Kenny Chapman
Contributing Writer
Blue Collar Success Group
ShuBee® welcomes Kenny Chapman,The Blue Collar Coach, author of the influential book The Six Dimensions of C.H.A.N.G.E, and owner of Peterson Plumbing Heating & Cooling. Kenny is an entrepreneur who is on a mission to help businesses in the contracting and home service industries create the life and business they deserve. Kenny has created a business that serves his life and as a remote owner he travels the world helping others do the same. “Your life should not be about serving your business” says Chapman, but rather about creating a business you love and that will help you live the life you want. Chapman has developed an extensive library of training resources for businesses to help leaders and their employees drive business results. Kenny was named one of America’s Premier Experts for 2011. He has been seen on ABC, NBC, CBS and FOX, as well as featured in USA Today.
I was in Phoenix a couple of weeks ago to attend a mastermind meeting of fellow progressive business owners, and I figured that while I was there I might as well see if there are any baseball Spring Training games going on. As some of you know, I’m a San Diego Padres fan (which isn’t the easiest thing, given their current situation) and it turned out that they were playing the Kansas City Royals while we were in town. So, my lovely wife Christy and I drove out to Peoria, AZ to watch the game and bask in the sunny, 75-degree weather. We had a great time and the Padres actually ended up winning the game, but it got me thinking: What are we doing for Spring Training in our businesses?
The purpose of baseball Spring Training is twofold: it allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives current players time to practice before the start of competitive play. The key concept here is simply that “it gives players time to practice.” Isn’t this why we train our technicians, too? It gives them the confidence, knowledge and practice so that when it really matters, they are prepared to perform at the best of their ability. Our techs need to practice before they are in front of our customers so that their sales skills are sharp and they know how to respond during every customer interaction. It’s also crucial for our newer team members to practice alongside longer-term techs to understand key skills and build rapport within their team.
This spring, take some focused time to do Spring Training of your own. It will sharpen your team, which in turn will help you become even more profitable. Here are some key reasons to do some Spring Training in your business:
Repetition – Create positive sales habits. Follow up on training topics during your meetings, and revisit topics that team members consistently struggle with.
Preparation – Make sure your techs are ready for different customer situations. Do some role-play exercises focused on specific sales scenarios.
Skill building – Focus on training topics that you have noticed are weaknesses within your team. Use my monthly tech training videos to help your do this; check out videos like “4 Types of Objections,” “The Power of Because,” or “The Six C’s of Delivering Options.”
Team building – When your techs work together as a team to solve problems and practice their skills, they become stronger as group. As they go through training exercises together, they grow together.
The baseball players attending Spring Training not only improve their personal skills through focused practice, but also help to prepare their teams to generate the best record possible. When team members are all playing at their best individually, they produce an exceptional team. Are you ready for your Spring Training?
Spring Training generates quite a bit of revenue for the Phoenix area: more than $300 million per year (according to the Arizona Republic). That’s a huge amount, but I do know that with some impactful Spring Training of your own, you will be able to ensure that your techs are prepared to bring their personal best to your team and to every customer interaction.
-Kenny Chapman
Learn more at www.thebluecollarsuccessgroup.com