once you leave the business, will it be able to stay afloat without your input? Now you are probably not going to win the lottery, but you may break a leg and be away from work for a month. Will your business be viable without you watching every thing? If not, start giving responsibilities to others. Get rid of all of your repetitive duties, except signing checks, letting people learn from you now, before that leg is in a cast.

Get some hobbies now. Start picking up an occasional book that you would like to read. Give yourself some emotional releases from work. You will feel better about work and yourself if you allow yourself a little relaxation. Set certain times of certain days that your phone is turned off. If the problems at business do not involve someone being injured, or something that will cause legal issues, the call can wait an hour while you are at your child's little league game or visiting an old friend.

Think of all the taxes you would have to pay if you won the big lottery. And all the people like me bothering you. You are better off without $228.9 million. Sure.

Is Memory The First Thing To Go?

2011-08-08T09:51:00.000-07:00

I can still find my keys. When we moved to New Hampshire, it only took me a month to remember our new phone number--and I still know it! I remember most of the players' names on the NY Mets, but lately, I need to look up the batting averages of the old timers. I run into people who say "hi" to me, and I don't have the faintest clue who they are.

I am sure that when I got my AARP card there was a secret powder dusted on it that effected memory. My card must have had an extra dose.

Last week I wrote a column about adding color to glass. I remember it--honest. After doing some research the column came out OK. But then I got the email. It scared me. The email was from a man who said he knew me, and why hadn't I mentioned his very colorful product in my column? At first I thought it was spam, someone trying to link my blog site to their site selling rainbows in a jar. But then, after a minute, it hit. I did know this gentleman. He mentioned we had met at the Northeast Glass Show in March, only five months ago. And I had totally forgotten. And he had a great product!

I asked my wife Elaine, if I was more forgetful, and she said, "No more than usual". I shivered at that response.

Then I remembered the incident last week. I couldn't find my car in a parking lot. I bought a new car a couple of weeks ago, and was looking for my old Chevy, which was traded in.

Back to business. Here is the letter I received:

Paul,

Personally I am worried about you. How's your memory?

You stopped by the Custom Glass Machinery booth at the Glass Expo Northeast and we spoke at length about Dip-Tech digital ceramic frit printing. I even gave you a place to sit and rest while we did so. Now you blog about color, but alas no mention of digital frit printing which can be found at 8 fabricators in North America.

"No respect no respect" as Rodney Dangerfield used to say. Gee, hopefully this provocation has jarred your memory banks back into action. Take care my dear colleague.

Sincerely,

Matthew Tangeman
Agent for Dip-tech

The only thing that makes me feel better is that Matthew forgot to put his company's web site in his note. And I remember him as a young guy, too. Take a look at: dip-tech.com. They have a very interesting process.

Add Some Color To Your Glass Business

2011-08-02T07:32:00.000-07:00

Business stinks. The economy is in the toilet. The only people that walk into your showroom are the sales forces from the metal and glass fabrication folks. So, what's a boy to do? Add some color to your life! Could it be the blue and orange of my NY Mets? Nah. Could it be the red and white of a candy cane? That's silly. Why of course...the answer is for you to add some color to your laminated and float glass sales!

There is some plain vanilla work out there. But plain vanilla doesn't create big bucks. You can only sell on price, and that is a sure way to loose money.

Add some color to your work. A customer who wants to renovate a kitchen or a bathroom, and may be shopping prices, will be super-excited when you show them a red back splash or a sandblasted shower door. You have to sell color. Orders won't come to you because the first person to suggest it, usually gets the order. After all, the customer has gone to three shops, and finally sees something that is special. They'll reward the glass shop that has the creative stones to be different!

Spiff up your showroom with color. Call you lami supplier and get samples of Solutia's Vanceva line. This product can make any color in the rainbow, translucent or opaque, and it has all of the great qualities of lami. Here is the link: http://www.saflex.com/en/Vanceva.aspx. Ask your supplier about Dupont's graphical lami for that special one-up custom piece that you can make a killing on.
Here is that link: http://www2.dupont.com/SafetyGlass/en_US/products/sentryglas-expressions.html. A lot of distributors are stocking back painted glass from Gardner Glass' Dreamwalls collection. This is an easy to use, full color sheet with many applications. Their link is: http://dreamwallscolorglass.com/. ICD creates paints for spandrel and annealed applications that can be used to inexpensively create one-up specail colors on glass. Their brand name is Opaci-Coat and the link is: http://www.icdcoatings.com/. Walker Glass has done a great job with their Textures line of acid-etch products. In our industry, color strongly includes shades of acid etching, and patterns. Their link is: http://www.walker-glass.com/.

You have to work to sell color. Every sales quote should have an alternate to improve the design of the job, and color is the key. Great design will draw customers into your customer's storefront. Color will improve any kitchen or bathroom. Now, start selling color. It makes glass unique in the building trades. Let every architect and GC know that you think outside the box and can help them to help their customers. You will make a few bucks more. And that is what we are here for.

(Full Disclosure--I own a very small amount of shares in Solutia)

Rupert Murdoch Taught Me An Important Lesson Last Week

2011-07-25T10:40:00.000-07:00

He sure did. And I was surprised that I could learn from Mr. Murdoch. After all, I am a small businessman, ran a company with 250 employees, do a little consulting and writing now, and was nowhere in his multi-billion dollar league. So, I want to share with you what Mr. Murdoch taught me.

First, a little background. There are two results of learning by observing others.  One way is that you observe someone doing something well; you take the same steps in your company, and lo and behold, your company is now doing something well. The other is to observe someone purposely stepping into a deep mud puddle, and saying to yourself, I should not follow in his footsteps.

To me, Mr. Murdoch stepped into the mud puddle relating to the telephone hacking scandal in Great Britain.

A British Member of Parliament asked, "Was he ultimately responsible for this criminal enterprise at his British Operation?" "No", he replied, "I hold responsible the people that I trusted to run it and the people they trusted."

Now, Mr. Murdoch is the Chairman of the Board and CEO of News Corp, which owned the newspapers involved. His family owns controlling interest in this multi-billion dollar company. Last time I went to school, I learned that the person in charge is responsible for everything. President Harry S. Truman said it best with a sign on his desk, "The Buck Stops Here".  You make the big bucks, you sign everyone else's paycheck, you are responsible.

The surest route to ruining any organization is to not accept responsibility and to blame those under you. No employees will take risks after that. No one will respect you after that. No one will be eager to gain a promotion after that. No one will want to work for you after that.

A leader cannot side-step around taking responsibility. That is one of the very definitions of leadership. When you run your glass shop, or any business for that matter, you can be disappointed in an employee who makes a mistake; you can teach them, or ultimately you can fire them.  But that does not take the place of accepting responsibility for every action that takes place in your organization.

Not that I ever would have wanted a job in Mr. Murdoch's vast empire, but after his comments, I won't even bother sending my resume.

How Granite State Glass Is Fighting The Recession

2011-07-19T06:54:00.000-07:00

I have a friend, Malcolm, who is an architect in Keene, NH, the closest city to where I live. He invited me to a 'lunch and learn' session at a local general contractor where the subject was Doors and Windows. He thought it would be of interest to me. He was right. I came away with knowledge, but what I gained most will help every glass shop and contractor in the country.

The program was taught by two representatives of JELD-WEN windows, and they really knew their stuff. They kept the program clear of advertising and self promotion, teaching about different kinds of windows and doors. There were twelve estimators from the GC at lunch, and they knew who was doing the teaching. In fact, they were more impressed with JELD-WEN for being neutral and not taking advantage of the situation.

But the real winner, from a business point-of-view was Granite State Glass, the leading glazing contractor in New Hampshire, with eight locations in New Hampshire and one in Vermont. They were the ones that set up the program and recruited JELD-WEN to do the teaching. Two senior members of Granite State's marketing team were there, but in the background. They introduced the speakers from the window company, and at the end, thanked everyone for coming. They also offered each person there a binder with ad sheets on some of their specialty products. It was just a perfect undersell.

Granite State didn't wait for some business to come knocking on their door. They created an image of knowledge and competency in the estimating crew of the largest GC in our region. Talk about hitting a home run!

You can do the same. Every major vendor you deal with will be glad to send in an educational team for a presentation like this. Whether it comes from the aluminum sector, a glass fabricator or floater, or fenestration suppliers, there is a tremendous amount of knowledge out there that your customers would be eager to learn. This didn't cost Granite State a ton of money. They had a box lunch for a dozen people, and their invested time.

Line up your vendor(s) of choice...people who have a story to tell about new energyy-savings products, decorative products or safety for building occupants. These are all hot topics right now. If your vendors are certified by the AIA to offer Continuing Education Units, which will be important to the GC's and the architects, this will help.

The work you have to do is to prepare your own marketing materials. Now you don't have to create new stuff. Use the brochures from your key suppliers, and place them in a three ring notebook with a sticker from your company on the cover.

Don't skimp on the lunch. The difference between a $6 lunch and a $10 lunch is a good will bonanza.

Granite State, as far as I saw, didn't get any work that day. But the impression they left of professionalism and knowledge about glazing and glazing products will get them work in the future. You can do this too.

An Easy Way To Gain New Customers...And Cheap Too!

2011-07-11T11:41:00.000-07:00

Radio Advertising? No.
Television Advertising? No.
Hiring A Clown To Stand Outside Your Front Door? No.
Full Page Ad In The Yellow Pages? No.
A Web Site That Really Pops? No.
Newspaper Ads That Blanket Your Market? No.
Creating A Referral Program From Current Customers? Yes! Yes!! Yes!!!

My wife, Elaine, forwards me articles that she comes across that might make great blogs. This time she hit a home run, sending me an article about customer referrals originally published in the Harvard Business Review. The article details a large bank in Germany that started a customer referral program. It turns out that the new customers brought in during this program were more loyal to the bank, keeping their accounts longer, were more profitable to the bank, as they were less expensive to obtain and used more bank products, and they did more business with the bank than other new customers.

This study followed 10,000 new customers at the bank over a couple of years. There are no glass shops that I know of that generate this many customers. But the lessons learned are the same. Do a good job for someone, they tell others, and you will gain new business that will be profitable. A customer who wants you to do work in their home or business won't give you a small job to try you out. After all, their friend did that for them. A referred customer will trust you from the start and will want to work with you to the fullest extent possible.

You get the picture. Let's look at some ways that a glass shop can gain these types of customers.

Your first step, do a great job for your current customers. Do such a good job that these folks want to brag about you. This doesn't mean a low price; it means leaving the site cleaner than you found it; it means being on-time, polite, and non-intrusive in your customer's home or business. It means doing the job contracted for, or improving on the design once you opened a wall or framing.
As you near the end of the job, ask the customer if they are pleased so far. Get their input before you finish the job and solve any issues that come up before you close up. At the end of the job, ask the customer if they are extremely satisfied, and if not, what would it take to get to this point. Then do what they ask for. (This does assume that all financial terms have been met up to this point. If not, you will have to go the route of being cautious.)
Since they are now completely satisfied with your work, ask them to refer their friends to you. It sounds simple, but the basic question should be asked, planting the seed in your customer's mind.

Let's take it up one level. Create a program that any customer that comes to you because of a referral and spends more than $500, gets a 5% discount on their work, and the referring customer gets a certificate good for $50 off on any further work with you. Sounds corny, but it does work.

Your current customers will be giving their friends 5% off on something, which makes them feel good, and they may earn discounts on your future work, which makes them feel good. At the same time, you feel good because of the increase in business. Trust me, this works. It is used by many companies in many industries throughout business.

It takes some ongoing work, a letter every six months to old customers reminding of your program; making sure that new customers are queried as to how they came into your store, and if by a referral, getting the reward letter out right away to the previous customer.

The best advertising in the world, bar none, is when a satisfied customer tells a potential customer. You can take this one to the bank.

This Blog Has Nothing To Do With The Glass Industry, But You Should Read It Anyway

2011-07-05T07:44:00.000-07:00

Today the glass industry is not important. I have a story to tell, one so important that it must be published. This is a story about my next door neighbor. For this story, let's call him Bill, but everything else about this story is absolutely true. Read on.

Even though Elaine and I live in a fairly rural area of New Hampshire, we do have a next door neighbor. Bill lives about 1000 feet down the road. His wife and daughter live at home and their grown son lives about an hour away. Bill is a tall, thin, and normal person about 50 years old. About two years ago he developed symptoms that Doctors had a hard time understanding. There was about a year of extensive testing and head scratching. It turned out Bill's heart was failing.

In October of last year, Bill and his wife went to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. He was there for two months and was told his only option for life was a heart transplant. Talk about life-changing. He came home under a plan that the Mayo would call him at any time, and he would jump on a chartered jet for the operation in Minnesota.

The travel logistics were slightly confusing, to say the least. So Bill and his wife went to the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, about an hour and a half away from here, for a second opinion. After a couple of weeks there for testing, their opinion was the same. His only choice would be a heart transplant. His condition deteriorated even more, and Mass General felt he should not go back home as any infection or problem could have disastrous results. In the second week of January, Bill was admitted to the Coronary intensive care of the hospital, to await his surgery.

Mass General usually does about 25 heart transplants a year. But not this year. Bill lived in the hospital for almost six months, waiting. He had a couple of 'possible' hearts, but they turned out not to be compatible. From January through June, the Hospital only did a handful of transplants. It seems that less donor hearts were available because of some amazing statistics:

More cars have air bags as new cars replace old ones, fortunately killing less people.
Also, the whole country is driving less because of the price of gas. Most heart donors come from automobile accidents.

Bill's wife took the train to Boston four or five days a week, keeping his spirits up. Elaine and I went in often as well, bringing in food and having mini-parties in his room. Bill started having second thoughts, but his Doctors explained that if he did go home, even for a day, it could have very bad repercussions.

Bill wanted to get home for so many events. He was crushed that he could not attend his daughter's high school graduation. So, we took the graduation to him. She graduated on Saturday morning three weeks ago. Saturday afternoon, we all drove into Mass General. His daughter came in her cap and gown and we had a real party that was set up and organized by the caring hospital staff. Bill was so happy.

Then, as we left, it was back to the normal days in the cardiac unit. Except, on the very next day, at 3:00 in the afternoon on Sunday, a heart was brought into the hospital. It matched. In the blink of an eye, the surgery started. It took over fifteen hours to complete the surgery by dozens of surgeons, nurses and staff. It was a success from the first new heartbeat.

Last Thursday, Elaine and I drove into Boston and brought Bill home. When he saw his home for the first time in almost six months, he was ecstatic.

Think about it. Two and a half weeks after this incredible surgery, he was home feeling better than ever. He will be monitored for life, and have to be careful with certain health situations, but this is a minor inconvenience considering the alternative.

Miracles defy explanation. This is not a miracle, but is the result of hundreds of dedicated doctors, nurses, aids, lab techs and so many more. This is because of a family of a deceased person who helped another life continue. This is because Bill's family always smiled and cheered him on, month after month.

This is because of health insurance that covered expenses and employers who granted time off. This is because of years of research and testing by medical labs. And yes, there is a little bit of miracle thrown in.

I Bought A New Car...Big Deal...But I Learned A Few Things That Will Help A Glass Shop

2011-06-28T06:37:00.000-07:00

My 2004 Chevy flunked the state inspection the other day, and it kicked me over the edge to buy a new car. In my area of New Hampshire you don't have the option of going from dealer-to-dealer looking for deals. There is one Chevy dealer and one Ford dealer, along with all of the imports. I was only going to buy American, so I had two choices.

The Chevy dealer has a very small showroom, only four cars fit in. Two of the cars were antiques, not for sale. Just there to draw traffic in. Even though they were cool to look at, the car I wanted to buy was nowhere near. It was a nice day so we walked out on the lot. If it had been raining, or in the winter, I would have left without seeing a car. The lesson for you: Show off what you sell. Don't put things in your glass showroom or waiting room that have no meaning to what you sell. It is nice to show tradition in a small way, some pictures of your family, but your main impetus has to be showing products you currently work with and make money from. The person is in your waiting room or showroom; they don't have to be convinced to come in the door!

The salesman did a good job of working with me, and I may buy his car. I met the owner of the dealership and he was proud of his antiques, but didn't discuss the car I was about to buy. A business no-no.

My next stop was the Ford dealer. The had a much larger showroom, and the car I wanted was right there. I sat in it 15 seconds after entering the showroom. This had an impact. But wait...there is more.

While the salesman walked away from me to research a question on paying by credit card ( I wanted the airline miles), the radio station that was being played overly loud in the showroom had TWO commercials for other car dealers. I listened to the competition in their showroom. If buying in imported car was on my target list, there it was...a very good deal on the style of car I wanted.

SiriusXM radio, on an all music package is only $9.99 a month , no commercials, and has 65 music channels, serving every taste in music. Come on now...isn't that better than hearing a competitor's ad in your own store. Also, when you play the local station, there is usually a political point of view. If you play a conservative radio station, you will upset half of the population...and of course you will upset the other half if you play a station with a liberal bias. Your showroom is not the place to promote an agenda other than selling your product!

Don't place magazines in your showroom that feature religion, guns, or politics. There are enough construction, home improvement, architectural and decorating magazines around that every thing in your showroom should encourage customers to ask you questions about glass. Every one of your vendors should give you catalog sheets or brochures that will help you develop business.

