Leadership

Using QR Codes for Field Communication – [The Tim Faller Show] S4 E17

March 20, 2023 00:28:55

Today on the Tim Faller Show, Nick Sandifer details a new way to communicate in the field to help his team navigate the small details in elaborate projects. Nick and the Sandifer team use QR codes to help communicate better on the job site. The QR codes allow the project manager to view the electrical fixtures, architectural plans, and other information about the project. Nick discusses the effectiveness of the QR codes that lead to fewer phone calls from the team because all the data is in the QR code.

Nick Sandifer is the owner of Sandifer Design Build in Jacksonville, Florida. Nick is a graduate of Florida State University with a degree in Real Estate Finance, Appraisal and Feasibility. He started his building career with a large national builder, Centex Homes. Later he worked as a project manager for local custom home builder Benchmark Luxury Homes. His experience working for both national and local custom builders has allowed him to focus on the schedule and the details.

Nick, Tim, and Steve talk more about…

Benefits of using QR codes
Changing plans while using the QR code
The work that goes into making the QR codes for all the projects
And more…

Seeing Projects from the Client’s Point of View with Meghan Haines – [Best of the Tim Faller Show]

March 6, 2023 00:34:41

Have you ever gone through an entire job thinking that the client was delighted with your work and then discovered afterward that they liked most of it, BUT…. (you fill in the blank). So, the question remains, how do you ensure customer satisfaction or, as some call it, creating “Raving Fans?”

There is no better way to explore this than by asking real clients, and even better when the client has a remodeling background and can look at it from either viewpoint.

Meghan Haines is the Production Coordinator for Hercules Design Build, a remodeling company in the St. Louis area. Meghan has been with Hercules for a little over a year and a half; However, before joining the company, she was a client for three remodeling projects in her own home.

Tim, Steve and Meghan talk more about:

Background on Meghan’s household (size of house, family, pets, etc.).
Description of the projects that Meghan contracted for.
Sales & production: did they match and meet expectations.
The most critical action an on-site manager can take while working on a project.
Things that the contractor did that made the projects more bearable.
Advice for remodelers from the client’s perspective.
And more…

How to Engage Your Staff to Help Train Each Other With Ned Trimming – [Best of The Tim Faller Show]

February 20, 2023 00:41:55

Training, training, training!

Business owners, general managers, and production managers often get caught wondering how to do it all.

So, we turned to a former guest and a member of our production manager roundtables, Ned Trimming, to share his efficient training process involving current and new employees.

Ned Trimming is the Production Manager at Crescent Builds in Seattle, WA. Ned and his team at Crescent are dedicated to building high-quality spaces for people to live and work in, while creating an employee review process that continues to morph into new training areas.

Tim, Steve, and Ned talk more about:

Active cross-training
Training opportunities within a company
Establishing lateral service goals
And more…

The Power of Peers With Victoria Downing – [Best of The Tim Faller Show]

February 6, 2023 00:32:16

Many business owners and certainly production managers feel alone in their business at times, and want and or need some kind of external input. So, where do they turn?

Trade associations provide some input but are typically limited to whatever the “topic of the evening” is. Remodelers Advantage President, Victoria Downing, saw this issue and took action through the creation of the Remodelers Advantage Roundtables Programs.

Through the roundtables, members share support and guidance to ultimately help business owners earn more, and work less.

In addition to being the president of Remodelers Advantage, Victoria is the co-host of PowerTips Unscripted, a podcast dedicated to helping remodelers build a strong, profitable company. She is an award-winning author and speaker and brings over 30 years of expertise in the remodeling industry to share how crucial peer groups are in order to successfully grow your business.

Victoria, Tim, and Steve talk more about:

What it really means to be in the remodeling industry
The importance of receiving feedback
How to actually utilize feedback
And more…

click here to listen

Building Teamwork with Trades with Daniel Carrero – [Best of The Tim Faller Show]

January 30, 2023 00:41:20

Do you struggle to maintain relationships with subcontractors and experience your projects not being handled with urgency or priority? If so, you haven’t built a team, you have built a contact list.

Guest Daniel Carrero joins Tim and Steve to talk about how he has built a solid team with little turnover and kept tradesmen that have been with him for over 15 years.

Daniel Carrero, President of House to Home Solutions in Rockville, Maryland, has been able to build a Sub-Contractor Team that prioritizes his jobs over any other contractor.

He shares his tips and tricks to how he has made a team that has stuck with him for years and are willing to take care of service issues without question.

Tim, Steve and Daniel talk more about:

Building relationships with subcontractors and trades.
How to stand out to subcontractors
Getting trades engaged
Prioritizing trades and subcontractors
And more…

Building a Team, Not a Family with Jef Forward – [Best of the Tim Faller Show]

January 23, 2023 00:40:45

While having a family-like culture is a well-intended premise, it is oftentimes impractical.

