Enough said.

Information produces knowledge and knowledge is power. And, it is my observation that many City/Regions and managers are not fully utilizing the information available through published resources such as DataFax, city, state and government websites, ABC databases, etc. to best build their business. I guarantee you that a few minutes of your time invested in understanding the information available from these resources, and how to use it, will lead to increased opportunities and sales. Here are two immediate ways to use these resources to help grow your income!

1) Use DataFax or Another Published Resource Before Any and All Sales Activities
Proper preparation and up-to-date client knowledge are keys to successful sales results. Prior to any and all sales calls or client visits, take a few minutes and run a quick DataFax scan for current project activity within the client’s firm. This scan is easy and fast to run, and the information you receive will best prepare you for your sales/client call. For those that do not have access to these reports, a manager or other staff member can pull specific clients or projects for use in preparing for these calls.

2) Set Up and Perform Routine Report Scans for Your Best Clients/Prospects
Many of you think you are aware of all of the development or construction activity that your best clients and prospects are involved with. Based on recent visits and discussions with managers in several City/Regions, this isn’t reality. I strongly believe that much “low hanging fruit” (potential projects) exists within your current client base that you just don’t know about.

It is simple to routinely search these resources for new project opportunities or activities for your best or most important clients. This scan can be run weekly to see if any new projects are identified in pre-planning or planning within your client’s firm. If you see a new project or one that you weren’t aware of, you can make an immediate call or visit to your client and ask for the job!
- Ricky

At Aquaterra, we took on these two words “Exceed Expectations” as our mantra last year. Notice the use of the phrase; we left off the “ing” from exceed. That is the difference between satisfaction and challenge. You see, if we begin to think that we are exceeding expectations, then we are simply satisfied with ourselves and we are, perhaps, overconfident. In reality, how can one continuously exceed expectations?

To use a simple example, let’s go to a basketball game (March Madness is upon us). My daughter, Randi has had a wonderful senior year in girls’ high school basketball, and watching her play has been a joy. I always expect that she will play well. If I expect that Randi will score, say, 10 points in the basketball game, and she gets 11, well, she exceeded my expectations. However, next week, buoyed by her recent success, I expect that she will get 10 points again, maybe even 11 or 12! It will catch up with us at some point.

That is why the term “exceed expectations” is a wonderful challenge to us as a firm. As management, we look at ourselves and ask that we exceed the expectations of our employees when it comes to appreciation and compensation for good work performed, feedback for improvement opportunities, and establishment of an environment for individual success. As employees we are challenged to exceed the expectations of management when it comes to accomplishing a defined task, working safely, adhering to company policies and regulatory mandates, etc. As a firm we want to exceed the expectations of our clients as we complete a work scope on time, within budget and with meaningful results. We want to exceed the expectations of our vendors, the general public, and the regulatory community that we often work with.

Obviously this challenge is impossible to achieve with 100% perfection, but it is an excellent rally cry. Just yesterday, in addressing a continued inattention to regulatory requirements, I found myself raising the “exceed expectations” banner to expose the contrast in what we are doing to what we want to do. This term has been tossed back to me on more than one occasion when someone was pointing out an inadequacy of management in some form.

My point is, we will use the phrase as a challenge to us to do our very best. When we do, in fact, exceed expectations, we have met a well defined, but simple, challenge. When we don’t, we can use this phrase as a reminder of our commitment to each other.

Without a doubt, one of the best life books out there is the classic How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. Dale Carnegie created an institute around this book and thousands of people every year are trained to the Dale Carnegie Course: Effective Communications & Human Relations. It’s a great book and a fairly short read. I’ve made a pact with myself that I’m going to read this every year (or listen to audio). I’m going to try to summarize portions of the book and reflect on the philosophy in several posts. Here’s the first.

Fundamental Techniques in Handling People
Principle 1 - Don’t criticize, condemn or complain.
Principle 2 - Give honest and sincere appreciation.
Principle 3 - Arouse in the other person an eager want.

Well, these are pretty simple principles. Let’s explore.

Principle 1 - Don’t criticize, condemn or complain. This one should be easy. Our momma’s taught us this early. “If you don’t have something nice to say about someone, don’t say anything at all.” Now do it! It provides absolutely no benefit to anyone to talk about someone else or trash them to other people. This includes friends, family, coworkers, companies, governments, and on and on.

Principle 2 - Give honest and sincere appreciation. See momma’s quote for Principle 1. We all need to reach far within and genuinely be appreciative of other folks. And I mean all folks. People are like the animal kingdom. God put every one of us here on purpose according to his plan. It may be difficult to appreciate snakes or flies or fireants, but they have a purpose. Be appreciative and show it daily. Make it your practice to give someone a genuine complement daily.