Make sure your customer bathrooms are spotless. A dirty bathroom will guarantee that customer will not return to your shop in the future. Are you the great-nephew of Elvis Presley? If you are not, his picture should not be in your showroom. The best things for your walls are actual job pictures of your work and testimonial letters from your customers.

If you have a coffee pot for customers, make sure it is clean and refreshed often. If you have a vending machine for coffee or snacks, keep it clean and well stocked. Don't depend on a traveling route salesman to come in and clean it. The machine represents you and the pride you have in your establishment and your work.

You have a captive audience for a few minutes; use it to your advantage in the glass business.

US Airlines Collect $3.4 Billion In Baggage Fees

2011-06-20T12:20:00.000-07:00

In 2010, US Airlines collected $3.4 billion in those annoying baggage fees, up 24% from 2009. This is what an industry does when they can't raise prices, but costs go up. Doesn't this sound a lot like the energy surcharge? If you are a glass shop anywhere in the world, you have competition; you just can't start charging a new fee that your customers will pay because they have no choice. You have competition, so what can you do?

The airport serving where I live has two carriers, Southwest and US Air. I try to fly Southwest on trips simply because of the baggage fee. But, there are no Southwest-type options for us in the glass business. Each glass shop has too many competitors to be the one that stands out. The advertising budget to let the community know what you are offering would certainly be greater than the increased business you could bring in.

Just about everyone charges a minimum for a service call; you may be able to raise that a little. What you can do is charge more where it costs you more. If a customer needs a service call where you will have to pay overtime, such as 6:00 in the morning, or 7:00 at night, you can charge a premium for labor. Not for your time in doing a quote, however. Your time is just part of overhead in giving estimates or following up on a job.

Make sure you charge for tolls you pay going to the job. Mention this in your quote. If you are going to a secure site, like an airport, and need to spend an hour in line waiting for security clearance, be sure to include this cost in your estimate as a separate line item.

On your estimate and invoice, clearly state your terms, and be sure to add a phrase detailing an additional 1.5% charge for bills over 60 days past due, no matter what the agreed payment schedule is. If customers don't keep the schedule, you should charge this premium.

If the customer asks you to remove extra construction debris, then it is alright to charge for your labor and the extra cost of your dumpster or dumping fees. Sure you want to be a nice guy and do something extra for your customer, but don't do something that directly costs you money.

Don't be afraid to charge for a second visit to a customer when they weren't ready for you on your first scheduled visit. You load your truck, and schedule the day; if they didn't have the courtesy to tell you in advance to hold off, then they should pay you.

Make sure you know what your fabricator is going to charge you for oversize glass, special edge work or shape cutting, rush service or anything out of the ordinary, and be sure to quote this up-front. You should also add your mark-up to these additional fees.

On all of your quotes, be sure to add a time escalator. If the customer calls you back in six months and says they are ready for the job, it may be very tough to honor the old quote.

In my opinion the best extra you can give a customer is doing exactly what they ask for in the original quote. Do the job neatly and leave the job site with your product perfectly clean. Have them sign off that the glass is fine before you leave. If you do great work, at your quoted pricing, you will get referrals, which are the best source of work for any glass shop.

What Anthony Weiner Can Teach Every Businessman In America

2011-06-14T07:15:00.000-07:00

Anthony Weiner is a US Congressman from Queens, New York City. He has been in the news lately for first denying that he sent some lewd twitters and messages to women. He originally claimed that someone 'hacked' into his personal accounts and sent the photos. A couple of days later he reversed himself, said he did indeed send the messages, and apologized to his pregnant wife, his constituency and to the Congress of the United States.

He then went on to say that this was not a serious enough problem to require him to resign from Congress. That statement is more obscene than the stupid pictures he sent.

When people look up to someone who does something so patently stupid and immature, causing them to become so disappointed that they lose faith in the system---whether it is Congress or your business---employees will lose their desire to work for you.

You are the leader of your business. In our case you are probably in the glass business. You have the responsibility to lead professionally. If you make a mistake like mismeasuring a job, that is part of our lives. But if you make a moral mistake, and your company learns of it, you will no longer have your employees' respect or enthusiasm to help you run a profitable business.

As an owner or manager you have no choice. You must take responsibility for your actions. No choice. I just heard a follow-up story on CNN where they stated 53% of Weiner's congressional district thought it was OK for him to stay in his job, while 35% thought he should resign. What would happen in your company if 35% of your employees thought you were unfit to lead. They would begin looking for other employers; they certainly would lose their dedication to your business.

You went into business to create your own future and to make a good living. Don't let something stupid get in the way. Watch for this in your senior managers, watch for this throughout your organization. Make sure you have a confidential communication system for all employees to contact you in the event they feel there has been sexual or any other type of harrassment.

Don't let something stupid ruin your life or business.

What's The One Thing A Company Leader Shouldn't Do?

2011-06-07T07:48:00.000-07:00

Of course, you could jump out of an airplane without a parachute, but you shouldn't. Or, you can try to dig a hole to the center of the earth, but not likely. This isn't what I am talking about. The one thing a business leader shouldn't do is have a bad day and let it show to everyone else in the organization.

We all have bad days, no one is immune. Whether business related or personal, once in a while, you have a day this is so upsetting that it gets to you. As a business owner or manager, though, you have the responsibility not to let that bad day take your company down too.

Maybe you publicly yell at Mary for doing something stupid, rather than taking her aside for a private thought, you then ruin every one's day who heard you. If Bill mismeasures a job, and you let the whole company know it, you drag down every one's morale.

If you know you are having a bad day, step away from the business for an hour. Go sit in your car. Get a cup of coffee. When you get your sense of calm back, go back to work.

I am not saying it is wrong to be upset at work. Often times you have to show your disappointment or frustration to an employee. But do it correctly, and be a professional. Don't drag a whole department down because you are upset with one person. And don't let this one person drag you down. You have a business to run, and if one person is hampering the team effort, take the appropriate steps.

If you are upset with your kid's report card, don't bring that to work. If you worried about losing money on a job, get the figures, understand what you have to, and go on. Being Grandpa Grumpy won't help the company pull ahead.

What Keeps You Up At Night?

2011-05-31T08:09:00.000-07:00

Is it cash flow? Is it getting new business? Is it a personnel quagmire? Is it a personal or family problem? Is it all of these?

I am the kind of a guy who needs a full eight hours of sleep, and usually nine. I am so jealous of people that live on four or five hours a night. They have so much more time to worry! But I do get restful sleep and don't worry about my problems. Here's a couple of tips to forget your troubles for eight hours a night. No, my blog has not changed to a medical advice chat. But we can look at ways to help clear your mind and get that problem solved.

Keep an active 'To-Do' list on your desk, your computer or IPad. Once your write a problem or an idea down on paper, ignore it until you get back to your desk. Put it out of your mind. This takes practice. Force yourself to think, "It is on my list, and I will get to it when I get to it." This really works if everyday you spend some time on your list. It may only be fifteen or twenty minutes, but you will cross items off your list.

Also, keep a pad of paper and pencil next to your bed. When you wake up at night thinking of a particular idea or problem, write it down. Don't stay up hoping to remember it for the morning. Write it down, get it out of your mind now, and look at it when you get up.

Now that you have a to-do list with, let's say, thirty items, let's rate them as easy-to-do, a pain-in-the-neck, or a no-sleeper.
Knock off the easy ones ASAP. Let's say you have fifteen left, of which five are the no-sleepers.
Keep telling yourself it is on your list and you will get to it when you get to it. Take one of the five and invest time and energy to solve it. If you can't solve it, (and there will be ones you can't solve...accept it) move on.

What about the one problem that keeps you up the most. Talk to your business advisers, be it a key customer or vendor, your accountant, banker or lawyer, or call in a consultant. If the problem is bothering you so much, then use every resource you can. Define the problem in its most basic form, break it into manageable sub problems and solve the parts. You may not solve the whole problem in one flash of insight, but you can nibble away at all of the parts making the problem conquerable. Just about every problem is solvable. But whether it is worth the resources to solve it is the key. Keep in mind that every problem you are having has probably been encountered by someone else in our glass industry. Ask your business advisers...don't be embarrassed to ask...and you will get good answers!

Don't let the no-sleepers rob you of energy to run the business. If you come to work dragging your backside, you will not be efficient, you won't work safely, and you'll set a lousy example for your team.

What Do You Do With Your "D" List Customers

2011-05-23T17:39:00.000-07:00

We all have them. We may not want them as they cost us more than they make us. The take up more time than we can afford to give. They give grief without allowing us to make a fair profit. They are the "D" list customers. The bottom of your barrel. What's a company to do?

List all of your customers in an high-to-low format, based on last year's sales. Note where the top 90% of sales come from, and all customers below that line get the grade of D. If you are like most glass businesses, these D-listers call for quotes, but you never get the work, ask for samples, but you never get the order or give you work that you just can't make a buck on.

On the other hand, some D folks may actually have good potential and you should jump at the chance to bring them up your ladder. If you have 100 accounts on your computer, the top 50 will give you 90% of your business, with the bottom 50% being one-time buyers, serial quoters and very small users of your services.

Here some things you can do to improve your bottom line.

Go over the accounts one-by-one and make a phone call to each one asking if they are still in need of your services. Ask them when their need will be, now or in the future. You'll probably find that half of your list will decline to be on your mailing or call out list.
Next, look at the ones that do have potential. Make a personal visit with the key decision maker; make your case for them to include you in their buying program. Let them know you will work hard for their business. If they don't quote with you or do any business in the next 120 days, give them one more phone call. If this still doesn't pan out, check to see if you are speaking with the correct decision maker. It is fairly common that multiple people at firms will ask for quotes or place orders, and you need to get someone else's attention. If you still strike out, delete from your list.
With the ones still left, if they quote you a couple of times and you don't get any orders, politely refuse their quote request the next time around, explaining that you don't have the time to be used as a quoting source just to get your numbers bounced around. Be firm, but polite. You may gain their respect, but if not, you have lost nothing.
When you get repeated requests for samples with no follow-up orders, explain that in the future samples will be charged for. Give them an incentive to order from you. If you charge $50 for samples, give them a $100 rebate on the order. This will get attention.
Hold an open house, and only invite the D list customers. Any that show up, you will gladly continue working with. And with no A list customers there, you will focus on the D people, which shows them you are attentive to their needs.

There will always be a bottom 10%. Each year look at this list. It may be your untapped gold mine, or an anchor. Either way, you will move some people up the list and clean up the ones with no potential.

Do You Have Backup Lights On Your Buffalo?

2011-05-16T21:21:00.000-07:00

Suppose you are out for a day's ride on your pet buffalo, (OK, bison), and you realize that you were supposed to turn left at the last tree and you went straight ahead. So, you put your buffalo in reverse and go back and take the turn. Now, a buffalo goes slow enough that you don't need backup lights or a beeper. And if this is at night, you shouldn't be backing up on your buffalo anyway.

The bottom line is: who the heck cares...but speaking of backups...

Last week my trusty five-year old best friend, Paul's laptop, folded its keys and went for the long sleep. No warning. It is now recycled.

And I didn't panic. even though I couldn't transfer my data to my new best friend. I had my laptop backed up to an extra hard drive and on one of the internet back up services. The on line service cost about $60 a year, which is the best insurance I ever bought.

Hey out there...every small business that doesn't have an IT person in your company, it is your job to back up your computer every day and make sure your backup is in a different location than your computer. Every day some one's business is hit by lightning, or a flash flood, or a drop from the side of your desk.

Don't wait, place an external drive on your computer (usually under $100) or search for 'online backup' on Google or Bing. Do it now. Don't wait, and don't make up any silly excuses like your buffalo ate your internet cords.

Preventing Accidents Is Better Than A Hot Fudge Sundae On A Hot Summer Night

2011-05-11T09:52:00.000-07:00

And if you know me, you know how much I like hot fudge sundaes, with cookies and cream ice cream. Or really any ice cream except maple walnut. (Maple ice cream is BIG in New Hampshire) But, let's get back to safety.

Preventing accidents and injuries is key to the long-term success of any company, and most definately in the glass industry. We have talked about keeping a shop clean and clutter free, and wearing of safety gear to reduce the extent of an injury.

Now, just after an accident occurs, and the employee is in the hospital, or back at work, what do you do? There are definately specific steps to take.

Have each person who witnessed the accident write a complete report of what they saw. Tell them this report will help to prevent injuries in the future. Most union members will balk at this, but stress how important it is to your overall safety program. Help any employee who may not be literate in English to write their report. If you get four people to write reports, you will have four different views that will not agree with each other, but they all will be helpful. These reports should be started within minutes of the accident so that the incident is clear and not subject to reinterpritation.
Your safety coordinator (of course, you have one, or it is you) looks at all the causes of the accident...rarely is there just one. The coordinator then should change or improve the conditions that caused the accident. It may mean changing a work flow pattern, changing a product location in your shop and usually includes an education plan for all employees. Don't ever think that an accident can not be prevented. All can be prevented...it is just a matter of cost and procedure to do so. If you tell an federal or state OSHA inspector that an accident can't be prevented, they will close the section of your company that you can't prevent accidents in! Yes, they will and you can appeal all you want...you will lose this one.
It is your responsibility to change any aspect of your business to prevent that same accident again. At my glass fabrication company we enforced our safety rules to the point of a first and second warning, and then terminations for failure to wear the proper safety equipment. The message went out that we were serious. Our accident rate had spiked up, causing a significant increase in insurance costs. It took a couple of years for our comp rates to go down, and we discovered it would have been one heck of a lot cheaper to invest in prevention.
Your comp insurance carrier should be your best friend. Use their accident prevention services to help you, at every chance you get. These folks will be real pros at helping you to avoid accidents. They will ask you to spend here and there to improve this and that. Do it. It will save you in the long run.
Whatever kinds of accidents you have, keep accurate records on your OSHA log. OSHA does not go out of their way to punish companies. In fact, they have many programs for voluntary safety inspections.
Go to http://osha.gov/dcsp/smallbusiness/index.html for great information for small businesses.
When an OSHA inspector knocks on your door, invite them in. Never tell them to come back with a warrant. They will and you won't be happy with the results. Give the inspector the documents they ask for, which will include your accident log, your lost time hours, and saftey reports including your accident investigtion paperwork. You can certainly give them time to review your reports, and have a cup of coffee, while you send someone to the shop area to "clean up".
Make sure you have the basics, like the MSDS sheets, phone numbers posted for ambulances and well-stocked first aid kits.
Answer their questions with all honesty, but answer only what they ask. If an inspector takes a picture, you should take the same picture. If they interview an employee, you should sit in.
If you think you are in 'trouble', immedietely call your comp insurance broker, who may have should be able to get a qualified person to assist you in the walk through.

That's enough for now. Just remember that safety is your responsibility...you can't blame an employee...it comes out of your financial hide in the long run.

Glass Shop Safety, And The Beat Goes On

2011-05-03T08:50:00.000-07:00

So, here is part II...How to reduce the impact of an injury that may occur in your company. The best course is to prevent the accident, but we are now beyond that.

It starts with you, you must enforce that all personnel who work with or near glass wear safety gear. This is what you should have:

Everyone who enters your shop or manufacturing area has to wear approved safety glasses. Absolutely no exceptions.
Everyone who who is in contact with glass, of any sort, tempered or annealed, should wear glass gloves and wrist gauntlets. Some glaziers and workers prefer the wrist guards, and some prefer the long gloves. Give your people the choice...whatever is comfortable for them. But, there is no choice to wear them or not. This includes you!
All people who unload glass from trucks should wear hard hats. Anytime glass is overhead for any reason...being carried by hand or by a crane, wear a hard hat. You can make this fun...hard hats are available in many colors and styles, from cowboy hats to baseball hats.
Anyone who carries glass should also be wearing glass worker's sleeves. Get the kind without the metal ringlets. When carrying the glass against your shoulder, the rings will scratch the glass.
Fabricator's and manufacturer's should also wear leggings or a leather apron.

Yes, it sounds like a lot. It will cost you about $200 to outfit each person. And that is cheap compared on one major accident that is reduced to a five-stitcher.

That is the key. Reduce the severity of an accident. What would have been a three inch gash is now just a bruise. No lost time and no hospital charges. Instead of a cut and a concussion, you have a bump. There is no way to say how much you will save because of the correct wearing of personal protective gear because you won't have the accidents! Ask your comp carrier them what your comp bill would have been if your last couple of accidents were reduced to a non-reportable situation. The dollar signs will light up with that one.

Respond instantly to any accident in your company. Have a trained first-aid person working on every shift. Send one employee for CPR, blood-born pathogen and first-aid training to your local Red Cross. They do a great job! Keep your first-aid supplies fresh and available. Place a sticker with the local ambulance or fire department number on every phone in your building. It is better to call a paramedic early in the process. I have met many firemen and ambulance staff, and they all have said it is better to call them to your business and not have a problem than to call them ten minutes after a cut where you can't stop the bleeding! It is better to call an ambulance than to drive someone to the hospital or clinic yourself. If the employee goes into shock, they can handle it better than you can. Even though it may take a couple of minutes for the ambulance to get to you, they will still give better care than you can and they will get immediate entree to the emergency room.

Get the rest of your employees back to work. Don't let them stand around and stare at an injured person. This will destroy productivity and reduce moral.

Next, make the reporting of any accident immediate and mandatory. Failure to report an accident should be cause for a long suspension. This will reduce the incidence of someone saying, "Well, a couple of weeks ago I hurt my back, and now I want to file a claim." By coincidence, this conversation will take place twenty minutes after the employee was told to do a job he doesn't like doing. You still have to honor the injury claim, (Most states give up to one year for an employee to file a claim) but you have a better chance of fighting it under these circumstances.

