Seven Success Strategies for 2017

Seven Success Strategies for 2017

Jeff McLanahan
Contributing Writer
Direct Energy

With the new year upon us, there is no better time than now to set your business up for success in the coming year.  Here are seven strategies to set you and your business up for SUCCESS in 2017.

1. Know what a good employee looks like.

Would everyone in a leadership position in your business select the same person to hire if presented with the same three candidates?  Even if they did, would it be the best choice for your business?  If your answer is no, you are hiring below your company standards.  Everyone responsible for interviewing and/or hiring for your business needs to be taught the proper process for making the hiring decision.  Then, when the right hiring decision has been made, make sure that everyone knows how to keep them motivated, engaged and having some fun.  Success Academy makes this easier by providing impactful training that will help make your employees become the “best of the best.”  And, when you have the best people in the business working for you, you are assured that the best people are not working against you.

2. Identify and then eliminate obstacles.

This begins by conducting a review of your entire operation.  Thoroughly assess all of your systems, processes and procedures: recruiting, selection, onboarding, training, etc.  Are any of your goals from the prior year still incomplete?  What goals did you fall short of meeting and why – be specific? Be sure to check with your employees about what is working and what isn’t working as they are sometimes closer to the barriers than you are.  Don’t forget to assess your teams also.  Are your employees learning and growing?  If not, why?  Your employees are the only company assets that appreciate in value; most everything else depreciates.  Once you have completed the assessment and taken action, begin conducting regular assessments to ensure you stay on track.

3. Demand the best from your employees and deliver the best.

Be responsible for providing your employees with continuous opportunities to learn and grow.  The key word here is “continuous.”  Training is not a one-time event, it is a continuous process.  Many employees under-learn and over-forget.  Employees need to attend refresher training at regular intervals.  Managers need to build a culture of training by attending the training alongside their employees and then conducting follow up regularly thereafter.  As little as 20 minutes a day can help employees develop habits that will make both them and the business more successful.  Build the strength and performance of your company by increasing the frequency of training.

4. Create BIG ideas with SMALL practices.

In addition to training courses such as those provided by Direct Energy’s Success Academy, encourage your managers and employees to take advantage of low or no-cost learning opportunities and then share what they learned with the team.  These can be articles in trade magazines, e-zines such as Shubee, podcasts, or even reading popular books.  During your daily training events, ask selected employees to share something that they learned from a customer the previous day.  This “sharing of knowledge” helps make everyone better.

5. Hold your employees accountable and be accountable yourself.

Leaders always say they will do this, but few rarely do it.  One reason for this may be the feeling that holding others accountable could expose their own shortcomings.  The problem is that this lack of accountability eventually leads to substandard teams, missed goals, lots of blame and the promise to “try harder” next time.  Holding everyone accountable, including yourself will create an atmosphere where low performance is not an option.

6. Become a 21st century talent scout.

You need to go where Generation Next lives – online – to find your future employees.  It will be at Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn that you can recruit these employees.  Become a part of the conversations taking place on these sites.  Tout and demonstrate your company standards like straightforward pricing, quality service, providing peace of mind and having fun not only to your customers as consumers but also customers as potential employees.

7. Improve your level of service by managing the customer experience.

Create a customer journey map and look at each customer contact point from their perspective.  Invest in improving the customer service skills of your customer-facing employees such as call takers.  This is the initial contact point and could be the difference in a potential customer and a new customer.  Another major contact point is at the customer’s door.  This may be the first and only time that the customer actually sees a representative of your company.  Role play these interactions on a daily basis.  Remember, you only get one chance to make a first impression.  Be sure to focus as much on keeping and growing existing customers as you are on getting new ones.

Former CEO of General Electric Jack Welch said, “Continuous learning drives everyone to find a better way, every day.”  Training is not an expense, it is an investment!

Thanks for making learning and development a priority!

 

Jeff McLanahan is a seasoned training executive with more than 20 years of proven success with some of the most well-known and highly respected franchise brands.  In June 2013, Jeff joined Direct Energy Home Services as the Vice President of Training for Success Academy, the exclusive training partner for the Direct Energy Home Services branded businesses including One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning, Benjamin Franklin – The Punctual Plumber, and Mister Sparky – America’s On Time Electrician. Success Academy, supporting the home services brands of Direct Energy.  In August 2016, Jeff accepted the role of Head of Learning & Development, North America, and now leads all training functions within Direct Energy in North America.