Finding Time to Run A Glass Business

At last week's Grand Rapids trade show, during my presentation on working with your glass vendors, I discussed one piece of a road map. "Take time ahead of an annual meeting with your key vendor to study what you are buying, talk to your receiving department, the finance department and your sales group. There are basic questions to see if your vendor is treating you well. (These points were discussed at the seminar, and are free to our readers, just drop me an e-mail at paulbaseball@msn.com).

The actual vendor meeting should be about an hour long, and the prep time should be 4 to 5 hours.

A hand rose up from the back, (there were actually people sitting in back AND front), and Patti Lampl, an industry consultant specializing in personnel in the glass industry, asked the Chevrolet question of the day. "If this set-up, the actual meeting, and the follow through take up about ten hours, and you work with multiple vendors, you then loose a lot of time to actually do the work!"

I was silent for a few seconds, and the only answer I could give her was a one syllable phrase "YES". Someone in the audience blurted out, sure If we do all this purchasing by the book, then we won't have time to sell.

One of the toughest decisions any manager/owner has to make is how to use his/her time. And yes, emergencies can arise, snow and high winds change every body's plans, but let's set a starting point with time.

Here is an agenda for a single owner, 4-6 installers, 1 shop person, a bookkeeper and and counter person.

The owner should spend 50% of his/her time directly with customers, getting new work, confirming work, following up at job-sites where you already have work. 10% hiring and training workers. If you have low-turnover, they your training should be top notch! 10% running the business of the glass business, working with vendors, the phone company, meetings with your insurance advisor,etc. The last usable 10% should be working to grow the business for the future. This includes attending trade shows, learning from your peers, studying trade magazines and web sites.

I would place the purchasing annual meeting in this zone of life. What can you and the partnership of your vendor be doing in the future. If the meeting is just who's got the lowest price...take a step back. Remember, your key vendor is the one that has your philosophies and if needed, you would be glad to work there. You may have two or three key vendors, one for auto glass, one for aluminum and one for flat glass. This 10% cut of time isn't for today's problems, it focuses on next month opportunities.

The last 10% is time for you and your family. A week or two of vacation, and a couple of days here and there for you to learn, attending trade shows, getting in-depth tour of a vendor's facility. (how many have actually seen glass made at a floater)? Maybe a two-day course in how to use a computer to help you make your shower door drawings.

Everyone in business has a struggle in filling their time usage dance-card. I strongly recommend that you do create and actively use your time to learn from and work with your vendors.

Some thoughts from Glass Expo in Grand Rapids

Greetings from Grand Rapids, Michigan. I feel like a foreign correspondent reporting back home. It is always exciting to be at a glass trade show, in any part of the country. I just have a few minutes, and I want to pass on one key observation.

Glass shop owners and glass industry leaders are here asking and answering questions of each other. I overheard a fabricator asking a customer how could he improve his service, and I observed shop owners getting information on new products.

The point is, people here are learning how to improve their businesses and our industry. And, these people are our current and future leaders. People who want to learn make time to do it. They budget precious dollars to get this learning experience. And they profit by it.

You don't have to travel to Grand Rapids; you don't have to spend money. Dealers associations work hard to disseminate information. Magazines publish articles that will inform you in the various segments of our industry. All you have to do is be committed to learn, invest your time in teaching yourself, and then teach your company.

So, do you budget time and money to learn? Trust me, it is worth it.

Sexual Harassment in the Workplace

A few minutes ago I read a news-break update that Isiah Thomas and the New York Knicks Basketball Club have been found guilty of sexual harassment in the offices.

Wait a minute you say, a professional basketball organization is involved with locker-room humor and men traveling around the country. Certainly this is acknowledged in this environment. The 'wrong' buzzer is squealing now in the background. Sexual harassment can and does happen everywhere in business, there are no places where it is acceptable under current law and custom.

An off-color joke can be considered harassment. Certainly any touching, and direct sexual overtures are way over the line. Hanging a pin-up calendar can be grounds enough for an employee to file a complaint.

Here's what you do. As soon as possible, write a statement that should go in your employee manual stating that your company frowns on any sort of sexual harassment. Appoint a senior level person, or the owner, to receive all complaints regarding harassment. Have a meeting with the whole company explaining that you do not tolerate sexual harassment, and that anyone who feels they have been harassed, or made to feel uncomfortable, should speak with the appointed listener. This listener should immediately investigate any claim, report back to ownership, and then together, meet with and counsel the offending party, if you find there is one. Explain that one person did find the behavior offensive, and counsel the offender on what not to do in the future. Go back to the complainant and explain that you have indeed counseled all involved, and any further complaint will be taken more seriously.

If a second complaint comes in, you really have to talk with the offender. It doesn't matter that they think it was innocent or cute. A letter of reprimand needs to go in the personnel file, and probably a suspension for a day or two, without pay, will get every one's attention. A third valid complaint should cause dismissal.

If you just laugh this away, it will come back to bite you. No questions asked. Your company can be liable for big bucks, as well as you individually if you do not create effective action to stop the harassment.