Next week we will discuss your obligations under OSHA regulations and investigating accidents in your shop.

C'mon Folks, Safety Is Your Number One Shop Priority

2011-04-26T07:38:00.000-07:00

There is nothing that destroys shop productivity, moral and company profits more than a serious injury to a worker in your shop.

That's it. A very strong statement that is absolutely true. No middle ground on this one. Wherever you are in this crazy economy: busy, slow or in between, you will be impacted by an accident.

Three things you can do:

Work to prevent accidents
Lessen the injury when an incident occurs
Work to reduce the impact to your company after an accident occurs

This week, let's work on prevention, and in the next couple of weeks we will hit the other topics.

So, let's prevent accidents--

Accept that all accidents are preventable. They are. If you say that accidents are inevitable in our industry, you will have more accidents and more headaches in your shop. This will bury you.
Start by taking all clutter out of your shop. Remove every trip hazard on the floors. Ensure that the shop stays clean. Reduce your inventory to give yourself more maneuvering room in your shop. In today's economic times, distributors will bring you stock in a flash. You don't need to save every cutoff for a a year hoping you will use it.
Make sure all of your equipment works properly. Saws should be clean to prevent kickback. Class cutting tables should be flat and true to prevent improper break outs. Trucks should be inspected daily, making sure all safety equipment is in place and being used...such as seat belts.
All personnel, including you, should be drug and alcohol tested on employment and randomly.
All flammables should be kept in approved areas, areas that will reduce explosion risks or damage.
Extension cords should not be used for heavy shop equipment. Make sure all cords are intact and have no nicks in them. Don't overload your circuits.
Set the tone of the shop. Comment on each and every situation that is unsafe and follow-up that it is taken care of.
Call your worker's comp or liability insurance company. Most will have a safety expert that will walk through your shop and point out details that you will have overlooked.
Some states offer free safety inspections, through their state managed OSHA programs. These are not recorded on your safety record and can be very helpful. Check first for your state's status (if inviting them in can cause citations) before you invite the team in.
Give your employees safety gear and make sure they wear and use the gear. Set the example. When you go in the shop, wear your safety glasses and hard hat. When you drive, wear your seat belt.
Don't allow talking on cell phones in the shop. They distract all workers. No headphones playing music should be allowed. They cause distraction and prevent people from hearing safety shout-outs. Don't allow horseplay or practical jokes on the shop floor.
Have plenty of light in your shop. What you can't see in a dark corner is a hazard for cuts and tripping.
Have your dumpsters emptied regularly. An overflowing dumpster is a major cause of accidents.
Have as few chemicals in your shop as possible. Where you do, make sure they are labeled and everyone knows how to use them, and how to clean them after a spill.
Train your people properly. Most accidents occur with the youngest seniority employees. Also, don't let your senior people take shortcuts because they "know it all".
Have fire extinguishers, eye wash stations, first aid kits and any other safety gear checked and cleaned annually. Train all employees on proper use.
Designate a first-responder in your company. Train him or her in first aid and blood-borne pathogen procedures The Red Cross is a perfect organization to go to for help on these.
Make sure every foreman and supervisor has medical gloves and that gloves are in a plastic bag and hung on every column in your building.
Don't handle glass too big for your shop. If your doors are 84" high, it is unsafe to bring in a 96" lite tipped on an angle.

Now for the big ending...the best accident prevention tool is: Common Sense. Don't do what looks dangerous. Don't take safety short cuts. Don't let people work above their skill level. Don't say, you'll only do this once and tomorrow you will do it in a safer way.
Do be conscious of safety every moment you are at work. Train your workers to work safely. Investing in safety is as important as investing in any other part of your operation.

The Top Ten Ways To Guarantee Losing A Sale

2011-04-19T08:52:00.000-07:00

Or, to put it another way, if you don't do any of these, you have a chance to earn a sale based on the pricing, quality and reliability of your service. Keep these in mind during your next visit with a customer!

10. Show up late for your initial appointment or walk-thru.

9. Answer your customer's questions with made up answers, hoping they will never check up on you.

8. Forget to put your phone on vibrate or answering your phone while talking with a potential client.

7. Walk into a client meeting with a cigarette lit, or eating something.

6. Tell a potential client they "are wrong" instead of suggesting alternatives positively.

5. Brag about your grandchildren instead of your key employees who will work on the job!

4. While you are trying to sound like a big firm, tell the customer you are so busy you don't know when you can get to the work.

3. Talk up your political point of view on your first visit.

2. Tell an off-color or insensitive joke.

1. Bad-mouth your competitors.

So it is easy---follow Paul's ten easy rules to lose a sale and you don't have to worry about hiring people, buying inventory or worry about scheduling.

Leave Your Troubles At Home

2011-04-12T07:48:00.000-07:00

Yep, we all have problems at home. Older parents, kids growing older quicker than you comprehend, illnesses, financial or community problems. We all have them, you and your employees and staff. It is just that you can't show or share your problems.

I wonder who first said, "It is lonely at the top." They were correct.

When your staff has a problem, you should be aware of it, encouraging people in the company to come to you explaining what is happening in their lives. In many cases you can help...a change of a schedule, a shift in duties or a small loan may give you an opportunity to help. If an employee has a real crisis happening, their work output will suffer and while their minds are preoccupied, accidents occur!

You may have to suggest they take a day or a week off. If there is a serious illness involved, they may need more time, and the earlier you know of this, the better you can react to keep your company production on schedule. The federal FMLA law may come into play here, and this will be discussed in an upcoming blog.

The concept for today is that while you want to know about your people, you can't share your woes with them. Most employees think you've got it made already, and they are working to make you money, so your problems are not as bad as theirs. Yes, this is a cynical point of view. If you have a problem that hurts the business, you are potentially hurting their livelihoods. If you solve personal problems while at work, then why can't they?

Sure, on most days you are the first in and the last out, but that doesn't count on the day you ask an employee not to spend so much time on the phone, when you have done the same thing.

Not fair. Right. But being in business is not about being fair. After all, in a good year you make a few more pennies than the others. (No excuses about not having a good year in the glass business recently.) You have to be the leader, and, leaders are supposed to be invincible.

With obvious situations, like an illness of your family member, you have to take the time and not care about the repurcussions. What I am talking about are the family squabbles, the refinance of your home(s), getting your boat in the water, and the things that say I have something that you don't. You have to do this away from the office. I am not saying you shouldn't have these things in your life. Just that the way to keep company peace is not to handle them in front of others who just might resent your taking care of them on business time when you should be managing the growth or reducing the problems of your company.

The Customer Credit Application--Your Most Important Form

2011-04-05T09:21:00.000-07:00

Pretty brash statement...that the credit app is your most important form. Most people would say it is a customer order, or a customer invoice, or a customer payment! After all, there is nothing better than money in the bank. But, there is nothing worse than no money in the bank.

Orders don't count. Invoices don't matter--if you are not going to get paid what is due you. In fact, if you don't get paid, that customer order actually hurts you. You would have been better off without it!

Benny Bigshot walks in to your office and gives you an order that you have been wishing for. You have quoted this order three times, each successively lower, and now you have it. Benny asks how soon you can get started. You reply, "Right Away, Benny". He's happy and leaves.

Do you really know Benny? Of course you do...he has a nice office in the center of town, has put up a couple of buildings and they always seem rented. You took this job low to finally get into Benny's speed dial list, and you hope to get more work from him. Benny has tried three different glaziers on his last three jobs, and tells you that you could be the one to get his future work.

More than likely, Benny's payment patterns will force you to close your doors and give up everything you have worked for.

DO NOT TRUST ANY NEW ACCOUNT UNTIL YOU VERIFY THEIR CREDIT HISTORY WITH OTHER SOURCES. If they are a Fortune 500 company, OK, everyone else gets checked.

Your credit application should include:

Complete name, address, phone, fax, email and web site info
Complete bank name, branch address, checking acct number, local officer they deal with at the bank, and a short form that gives the bank authorization to release credit info. Most banks will not release info without this.
Four vendors they have dealt with, in the last year, and in amounts similar to what you are expecting to grant credit for. I remember one glass shop that applied to me for credit, and gave a hardware store where they spent $40 a year as a credit reference, but wouldn't give me a glass or metal vendor. This is a sure sign of hiding relevant information.
Ask for a personal guarantee on the credit line. Many people will not do this, but you can't get hurt by asking.

Now, you have this information. Do something with it. Call Benny's bank and ask how many NSF checks he had last year. Ask what is his approximate balance over the year. Check with the vendors listed. Most people will only give you vendors they have a good record with, but even so, you will get insight into Benny's payment habits. Look at Benny's web site. Has it been updated recently? Google Benny and you will can see a history of articles about disputes or problems.

There is a ton of information about everyone on the web. Use this tool wisely to help you grant credit.

The single most important credit granting tool is: Your gut. If you think giving Benny credit will keep you up at night until you get paid, then don't do it. Ask for a significant deposit. If you gut says don't do it, but you know you could use the business, follow your instincts. A glass business with low volume is better than a glass business with a high accounts receivable and no cash.

A Free Government Program That Will Improve Your Hiring Practices

2011-03-27T14:37:00.000-07:00

'Free', 'Government', and 'Improve' are never used in the same sentence. Until now. Yep. If you are not using E-Verify as part of your employee hiring process, you are missing out on a great tool to help ensure you get a legal work force, who plan to be with you for the long run.

What is it? It is a program from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Social Security Administration (SSA) that verifies the legal working status of employees in just a few seconds.

Why will this help you?

Hiring a person with a legal working status means no worrying of someone leaving with no notice and under unusual circumstances.
Makes sure that all members of your work force will benefit from being a part of the Social Security program.
Helps you make sure the person you have hired is actually who they say they are.
Illegal workers job-hop at five times the rate of legal workers.
Prevents possible legal action against you and your firm for not properly checking I-9 forms and backgrounds.

This is not a question on how you feel about immigration, legal or otherwise. Having properly documented workers will give you a more reliable workforce. This allows you to train and teach employees to a greater extent, knowing they can be with you for the long-haul. If you do federal government contract work, and in some states, you are required to verify all employees as well.

I read about this in a magazine and decided to try it. I went to: www.dhs.gov/e-verify to see the site. It was easy to navigate and was not written by a bureaucrat.

I decided to register my consulting company and the whole process took about a half-hour, including a well laid-out tutorial program. I have one full-time hourly employee, and in entering her information, I instantly received a confirmation that she is authorized to work in the US. Now, I know she is legal, as this is my wife, but nonetheless, the process was fast, easy, and came back to me in a flash with her passport picture, allowing me to verify who she is.

No costs, no credit card numbers and a perfect correct response. I also went to some of the 'paid' sites on the Internet who offer the same services. Don't confuse these with the free site from DHS. You should not be paying for this service under any circumstances.

It is illegal to prescreen candidates. You should only enter the candidates info after they begin employment and fill out the I-9 form. You can not be held liable if you release an employee that does not get verified. But you can work with a new hire to either correct information in the database or get the proper credentials.

This is a tool to help you hire people that can grow and stay with you. Use it to improve your hiring and you and your whole company comes out ahead.

What I Learned At The Glass Expo On Long Island

2011-03-20T16:16:00.000-07:00

I learned about graphical glass.

I learned about software and hardware, store fronts and glass cleaner, shower doors and front doors.

I learned that a few people do think they are getting more business at reasonable pricing. I learned that most people love to complain. I learned that not many people wake up early to hear seminars, especially after the St Patrick's day party.

I learned that it is better to listen than talk.

And here is a story I heard that is just wonderful.

Barry Borgen has been in the window industry in New York, for a lot of years. Some years were great, others were not worth remembering. When the economy fell apart in 08, he, like all of us, said, "What are we going to do to stay in business?" Barry wasn't sure what to do. But he had a job with aluminum that needed painting, and couldn't get a reliable source.

So, Barry did some homework, and found out that with the strict New York City environmental laws, there was one type of painting that he could do himself. He did, finishing his job, and suddenly the moment hit when he realized that he could do painting as well as make windows.

Half of his business now is from environmentally safe Zinc Metallizing and powder coating. And he is making a buck that he never would have made if he hadn't thought outside the box. Way to go Barry.

The moral of the story is this: Don't cry about business being slow. Look around and see what is lacking in the industry wherever you are...and fill that need. The economy is off 10%, let's say. That means that 90% is still there...you just have to think and then find your niche to get a portion of what is left. It won't come to you, but it is right in front of you, right now. All you have to do is look, take a risk, and if you are like Barry, ride out the rest of the slow times with a new product line.

You have to go for it. Now.

Larry Tumminia Is An Economic Genius

2011-03-15T07:14:00.000-07:00

Sure, as glass man, Larry knows his stuff. He is the partner of Tom Zaccone in Northeast Laminated Glass, and worked for years to make himself known as Mr. AFG in the Northeast.

But an economist?

In a recent email exchange he gave me the greatest economics idea I have heard during the current recession. It started with a simple hello and how are things, from Larry. I replied that things were slow all over, and wondered when the business would pick up. Larry replied, kind of toungue-in-cheek that it will pick up on May 7.

That's when the lightbulb went on over my head. (yes, it was a compact flourescent) You see, we are all waiting for the economy to recover before we invest in growing our own businesses. But without investment in plant, equipment and people, the economy won't grow. Which means we will not pull out of the recession on our own. We have to wait for the government to stimulate us.

So, if we all followed Larry's advice here is what will happen. Everybody in the US economy declares May 7th, as the day the recession will end. We all start investing to be ready for the morning of the 7th. And that will, in itself, start the economy going. It is a perfect circle. This is true for all industries in all facets of our economy. If we all did it, it will work!

It is so simple and yet so elegant. Larry solved the economic issue of the decade.

So, when you need economic advice (or even lami), call Northeast Laminated Glass and ask for Larry.

I am getting ready to attend the Northeast Glass Expo on Long Island---hope to see you there.

The Top Ten Reasons To Go To The Glass Expo on Long Island

2011-03-06T10:38:00.000-08:00

David Letterman has nothing on my blog. In fact, I am reasonably sure that I had invented the top ten list before David did. Unfortunately, he stole my idea and is now a genius. Oh well, life does have its ups and downs.

The Glass Expo on Long Island is March 17th & 18th. We are expecting a large crowd and you should be part of that crowd...here is why:

10 There are 49 different vendors signed up. You will learn from each one, compare pricing with your current sources and pick up new products and make new friends.
9 You will get a least one free shopping bag and enough pens to last you for a year.
8 Meet hundreds of glaziers from around the region. Discover that the guy who took your last quote is really an OK person. Ask questions of the people who do the same work as you.
7 There is a cool web site with all sorts of info about the expo: usglassmag.com/gene/
6 There are ten great seminars, some on business, some on architecture of glass, some on the basics of running a glass shop. You will get many great ideas and tips about running your company.
5 Business is slow---what else are you going to do anyway?
4 Key Communications is sponsoring door prizes throughout both days-- Ipods, cameras, big screen TV's and more.
3 Enjoy the St. Patrick's Day Cocktail Party right on the show floor, on Thursday, the 17th. Be sure to wear green!
2 Find that one new product you can sell in your area that will start your business growing. It will be there.
1 I am giving a seminar on Friday morning. It is your chance to be there and if you don't like what you hear, you get to throw a banana cream pie in my face.

I look forward to seeing my old friends from Long Island and the New York area, and to meeting new friends. See you there at the Windwatch Hotel in Islandia.

A Very Special Blog From New Zealand

2011-02-28T14:25:00.000-08:00

Last Year, Ian Barker of Christchurch, New Zealand, sent in a guest blog which was published on my pages. Two weeks ago, he sent another, which follows. The most amazing part of this story will continue after Ian's blog. Here is Ian's blog:

My daughter says "Mom, can we have McDonalds for dinner?".

Her mother, who is rushing around trying to get their gear sorted for Saturday morning sport, says "Maybe", and continues busily looking for the sun hats.

In the computer industry kids would be described as "boolean". It means either on or off, yes or no, black or white. With boolean computers there is no middle ground. There is no "maybe".

When parents say "maybe", kids hear "yes". When Mom answered "maybe" they programmed their minds for McDonalds for dinner and began salivating over the very thought of a greasy BigMac. Later in the day they say "Mom, why are we having salad for dinner. You said we could have McDonalds". Mom responds, and what follows is a very negative and pointless discussion about who said what and how we are not having McDonalds as Mom has already made a lovely salad. Nothing good comes from this.

Maybe. The worst word in the world.

So, this guy comes into your glass shop and says he needs a mirror cut and polished. You discuss and agree on a price. Just as the customer is leaving your shop and you have turned away to return to another job he calls out "Can I pick it up this afternoon". What do you answer? If you take your time to stop and think the answer will be a simple "Yes" or "No". Very boolean of you. If you're mind has moved to the next job you could say "maybe". Oooh, very dangerous. The customer just heard you say "yes". If you do deliver the polished mirror that afternoon the customer's expectations will have been met. All good. If you don't, then the customer will feel that you've not done what you said you would. A bad customer relations situation for your company. Not good.

So, I'm banning the word "Maybe" in my family. I think banning this word will only have positive outcomes for my family by the kids not thinking their parents (or others) have let them down. I am also banning the word in the rest of my life, work and social. No-one will ever get away with answering "maybe" to my questions, and no-one will ever hear me answer their questions with a "maybe".

