Problem Solving: How My Suppliers Can Care for Me Better

It's 3 in the morning and my mind is still racing from the issues that has been frustrating me the past few weeks. I thought it would be better for me to put on my thinking hat and look at the issue from a coaching/MBA grad perspective. (Dean Pax Lapis did tell me once I'd make a great mentor/consultant, hehe).

Short summary of the issues:

- Contractor taking months to get back to us on a punch list sent months ago.

- Pest control firm not able to clarify accounting questions. Firm owner obviously not able to manage her staff properly because they've been just ignoring her directives.

There are other issues but I thought I'd process supplier related ones first. 

Back in graduate school I thoroughly enjoyed going through case studies. Figuring out the problem and thinking of a solution excited my mind. The skill came in handy at work and I was always given hard to crack problems. 

I was playing a game on my tablet when I realized the business issues my suppliers were facing. It's the reason why they've been handling me badly as a client. Both companies are led by entrepreneurs, an architect and a pest control expert.

These are what I think they're struggling with:

- capacity

- controls

- moving up to the next tier of business ownership

Capacity

We've been experiencing dismal service from our architect the past few months. They did really well in our first few projects, but left a number of things unfinished. They haven't met any of the deadlines they set and only respond after several follow-ups. Well, we heard they got a lot of projects and it seems they can't keep up. Good problem to have but they should take a step back and assess what they need capacity wise. We also heard that they're not able to keep skilled worky, so maybe that's one issue they should work on.

The pest control company also probably has a capacity issue since their billing system has been very erratic and messy. I wonder if they only have one accountant?

Controls

Managing multiple projects and clients can be made easier if you have proper controls in place. In a previous company I worked with sales was decreasing fast. I was given the chance to be the president's PA for awhile when my boss went on leave. So I was told to figure out what was wrong. I immediately asked about sales reports and was flabbergasted to find out they were being submitted on handwritten forms. This was submitted weekly and listed the prospects visited by sales.

It was a very interesting problem to solve. I went through the sales reports and had it digitized. The issue? Sales personnel were only visiting an average of ONE client per day. They had a target number to visit or call per day and it was definitely more than one (I don't exactly remember how many since this was circa 2003-05). This translated to lower sales . The solution? I challenge the VP IT to create a sales system. Of course, the whole sales department and VP IT hated me after that because I got them to work. 

So, I wonder if my suppliers have a proper control system in place to respond to client needs. I guess not because scheduling is all over the place and I've been trying to clarify my bills since October.

Moving to the Next Tier of Business Ownership

I remember succinctly my professor in marketing, Mr. Garcia, during one of his lectures. He said the biggest hurdle entrepreneurs have to go over is when the time comes their business grows and you have to put properly skilled managers in place. It is always hard for the entrepreneur business owner to relinquish control over certain aspects that can be reassigned.

I saw this happen to a  company I worked with in the past. Instead of hiring properly skilled people to manage departments, they promoted from the ranks. Mind you, that is not a bad thing but you need to ensure that ther person has the skills to manage teams. It is good to hire managers from outside also to add to your company's talent pool. Properly skilled and talented people help grow your company. So if you're a business owner, think about what aspects of your job can be delegated or outsourced so you can focus on growth and ensure that your clients are happy and will stay with you.

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I'm quilting a huge piece right now, so I thought maybe I use Tuesdays to sure things I've learned in the last 25+ years before I retired. If you have a business related question, feel free to ask. I have an MBA, completed coaching training at G (I was the only one who graduated from my batch), etc.* aside from just being a hobbyist trying to survive chronic illnesses :)

*My resume is probably on LinkedIn, but I'm not looking for work since I'll die from stress, but do ask questions. It will help keep my brain working.

#BeKind #StaySafe