Masonry Magazine February 2006 Page. 45
Bennu Parts & Service
The ONLY Authorized Manufacturer of Spare Parts for Bennu Units.
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Series #1 and Series #2 Platform parts
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Mast Sections
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BENNU PARTS & SERVICE
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Use Only the Best Ingredients
MASONRY NEWS CONTRACTOR TIP
The single way to have the best company is to only hire and maintain the best employees. This idea is no different than preparing a meal: if you add the best ingredients, you will get the best entrée.
When I was growing up, I always believed that mom was the best cook in the world. However, mom didn't have much competition with which I could compare her food. Mom always used generic ingredients in her entrées. With nine kids and money being tight, it was probably the only way my parents could keep us all fed! So if it were ketchup that she needed to add, it was the IGA brand, not the name brand version. The same held true for the rest of the ingredients.
Then I got married and found out that my wife, Donna, is a better cook than my mom (but, don't tell mom I said that). After watching Donna and mom cook, I found there is only one difference in what they were doing. Donna uses only the top quality, name brand ingredients instead of generic in her recipes. The results are a better meal.
The same is true in business. In the case of businesses though, the ingredients are your employees. Are you trying to become the best in the masonry industry? If so, are you trying to do it with staff and field employees that are not doing their part? Do you keep a secretary or manager on staff thinking this person is the best because you have no one to compare him or her to?
It happens in every industry. We deal with several companies whose people can't even bill us correctly for their services. For example, one of my lawyers has a secretary who can't bill us properly for his time. She is only there because she has been there forever and this lawyer has no one else's work to compare her work to. And even worse, he has never required her to seek training to do her job properly. Their paperwork and billing is so bad that it will probably cause him to lose us as a customer.
Don't let this happen to you. Watch your employees and make sure they are doing what you hired them to do. If they are in charge of a certain department such as billing, then they should learn how to fill out draw request forms and change orders properly to insure you get paid on time. If someone is constantly coming to you to do his or her work, encourage this person to get the proper training and to take charge of his or her own department. And if they refuse to do this, consider getting someone who will. With others to compare them to, you may be surprised at the extra load the right person can take off your back.
Remember this: If your people are not striving every day to do their jobs the best they can, maybe they are generic ingredients and you should consider something better. And if they are striving and doing the best they can, make sure they are being paid well for their accomplishments. Paying a little more for the best ingredients can make all the difference in the world.
Provided by Damian Lang, President of Lang Masonry Contractors, Inc. and EZ Great Carp.
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