Will this work? Please answer with a boolean response!

Great blog, but, here is what is so amazing: Ian sent his blog to me on the afternoon of Sunday, Feb. 20th. I responded on Monday afternoon, commenting on how good the blog was, and asking for some additional information that I could include with the blog. What follows is is Ian's answer:

Paul, Great to get the "Yes", many thanks.

We are sweltering in another hot day of summer. Blue skies, no wind, and very much summer. I've been watching all the wintery news from the USA, and we had a truck delivery from Seattle to NY delayed a couple of weeks ago due to bad weather.

Our bio is :

"The Glass Racking Company is a global supplier of transportation and factory handling equipment to the glass and window industries. Our products assist customers to save time, reduce rework, and address health and safety. Checkout our comprehensive website at www.theglassrackingcompany..com including 73 online videos of our products, 32 brochures, hundreds of photos, helpful tips, and much more. Subscribe to our monthly newsletter and join us on Facebook and LinkedIn."

Our business is going well despite the global economic recession. Its a lot of hard work but seeing traction in our international markets is very rewarding. There's a blog in that one day.

Also here in my home town of Christchurch (400,000 people) we had a 7.1 earthquake in September and have had over 4800 aftershocks since then. The first quake moved the ground 9 feet sideways and 3 feet up. Quite remarkable. The glass and window industries were bought to their knees, with massive losses of glass, but thankfully no loss of life. There's a good story in how the industry recovered to fix up our city, and also what glass and window factory equipment and systems survived the earthquakes well, and not so well.

Please keep up the good work with your blog. Myself and others here subscribe to USGNN and always read your blog entries. You have a great knack of mixing glass, business and topics of general interest. Most bloggers struggle to get the content and mix right, but not you Paul!

Lets keep in touch.

Cheers

Ian

The very next day, Christchurch was hit with another huge earthquake, killing more than 150 people and leaving vast destruction. I wrote Ian again, hoping that he was all right and safe. Here is his next response:

What an frightening few days! Fortunately my family, closest friends and all staff are all accounted for and no injuries. We have power and water on at our house so are one of the lucky few. Our house has been a stop-in haven for neighbours, friends and relatives so we've been very busy comforting and looking after them. My wife is responsible for over 80 foreign students who are at home stays, so Caro has been busy sorting them and their home stay parents, and getting them out of the country - no mean feat with limited telecommunications operating plus language issues.

I visited some glass companies yesterday and will spend all day today visiting others and arranging our staff to do what we can for them - its vital to the rebuild of our city that the glass and window businesses get back to operation.

Thanks for your thoughts Paul

Cheers,

Ian

In 1979 or 1980, while I was employed by CR Laurence, I attended a meeting at the home office in LA and experienced a small earthquake, the first one I had ever been involved in. I jumped...and everyone around laughed. To them it was just another thing. It scared the heck out of me. I look it up and it was a 2.3 on the scale. Barely nothing. Yet, it frightened me. My heart goes out to the country of New Zealand, and the people of Christchurch. I, and I am sure all of my readers, have you in our prayers.

Do You Know What Kind of IG You Just Installed?

2011-02-22T07:39:00.000-08:00

Sure you do. It is right there on the packing list from your fabricator, and on the label with the glue that just won't come off cleanly.

Fast forward five years. Mrs. Smith just called and another baseball just went through her window and she wants you to order a replacement. Do you know which type of low-e? What color of spacer? Which surface the low-e is on? Most glass shops that I have talked with don't know. They will try to look it up in their old invoices, but they are stacked in boxes above the rest rooms in the back. It may take a week just to find the right box, and there have been seven customers named Smith in the last couple of years.

Even if you are computerized, you may still have a problem in loading old data or recovering from crashes.

I may sound like your grandfather, but a simple paper list containing job name, location, and make-up of units will be a great tool to your getting repeat business. A simple three ring binder with lined paper will do the trick. Keep this on the main customer service desk in your glass shop. When invoicing goes out to customers, make it a habit to fill in a line for the job.

Mrs. Jones has sold her house and the new owner, Mr. Smith, wants to replace a few windows. He will have no idea what type of glass is used and may call the local glass shops for estimates. You will know the exact type of glass and your competitors will only be able to say they will try to match the coatings, but don't be surprised if there is a checkerboard effect.

Please click this link to get a copy of the form, http://www.usglassmag.com/documents/igsaleslog.pdf.

This is a simple, easy to do project, that will create a huge benefit for you.

Are You Ready For The End?

2011-02-08T07:14:00.000-08:00

Is that a Tight End from the Green Bay Packers?

Is it a visit from the Dead End Kids?

Or is it a great dinner in Boston's North End.

Well, none of the above. The headline story in my local paper today was about "The End of the Recession" based on all of the spending at yesterday's Super Bowl. Three million for a thirty second ad, three thousand for a good seat, thirty thousand for a big-spender's weekend. The main thrust of the story was that with the return of the heavy-hitters to the advertising at Super Bowl 45, that the recession was coming to an end; that companies felt that Americans were ready again to buy a new Chevy, to get the newest hi-tech phone, or the upscale beer.

So with this clear definition that the recession is over, are you ready?

Most in the glass industry are truly not feeling the 'end' just yet. After all, we are very near the end of the construction time-line, but still, we are beginning to see that light shining at us.

Now is the time to be lining up your new machinery purchases, prices are just plain cheap now. Now is the time to be taking those courses in solar energy and energy-saving glass products. Now is the time to see that your staff is cross-trained in different parts of your operation.

The way I see it, the recession is over, and the climb out is in mid-stride. Are your people trained for new products? Now is the time. Have you spoken with landlords or builders in your area about getting larger space? Now is the time to make these deals. It is going to happen. You might want to think about taking delivery on machinery in the fall. You might want to plan to move next winter, but cut the deal now. The recovery will come, I promise.

I just got off the phone with an old friend who is a manufacturer's rep in the glass trade. He told me how poor business was. There are ten vendors trying for every sale, when there used to be three. It is the same way with the shops...retail customers shopping at more glass shops than ever, knowing there are deals to be had.

Yes, I know that with prices in the sewer, nobody is really making money now. If you stay afloat, you are successful. But that doesn't mean you don't plan ahead. Now is the time to cut those deals that will benefit you as the glass industry returns. Now is the time to learn about new products and processes that will benefit you.

Why Every Business Person Should Have A BBF

2011-02-01T06:27:00.000-08:00

Sure you should have a BBF. The guy down the street has one. Quick, look it up in the index of the CRL catalog...they have everything. Nope, not this time. A BBF is: Best Business Friend.

A BBF is someone who knows you well, understands your business, and can tell you when you are going off-course. A BBF will help you through rough times with advice. A BBF will listen to you for an hour and not judge you. Together, you and your BBF can role play situations and come up with pathways to solve problems.

Your BBF can be your accountant, lawyer, a consultant, or someone else in your trade that you don't compete with. If your company is large enough, you may have a partner or key employee that fits this role. Having a BBF is like a marriage...you don't have to agree with everything, but you comment clearly and from your heart.

You may only speak to your BBF once a quarter, or maybe weekly if you are involved in some sort of crisis or change. You should schedule a regular dinner where the topics are laid out for discussion. The topics don't have to be problems...maybe you want to grow into a new product line...maybe it is time to invest in a new building or maybe new equipment. Let's say you are having a hard time deciding whether to hire Jack or Joe for a job in your shop. Make the case for each one to your BBF, and let the BBF tell you which one you should hire. A good BBF will be able to tell you what you feel by listening to your descriptions about Joe and Jack.

And, turnabout is fair play. When someone asks you to help them in this same way, do it. Pass it on. You will learn more about yourself and your business decision making at the same time.

If your BBF is a professional, expect to pay them their hourly rate...and you pick up dinner to boot. If it is a friend, don't pay them, but if you have a good year, a modest gift would be in order.

There is an old expression, "It is lonely at the top". Whether your are a sole proprietor or CEO of a large company, you need the outlet to share your ideas and heartaches. Go to trade groups and find a kindred soul. Go to the Chamber of Commerce meetings and listen to people's questions...see who is on your wavelength. It may take a year to gain the trust in someone to share your basic business thoughts and problems. It is worth the effort.

A special note from Paul...Last week I received a great comment on my blog regarding violence in the workplace and firing an employee. Mr. Kim Mann, an attorney who knows the glass business inside and out, suggested that you contact your attorney prior to the final dismissal as a last word of advice. This is good advice and I should have mentioned this in my blog. Thanks, Kim.

This Blog Has Gone To The Dogs

2011-01-24T13:04:00.000-08:00

It was seventeen degrees below zero here last night, and I was just sitting around with our dog, Mollie, when she told me these stories. I thought my readers would like them.

A dog wearing a glazier's tool belt walks into a busy diner, sits down at the counter, and orders the blue plate special.

"Oh my gosh," says the waitress. "You can talk!"

"Your ears work well, says the dog."

"But you are a dog," she replies.

"Nothing wrong with your eyes either, the dog says.

"Well, what brings your in here?" she asks, seeming to get used to the idea of a talking dog.

"I'm installing glass at the building across the street and will be here for a couple of days," he says. "I'll probably see you at lunch time."

A couple of days later, the circus comes to town. The ringmaster comes to the diner and the waitress tells him about the talking dog. "You should get him for your circus," she says. "People would pay a lot of money to see a talking dog. I'll ask him for you."

When the dog comes in for lunch, she says, "I was talking to the circus ringmaster this morning. He's interested in hiring you. You could make a lot of money there."

"At the circus?" the dog asks, looking perplexed. "What do they want a glazier for?"

Mollie told me this next one is even better. Of course, I believed her.

A glazier took his dog to the vet. The vet examined the dog, took his temperature, felt his abdomen, and looked in in his mouth. When he was done, he shook his head.

"I'm sorry," he said, "Your dog has kidney failure and only has a couple of days to live."

The man was devastated and asked for a second opinion.

"Well, all right,", said the vet. He picked up the phone muttering something the man couldn't hear.

A few minutes later, a cat came walking into the room and looked over the dog over. She turned to the vet and said, "Kidney failure."

"You musty be joking, said the glazier, becoming irate. "I'm not taking a cat's opinion. Get someone else."

"Very well," said the vet, picking up the phone again. Once again, he muttered a few words and hung up.

A few minutes later, a Labroador walked in. He examined the dog brifely, then said, "Kidney failure."

"My thoughts exactly," said the vet.

"This is absurd," said the glazier, "I'm leaving."

"That will be three hundred dollars," said the vet.

You've got to be kidding," said the glazier. "Three hundred dollars for that?"

"It wasn't just my services," said the vet. "You also had the cat scan and the Lab report."

Well, here's hoping that a few readers email me some important questions about their business that I can answer in next week's blog.

The Toughest Business Conversation You Will Ever Have

2011-01-18T07:18:00.000-08:00

I tend to write some fun and silly blogs. This is not one of them. I have thought about this blog for a couple of days and it is vitally important for all glass shops, indeed, all companies.

Last weekend we witnessed a horrible tragedy in Tucson. People killed for no other reason than being in the wrong place. People injured, lives changed forever and a renewed discussion in our country on violence, guns and mental health.

I have my own opinion on guns and will not share that as this is not a political blog. Violence in the workplace and the mental health of your employees is relevant.

The alleged assassin certainly had a history of mental health issues. His Community College records clearly attest to this. His friends, interviewed on TV news all concurred. Yet he did not search out nor did he get motivated towards helping himself.

Do you have a Jared Loughner working at your firm? Is he (or she) working in another department down the hall from you? Have you often joked that you didn't want to be in the building the day that management finally fired him?

Ownership and management have a responsibility to provide a safe workplace, not only for protection from getting cut from glass, but also a workplace that is free from attacks of violence. We have all heard the stories about a terminated employee coming back to extract vengeance. This can (and does) happen anywhere. There is no magic bubble around your company that will protect you and your loved ones. Not only do you have the responsibility to provide the safety, but as owners and managers, you may be more likely to be victims.

If there is a person in your company who you feel is a potential danger to them self or to your company what can you do? And more importantly, what should you do?

You can fire them and hope they get a job somewhere else. You will even give them a long severance and a good reference and hope they become someone else's problem. (I did this once and today I still wonder what has happened...after last weekend this came back to mind and I now know that it was wrong.)

You can ignore the person and the problem and hope he/she leaves on their own, with maybe a small push out of the door. I have done this too, but never felt bad about it as I just would think, "Well, they weren't a good employee and I gave them 'career' counseling' to get a better job". I never thought of these people as dangerous.

There was one occasion in my career that is relevant. We had one employee that was just off the wall. I was actually afraid to fire the person for fear of retribution. I felt he was unstable mentally and would cause harm. (How he got hired is another story for another day...). I talked with our insurance carrier and got a full understanding of the mental health rider in our company's health insurance plan. It covered 30 days of inpatient care and (I think) 60 out patient visits. Our company was in New York which had a fairly strong law on companies giving mental health as part of their insurance. At the time, many states allowed insurance to completely waive mental health care, and most companies did indeed waive it. Today, all insurance covers mental health equally with that of physical health.

I met with the employee in a casual setting (although I had a another employee waiting outside the door in case of trouble) and explained what I perceived to be the problems with his employment at our firm. I told him he was good employee, but his interpersonal skills were really weak. We got around to how to improve them, and I brought up that maybe he should seek counseling on some of the issues that effected his life. He got upset, to say the least. But after continued conversation he calmed down. I explained I was not calling him sick or unbalanced, but that I felt he needed a professional's help, just as if he had a broken arm.

To make a long story short, after a couple more meetings with him in my office, he said he would think about it. I never brought the topic up again as over the next six months his work attitude improved. A couple of years later, he came to me and thanked me.

What about the employee in your shop today. Learn about your insurance. Talk with your best business friend and get advice on presenting this to your employee. Practice with another person who takes on the role of the employee. Call your personal physician and get a recommendation to a psychologist or psychiatrist for you to make an appointment with. At that meeting, explain the situation and get their advice on how to handle the situation. This is probably the most important step for you to take.

Your goal is to 'invite' the employee to learn more about the help that is available to him/her under your medical plan. You will probably get push back. Explain to your employee that you think it is in her/his best interests to explore the options, that it would help you to better plan the company's future relations with the employee. Give the employee some time to think. Don't force the issue with your first meeting. Give the employee the phone number of the mental health hot line from your health insurance company. Most insurance companies have this option.

Don't recommend an individual doctor or medical professional for the employee to see. Let her/him speak with their own doctor. If they don't have one, get the numbers of many local psychologists from apa.org, the American Psychological Association. Follow the links on the home page and you will get the results for your area.

There is a lot more to this topic which we will save for another day, but we must close with one thought. If the employee storms out of your office, refuses to try to improve and your still feel uncomfortable with them in your workplace, then it is time to close the relationship. When you do fire the person, have a trusted person in the office with you, and an extra employee outside the door. Don't give the employee a notice that you will meet in three days. Just do it. Escort the employee from the premises. Advise the rest of your employees that a change has been made. If you feel that this employee may cause trouble, discuss options with your local police department or guard service.

I hope to hear from anyone who has had similar circumstances and what you may have done, or wish that you had done.

I Lost A Hero Last Month

2011-01-10T17:07:00.000-08:00

Bob Feller passed away on Dec. 15, 2010. He was a Baseball Hall Of Fame member remembered as one of the all-time best pitchers of the 40's and 50's. So, why was he my hero, and what does that have to do with a blog in the glass industry?

First things first. He was my hero because I grew up in Cleveland in the 1950's. He was the star pitcher of my Cleveland Indians. All I heard was Bob Feller on the news or in the papers. A quick history...signed when he was 17 years old, for one dollar and an autographed ball...first player to ever strike out his age (struck out 17 batters when he was 17 years old)...3 no hitters...8 times an all star...first player under 21 to get 20 wins...and much more.

Wait a minute...did Bieber make a mistake when he wrote that Feller signed for ONE DOLLAR? Nope, now don't you wish for those good old days? But, that is not the reason why Bob Feller was my hero. My Dad worshipped Bob Feller because of how he felt about America, and for the fact that he consistently threw over 100 mph.

You see, the most successful pitcher in baseball joined the Army on December 8, 1941. The day after Pearl Harbor was attacked. Bob served until 1945 without questioning if his career would be stalled or even stopped.He felt that this was his responsibility, along with millions of men across America, and many other baseball players. My Dad had also served in WWII, and when he began to teach me baseball, he told me stories about Bob Feller.

I have a couple of Bob Feller autographs and while they are very important to me, they are not worth much in the baseball marketplace, because Bob would sign for everyone, everywhere he went. He didn't ask for money like some of the big boys do today. By daughter Jess and her friend, Bobby, were at a Washington National game in May of 09, ran into Bob Feller where he was signing autographs for free. Jessie had him autograph her ticket stub, which has been on my desk ever since.

OK, enough already. Bob was my baseball hero until he retired, and then Rocky Colavito came along. More on him another time. But what does this have to do with a glass blog?

You run a glass shop or glass related business. You, too, should have heroes who will motivate you to run your business the best you can. Whether it is Rudy Giuliani on leadership, or Steve Jobs on innovation, or Bill Gates on being the first in line with software, you should have a hero. Study the newspapers and see which business names keep popping up. Do a search on various business leaders and see whom you would like to have running your company. Look at management books and see if your hero has a book sharing their thoughts. Having a hero, especially a business hero will help you and your company.

