Addition By Subtraction

Addition By Subtraction

By

Eric M. Twiggs

"Don't be afraid to give up the good to go for the great" John D Rockefeller

"Tom" had been writing service for 15 years.  He thought he knew his customers, and what they could afford.   Business was trending down for the past six months and "Greg",the shop owner, didn't know why. 

One thing he was sure of was that it had nothing to do with Tom and his performance.   Both he and Tom blamed the negative trend on the local economy.  After all, their tool guy just told them about all of the other area shops being slow. 

I decided to phone shop Tom and was "shocked"(ok, not really) to learn that he made no attempts to ask for the appointment or invite the customer to the location.    In spite of Greg's coaching and follow up, Tom failed a second phone shop the following week by not asking for the business.

Feeling the financial pressure, Greg decided to eliminate Tom's position and take over the role of service manager himself. 

You’ll never guess what happened next.  Weekly sales improved by an average of $6k, and have exceeded $20k ever since.  Several customers told Greg they were glad to see Tom go and would not have come back if he was still there!   This is classic case of addition by subtraction.

When trying to get to the next level, it's natural to think about what needs to be added to achieve your goals.  Greg's story teaches us that sometimes it's the process of elimination that leads to elevation. 

As we embark on a new year, I pose the following question:  What do you need put down in order to move up?   As you read on, you will learn about two specific areas where this applies.

  

Perspective

Do your beliefs line up with where you're trying to go?  For example, if your goal is to improve cash flow, but you don't believe in pricing properly, your perspective is the problem.   Ask any of the shop owners who made it to The Top 50, and they will confirm that their cash flow improved once they eliminated their limiting beliefs about the business. 

They raised their labor rate only to discover that the anticipated angry mob of customers carrying pitch forks, never showed up at their doors!  Feel free to contact me to ask about speaking to a shop owner experiencing similar challenges as you but achieving better results. 

Talking with someone who’s getting results,can change your perspective.  If someone else is doing it, it has to be doable! 

People

 Elite organizations view hiring as a process of elimination and NOT of inclusion.  In other words, they hire tough so they can manage easy.  Google for example, only hires .2% of the three million candidates that apply each year. 

They have a structured and rigorous selection process that includes an online application, phone screening, five on site interviews, reference checks, and several assessment tests!  Their goal is to weed out the unqualified candidates from the process, so they are left with only the "A" players.  Is your hiring a process of elimination or desperation?

The feeling of desperation will cause you to add unqualified people to your team, who will subtract your customer count.    Google can be selective because they always have applicants to choose from.  If you only recruit when you have an opening, it will be harder to adopt the elimination mindset when interviewing!

Summary

Greg's winning streak began by losing the wrong service manager.   If you are willing to lose your limiting beliefs and weed out the unqualified candidates, you too can benefit from addition by subtraction. 

Happy New Year,

Eric M. Twiggs

The Accountability Coach

www.autotraining.net

PS.  Are limiting beliefs adding to your frustration while subtracting from your bottom line?  Email etwiggs@autotraining.net and I will send you a listing of 7 Books that will elevate your thinking in 2016!!