Top of the morning to you.
This will be a few of my thoughts on business, I will call it Business 103. It is still a basic business principle but at the same time during the hurry and the busy-ness of business sometimes I/we forget about a couple real simple principles that are core to a vibrant going concern. Please read and understand and do not take any offense to these thoughts. (Remember; the main thing, is keeping the main thing the main thing.)
#1. Nothing really happens until a consumer, customer, or client is willing, and hopefully happy to open his wallet or purse and exchange his hard earned money for our products and services. That is capitalism, commercialism and business period. For a business to be successful and highly successful they need cash transacted. Period. And then getting that cash into our register. Cash is King in a business.
#2. Everything else is supportive of that goal and transaction. We don’t or can’t make any money to pay employees, pay our bills, or invest in buildings, inventories, charities and show a profit unless this #1 complex transaction occurs and the money changes hands and is in the cash register, so to speak.
#3 Everything else is supportive of this. For example;
a. holding meetings to discuss things, advertising, planning, problems, solutions, expenditures, strategies, etc. do not put a cent in the bank to accomplish #1 or #2.
b. Accounting for all the paperwork, financial statements, submissions, insurance, benefits, HR do not put a cent in the bank to accomplish #1 or #2.
c. Training, teaching, sharing and learning in meetings in person or online does not put a cent in the bank to accomplish #1 or #2.
d. Taking a break, talking with co-workers, reading the paper, sweeping the floor, relaxing between customers, walking the lot, checking inventory, stocking,and receiving inventory does not put a cent in the bank to accomplish #1 or #2
Now please no one take offense to this. All of #3 are critical to the success of #1 and #2. By doing #3 we prepare to do number one better, more proficiently and at higher levels. By doing #3 excellently we can be more proficient at and the same time accelerate our transactions by making more of them, more fair margins, get more customers in the door to do transactions, and by accounting for, stocking for and having the right processes it also gives a big boost to the #1……consummating a transaction where money changes hands and success of business moves forward. By doing #3 extremely well we can be prepared for greater things, accomplish bigger things, grow and move and shake and all benefit.
So if I break down the meaning those who transact face to face or phone to phone or Internet to Internet to exchange money from their wallets to ours we term them in our business as PRODUCTIVE EMPLOYEES.
Those associates in a SUPPORTIVE role are those in the back ground doing the support, giving support, doing the logistics, training for the Productive to be higher and highly productive, taking care of phone calls professionally, handling complaints, treating everyone like ladies and gentleman. We call those in our business SUPPORTIVE EMPLOYEES.
The good thing both are vital and critical to the success of our business and are equally Vital to the level of our overall success. But remember there has to be balance. We want the supportive to bring in more customers and prepare the productive employees to handle more, be prepared for more and can do battle so to speak in the most productive way possible to make the transactions happen over and over again. Plus the supportive bring them back again and again.
So if I were to put associates in to categories here is how the equal partners are categorized;
Productive Supportive
Salespeople Office staff
F&I managers Management staff
Technicians Senior mangers
Service sales people Clerical and receptionist
Parts sales people Lot personnel
Drivers
Trainers
Meetings
BDC
Now please both………..understand we both need each other to be “ON SONG” working together in unison for the high benefit of all. The supportive prepare for the higher performance for the productive without which we could not reach higher levels. The productive have to complete the transaction professionally and finalize the transaction to transact the money.
Teams: Coaches are supportive Players are productive =Partners in wins
Politics: Politicians are supportive Tax payers are productive = community success
Charities: Organizers are supportive Solicitors/donators are productive = successful funds for worthy causes
Climbing: Ropes, bolts, cams supportive Climbers are productive = safe climb
There is a delicate balance between Supportive and Productive. Be careful of to many meetings or unproductive meetings. Be grateful for both partners for by work symbiotically to be successful together.
Neither is above the other but work in unison to accomplish Big things.
I hope you get the flavor of this business principle.
Supportive give the greatest support to prepare the productive to execute the transaction. So Productive please thanks the supportive.
Productive orchestrate the transaction and get the money for the business for our products and services. So supportive be grateful for the productive.
Lets be “On Song” one team making BIG things happen.
Thanks for paying attention and I am so grateful for all of you.
sysr
PS: one final element that all can be productive and that is finding ways to cut expenses or unnecessary expenses thatd will keep more of the transacted business within the business to use for #1. All can participate in this and I am sure the GM at each store would be more than happy to compensate you for bringing productive savings to the operations.
Great breakdown!
We all get caught up in our tasks and should take the time to step back and look at the big picture as Spencer has laid out in this post.
To fuel the engine and be On Song by keeping customers willing to buy our products and services is the main thing I believe. All of the details listed above regarding supportive and productive positions and the symbiotic relationship between the two are critical to retain customers.
Great reminder of why we hold all of these meetings and trainings. We need to remember that its all about the moment when the customer walks through the door and we get to engage with them. We all need to support and help those that are engaging with the customer.
This was a wonderful outline. Such a wonderful reminder, and a good kick start to get moving this week for the right reasons and in the right direction! Thank you Spencer 🙂
This is a strong reminder to me that those of us in Supportive roles need to have the same level of urgency/pressure/motivation to fulfill our responsibilities as those in Productive positions do to fulfill theirs. Though it’s easier to clearly score the performance of the Productive through sales numbers, CSI, etc., we Supportives need to constantly monitor and improve the quality of our work. When done right, we’ll hear the sweet, high-pitched scream of our “on song” business engine operating at its optimum level.