PS. As a young business man, I admired Lee Iaccoca, for his outspokenness and leadership. Later on I admired David Packard, as he developed Hewlett Packard, and now I admire Bill Gates, both for his business acumen and his philanthropy.

Romeo and Juliet and the Glass Industry

2011-01-03T15:34:00.000-08:00

William Shakespeare wrote this famous play around 1600. So 411 years later it still has legs. What will happen to names in our industry?

Let's look at some glass names:

There are 34, 982 people in the US with the last name 'Glass', according to whitepages.com; most of whom live in California, Florida or Texas. Could one of them own a business called Glass's Glass Shop? There are five towns in US called 'Glass'. They are in Florida, North Caroline, Ohio, Tennessee and Texas.

Could we have Glass's Glass Shop in Glass, Texas?

There are some famous Americans, who probably don't own glass shops, but do have glass in their name:

Ira Glass, who has created a wonderful Radio Show called This American Life.
Ned Glass, a character actor who appeared in West Side Story, Charade and 50 other films.
Phillip Glass, a creator of many operas in the modern day.
Ron Glass, who played a detective on the TV show Barney Miller.
Stephanie Glasson, who was the July, 2004, Playmate of the Month. Does that make it OK to put her picture up in your glass shop, in Glass, Ohio?

What does your name say about you? When someone looks up your name in the yellow pages or Google, does it tell the possible customer what you do? I know you can't have more than one legal name, but you can have multiple listings in phone books and search engines, with a "DBA" name. (Doing Business As). You can have ten names in search engines, and just answer the phone with "Glass Shop, may we help you?" Most people look at a name in the yellow pages and make a quick decision...is this the company for me to take care of the problem I have right now?

If your name has roots in another language, and has more than four syllables, or silent letters, people will be hesitant to call. This has been proven. It is a great honor to have your name in the title of a business, and you shouldn't change your own name for business reasons, but you can create a business name that will deliver more customers to you.

A decade ago the glass manufacturers in the US were AFG, LOF, PPG, Guardian, Cardinal and Ford. Three of the these don't have the same name now. It is OK to change or improve on a name! When you think about geographically expanding your business, think about your name. If you expand with a new type of business, say adding windows and doors, think about your name. Some basic thoughts on naming are:

The shorter the better. Does the name roll off your tongue easily? Is it pronounceable by people who may not be strong English speakers?
Don't be cute. No puns, no hidden meanings. Those names should only be on the corner bar and restaurant.
Plan for unintended consequences. Does your proposed name mean something in another language? Use Google translate to check this. Does your name use parts of another name, (like Cadillac Glass), and you will have legal problems at some point.
Do a web search on your intended name, and all the variations of your name that you can imagine.
Think about the future. Will your name still sound great in five years as your business grows or changes?
The most important point---your name should tell your story. You shouldn't need a tag line after your name to tell potential customers what your business is.
When your register your name with your state, take with your attorney about getting a trademark from the Federal Government. This will cost about $2500, but can protect you as your grow across state lines.

Remember, just when you think your name is unique and few people pronounce it right, (as in Bieber), some cute singer from Canada will make you famous.

One One One One

2010-12-28T06:08:00.000-08:00

No, the repeat key did not get stuck on my computer. This blog is about the number one. This Saturday is 1/1/11, or one one one one. This has made me think about a few one things, some are good, some are bad.

Being number one on the FBI most wanted list is bad.

Number one in home runs in 2011 would be good.

First person on the moon was great.

The first person to step in the quicksand is in deep trouble.

Now, let's try this for the glass industry.

If your company is the first name on the speed dial list of the biggest contractor in town, this is good. OK, you get the idea.

You should try to be the best in one or two of the product categories that you sell in. You can't be first in everything. There is just not enough time to learn and implement all there is in our industry.When Oldcastle Glass bought Floral Glass they wanted to be the first in fabrication and phased out our distribution business. They knew you can't serve too many masters.

In your glass business decide what you want to be first in. These one or two product areas should be ones you enjoy; ones that are above average in their profitability for your company, and ones that are in demand in your market area.

In your relationships with vendors, pick the ones that are the tops in these two fields. In your advertising, focus on these areas, while still saying that you are a full-service business. Train your employees to be their best in these areas. Be know as the company that can do anything in these two product lines and that your company will tackle the hardest and strangest jobs in your number one product. When you do get one that strains you to the fullest, call your local paper's business editor and explain what was so special about this job and send in a picture. It is amazing how easy it is to get good, free PR when you have done something unique!

Put your number one product on the sides of your trucks and on your uniform shirts. Place it prominently on your business card. The displays in your showroom/waiting area should feature this aspect of your business!

Being number one in a product category is a sure route to business success in your market area. So, on one one one one decide which one will be your one. If you understood this last sentence, you won!

A Glass Chimney Kit For The Santa In Your Family

2010-12-13T17:34:00.000-08:00

Finally, the Christmas Gift that can be sold through glass shops. Every handy-man will want one. Kids love them because you can see Santa come down the chimney. And, glass shops love them because you can make a small fortune selling them.

These kits, from the Bieber Blog Big Business Bureau, are only being sold to the glass industry. This is our chance to become the Christmas store of choice for America. Forget the big chains, forget the fancy on-line stores; sign up now to be the local distributor of the Glass Chimney Kit and be ready to start counting the dollars.

The kit comes in three sizes--12 feet, 16 feet and 20 feet tall. Here is what you get in the standard 16 foot package:

8 pieces of 1/2 temp, polished edges, 36 x 96
4 special glass clamps, 2 red, 2 green
3 tubes of clear silicone
detailed instructions on how to build your chimney, written in 4 different languages of your choice

For the extra large Santa in your life, for only 10% more, we will make the glass 48 x 96!

This kit only costs you, as a glass industry special, $19.00. You can easily sell this for $39.00. The bright red and green packaging, with a picture of Santa smiling will sell the chimney for you.

Because this is such a super offer, we are limiting participation to the first 300 glass shops that place their orders. The minimum order is only 100 kits, in assorted sizes. All you have to do is send $1900, in unmarked hundred dollar bills. The kits will be sent to you, freight prepaid, the next day. The only job you have left is to set up your display and count your profits.

The Bieber Blog Big Business Bureau wishes you a very happy holiday. Be sure to send your $1900 via overnight mail so you can get your kits quickly.

WIKI Leaks Hits The Glass Industry

2010-12-06T16:14:00.000-08:00

We got hacked. Wiki leaks has emails from glass shops to their vendors.

They were sent to me for advance review, (like they sent the government leaks to the New York Times) and told me I can release them on Tuesday, which by sheer coincidence is the day I usually publish my blog.

Being the fine gentleman I am, the names have been changed to protect the industry. I have kept the names in a secure mayonnaise jar on top of my computer.

Email exchange #1: Bill's Glass Shop and Paul's Tempered Glass

Bill's: Hi Paul, on our order A5678 for a shower door enclosure, the customer has complained about a faint scratch in the bottom corner. I went back and looked at it, and indeed, with the halogen lights at full brightness and the dog barking, I could see the scratch. I kicked the dog and then couldn't see the scratch. Why would this affect seeing the scratch?

Paul's: What kind of dog was it? Was it just a bark or a howl?

Bill's: It was mutt, that looked like a cross between a golden retriever and a yellow lab. A big dog.

Paul's: That's it. A big loud bark will make the glass vibrate and then the scratch will show up in the halogen lights. Our warranty only covers dogs up to 35 pounds. Sorry, Bill.

Email exchange #2: A conversation between Bill's Glass Service and Molly at Acme Tempered Glass.

Bill: Hi Molly, what is your tempered shower glass warranty on the size of the dog as far as seeing scratches.

Molly: You are barking up the wrong tree. We don't have a dog warranty on our tempered shower doors.

Bill: Well, Paul's Tempered has a 35 pound limit in their warranty. And I've got a scratch that shows up in halogen lights with the roar from a 70 pounder.

Molly: Bill, you really do have to start drinking decaf.

Bill: Honest, that is what Paul told me. He won't make me a new door and the customer won't pay me. What do I do?

Email exchange #3: A conversation between Molly and Paul.

Molly: Hi Paul. Just went over a crazy set of emails from Bill's Glass about a dog warranty. Am I missing something here that is new in the industry?

Paul: Hi Molly, yes you are. We found out that we can get out of half of our warranty claims by limiting the size of the dog in the house. People with big dogs have the money to redo things on their own. They don't need our free replacements.

Molly: What do you do if they have cats?

Paul: Cats go by quantity, not size. Anyone with 3 or more cats doesn't get warranty service, because we say the cats scratched the glass, not us. With all those sharp paws, the cats are easy to blame.

Molly: This is amazing. What does the government say about this warranty style?

Paul: They wanted us to raise the limits, and set up a chart to check on when they cats were last clipped at the vet, and to weight each dog in the house on a quarterly basis and send in a report of the weights of all of our customer's dogs to the census department who would cross-check that against dog licenses in every town and village in America. We figured that if we did the report, it would still be cheaper than honoring our warranty claims.

Molly: We don't do that here at Acme. We just replace the glass when it is delivered with a scratch.

Paul: You'll never make it kid. It is a rough and tumble world and you need every advantage you can. Here is one for you...limit your warranty to customers who have dogs over 35 pounds. That way we can split up the market and make sure we don't have to ever give a replacement. I'll show you how to handle the dog census report.

Molly: That sounds like a great plan. We have to make sure that no one reads these emails!

Finally, Something The Glass Industry Can Do Together

2010-11-29T11:22:00.000-08:00

News item: (From the AP) "Houston Astros owner Drayton McLane is putting his franchise up for sale. The 74-year-old McLane said he's retained the New York investment firm Allen and Company to help him unload the team he purchased in November, 1992, for about $117 million."

The article went on to say that the winning bid for the Astros will be about $500 million.

Here is my plan:

About 1,000 people a week read my blog. If only half of my readers send in one million dollars, we will have bought ourselves a team. Reach into that mattress, sell your boats and airplanes, give up buying lunch for a a couple of weeks and raising the money will be easy.

The glass industry will own the team. If you haven't made up your mind yet, here is the clincher. My daughter, Jessica, suggested our new name for the team.

The Houston Glasstros.

It is perfect. What better use of your money could you find. There is no work in the industry, so you don't have to buy inventory. USGlass Magazine is free, so cut back on your subscriptions to every thing else. Shop at WalMart instead of Nieman Marcus this holiday season, and you'll have your million.

Each investor gets an autographed ball, two seats to a game of your choice, and in five years, when we sell the team to the Chinese government, you will double your money.

Drop me an email with your bank name and checking account number. I will then create a withdrawal for your million. If things are tight, you can request four payments, a week apart.

Yes, you have always wanted to own a big-league sports franchise, and now you can own one with all of your friends in the glass industry.

Play Ball!!!

A Conversation With A Wild Turkey

2010-11-22T11:51:00.000-08:00

My blog readers know that Elaine and I live on the side of a mountain in rural New Hampshire. On Friday, I was leaving my driveway and ran into a major traffic jam. There was a whole herd of wild turkeys crossing the road in front of our house.

At least twenty turkeys were in line. Slowly walking across the street, one at a time. There were small ones, big ones, and ugly ones. Well, they were all ugly, but since they can't read this blog, I can say what I want. They were also cute, in an ugly sort of way.

So, this big one, at least twenty-five pounds, walks to the side of my car and says to me, "What's your rush...the family will be out of your way in a couple of minutes."

Surprised was I.

I told him I had never talked with a winged-turkey before. (There are definitely some human ones that have been in my life) He replied, "Usually, there is no reason for us to talk to humans, so we don't, but you look like you need someone to talk to." Elaine had been away for a week visiting a friend, and he was right...I needed someone to talk to.

I asked him which of the twenty turkeys were from his family. He replied, "They all were either his wives or his children." I guess that makes up for being called ugly.

Then it hit me, Thanksgiving was only a couple of days away. Now, we had seen packs of turkeys before, but they usually disappeared around this time of year. I asked him if he had seen a calendar lately. He responded, " Sure, you guys are having Thanksgiving soon, and I am taking the family to a secluded pond for the week. We don't like to be around humans this week. They always try to catch us, and I don't know what happens after that...no one from my family has ever come back to tell us." I asked him why humans thought turkeys were so dumb, since obviously, he was very smart and could talk.

He replied, "We don't want humans to bother us, so we just pretend to be disinterested." We talked about the Red Sox' chances for next year, and what the upcoming winter would be like.

As the last of his family crossed the road, he asked my what I did for a living. I replied that I am a consultant in the glass industry, and that I write for US Glass Magazine and write a weekly blog. He simply looked over his shoulder at me as he walked away and said.........

Ok readers, here is your chance...what did the turkey say to me...send your comments to me at paulbaseball@gmail.com and I will publish them next week. Go ahead...take your best shot. And have a great Thanksgiving.

Drugs For The Glass Industry

2010-11-15T09:15:00.000-08:00

Here I was in Atlanta, having dinner with my best friend Chuck Kaplanek, and he asked me about the health of the glass business. I told him that our industry is indeed sick and weak. He off-handidly commented, "It's a shame we can't sell drugs to help the industry."

I remembered his comment and when I returned to my hotel, I did a computer search for drugs to help the glass industry. Here is what I found....

UValium---taken to calm down contract glaziers when an architect specifies soft-coat performance but prices the estimate at hard-coat pricing.
Glassacillin---prescribed to prevent infection when your best customer puts a knife in your back.
Glazierproxine---works on the stubborn heartburn you get when your lead glazier won't work overtime to finish a project.
Lamitrine---a proven headache pain reducer that you often get when the bullet-resistant glass you ordered comes in one inch too large.
Oshaphetamine---reduces rapid heart beat and excessive sweating condition after a shop worker gets a three-stitch cut and wants to call his lawyer and OSHA.
Arefactorine---a very strong stress reliever that can be used after studying charts with very small print size and confusing directions on how to read the chart.
Tempofane---reduces your back pain after installing an over sized light of tempered glass, only to have it shatter when you place the final stop.
Floataproz---reduces high blood pressure when you receive the latest round of price increases.
Fenestrataphine---cures blurry vision caused by looking at microscopic defects in glass on the third floor of a building that can only be seen on a sunny day around 4:00pm.
Closercet---taken by door mechanics to alleviate the arthritis pain caused by adjusting the same closer three times a week for a fussy customer.
Measureprostinate---glass shop owners take this medicine to prevent their hands from shaking and trembling when they find that their glaziers measured an opening with a worn out tape measure that is 1/4" short.
Alumocodeine---an addictive pain medicine to be used when your shop crew cuts all the miters backwards on a big job.
Driveroxorine---an over the counter drug, usually taken as a stress reliever by glass truck drivers given the wrong directions to a job site.
Viagraset---relieves depression when failing to set an IG unit on the third floor of a building because your lift only goes to the second floor.
Worldseriesium---taken once a year by over three million Chicago Cubs fans as an anxiety reliever. Paid for by most insurance companies as a medical necessity. Also desperately needed by New York Mets fans and available on the street in Times Square.

You Will Increase Your Profit and Your Employee Moral By Reading This Blog

2010-11-08T08:47:00.000-08:00

Yep, you will.

What, you want the details of this too-good-to-be-true offer? Why, just a couple of weeks ago I wrote a blog that says don't believe anything that sounds too-good-to-be true.

But you can trust me, can't you?

After all, I predicted the Mets would win the World Series this year (and last year). You can believe me.

So here is the plan. I am working on a new employee benefit package for one of my consulting clients and introduced the company to a Flexible Spending Account. This is one of the greatest benefits that has ever been created by the US Congress. (What is the opposite of progress?....It is congress, yuk, yuk, yuk)

It is simple---your employees put aside a fixed amount of money, from $100 to $2500 annually, through payroll deduction. This reduces their tax bite. For instance, Gary Glazier puts in $100 a month, he saves roughly 20-25% (based on his individual tax status), or about $240-$300 per year. He gets to spend the entire $1200 on prescriptions, doctor's co-pays, medical devices, and a whole list of eligible items from band-aids to eyeglasses. (Google 'FSA Eligible Expenses' to see complete lists of allowed items)

Now it's your turn. Because the employees reduce their taxable income, you reduce your tax bite as well. You will save 7.65% on each dollar of payroll placed in the plan. $76.50 for every thousand of payroll. This is the FICA plus the medicare tax.

You save, the employee saves and your employees are happy that you have created this plan for them. It is a no-lose for all. Except, there is some fine print. You will incur a one-time set up fee and have a small monthly cost for the plan. The company I just set up has twenty-two employees, incurred first year fees of $1800, and will continue to have fees of about $800 per year. They will be saving about $4300 per year, and their employees think this is the greatest thing since peanut butter.

If any employee spends their full amount before the end of the year, and leaves you, you will be on the hook for the difference, and if an employee doesn't spend their full amount, you gain the difference. These are usually offsetting in most companies.

Here is the most important thing...talk to your insurance agent or your payroll company to set this up. You can shop around on the net, but professional advice is best. There are options that cover dependent care (like child care while you are working) or elder care, if you take care of your parents. In these cases, the $2500 limit can be raised. You can also set up a plan that pays employee commuting expenses, like bus, train or parking expenses. Remember, each time the employee saves, you save too. There are different ways for the employee to spend the money; look for one that gives each employee a debit card and requires no paperwork. That will be the easiest for you to manage.