Principle 3 - Arouse in the other person an eager want. Hmmm, this one’s more difficult. The best way to do this is to allow the other person (the perspective client) to do most of the talking. Allow them opportunity to talk and develope the idea of purchase such that they feel the idea to purchase is their own. If you talk all the time and not let the client get a word in edgewise, all they’ll be thinking about is — when is this guy going to leave. So really, it’s the salespersons job to praise and reinforce the clients decision to buy. To quote Carnegie, “Self expression is the dominant necessity of human nature. When we have a brilliant idea, instead of making others think it is ours, let them stir the idea themselves, they will the regard it as their own and they will like it, and maybe eat a couple helpings of it.”

In addition, I’ll add that one of the greatest ways to arouse want, is to show passion toward a topic. Think for a minute of great speakers that drove you to want to act. Did they show passion? I’ll bet so!

I got a “request for quotation” the other day from a purchasing agent. The project that we were to “quote on” was a geotechnical investigation for a large new structure that covered an area of about 5 acres, so it was no small job. The RFQ had a boring plan that included the location, number and depth of borings. It required the “testing and inspection firm” to perform the standard laboratory tests necessary to evaluate the site and to perform the necessary engineering analyses to recommend foundation options, fill recommendations, paving designs, etc. The document had a big line in the “bid form” for a lump sum price with additional line items to provide a unit price per foot for additional borings. The interesting thing about the work scope was, and I’ve seen this many times before, the scope had several specific issues where one could tell that the purchasing agent had been burned on in the past, with a short-cut interpretation of vague specifications, and he wasn’t about to let that happen again.

I wondered if this guy would put a set of symptoms for a serious illness that he is experiencing out to 3 medical inspection and testing firms in order to solicit the lowest bid to develop a diagnosis and a cure? Witch doctors work cheap, after all, why waste money.

I wanted to tell him that he can’t write a specification for a geotechnical investigation that cannot be distorted to minimize costs. What can we do as a professional geotechnical engineers to convince our potential clients that we are not providing test results, but we are providing design recommendations based upon test results, education, experience and professional judgment?

Here is what I did. I said:
We would encourage the client to solicit geotechnical engineering services as a professional service, and not as a line item bid service, which, inherently reflects solicitation of the lowest price to provide a rote service. The use of a bid form to submit competitive pricing for a geotechnical assignment is inimical to good engineering design practice. The geotechnical engineering aspects of projects of this nature are a fundamental part of the design effort. By law, the work must be performed by a professional engineer who is registered in the State to provide professional engineering services. The primary obligation of a professional engineer is to protect the safety, health, property and welfare of the public. Therefore, to perform excessive or insufficient testing would violate the ethical responsibilities of the engineer. The geotechnical engineer should establish a work scope for the number, type and depth of borings and the sampling and testing methods, because he/she is the only qualified professional to develop the scope. A geotechnical investigation scope defined by an architect, structural engineer or purchasing agent loses the inherent ability to understand and address specific aspects of the geotechnical investigation. Our review of the work scope developed for this project indicates an evolution of prior, inadequate work scopes developed for low bid solicitations, ultimately resulting in the client having to spend additional funds to resolve inherent inadequacies of the resulting work product.

I don’t know if it did any good, but at least I told them what they need to know.

Vic

Well, we have gotten January behind us, and I am glad. The cold and wet conditions seemed to persist with a vengeance. Because we are a company that is so heavily engaged in construction and field-related work, the weather conditions that we experienced in January can always be a time when we have a poor month. These conditions did not create bad financial results for us, however. Why are our numbers so encouraging, in spite of the seasonally slow time and the unusually wet conditions? (pause for effect). Well I came up with five points of success for this good news.

1. Hard Work
First and foremost. We work hard. As a professional and technical service business firm we can only make money on the service that we provide. This month some of us drilled soil borings, some monitored the construction of a concrete foundation, some produced elaborate design drawings, others made recommendations based on engineering calculations, some of us worked on producing reports and graphics to communicate our work to clients, and others developed invoices and associated financial reports for our work. All of these efforts are services. Some of us serve our client directly; others serve other employees. Commitment to our vision shows. We say that we want to provide superior service. In many areas, we do. I know that we have men and women who are dedicated to their occupation. I have watched this first-hand just this week. I have seen the efforts of many of our people in various offices, and I know that we have the “right stuff”. Hard work is the key to success in a service company. That is no secret, but it deserves our attention. We should be disciplined to work hard for our pay. Our company and our fellow employees deserve it, and it will take us to greater success.

2. Good Reputation.
We are enjoying the benefits of a good reputation. Our client base in February 2007 is significantly greater than it was in February 2006. We tend to keep our clients loyal and then gain more. With that good thing going, we can’t help but have the good news that I shared about January.
We have added very good staff to our strong employee base. We can add good staff because our reputation attracts those who want to work for a company like Aquaterra. Many of our new employees are developing their own reputation within Aquaterra for service to clients. Thank you for that.

3. Good Investments.
We are reaping the benefits of our investments over the past few years. New drill rigs, survey equipment, laboratory equipment, dependable transportation, computers and software are doing their part to enhance our revenue and profitability. We have absolutely no problem buying new tools that will help us work smarter and more efficiently.