I had an interesting case a couple of years back, where one male supervisor said something like 'C'mon girls, let's load this cart'. Of course, all the loaders were men, a few of Hispanic background, where calling a man a girl is extremely offensive. This employee filed a complaint with the state Equal Opportunity Employment Commission, there was an investigation, which said that our supervisor was indeed saying an offensive comment. To make a long story short, we paid a $5,000 fine, in this male-to-male conversation. The moral of this story is that you have to be careful, always, in what you say in the workplace.

Any questions? Drop me an e-mail at paulbaseball@msn.com and I can send you a one-page sexual harassment statement to go into your employee manual.

Preparing an Emergency Book

One of the most important tools for any company, in any industry, is to have an emergency procedures book. It doesn't have to be fancy, just a simple binder will do. But, it will be the most important book you have when an emergency comes up.

Yes, it will happen to you. No one is immune. Whether a lightening strike, or a vehicle accident, it will happen.

The book should list:

• Owner's home phone, cell phone; owner's spouse cell phone; and the phone numbers of owner's family
• Key employee's home and cell numbers
• Phone numbers for police, fire and ambulance (if not 911) and the non-emergency number for each group
• Closest hospitals main numbers, emergency room numbers
• Phone numbers for electric, gas, water, and oil heat companies for emergency shut-off; also the numbers for emergency service and information on service interruption
• Your local sewer authority for back-ups in the system; or the cesspool servicing firm
• An environmental spill containment firm; a pre-set company on this issue will save you a bundle
• Your insurance agent, who you should call after the emergency is under control; your worker's comp insurance carrier if this is an injury to an employee
• Your lawyer; if the emergency involves injury to a non-employee, your lawyer and your insurance agent have to get into this quickly
• If you a union company, the phone numbers for the business agent and leadership of the local you deal with
• A garbage clean-up and hauling company for when you drop a load of glass on the side of a road.
• Phone numbers, office, cell, and home for: electrician, plumber, heat and air-conditioning
• Your phone carrier and your local service company that handles your phone sets and wiring
• The computer company that set up your office network
• A restoration company that can come in to mitigate smoke and water damage
• Here is an odd one--if you need to keep something cold, such as PVB, vinyl, for making laminated glass, a dry ice delivery company
• A crane repair company
• A tow truck for your fleet; and a mobile tire fixer that can go to a location where your truck is down
• The body shop you want a down vehicle to go to
• A repair company for your fork-lift
• The central station number and the installer's number for your burglar and fire alarm system
• Your locksmith to help you seal your building, or to gain access where needed
• The number for a public relations or advertising agency that you have worked with; in a serious accident you need a predetermined list of who can talk to media and what their limitations are
• The dispatcher's of your main vendors, if you have to delay or reroute shipments that are on the way to you
• Your bank, if you have to stop checks that may be stolen or lost credit cards, or who you can turn to for an emergency loan
• Your landlord, if you rent
• If you own and have tenants in part of the space, their key people phone numbers

This will take a winter weekend to put together. If you have multiple locations, create a list for each location. Update the book once or maybe twice a year. Keep a copy by your work desk, at your home, and tucked into the trunk of your car. If you travel, stick the phone lists in your suitcase. Emergencies only happen when you are in far-away places.

Hiring for the Ethnic Marketplace

The ethnic marketplace is growing in the United States. Glass use is cross-cultural, in that people of all cultures need glass replaced. Don't confuse economic class with cultural class. Poor people of any culture wont buy a new frameless shower, but middle and upper class in every culture are customers for heavy glass.

You goal is to make it as easy as possible for every culture to buy at your shop. It is a basic law of business that customers will buy from a company that they feel comfortable with. In your approach to selling in the ethnic marketplace, the first step is to have a counter or salesperson be fluently bi-lingual in the target language and English. The next time you hire, make this a requirement for hiring. You will pay more for a bi-lingual person, but it should prove to be worth it.

Oh, a detail...How do you hire someone who is bilingual? You state your need in your help-wanted ad. If this doesn't bring in the right candidates here are the back-door ways to hire.

• If the target market is big enough for you to want to sell into, there will usually be a newspaper in that language. Place your help-wanted here.

• First and second generation ethnic groups in America have the highest percentage of religious affiliation of any group. Find the church or temple, make an appointment to meet with the leader. Explain that you wish to hire someone with language skills. Every leader I ever contacted was brimming with ideas and candidates. They know who needs a job, know who can do a job, and who has the desire to work hard. This was my best source of hiring of dual-language speakers.

• Contact the state or county employment center. Explain fully what you need. In some areas, State referral systems often have a rule requiring that every applicant be sent to you, and the employment counselors can't prescreen. Even if this is the case, it is worth it. Spend a day on short interviews and bring back serious candidates for second interviews. PS, never hire someone without a second interview. Try to make the second interview at the same time as the start of the shift they could be hired for. If they can't get out of bed for an interview, they surely won't make it for a daily job.

• There may be a city council member who is of the ethnic group you want. Contact their office and you will get a couple of candidates. Politicians love this kind of phone call and will almost always come through for you.