If you are providing a plan like this to your employees, you probably have not read this far. So, if you are still reading, think about this for January first. I guarantee that after your insurance agent describes it to your employees, they will love it. Now is the time to set it up.

Keep Politics Out Of Your Company

2010-11-01T09:26:00.000-07:00

Tea Party. Tax and Spend. Free Speech. Rallies in Washington. The Chamber of Commerce. Freedom of Choice. The Budget. The War. (Is there still a war?) Rush and Glenn. Barak and Nancy. Are you sick of it yet? By the time you read this blog, the election will be over and as a country, we will move on to the new rules of the game.

Following politics is great fun along with serious thoughts. If anyone chooses to ignore the current state of affairs, they are leaving their future to be decided by others. OK, what the heck does this have to do with the glass business?

Nothing.

Yes, you business should have nothing to do with politics. You should keep your personal opinions just that---personal. If you like party A, promoting it at your workplace, and some of your employees like party B, they will realize that their hard work for your profits are going to support party A. This will definitely impact some workers.

Don't spread your politics at work. Don't put bumper stickers on your trucks. Just about half of your customers will disagree with your politics. When they go to the yellow pages or to the net looking up a glass company, and if they remember seeing your truck and its bumper sticker, you won't get a call. This is absolutely true and will impact your business.

If you wear a campaign button on your jacket when you go on an estimate, half of your customers won't call you back. If you see a lawn sign or a bumper sticker for your candidate, then certainly, discuss your common thoughts. But, be careful, one spouse's opinion may be different than the other. Tread lightly in this area.

If you make public donations to a candidate or a party, do it in your personal name and not in the name of your company.

Don't try to influence your employees to vote for A or B. What you can do is encourage them to vote. Give an extra half hour in the morning or evening, or at lunch for people to vote. If you want to educate your employees, give out neutral literature from guaranteed neutral sites, like the League of Women Voters.

You might think there are causes that will help your business...like a bond issue to improve a downtown area. You may want to work for its passage but don't do it where it will be visible to your staff. If you can take time to work on an issue, why aren't you out there drumming up business that will bring in more work. Most people will be upset rather than taking the long view that it will help your company in the long run.

Many companies will accept posters to go in their storefront windows. Look carefully before you say OK. Promoting a fund raiser at the local hospital is wonderful, putting an issue or a candidate's flyer up will raise eyebrows.

What can you do to have your business support the election of your candidate? Take money out in your name, and then donate that money as an individual. Donate your personal services for call-outs or take a day off and hand out flyers. Discuss your candidates/issues with your friends and family, not your employees and customers. Be sure to vote...it is the loudest voice you can have.

Is My Blog Too Good To Be True?

2010-10-25T09:46:00.000-07:00

Yes, my blogs are great works of literature; yes I get paid $15,000 for each blog; yes, my blog is read by millions of people in seventy different languages; and yes, if you believe this you had better read on.

I received a wonderful brochure from the US Post Office the other day. A simple one-page flyer on how to avoid being a victim of fraud. With thanks to the Post Office for putting this together, here are some of their thoughts along with mine.

Watch for these warning signs in letters and emails:

Sounds too good to be true
Pressures you to act NOW
Success is guaranteed
You will receive three times the standard return
Requires an upfront payment--even to receive your free prize
Buyers want to overpay you and then have you send them the difference
Something doesn't feel right...trust your gut feeling
Your bank will never email or call you for your account number
Don't wire money to anyone you don't know, no matter what the reason
Some work-at-home job offers are real, but most are schemes just to have you buy their product. Be careful here
Foreign lotteries are illegal in the US--you cannot win no matter what they say

What can you and your employees in the glass industry do to help themselves?

The government requires that the three major credit bureaus give every person a free credit report once a year. The site is: annualcreditreport.com. This is completely free and safe. All of the free credit report ads you see on TV or the Internet have a catch---you have to sign up for some other service that will cost you.
Don't open suspicious email. Don't click on a link inside an email to visit a suspicious web site. If you really want to go to the site, type the address into your browser separately.
The best web site I have ever seen for fraud and rumor verification is snopes.com. Their research base is huge and totally reliable.
On your browser, set your security filter at a high level to block as many emails as you can. Make sure your firewall and virus checker are updated at least weekly, and don't turn them off.

How does fraud prevention impact the glass industry?

Don't believe that someone from another country has chosen you to launder their money. Wake up!
Don't cut glass in advance for a shipment overseas until the deposit check, covering at least your costs, clears your bank. Don't attempt to make the shipment until payment, in full, has cleared your bank. I have heard from many people who have bitten on this one, and every single one was burned. If you are not sure about a possible customer, ask for and follow-up on credit references.
Don't ever pay anything in advance for an opportunity to do business unless you are 100% sure of the reliability of the customer. The Better Business Bureau (bbb.org) is a perfect site to check on a business you don't know.
Occasionally we all get a job that is clearly a home run. You can make money in the glass business, but be careful and trust your gut feel more than the pull of your wallet.

And, in the operation of your business,

Sign every check yourself. If you can't, have two signatures on each check. This will reduce your exposure by a huge margin.
Watch your credit card refund slips. Have each refund double- checked in your shop.
If you have a bill from a vendor you don't know, learn who it is before you send the check.
Check your weekly payroll logs from your payroll provider. Investigate any names you don't personally know, and watch for any overtime that you did not authorize.
You will always need some petty cash in the office. Just keep an eye on it.
Watch for supplies going out the door. This usually means someone is moonlighting.

Now, send two ten-dollar bills to my home address. You will receive a list of 5,000 top companies that will give you business, pay their bills in 10 days, and never, never, never give you a punch list or a charge back.

Will This Be My Last Blog For USGlass?

2010-10-18T09:06:00.000-07:00

I have sent out my resume, followed up with a phone call, and any day now, I expect the call telling me the job is mine. When that happens, regretfully, my blogging days will be over. A little history here will help.

Last week the Mets, my favorite baseball team, released their General Manager, Omar Minaya, and their Field Manager, Jerry Manuel. I am not qualified to be the field manager, even though that is tough to admit. But, there is no doubt in my mind I can do the General Manager's job.

Here is my list of qualifications that I sent to Fred Wilpon, the owner of the Mets.

I love baseball and will never skip out of work.
I met Fred Wilpon once, shook his hand, and he said it was an honor to meet me. I am sure he will remember that as our first interview.
I ran the annual player draft at our youth baseball league for many years. I learned how to qualify players skills and attitudes. (Really, the main reason a kid was drafted was whose Mom made the best team snacks.)
I have been to hundreds of Mets games, and still watch every game, even here in New Hampshire.
I have actually thrown out a first pitch at Mets game, met all the players, and they showed me great respect. It would be easy to pick up from that point.
I collect baseball cards, so I know all the player's stats, and know who to trade for.
Negotiating my salary will be easy...I will pay whatever Mr. Wilpon wants.

So that's my story. This blog has been great fun and I will truly miss it. The odds are in my favor to get this job, but if for some reason I don't, I'll be back with you next week.

Where There Is Smoke, There Is Money Burning

2010-10-11T09:43:00.000-07:00

Whenever you see cigarette smoke in your glass shop, even your own smoke, money is going out the window. Let's explore some of the ways that smoking affects your business...and your profits!

Before I continue, let me share my vice. Chocolate. It can be just as addicting, and does equal harm to the body. But since this is my blog, I am allowed to be judgemental.

It is easy for a non-smoker to spout the following facts and figures about smokers:

A pack-a-day smoker, at age 30, who quites and invests the same amount of money in a conservative 401k, will, at age 70, have in excess of $250,000. And probably more as cigarette prices go up.
Throat and mouth cancer are 200% more prevalent in smokers.
Life insurance costs about 100% more than for non-smokers.
If you have individual health insurance, expect to pay 30% more.
Most home insurance policies carry a 20% premium. (you are more likely to burn your house down!)
The same for car insurance.
Your dental care will be about twice as expensive over your life
Your house will have a lower resale value because of the pervasive smell of the smoke.

Can you as an employer or manager make people stop smoking as a term of employment? No. Most states do not allow you to control some one's activities away from work. You can't prohibit a Hershey bar away from work, nor can you stop employees from having a beer. These are legal activities.

But you can, and in my opinion you should, regulate certain behaviors at your workplace during working hours. Why should you eliminate smoking at work?

The productivity of your company will definitely go up. That's a promise.
Your health insurance costs will not increase as much, as your utilization rates will be lower.
Your office, showroom or trucks won't stink.
Your customers will linger longer in your showroom.

Many companies offer a smoking break for employees to smoke outside rather than inside. Do you offer the same to non-smokers? Can they stand around for five minutes and do nothing? How many times a day do you allow this? Why are you discriminating against the non-smokers?

Not one state makes you offer this very expensive benefit to less than 20% of the workforce.

Can you hire non-smokers only? Only in a couple of states, and those are being challenged. You can make smoking prohibited in your building and anywhere on your property.  If you make this clear during the interview, you are fine. Let the potential employee make the decision.

How do you implement a non-smoking policy when one of your key employees sets the all-time record for being a chimney? Start by having a heart-to-heart with Molly Smoker. Offer to pay for the stop-smoking medications that may not be covered under the insurance plan, or offer to pay the deductibles. Support Molly in every way you can, showing understanding that for a month or two Molly may be a very uncomfortable person to be around. Give Molly a bonus at the end of three months of non-smoking. Have a chart in the office showing the non-smoking days for all employees and get the whole company to be a support group.

You can also go with a two-tier program.  Employees hired after a certain date cannot take smoking breaks, while current employees are grandfathered under previous work rules.  This works in all fifty states.

Some states allow you to ask if an applicant is a smoker. Some do not. Don't worry about it, just don't ask the question. Simply state in your help wanted ad, or in the interview, that your business is a non-smoking location. The heavy smokers will go somewhere else. If someone is a three cigarette a day person, you should have no problem hiring them.

Health insurance rates are set in two broad ways. One is all companies of a certain size get the same rate. The other is to look at the utilization rate. This is the actual costs incurred by all members of a plan. If the insurer lost money last year, this year's premium will go through the roof. Smokers cost more in medical costs, that's a fact. So fewer smokers can equal lower insurance costs for your medical plan.

The bottom line? You can (and should) restrict smoking in your company and on your property. You should encourage in all ways possible your current smokers to quit, and you can set a policy of new hires are not allowed to take smoking breaks.

I have to go now, I haven't had any chocolate in an hour, and I am due.

Mr. Trump, Can We Talk?

2010-10-04T11:31:00.000-07:00

Dear Mr. Trump,

My name is Ace Glassman, suave and multi-talented investigative reporter for the glass industry. I invite you to meet the United States Glass and Window Industry at the New York/Long Island glass industry trade show on March 17, 2011. We will provide a limo to pick you up in Manhattan and bring you to the most important glass event in the New York region.

Here you will meet AMERICAN window manufacturers and installers. Here you will meet real working Americans. Sure, we like Chinese food, and we celebrate Chinese New Year. But, we make windows here--in North America.

Between the US and Canada, we make the best windows in the world!

Mr. Trump, we will treat you like a movie star, give you a private room to comb your hair before we interview you, and we will help you buy your next project with North American made windows.

Our glass trade unions have plenty of apprentices for you to pick from. Our aluminum extruders use energy produced in Niagara Falls. Our glass comes from the sand of our country.

I, Ace Glassman, suave and multi-talented reporter, will be there to lead you through the trade show, introducing you to the right people. I will stand in front of you so no one will throw rotten tomatoes at you. What more could you ask for?

Mr. Trump, write me at aceglassman@msn.com. When we tell everyone that you are coming to learn how to buy American, the country will be proud of you, your ratings will go up, your buildings will be more in demand. Mr. Trump, I received over five emails last week regarding this issue. This week, I expect eight! This is a growing grass-roots movement. My readers won't be buying condos in your buildings if you don't show up.

Mr. Trump, thank you, I look forward to seeing you on St. Patrick's Day.

Ace Glassman
Suave and multi-talented investigative reporter.

Ace Glassman Takes Over The Trump Scandal Reporting

2010-09-28T08:05:00.000-07:00

This is your hard-hitting, suave, multi-talented investigative reporter Ace Glassman reporting on the now infamous TRUMP TRUMPS NORTH AMERICAN WINDOW MANUFACTURERS scandal.

A quick review, last week Donald Trump, bragging on Fox News, that he had just ordered thousands of windows and they were made in Asia. He went on to ask why aren't windows made in the US?

I, Ace Glassman, have taken this on as a personal crusade. My network of industry sources is unparalleled. I received reports from around the world. Donald didn't mention which building he was referring to in his rant on Fox. But we found out. As a suave and multi-talented reporter I cannot reveal my sources. Here is hint though, SM reported that the building is the Trump Tower in Toronto.

Your suave, multi-talented reporter took it from there. The Toronto Tower is part hotel and part condos, with the condo's starting at $2 Million. To me that means one unit is two million, and the rest are a lot more. Certainly Donald couldn't be penny-pinching on such a magnificent project. Extensive and intense work revealed that Donald is only a minority owner of this property. His name is on the building because The Donald is hot now. He sells. He sizzles. And he does this at the expense of North American workers and companies. Did the message come down from on high? Cut every penny no matter who it hurts? Did someone give someone an extra egg roll? Would the man who made all his money in America suddenly turn his back on it?

LT asked me if any North American companies bid on the project. Your suave, multi-talented reporter, Ace Glassman, can't answer that question folks. I need help. Have you quoted or bid on any part of this job? Did you loose the bid because you didn't send an order of fried rice along with the blueprints?

In my extensive industry knowledge, there are at least twenty companies in the US and Canada that could have bid on this job. I found out that some are more expensive than others, but usually because of a higher quality standard. Some manufacturers appeal to the budget apartment building owner, and there are definitely some that appeal to the Trump image. (I found out that there is even one company that fired one of its apprentices.)

There is one documented time, in 1997 that the Donald was wrong on something. IT (another confidential source), told me, and she should know. Could this be the next big error on Donald's part? Do we have news here?

Send me all you know, Ace Glassman, your suave and multi-talented glass investigative reporter will never reveal a source. Let's see what really happened here.

PS. You can ignore that Bieber guy behind the keyboard. I, Ace Glassman, your suave and multi-talented investigative reporter have my own email address: aceglassman@msn.com. You can write to me anytime.

Stick It In Your Ear, Donald Trump

2010-09-20T14:37:00.000-07:00

On September 16, 2010, Donald Trump, in a live interview on Fox News said, "I ordered windows, thousands of windows the other day, it's all made in China. Does anybody make windows in this country?"

Hello...is anyone there?

Let's try in invent the scenarios how this happened.

1. The Donald wanted Chinese windows in his building. We can rule this out because in the the same interview he said we should tax the heck out of imports from China and that China wasn't being fair to us.

2. The windows were cheaper from China, and Trump would rather save his money than spend it on on American made goods. But then he can talk out of both sides of his mouth better than most.

I am not in this to knock Trump...I admire his gumption and think he has done a lot of things well for New York City. But in this case, I hope he likes the taste of shoe leather, for he has really put his foot in his mouth.

There are great window manufacturers here. I bet it is just that the price was undercut by the manufacturer with Chinese Government support. The Chinese are certainly maneuvering their currency, the Yuan, to their benefit, at our expense.

Nonetheless, Trump should issue a 'Buy American' order to his staff. He has made his fortune in the US. He brags on TV's apprentice, he is among the rich and famous (or infamous) of the US, and he should be repaying America every day.

Did our US manufacturers even have a chance at the contract? I don't know. But I would be willing to bet they did, and I would be willing to bet that this was decided on price only.

If you have any info on this, and I don't even know the job name, drop me a note. Let me know what you know, and maybe we can piece this together.

Larry Tuminnia, co-owner of Northeast Laminated, brought the original conversation to my attention. Thanks Larry for keeping alert about our industry.

I am not saying we shouldn't import anything, I am just wondering if the US manufacturing companies had a real shot at this one.

The METS Season Is Over, But Yours Is Not

2010-09-13T12:36:00.000-07:00

We don't have this luxury in the glass industry. We can't stop for the winter, spend money on talent, and start over at spring training. So, what are you going to do if your glass shop isn't in the playoffs?

Let's figure out why. Actually, that is easy. You didn't make enough profit. Now, we ask why again.

Did you:

Not sell enough?
Sell at prices too low?
Spend too much on materials?
Spend too much on labor & benefits?
Spend too much on overhead?

See, you only need to attack five areas.

How do you know which ones to attack? Ask your accountant to tell you. If he/she can't, you have a bookkeeper and not an accountant. Spend the bucks, have your books reviewed each year by someone who will analyze your books, not just tell you what you have and how much taxes to pay. A good accountant should also be a business advisor and should repay their costs many times over.

How do you find that accountant? Ask your friends who own a similar size business to yours. Go to aicpa.org to search for accountants in your area.   When you select an accountant, be clear on the scope of what you want done, and don't give open-ended assignments. Get a firm quote before you give a go-ahead on any project. Remember, you don't want a bookkeeper. There are enough basic computer programs, like Quicken, to run your business. You want help in analyzing the numbers that Quicken can give you.

I think we most often fall into the trap that says more sales will solve the problems. Not always so. Sometimes, your sales are just right for your business, but your margins are too low. Or your overhead is too high. Just piling on sales is not often the answer. More sales with a low margin actually creates more losses!
Be selective on your bids. Bid the jobs where quality is as important as price. When it is government work, and the lowest price wins, unless you know you are a low-cost provider, steer clear. Bid the private work where relationships and open bidding will allow you to shine.