4. Systems.
We have systems in place to help us work efficiently. A few minutes ago, I was reviewing the schedules posted for our drilling teams, and thinking about how well this can communicate to us all with very little effort. This is one example of systems that make us work more effectively. This week we have taken the initial steps to activate a comprehensive new management software tool for the entire company. This will force more systems and policies to help us work more efficiently.

5. Leadership
We have leaders who passionately pursue the goals set in our vision statement. Our leaders work selflessly to help us plan for the success, and them to implement the success that we enjoy. Egos and unbridled pride are non-existent. Conflict is resolved quickly because of the team spirit and understanding of the big picture. By leadership I am not just referring to the people that are near the top of the organization chart. Any company has leaders throughout the ranks, and Aquaterra is no exception.
Lest you see the observations above as bravado, I want to be quick to point out that obvious exceptions can be found within Aquaterra to any of the five points of success. We have a lot to work on, but we have a good platform to work from in these areas. It was Abraham Lincoln who told us: “Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle”.

Vic

You see, even the biggest and the best make mistakes every now and then.

Well, do you?

Fellow Aquaterraians,

Recently Aquaterra experienced the reality of an employee being placed on Long-Term disability due to a serious accident while away from work.  This could happen to any of us. 

Our disability policy is such that an employee’s pay is reduced to 60% of normal salary.  On a personal level there are considerable out-of pocket expenses and uncertainties about timing of returning to work.  The 60% pay reduction is standard in our industry for Short and Long Term Disability.

Life is no game, it is filled with realities.  But, the concept of holding the rope for your peer is consistent with what we want to do for each other at Aquaterra.  Therefore, we have attached an SOP for the concept of PTO donation to others who have encountered hardship.

Wow!  The above text is from a memorandum transmitted to our employees from our HR Manager.  This “Hold the Rope” program was driven by an overwhelming reaction of our employees wanting to assist another employee through a tough time.  I have to tell you that I am truly thankful to be part of a management team leading a group of employees with this much heart and caring for other human beings.  It is truly inspirational.  Maybe other companies do this but I have never been a part of one that did.  This policy is dead on.  We, as human beings, need to hold the rope for our fellow human beings.  It’s a shame that in these times of internet phishing, begging scams, fund raising scams, and people constantly trying to take advantage of us in one form or another, that we often become desensitized to the need of many people, until the need comes home to us in one form or another.  Thank you for allowing me to be part of an organization full of awesome human beings.

YOUR BEST PROSPECTS ARE YOUR CURRENT CLIENTS
Looking for new prospects or more sales? Aren’t we all! It is my observation that many City/Regions have lots of immediate opportunities that just aren’t being recognized. Where are these opportunities . . . with your current clients! Your current clients should offer the following:

1) They know you.
2) They like you.
3) You have established a relationship and rapport.
4) They have confidence and trust in Aquaterra, and respect you.
5) You have a history of providing on time delivery and satisfaction.
6) They routinely use your services and will act as a reference.
7) They will return your calls and emails.
They are receptive to your visits and service offerings.
9) They are your friend and not just a customer.
10) They pay their bills and are fun to work with.

Would you rather have€¦50 to 100 satisfied clients to do business with or several hundred prospects to whom you are trying to market your services? Obviously you would choose the first option!

So, what can you do to earn more business from your existing clients? Here are some ideas to get your current clients to buy more - now:

1) Sell the client something new. Are your clients aware of all the services that your office provides? Clients want to buy additional services they need from someone they know. Your enthusiasm will set the tone, so create excitement about how Aquaterra can serve them.

2) Sell the client more of the same and perhaps to different people or divisions. Many of you have happy clients that routinely use Aquaterra, but there may be other people or departments within the client firm that also have a need for our services but don’t know us! Don’t be afraid to ask your contact who else at their firm might need our services. If there is someone then ask for help in setting up a meeting.

3) Get in front of your clients. Bring them some doughnuts or bagels, get them out of the office for lunch or golf, and let them know you care. No matter whether you get work or not, continuing to be in front of your clients builds relationships, friendships and goodwill. This is easily done by bringing them doughnuts, or King Cakes (for us Mardi Gras types), to playing golf, going to lunch, and letting them know about our business resources such as this BLOG. Say€¦Thank you, I appreciate your business. What else can Aquaterra do for you? We often forget to thank our clients and to ask for more work. Don’t be afraid to ask for the work. Do this and your revenue will grow.

If you can’t call or visit your current clients, or if you perceive that you can’t do anything more or provide anything else to your clients, this really means:

• You have failed to establish rapport and trust with your clients.
• Your client has some problem or issue with you/Aquaterra and you are reluctant to call and open a can of worms.
• You have not followed up well or at all after the last job or opportunity.
• You are in need of more training and supervision to do the above.
• And, most importantly€¦the client really doesn’t know you and you have not developed a good relationship.

I challenge all of you to take a close look at your current client list and evaluate it carefully and honestly. I guarantee that there are many jobs and opportunities just waiting to be awarded. Let’s get going.

**Some of the above was adapted from The Sales Bible by Jeffrey Gitomer, and other published information. **