The most important advice is: Don't forget you are in the glass business. Your first criterion in hiring is: Can the person serve your customers with your products? Hire someone that is trainable in glass, or has some construction related experience. Maybe a strong background in retail will be most important if you have the capability to teach the glass business.

Cross-Cultural Selling

Everyone in business wants this...an easy path to selling more of whatever we sell; probably glass if you are reading this blog. The United States is the world's largest (and BEST) melting pot. We have hundreds of cultures living in peace and harmony. How you can tap into this cultural sales market...read on.

First a true story. My paternal Grandfather came here from Hungary about 1905. He saw the Statue of Liberty and New York City, and immediately traveled to Trenton, NJ, which had a small enclave of Hungarian immigrants. After all, you wanted to live and work with people you could understand and who might be a cousin, or a friend of a friend. And this is how blocks of a city became an enclave of people from one country.

Part of this is related to the point of entry, Europeans huddled on the east coast, and Asians on the west coast. Some groups traveled to the mid west, like the Polish community of Chicago. And recently, the American South and South West are experiencing a strong influx of Hispanics.

Now, the assumption is you are in business. Also, that business comes before politics. If you believe in English only, click through and go somewhere else on the web. If you want to sell your products or services in a multi-cultural environment...keep reading.

First, decide which culture you want to sell to. In many towns, there may be Spanish speakers, and a large Asian population. Pick one; don't try to do more than one culture at a time. Make your decision on which culture's economy needs your service. Are the residents young or old? Are they working in physical or intellectual work? Are they home-owners or renters? Don't play politics...pick the one with the money to spend on glass and mirror work.

You may or may not have the language skills, but you don't need them! Most advertising companies will translate an ad for you. The phone books companies will do this for free because most big cities offer dual language phone books.

Your chamber of commerce may offer free translations of fliers or sales literature. Contact the Spanish Department at your local high school. Ask if they do translations...many do for free! There are numerous agencies that do this for a fee, but with a little bit of homework, you will get this done for free.

There are hundreds of AM radio stations broadcasting in Spanish who all offer free translation and help with properly understanding the ethnic marketplace.

Look at your present workforce. Is anyone a member of the ethnic group you want to sell to? Talk to him/her, find out where they live, how they spend their money...in a Latino environment, or in the general environment. In studies I have read, most first and second generation immigrants prefer to spend money within their ethnic group, and most third generation families spend in the full local economy. Ask him/her what magazines they read? Is there a local newspaper that serves the community?

In advertising, put translated ads in posters or billboards in the community. Allow for differences in style. If you have had success with a picture of a large home that you have replaced glass in, consider that your new audience may live only in the inner city, and may be renovating smaller apartments. A home owner will want a bathroom wall mirrored, but an apartment owner will want framed mirrors they can take with them.

If the ethnic group you target own homes, read about what styles are popular in that group. Just type in 'ethnic magazines' or 'Spanish magazines' in Google, and hundreds of titles appear for you to brows through. Go the closest public library to the area you want to sell into. You will see local publications and advertising that will give you ideas.

This has been the easy part, next week we will discuss hiring practices that will work...and will ensure that you hire the correct employees for the marketplace.

Why the Glass Industry is Better Than Baseball

Ouch, this headline a hard statement to make, especially to me. Here is how I came to this mind-numbing conclusion.

Every morning I go to Mets.com to read up on my boys loss or win on the previous day. Fortunately, this year we have more wins than losses. Living in New England now, my second stop is Red Sox.com, which is is also an exciting and rewarding visit this year. But then I look at second place, and while they teams are almost as good, they aren't in first place. There is a decided difference between being in first or second place. It means more money, more fame, and helps to keep building the ball club. Second place means you are trying to rebuild for next year. Or maybe by trading away top prospects, you can gain one over-the-hill veteran to help make the September stretch drive.

Being in third place or lower usually means you are less than .500 in games won, so you are in the bottom half.

Baseball games also lend this, you are a winner or a looser, there is no middle ground. Each day, you either win, or lose. Winning is better.

How does this relate to the glass industry? I just finished reading about the survey from INC Magazine, listing the top 5,000 growth businesses in the country. AEE Solar of Redway, CA, led the glass industry listings with 846% growth in three years. Next was GT Solar, of Merrimack, NH, with an 801% growth. Third place is Smart Building Systems of Fort Myers, FL, with a 322% growth.

Now this third place is not too shabby!

There are shades of winning and loosing in the glass industry. Having the 10Th largest glass shop in the New York area is huge. There are over 1,000 glass shops in metropolitan New York. I bet the first 700 make money and support their owners quite nicely. Can you imagine if there were 700 major league teams, all with weak pitching? With thirty teams spread across 2 leagues and three divisions each, there can only be six winners in baseball.

In the league of the New York Glass Industry, probably nine hundred out of a thousand are winners. It's a lot better to deal with these nine hundred than pulling for the second place Yankees. In sports it is first or worst, with very little middle ground. Glass is easier. We can all be winners.
(To read more about Inc's list, go to http://www.inc.com/inc5000/)