We’ve all heard of the magic bullet theory. This concept is most often seen in commercials that promise miraculous results if you do this one thing or buy that one item. I’m not going to tell you the claims in these types of commercials are necessarily true, but I am going to tell you how to find that magic bullet for your electrical service business.
First, let’s examine the parts of a bullet. A bullet consists of a metal casing, propellant, primer, and projectile. Unless these four items work together, however, a bullet is useless. Running an electrical service and repair company is comparable to firing a bullet. It takes multiple items working together to achieve the expected result.
Let’s look at the breakdown of the magic bullet a little closer now.
Casing
This is the outer shell that holds everything together. Just like a casing, it’s imperative to have an organized system for your business. It needs to be written down, starting with a company employee handbook. Even if you’re only a one- or two-person operation, you must have a handbook that outlines your company policies. You also need to have a system in place all the way from answering the phone to collecting customer payments. The operational system needs to state such things as business hours, required uniforms, the color of your trucks and logo, etc. When an employee asks me a question, and I don’t know the answer, I respond, “What does the handbook say”? One of my favorite mottos in our company is “If it’s not written down, it didn’t happen.” It’s a policy that you will need to adopt also if you want to be a successful electrical contractor.
Propellant
The powder inside the bullet is what ignites to unleash the bullet’s power. There are many grains of powder in each bullet. These grains can be equated to the tasks you must perform to make your organization successful. What happens to the powder if it gets a little wet? The bullet probably won’t fire. Just like wet powder, if some items are not performed at your company, the business will not operate as it should. Examples include proper pricing, materials cost, truck maintenance, advertising, wearing shoe covers, wearing clean uniforms, cleaning up after work is completed, and so on. Don’t overlook these small items; this is what generally excels companies past their competition. The attention to detail on the smaller things is what sets companies apart.
Primer
The primer is what ignites the propellant in the bullet when it’s struck. Without the primer, the bullet will never fire. Training, training, and more training is the primer of a successful electrical service business — all the way from the office staff to the field techs. Training is the spark that triggers the action of the employees. Keep that spark going in your organization by giving awards or recognition during training. In addition, maintain a set training schedule and stick to it. I recommend group training and even individual training on a weekly basis.
Projectile
This is the part of the bullet that leaves the casing and travels toward the intended target. Think of your employees and their actions as projectiles set in motion by the propellant and primer. It’s your job as the boss to make sure they accurately make contact with their intended targets and goals. How well they hit their mark depends on the forces pushing and directing them.
In the electrical service field, there are many electricians who can perform work such as stripping wires, bending pipe, and pulling wire. But the most successful contractors work on their bullet to make it magic.
Wise holds an A.S degree in Electrical Engineering and is licensed in N.C., S.C., and Virginia. In addition to being a college electrical instructor, N.C.-licensed real estate broker, and former NASCAR race car driver, Wise owns and operates Mister Sparky in Charlotte and Cherryville, N.C. He can be reached at [email protected].