Companies may notice that one or two employees are intolerant of the family-like culture in place and leave the “family” dysfunctional.

Creating an environment where there is a structure that resembles a team, rather than a family, is a way to avoid intolerance, and grow as a company. In this episode, guest Jef Forward describes how he was able to achieve a team-like culture in his business, and why it has been successful.

Jef has a Masters Degree in Architecture from the University of Michigan and started Forward Design Build in 1997, focusing on a design and build method to ensure successful projects. He defines a successful project as a happy homeowner with a beautiful, functional home completed within ‘stated’ expectations of cost, service and schedule from the beginning of design to the end of construction.

Tim, Steve and Jef talk more about:

The “locus of control”
How to address and correct the path of someone who is trending sideways
How to efficiently communicate with different team members
And more…

Culture in Practice with Chris Stebnitz – [Tim Faller Show] S4 E13

January 16, 2023 00:40:28

Today on the Tim Faller Show, Chris Stebnitz joins the show to discuss building a culture in a remodeling company and the impact it has on the client experience. Chris talks about how building trust with your employees can enhance the company culture. While building a culture is important, there are also ways you can destroy your company culture including gossip or being a demanding leader. Chris says if the business owner is the only way the company succeeds, you will never build a culture.

Chris Stebnitz is the owner of Stebnitz Builders located in Elkhorn, Wisconsin. Chris is a Third-generation owner of Stebnitz Builders. He started as cheap labor for the family when he was in his teens. Chris then moved into sales in his 20s, marketing shortly thereafter and then focusing on sales management before purchasing the company in 2008 from his father and uncles.

Chris, Tim, and Steve talk more about:

How Stebnitz Builders built a company culture
Why trust is important for a company culture
and more…

Culture! with Mitch Gray – [The Tim Faller Show] S4 E11

December 12, 2022 00:47:01

On this episode of The Tim Faller Show, Mitch Gray joins the show for the second week to talk about culture and how you can improve your company’s culture. Mitch says that many employers don’t know how to vocalize culture, and employees don’t know how to connect with it. He defines a good culture as how we live, move, and exist within a family or company. When a company creates a good culture, the energy and synergy are palpable, thus creating a better workplace where employees are held accountable.

Mitch Gray is the owner of Mitch Gray Media in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Mitch started the media company in 2015, and over the past 20 years, he has worked with and coached over 10,000 leaders and clients worldwide.

Tim, Steve, and Mitch talk more about

Four questions to measure your culture
Description of bad company culture and how to change it
And more….

How To Hire And Keep Great People With Mitch Gray – [The Tim Faller Show] S4 E10

December 5, 2022 00:41:34

Mitch Gray joins the show to discuss hiring and keeping great people. He talks about the importance of understanding interpersonal relationships and getting intentional about finding people with passion, as passion feels energy. Understanding that everyone wants to feel valued, empowered, and a part of something larger than themselves, no matter what level of employee. This is core to the successful hiring and retention of great employees.

Mitch Gray is the founder of Mitch Gray Media, author of HOW TO HIRE AND KEEP GREAT PEOPLE, and host of The Mitch Gray Show. After spending over two decades leading teams as a business owner, manager, pastor, non-profit founder, and community organizer, Mitch developed a strong passion for leaders and employees. Mitch’s mission is to empower teams to perform and individuals to pursue their passion.

Mitch, Tim, and Steve discuss

The challenges of recruiting the right employees
How to convey passion to all levels of employees
Tips to do a better job of hiring
And more…

Click here to listen.

The Key to Good Management is Listening with Christine Miles [Tim Faller Show] S4 E9

November 28, 2022 00:48:17

Today on the Tim Faller Show, Christine Miles joins the show to discuss how better listening skills lead to better communication. Christine explains why listening is so complicated and suggests some easy ways to listen better. She also highlights the importance of communication in creating trust between co-workers.

Christine is an author, professional keynote speaker, consultant, executive coach, thought leader, and entrepreneur. She is the Founder and CEO of EQuipt, a training and consulting company that helps leadership teams grow sales, develop people, and create cultures of understanding. She developed The Listening Path™, a transformational workshop on listening to understand, which has been taught at various Fortune 100 corporations, universities, law firms, and privately-held companies. She is the author of What Is It Costing You Not to Listen? which will encourage you to examine how you are listening. You’ll discover that not only are many of the problems in your life due to not listening effectively, but listening helps to solve most problems.

Tim, Steve, and Christine talk more about:

Failure to listen can cause culture problems within an organization
Improving turnover through listening
How listening can help your company’s bottom line
And more…