I am sure that every business in America has picked the low-hanging fruits of simple cost reduction and employee count. But there is always more. Look at every expenditure you make. No exceptions.  Just because you have bought something in the past is no excuse to buy it now. Make every dime going out of your checkbook valuable to the profitability of your business. Sign each and every check yourself and ask, do I need this now? Better yet, if you use a purchase order system, you should be the only one to authorize for a month. There should be no such thing as an automatic or open ended purchase order. Every single expense is controllable. Some more easily than others, of course.

Are you paying rent on a signed lease? Go back to your landlord and discuss the current market conditions. Many landlords will be glad to reduce rents to current market prices based on a one or two year extension. Try for five years at a reduced rate. If you don't try, you won't get it. I have a client that went back to his landlord and received a fifteen per cent reduction with a four year extension. Huge dollars.

The headline on this blog mentions by beloved METS. They fell apart again. You can't blame your success, or lack of, on an injury or a key employee going into a slump.    As far as you are concerned, it is only the bottom of the third and you have to keep playing.

How I saved Jimmy's Career As A Glass Truck Driver

2010-08-30T17:00:00.000-07:00

Jimmy was a driver for our glass fabricating company. (Actually his name is not Jimmy, but I won't use his real name). He was due in at 8:00 daily, and just couldn't make it. 8:10, 8:21, 8:07 were on his time card daily. And then I made it worse. Our hours were 8:00 to 4:30 for our day shift of manufacturing and delivering. In my first couple of months as manager of the company, I asked our customers what they wanted, and the most common request was earlier deliveries.

So, I met with the managers, and then the Union, and we all agreed to start at 7:00 am.

The Union Business Agent and I knew we were going to have one problem. Jimmy. If he couldn't make 8:00, how in the world was he ever going to make 7:00? He made it the first day, and was 7:02 the second day, and went downhill from there. We had a progressive discipline system in place, and in coordination with the Business Agent, we wrote him, then wrote him up more sternly, then suspended him for a day, and then for three days.

A little background on Jimmy would help. He was one of the 'good guys'. When he was here, he was one of the best workers, the customers loved him, and he always made all his stops, even on the longest days. The best part about Jimmy was his attitude. He didn't complain and he loved doing the work.

But, and there is always a but, Jimmy still continued to come in late. Our next step on the discipline ladder was termination, and that is the step that no one wanted to take. But if we didn't, we were a paper tiger on our discipline program, and that spelled long-term trouble.

Jimmy cost me sleep...I was the new manager and this was a crisis that had to be solved. I asked Jimmy to stop at my desk the next afternoon to discuss options. At 2:00 am that morning, the light bulb went on over my head. I had it.

On my way to work I stopped at a local store, made a purchase and went to work with a smile. I played back all the conversations in my head that we had with Jimmy. He loved his job, he didn't want to loose his job, but he just had trouble waking up every morning, no matter what motivation we had given him.

At the meeting that afternoon, I gave Jimmy the "Super-Loud" alarm clock that I had bought that day. It cost me about $8. Jimmy was never late again!

We hadn't listened. He kept saying he had a hard time waking up. It wasn't that he went to sleep too late, or was drunk, or anything. He needed to be really jolted out of his very deep sleep. And my new friend, Mr. Super-Loud, did the trick. I learned a great lesson. Listen to the problem, and then the cause of the problem and try to make the solution work on both parts.

This wasn't a disciplinary situation, or a motivational situation, but simply a stupid logistical thing that saved Jimmy, who went on to be one of the best employees we ever had.

My Mother-In-Law Is Sending Me On A One Way Trip

2010-08-24T07:56:00.000-07:00

And there are days I would like to take it. But, I am holding out for the full round trip.

Elaine's Mom moved into an assisted living facility about a year ago. We handle her finances for her. I negotiated a deal with the home to pay using a credit card at the same rate as sending a monthly check. So by this time next year I will have enough travel points for Elaine and I to take a long Caribbean cruise, or travel to Europe.

Now, we would rather have her living on her own and healthy, but this is what life has brought to the table at this point. So, we will accumulate the points and at some future date, we will be able to travel.

Many of you are saying so what. Anyone can do this. You're right. But very few of you do this within the glass industry!

When I was in business, we had about 2500 active accounts, and I could count on two hands the customers that regularly used their credit card. In the years since I left, it is not much different

I've heard all the excuses--I don't have enough credit line, I'm afraid of incurring finance charges, I don't have a corporate or business credit card, and ten more.

Some need the extended credit terms afforded by many fabricators. I understand that. But many of you do pay your bills promptly, or pay on the 10th of each month. So use your credit card to pay Molly's Glass Fabricator and then the next week pay your credit card bill. If you don't have a high enough credit line, pay the credit card bill on the 8th of the month, and then tell Molly to put through your charge on the 10th, and you credit card will go through!

Get a credit card where you can set the billing date. Most cards will let you do this. Set the date for the 5th of the month. Pay all your vendors on the 10th of the month, and you get 25 free days of float. And the points.

You are not locked into giving your vendors a credit card payment. If you are working a large job and don't have the cash flow until you are paid, then just pay what you can on the card and let the rest wait. Get all the points you can now.

Credit card companies are looking for new customers every day. Get a card in your business name now. Even if it has a low credit line, by using it monthly up to the line, your credit line will grow. Some accountants will be upset with your using your personal card to pay business expenses. This does create one more level of accounting transactions, but it is not complicated. Your accountant should gladly show you how to create this.

I hope there are a couple of glass shop families on the cruise with me.

14%--Are You Kidding Me?

2010-08-17T06:03:00.000-07:00

Yep, 14% on clear glass and 8% on just about everything else. Now, raise your hand if you think that this price increase will stick. My special 'blogovision' computer let's me see how many have raised their hands, and it looks like most of my readers.

For the last generation we have all complained that prices in the industry are so low that no one is making real money. Whose fault is that? To paraphrase Pogo, "I have met the enemy and it is us." We are all guilty; we buy on price more than quality and service. So, what's a boy to do? I think this price increase will help, not hurt our industry. Most glass fabricators and shops raise their prices only when the floaters do. But the electricity goes up, wages are slightly up, and insurance is through the roof. I am not condoning or encouraging price collusion, but I sure do hope that most people do raise their prices as well. With better operating margins, you can offer the best service, you can stand behind your promise of top-notch quality.

During this pricing transition you can adopt a few of the following strategies to help you through this increase.

Call all of the customers with pending quotes and advise them of a price increase coming in a couple of weeks. Tell them that if they give you a letter of intent now, with a firm schedule, you will honor their old numbers. This will get some people to commit an order to you now.
Contact your fabricators and distributors and find our their policy about jobs in progress. A progressive fabricator should honor jobs for three months at the current prices provided you give them a letter of intent. If the job is large enough, the floaters will generally give the fabricators this lock-in and your fabricator should pass it on to you.
If you have storage space and funds, fill your racks as full as you can. And, then sell at the new pricing. That is a 14% return on your money. I would do that every day.
Don't sell your current stock at the old prices unless you have a firm purchase order. Many glass shop owners feel that the price increase should be passed through after they receive new stock. Don't wait. Raise your prices now.
When you raise your prices, take the time to make them logical and profitable to you. It is easy to just change every price across the board. But if you find yourself selling something for $11.02, it sounds better to your customer at $10.99. Now, you think this only works at Wal-Mart, but believe me, it works everywhere, in any financial transaction.
Most vendors will give you a buy-in for a limited amount of time, usually between thirty and ninety days. But, you have to ask for and earn this kind of treatment. Do you pay your bills on time? Do you create tons of charge backs? Do you treat your vendor like a partner? If you do, a good vendor will return that in spades, and during pricing upticks, it is your time to insist on special treatment
If you are in the middle of an ongoing job, you may have to purchase the balance of your needed stock to hold to your contracted price. Discuss this with your fabricator, and ask for 90 or 120 day terms on these purchases. If you have a good credit history, your fabricator should work this out for you.

What do you do with the one-year contract you just signed to do ongoing work at the local apartment complex? If you wrote the contract without an escalator clause, you can only beg for an increase in pricing.

I recommend that you include an escalator in year-long maintenance type contracts, based on a market basket of three vendors that you use. You agree to show your customer the price increase letters you receive and agree to raise your prices by the average of the three. The customer has the right to cancel the contract, but you do not. If you can put this clause in your contracts, it is worth it to give a point or two as a discount for the clause. Make that extra point a larger discount if they pay within your terms!

This price increase should stick. We need it to improve the general health of our industry. I hope it works.

The Year Is 1977 and The Place Is Boston

2010-08-09T08:02:00.000-07:00

I joined the CR Laurence team in 1976, hired by one of the great men of our industry, Phil Saitta. I covered Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont, and boy, could I sell razor blades. I began to learn quite a bit about the glass industry spending time in about sixteen glass shops daily, talking with the owners. Each one taught me something.

There was one special shop in Brighton, Mass., a section of Boston with a lot of college kids and old-time residents who had lived there for decades.

I saw Leo, the owner, about every six weeks, and I always looked forward to his shop. Leo was probably 75 years old. He repaired picture frames and windows. He didn't understand what this new-fangled "tempered" glass was all about. He was comfortable selling single and double thick, and repairing screens. Leo was a class act; always neat and presentable to his customers, who were mainly the 'senior citizens' of the area. College kids didn't have any use for glass shops. Leo wasn't the busiest guy in the world, so he always had a minute to talk to me, and never let me leave without an order, even if it was only for $10.

One day I am talking with Leo and this little old lady comes in. (I know this sounds trite, but it is true). She had a picture frame and a small piece of glass, wrapped in newspaper with her. Leo greeted her like an old friend. She said, (as roughly as my memory remembers), "Leo, you sold me this glass for my grandson's picture, but I told you the wrong size. I asked you for a three inch by five inch, and look, my picture frame is four inches by six."

She went on, "How much would it cost to put this in your glass stretcher machine? I don't know if I can afford to buy a whole new piece." Back in the day, twenty-four inches of single might have cost Leo two cents and he would have sold it for a quarter.

Leo looked at her, and with a big smile, told her that he was having a special on glass stretching and it wouldn't cost her a penny. Her smile could have lit up a dark night. Leo took the small piece and he and I went into the back of his shop. He turned on his belt grinder, turned on a bench grinder and a drill press. He banged some tools together and rattled around his steel garbage cans. He took out a cutoff of single, and quickly cut the new piece. Leo turned off all the machines and we went back to the lady. Leo quickly apologized for all of the noise, saying his glass stretcher was old and needed some repair work.

The lady was so happy. She showed Leo the picture of her grandchildren and Leo helped her put the glass in the frame. That day, Leo taught me that getting a smile and a thank you was more valuable than a quarter.

I continued to call on Leo, even thought he would never be a large customer. No sales training I ever received was more potent than that day with Leo.

Last week I received a letter from Mr. Ken Gamble of North Alabama Glass Company in Huntsville, Alabama, commenting on my blog. He reminded me of the times when tempered glass was just being phased in to our industry, which prompted my memory of Leo. Thanks, Ken.

If you have a memory of something special in the glass industry, drop me a note. We'll work it into a future blog.

The $25 Baggage Fee And The Glass Energy Surcharge

2010-08-01T09:13:00.000-07:00

Quick, tell me what is the worst thing you can do to a loyal customer? If you said create new fees and charges that confuse the customer, breed mistrust and cynicism, and make you feel stupid trying to figure them out, then you are right-on.

Last year, US airlines grossed $7.8 BILLION in extra fees. That is Billion, with a 'B'. Do you think they are going to give that up when fuel costs go down? Do you believe in the tooth fairy? Now there are fees for sitting in aisle seats, window seats, exit row seats and front row seats. Pretty soon there will be surcharges if the flight lands on time. I understand the security fees and agree with them, but still, this trend is out of hand.

On my home phone bill, taxes and fees added 24.5% to my basic cost. Since when do we pay fees? It is just a price increase. We all pay fees to the government. You pay a fee to register your trucks. Can you add a fee to every bill you send your customers for truck registration?

Shipping and handling are another sore point. Yes, we are all used to paying shipping charges on something we buy. But what is a handling fee but another revenue stream that kicks up the cost of an item. Handling is part of overhead, we all have it. All it does it lets the seller advertise at a lower price and then hit you in the end with a higher price. But in our industry we can't charge a handling fee.

Just about the only fee a glass shops can get away with is a minimum for a service call. Fabricators and wholesalers pass through the energy surcharge and usually a delivery fee. Glass retailers have a hard time with trying to pass this through, and it just becomes another overhead item.

Our industry isn't the only one that has an energy surcharge. The steel industry has a whopper of a charge. Even delivery companies, like Fedex, have charged an energy surcharge. But, in our industry, it was never handled well. It has seemed like the entire profit structure of floaters and fabricators was based on the surcharge.

There is no easy way for a glass shop to pass the energy surcharge through. It means making a conditional statement with every quote, and that is a tough way to sell a job to the average customer.

All I know is that I think the $25 baggage charge is a rip-off, and yet, I pay it, knowing that I have no other choice.

What do you do, as a glazing contractor or a glass shop? Are there any good ways for you to handle this? Please drop me a note at paulbaseball@msn.com to let me know how you handle the energy surcharge in your shop. I'll pass along all the ideas in a future blog.

Next week some tips to handle the recent price increase started by Pittsburgh.

There Is No Such Thing As A 'Free Phone'

2010-07-26T18:35:00.000-07:00

"Buy one, get the second one free."

"Every two years, come back and get a free phone!"

You know, I believed the advertising. My wife and I have one of the major national carriers that actually has service on my mountain in New Hampshire. Our phones were a couple of years old, and I got an email saying we qualified for the free phones. Elaine and I discussed what kind of phones we wanted--Internet or not, touch screen, video or regular camera.

We both said, "keep it simple".

So, I went to the store today to pick up my free phones. You know, I should have known better. In fact I knew better, but somehow got lulled into thinking it wouldn't happen. I am not naive; I just should have known better.

Yes, my carrier had over thirty phones on display, and two of them would have been free. They had no features, transmitted weakly (according to Molly, the sales clerk), and had many reported instances of going in for warranty work.

For only $50.00 a phone, I could get two phones that would fit our needs.

And our current car chargers don't fit. Two new chargers were $30.00 each. Of course you need a new case for $30.00. And since the phones have easy to use keyboards, and we will do more texting, only a $20.00 monthly increase to our service plan to have unlimited texting.

It's a good thing there is no sales tax in New Hampshire.

I am sure that right now you are saying, this is common place, and that there is no way around it. You're right.

Let's think about this. Most of the people who read my blog are decision-makers in the glass industry. So, when you write an ad for the local paper or put up a sign in your window, and you offer a deal--Make It Real!

No asterisks and no small print. Treat your customers like real people, and give an offer that can stand up to inspection by fussy consumers. To me at least, I would rather see a 10% off sale that is a real 10% than a 15% off sale on just part of an order. I hate the ads that say "New Windows only $50.00." No one will buy those today.

Haven't you walked into a store to buy something on a really good sale, only to be disappointed when you find it is out of stock, or not at all like the description on line or in an ad? Do you want to shop there again?

Do you want your customers to feel the same way about your glass shop, or your business?

Life Is NOT Fair

2010-07-17T12:29:00.000-07:00

This blog is a complaint blog. If you don't want to read my whining, click out now.

Anyone who know me or reads my blogs knows that I enjoy baseball. Over my life, I have been to probably eight or nine hundred major league games, hundreds more in minor leagues, and little league games in the thousands.

In the thousand or so professional games I have never caught a fair home run or a foul ball, during a game or during batting practice. (If you don't go for batting practice before the game, you are not a fan.) I have been tossed balls by players when hanging over the fence. Maybe a hundred or so. It helps to have a young and cute kid with you. But never, have I caught a ball directly off a bat. Never. I still bring my glove to games. You never know when you are in the perfect seat.

I have been near balls, but never near enough. Once I was at a game with my friend Chuck Kaplanek and our kids. His son, Chris, who was at his second or third game of his life at about 8 years old, caught a home run ball, two seats over from me. We were thrilled for him. The next day Chuck told that Chris threw the ball down a sewer in the street. I cried. That was the closest I have been.

At the 2000 World Series between the Yanks and the Mets, my daughter, about 14 at the time, had a ball fall in front of her. This gnarly old lady pushed her down, twisted her hands and arm to the point of Jessica screaming, and tore the ball from her hands. I guess she really wanted it. I told Jessica I would get her another. That was 12 years ago and she is still waiting.

So here is my complaint about life. Last week, Mr. Adam Koltun, at a game in Miami, caught two foul balls, on two successive pitches. He was a gentleman and give one of the balls to a young boy seating near him. That is classy.

But NOT fair.

I have been to a Marlins game in Miami and didn't catch even one.

So, Adam, what is your secret. What did you have for breakfast that day? What clothes were you wearing? Had you just helped a little old lady cross the street? Did you say a prayer? Did you remember your mother-in-laws birthday? Come on, what did you do that can be copied by a guy like me?

In my home office, just off the kitchen, I have over two hundred baseballs on shelves around the room. Many from great little league games, some purchased, some given as gifts, some tossed to me by big-leaguers. None caught. I am just about out of space, but have reserved one spot for 'the' ball. I am expecting it at the very next game I go to.

You Can Learn From Bill's Mistake

2010-07-12T14:12:00.000-07:00

It sure would tick me off. I was talking with a glazier who did some repairs at a small condominium complex on a regular basis. Homeowners would call him for breaks and seal failures. He knew the condo's management, and he never missed a job call. One day he was driving by the complex and he saw a Brand X Window Company truck offloading pallets of new windows and doors for the condos.

Let's call my friend Bill. Bill went into the condo office, with a head of steam and asked what the heck was going on. Calmly, the manager explained that Brand X had been working the Association for six months on a program to install new windows that were extremely energy-efficient. With the tax rebates, and the projected energy savings, they had a four year payback on this purchase. Bill asked, "Why didn't you ask me about the windows?" The manager said that Bill was a great repairer of windows, but didn't know Bill could make or install new windows.

Well, Bill left there, proceeded to stop at Molly's Bar and Grill, have a few cold ones, and that evening he called me. Where did he go wrong? Here is what I told him.

"Bill," I said, "You are a great glass man, you can fix anything with glass in it, making it look better than new. You never miss an appointment, and are always fair in your pricing. But, Bill, the glass market is changing all around us, everyday. Customers aren't buying new windows for decorative purposes; energy-savings is the key to everything in the glass business today. Look at your business cards, it has 'Bill Repairs Breaks' in bold letters and so does your yellow pages ad. You talk about your great service in your ads, and when people need service they call you.

"But, in this case, a sales team came into the association, and with graphs and charts, they sold the Association on new windows. I'll bet you never discussed new windows with the manager, did you?"

"Never did," he replied. "Never thought they needed them, as I kept fixing them up all the time."

"Bill, you didn't see the big sale right in front of your face. Service such as yours is the most important thing for a break shop, but you can be more than that. You have the relationship with the Condo manager. You could have made an appointment to meet him and present an alternate energy savings window. You just didn't see it right in front of your face."

Bill asked, "I don't know much about low-e and all the tax stuff, so how could I compete?"

"Bill, you have the most valuable part of the equation. You are trusted by the condo manager. Here is what you do for the other condos you work on. Start out by working with two or three window manufacturers. One, aluminum, one vinyl or fiberglass, and one wood. Have their regional reps call on you and set up an operating plan like this. You will set up the meeting with your friends and the window manufacturer's rep will give the presentation. You work together on the pricing of the windows, and you do the install."

"It's a no-brainer. If the condo or apartment trusts you, your recommendation goes a long way and is transferred to the window provider.

"Change your business card, update your yellow pages ad, hire your ten-year old nephew to build a web site highlighting window energy conservation. Put a sign on your truck, and a flyer in every invoice and statement you send out. If you pick up one or two jobs per year, you are a hero! And by the way, when you sit through the presentations, you will be learning all about energy savings and glass. Believe me Bill, this is the most important aspect of our industry in the future."

Paul's Note: Yes, this is totally made up, but it sounds a lot better this way than if I just threw a sermon at you about energy-savings!

A Question From The West Side

2010-07-05T15:26:00.000-07:00

Brad Cook, the President and Co-owner of ARC Glass in Brook Park, Ohio sent in a great question. Before I answer Brad's question, a little geography and history lesson is in order. I was born and raised in Cleveland, which is probably the least appreciated city in the US. I lived for baseball season as a kid and followed the Cleveland Indians, as they became the Gods of my youth. Rocky Colavito was my hero. Herb Score was a Cleveland pitcher until he got hit in the face by a line drive, breaking his eye socket and cutting his career short. I remember crying that night like no other night up to then in my life.

On the other hand, when I went to college in Boston, I never went back to Cleveland. I found out that Cleveland was in a different time zone than Boston, about three years behind.

The geography lesson is this. Brook Park is on the west side of Cleveland, near Hopkins Airport. I grew up on the east side. Crossing from one to the other was like going to another world. The Cleveland Zoo was on the West Side, like the Airport, and those were the only two places I ever went on the west side. So, when I received Brad's note, from a west sider, it proved that times have improved. Although, Brad probably didn't know I am an east sider.

So, thanks Brad for this question and thanks for triggering some memories of growing up. Here's Brad's question:

"Initially we were told by our IG supplier that they could not obtain low-e stock that met the government's requirements for the tax credit. At a later date, they expanded on their incapacity saying the low-e coating that met the aforementioned requirements was too soft be produced on their equipment.

"Can you offer any insight? Thank you for your time.

Here we go Brad. Your supplier needs to update his equipment, or you need to get a different supplier for these type of jobs.

There are two broad categories of low-e glass: hard coat and soft coat. Hard coat has the low-e manufactured into the glass as it comes out of melting furnace at 2300 degrees. After cooling it is easy to handle. You can temper, drill, laminate or anything else you can do with regular float. The downside is that it is not the most efficient product. Soft coat is more efficient, and meets the criteria for energy star windows for the tax credit (see the website at: http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfmc=windows_doors.pr_anat_window for technical info), but it needs specialized manufacturing equipment to make IG units correctly. Without the right equipment the coating will scratch and blotch in the washing machine. Also, finger prints are in the coating forever. Cutting oil leaves a residue. All said, it is tougher to manufacture the units with soft coat.

If your vendor doesn't have the right equipment, they are smart not to attempt to use the soft coat products. Nonetheless, this is the future of our industry. Hard coat has many good uses in commercial, large size units. For residential, though, soft coat will rule the roost.

As for you, Brad, you do need to have another source of IG. Ask local fabricators if they do soft coat. Any soft coat will meet the energy-star standards and you will be able to fill your customer's needs. Soft coat units are more expensive. Usually 20-30% more. You will have no handling problems. The coating is to the inside of the unit, you'll install just like any other unit. Also, there are many different soft coats out there. Unless you know the exact product used in the initial install, you will have a tough time matching on any replacement job. If you are building from scratch, make sure you and your customer keep a record of the products being used.

Brad, give my regards to Cleveland...go Indians.

Hooray, Hooray, A New Blogger Is Here Today!

2010-06-29T06:38:00.000-07:00

Here is a special guest blog from Eugene Negrin. More on Eugene at the end of his blog.

Branding your Business---Quality makes a difference

The Glass Industry is a diverse, multifaceted and unique universe with significant opportunities for all market segments. In each category, there are a range of providers each known for a unique set of skills and features. From a marketing perspective, what we know and feel about these businesses is commonly referred to as their Brand.

In my view, when it comes to a competitive profile, the market can be divided into two main parts. The first category is the volume providers. What characterizes this group is volume capability, specific expertise and/or repetitive processes. Whether manufacturer or local glass shop, their sustainability depends on speed and efficiency. These innovators have developed processes for high efficiency, and an acceptable standard of quality for high volume production. Their Brand may be recognized for consistency and competitive prices as the result of particular skills of their workforce or proprietary factors inherent in their factory or shop.

The other part of the market, where my company earned its reputation, is in custom capability. It is challenging to play at this end (and, that is why I like it). Building your Brand here encompasses a host of different factors that requires special skills with every step.

Before entering our industry in 1974, I had the opportunity to study the glass business and determine my path. From day one, I was intrigued by how I might differentiate our company (which was then known as Galaxy Glass & Mirror) to make the business more attractive to my prospective customers.

In the ensuing years, we continually refined our focus, concerning ourselves with ways to blend our artistic creativity with market trends. We uncovered market niches, experimented with manufacturing techniques and identified shortcomings in ways that products were specified, manufactured, and installed.

These factors were significant in building the Galaxy® Brand and provided us with a strong product and service 'story' that made sense to our customers. But, that wasn’t always enough. Throughout the supply chain, there are points where the “copy-cats” try to emulate the leaders and negatively affect everyone. They may beat a price and win a job, but bring down the entire industry with poor quality products or shoddy installation. The one area that can’t be imitated is consistent quality.

Today our audience, the collective group of architects, designers, contractors and owners recognize that Galaxy quality has no equal. It’s a unique position and one that literally took over 30-years to establish. There is no shortcut to get there, but it is a journey worth pursuing in establishing your place in the minds of your prospects and customers.

For example, since we consistently create new designs and unique glass products, we are constantly communicating these new designs and materials to the architectural and design community. We assist in design development with a specialized sales team and follow through with products of impeccable finish in exact match to specification. There is much that goes into our products and some secrets that add to the mystery.

Whether your business is that of a volume provider or custom purveyor, we all must contend with 'Value Engineering'. This is a process that challenges all of us and often compromises quality. In the absence of discernable features, price becomes the great equalizer. This 'Brand' is one dimensional … low price!

And, it is not the result of innovation, skill or proprietary process.

Whatever ball park you play in, bringing value to your brand is an end-to-end process. It’s all about how you treat your customers from first contact to final invoice and beyond.

Paul's note: This is the first in a series of blog postings from Eugene Negrin, founder and President of Galaxy Glass & Stone® in Fairfield, NJ, an industry leader in Architectural Decorative Glass. Eugene is becoming a regular member of our US Glass News blogging community. I have known Eugene since about 1980 and have seen his firm grow from a small glass shop, to a leader in the design community within the New York marketplace. Then he expanded to sell products around the country. If you see a high-end, high quality job, you can be sure it is on Eugene's radar screen. Future blogs will chronicle Eugene's perspectives on a range of issues important to glass industry professionals, specifiers, owners and contractors. I am personnaly very proud to have Eugene join our family.

Eugene welcomes feedback on any issue from serious business challenges to fishing and food, for which he is also most passionate. Contact him at enegrin@galaxycustom.com

You Need To Know This to Survive In The Glass Industry, Starting Now

2010-06-22T06:04:00.000-07:00

You have to know certain things to be in our industry: How to read a tape measure; the difference between silicone and putty, how to cut metal, wood and glass; how to talk to a customer and run a credit card charge; and so much more.

We have to add to this list. If you want to survive in the future, you must understand the energy values and measurements of glass. Well, actually, you don't have to, but then you must understand the values of your 401(k) and reverse mortgages to carry you through your retirement. Yes, it is this black and white...learn, understand and use glass as an energy savings product rather than an a product which is clear and keeps rain out, or get the rocking chair ready.

Let's start with some basic terms and give some examples of how the term is used.

SHADING COEFFICIENT. The ratio of the solar heat gain through a specific glass product to the solar heat gain through a lite of 1/8" (3mm) clear glass. 1/8" glass is given a value of 1.0. The reason to know this is that glass lets in heat through solar radiation, convection and conduction.(well explain those in a while) If a glass type lets in less heat than the standard 1/8", it has a better shading coefficient. A lower number, such as .5, is better. A lower shading coefficient reduces air conditioning load, which reduces energy costs and saves on construction expenses throughout a project or home.

Sounds easy, make the glass dark and thick, (graylite 14, reflective) and you get a low shading coefficient. But make it too dark and you use more electricity to light the building. Too many electric lights means more heat and then more a/c. You need to strike a balance. A lot of light and a low shading coefficient are the goal.

So our next term is: VISIBLE LIGHT TRANSMITTANCE, which is simply the percentage of light that is transmitted through glass. The more light the better. People and plants respond to light. Everyone wants an office or a room with light. Put up a brick or spandrel wall and you don't have to worry about shading coefficient or visible light transmittance. You do have to worry that no one will want to live or work there. A higher VLT number is better. It is expressed as a percentage. A .6 or .7 number is really great.

If you are comparing two types of glass you can use the above two numbers to see which is more energy efficient.

Our last definition for today is the concept of how heat flows through glass. There are three ways: 1) RADIATION--the direct passage of solar light or heat through the glass. 2) CONDUCTION--the heat that enters the glass, or framing, and is then transferred to the room. U-value is the main measuring of this process, and we'll talk about that next week. 3) CONVECTION--the heat that enters your glass or IG unit, heats the airspace or the glass itself, and then radiates into the room. The newest cooking ovens have convection heating because they are the most efficient in cooking your turkey. So a window or store front unit with good convection that allows a lot of heat in and then sends that heat to the room is a no-no. Filling a unit with argon gas helps reduce the convection.

The new sputter coated low-e products have extremely good numbers in both of these categories. Talk with your fabricators, go on line to PPG or Guardian or Pilkington and you will learn more. Just don't think you are going to survive in our industry if you sell clear units.

The trend today is as much light as possible with the least amount of solar heat gain.

The next step is NOT to underestimate Joe and Molly Consumer. They know these numbers. They read about them in the Sunday newspaper, they watch shows on the Discovery Channel, their kids learn this in school, and they study on the Internet before they make a purchase. Joe wants to spend less on oil and Molly wants sunshine for her plants. You have to please both of them to make the sale.

If you can't speak the lingo, they will not have the confidence in you to do the install in their home when they replace all their windows.

Inflation In The Razor Blade Industry, and What This Can Teach The Glass Industry

2010-06-13T15:22:00.000-07:00

Roughly fifteen to twenty years ago I bought my last package of razor blades. I don't shave too often, maybe once every other week, and then just at the edge of my face. I have had a full beard for over 30 years. I trim the beard and keep it neat, but that doesn't wear out razor blades. The last time I bought the blades, there were two blades on each cartridge, and there were ten cartridges on the cardboard packaging. The price was still there on the sticker, very faded, but readable at $2.19 for ten blades. Twenty two cents each.

Yesterday I bought a new razor and razor blades. Talk about sticker shock. I could understand the new razor handle. But the blades were now on a four-pack card for $17.99. $4.50 a blade. There were now five blades on the cartridge and a gel strip that promised I would love my shave. Twenty times more expensive than before. When I shaved, it felt OK, but twenty times better than when I shaved last month? After the shave there were no Victoria Secret Models running their hands over my smooth cheeks and I still couldn't throw a curve ball. Twenty times more?

I guess when Proctor & Gamble bought Gillette for $57 Billion in 2005 they knew they had a winner.

If we all say let's double our prices tomorrow, that would be illegal. But we are selling glass cheaper today than we did fifteen years ago. Why? Because supply exceeds demand. Because we don't fully promote the benefits of our new glass products. Glass today is different than fifteen years ago, but we don't tell this to our customers.

OK glass industry...read up. We have to continue to improve what we do. We can't fight technology and change. We can't do things like it is a two-blade world when five blades rule the roost. We have to accept that coated glass, hard or soft-coat is the future. We have to accept that industry and/or government standards will apply to all windows and glazing. We have to accept looking through a window is not as important as the heat and light flow through that window.

If you are not able to tell a customer about 'U' values and solar transmission, you have two choices--learn or plan your retirement.

Fortunately for you, I know a little bit about both. Over the next couple of weeks I will write some posts about both of these topics. I used to know all about glass, and I now know about retirement. Both have valuable lessons.

Stay tuned.

The Blog from 9306 Miles Away

2010-06-08T05:58:00.000-07:00

If this headline doesn't pique your interest, you need to spend more time unwinding...and cut down on your caffeine. Read on. A couple of weeks back I asked for volunteer bloggers to send me a column. I have received many. The following blog is from Ian Barker of Christchurch, New Zealand. I will tell you more about Ian and his connection to our glass industry after you read his column. I know you will put this one up on your bulletin board.

A few weeks ago I was fortunate to do my first ever skydiving jump with my brother. Its a sport where you are dependent on others for your safety, and trust is paramount.

At the after function I met one of my brothers friends, a 28 year old women who recently competed in a four way team (4 skydivers) at the nationals. Just prior to the event she hurt her right shoulder so badly she was unable to pull her parachute ripcord. Her gear was changed to a left hand ripcord pull and they continued their training and entered the tournament. During the tournament she hurt her left shoulder in a similar way which meant she was unable to pull her parachute ripcord with either hand. Not wanting to let the team down, she agreed to do the 4 way jumps, complete all the formational work, then wait for one of her team mates to pull her ripcord for her.

How's that for trust and team work!

I'm fortunate that I get to see how a lot of different glass companies operate. The glass companies with the best teams tend to be the most successful. The companies with employees who show a "skydiving" commitment to support their work team and get the job done are few and far between, and mostly the business owners.

Why is it that most young people are more committed to their sport, friends, families and personal interests than they are to the companies which employ them? As a young employee 20 years ago I was as passionate and proud of my employers results as I was of my own results within the company. I worked extra hard for the good of the company, and if I needed to, I would take risks. I trusted my team mates to pull my work ripcord, just as they did of me. Together we celebrated some wonderful successes.

Now as a father I see my kids and their friends becoming increasingly self obsessed, less trustful of their friends, and being less "team" oriented than I was at their age. Young glass industry employees often have these same traits.

Looking forward I wonder with some concern who the glass industry leaders will be in the years ahead. In my generation there is a glut of us all fighting for the roles and success. Today’s youngsters with that same fighting spirit may find the path an easier walk, to the detriment of their personal development and the economy. Talks with youngsters about these issues fall on deaf ears.

One ray of hope is a young man who has befriended me. He can see and appreciate the bonds I have with some close friends and work colleagues and wants this for his life. I've unwittingly become a role model. Perhaps some of the issues of the younger generation can be linked to the inability of my generation to sell ourselves as role models for the youngsters.

So, the challenge I put to you is to find a keen youngster and instill in them the virtues that my generation has learnt but poorly passed on. Those of team work, trust, and the pleasure that can come from a motivated work team. Tell the skydiving story and offer to pull the youngsters work ripcord for them. See where that leads you .....

Great thoughts, thank you Ian.

Ian works as a Director of The Glass Racking Company, www.theglassrackingcompany.com, a manufacturer of handling and processing equipment for the glass industry. Check out their web site. It's cool.