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April 2009 Newsletter
April 2009 AEC Managing Partner Newsletter."Helping architects and engineers earn the profits they deserve for their creative efforts"
Welcome to the April edition of my monthly newsletter. I am hard at work tabulating the results of my Incentive Compensation and Bonus Benchmark Survey. I encourage everyone to submit their survey before the April 15th deadline. In this Issue: 1. Top Twelve List - Steps your firm should take after staff reductions - Part 2 2. Incentive Compensation and Bonus Survey - Your last chance to participate 3. Top 4. Upcoming Events Top Twelve Steps to Take after the Layoff - Part 2 Staff reductions have become commonplace once again in our industry. The steps you take after those staff reductions are critical to the future success of your firm. 7. Sell the Computers Now that you have less staff, you are left with the question of what to do with all of the unused computer equipment. All too often, the computers stay where they are gathering dust or are relegated to the storage area only to be discarded several years later when they have no useful value. If there is no market to sell them, donate them to a worthy cause and take a tax deduction. Whether you sell or donate them, don't forget to reformat the hard drive and remove all of the software applications. 8. Change the Passwords It seems obvious that employee computer passwords need to be changed, but it is too important not too state it here. I know of several firms who did not handle this promptly and paid the price of missing files and other problems 9. Reduce your Telephone Landlines If your 50-person firm had 25 landlines and your staff has been reduced to 35, do you really need 25 landlines? Probably not - but it can be one of those hidden costs that is easily overlooked. Some firms can go on for years paying for lines that are not needed and never used. 10. Change the Locks and Alarm Codes Once again, it seems obvious, but make sure your get it done. In the age of electronic locks codes can be changed every day of need be. Key cards can be activated and deactivated at will. 11. Reduce your Software Subscriptions Are your paying an annual subscription fee based in the number of licenses or employees? Many software firms have switched to this model in recent years. Now that you have fewer employees you may be entitled to a reduced rate or need fewer licenses. 12. Reconfigure your Office and Sublease Space During the boom years, many firms tried to squeeze 10 pounds of talent into 5 pounds of space. This overcrowding led to less a less than optimum working environment for many employees. Now that the layoffs have taken place, this is a great opportunity to reconfigure your seating assignments and provide a more pleasant and productive working environment for your remaining employees. You can also make desk space available for rental to freelancers and aspiring entrepreneurs. Are you tired of paying $445 for industry benchmark surveys? If you are tired of paying outrageous prices for A/E industry benchmarking surveys, you are not alone. My commitment is to produce surveys that equal or exceed competing surveys in every way. There will be charts, tables, graphs and narrative that will allow you to benchmark your company against your competition. The survey results will be presented in a way that will allow you to immediately zero-in on areas of your company that need the most attention. You are invited to participate in the surveys - and reap the rewards! Your Reward for Participating 1. Entry into a drawing for a $500 American Express Gift Card. All Survey respondents who complete and return the survey by the due date of April 15, 2009 will be entered into a drawing for a $500 American Express Gift Card. 2. All survey participants are entitled to receive a copy of the benchmark survey results for only $49. The final survey results will be priced at $225 for non-participants. The order form enclosed with the survey. This discount is over $175 off the AEC Management List price of $225 and almost $400 off the Zweig White or PSMJ list price. Download the Survey http://www.aecmanagementsolutions.com/public/202.cfm Top David L. Neal, P.E. Advanced Industrial Systems, Inc. Voice Mail is my pet peeve. It seems that the more a company needs orders, the more it hides behind voice mail. One of my suppliers now blatantly tells you to place orders on their web site, although they usually have to call back since they have complicated products and varying lead times. I have six recommendations on Telephones and Voice Mail: 1) If you are important enough to have voice mail, you should be important enough to make sure your calls are returned. If your field people have a referral line on their cell phone, make sure it is answered. Remember this is the customer's second call. Many will not make a third. If it is bad news, it is far easier to deal with it if you know about it, than if you don't. 2) If you are absent from the office, someone should be assigned to check your voice mails every few hours and return necessary calls. Get rid of the attitude that company voice mail is private. Its primary purpose is to enhance your company's business, not your personal life. Make sure calls do not go unanswered. 3) If you use an auto-attendant, make sure someone is available to answer the "Operator" function. I have called companies where I have been through several layers of voice answers before I got around to the original "if you need additional help press 101". If you are in the business of Sales this is more than annoying to potential customers (current customers too). If the president of the company has to end up being the "Operator", so be it. 4) Look out - not in. What do your customers think when they call your company? Do they get the "warm and fuzzy's", "all business" or the "don't call us, we'll call you" attitude. In tough times, it is easy for the overloaded organization to end up with the latter, but it is deadly. 5) Call your company at least once a week. Pick varying times. See if you get the reception your customers are expecting and deserve. Whatever you do, avoid chewing anyone out on the phone when you get them. Your message should be cheery - something like "Hello Ted, this in John Boss. I like to call and see how everyone is doing periodically. How are things going for you?" If you make a note of what Ted says and send a note later you will learn something (how do my phones look from the outside?) and create a motivated employee at the same time. 6) Order a "Busy/Hang-up" report from the phone company. They want to sell you more lines. You may want to be tolerant of a few busies, but a lot of busies are bad news. To your sales team hang-ups are is definitely bad news. Upcoming Events Herb Cannon will be speaking at the Texas Council of Engineering Companies Leadership Forum for the 7th consecutive year. The TCEC always provides quality programs for its members. I encourage all professional organizations to check out what they are doing at http://www.cectexas.org Axium Users Conference October 22-24, 2009 Herb Cannon will be speaking at the Axium User Conference for the 4th consecutive year. Details will become available soon. This is always a great event that is focused on how to get the best use out of your Axium software. There are also multiple breakout sessions focused on industry specific issues. Visit the Axium Website for more details: http://www.axiumae.com/events/userconference09/uc-home.aspx href="http://www.axiumae.com/events/userconference09/uc-home.aspx">http://www.axiumae.com/events/userconference09/uc-home.aspx Want to Reprint an Article from AEC Managing Partner? As a publisher of a print or web-based publication, you are hereby granted the right to reprint any article contained in this newsletter with the following provisions I am looking for guest writers for my monthly newsletter. I you have an idea for an article, please send an e-mail to hcannon@aecmanagementsolutions.com hcannon@aecmanagementsolutions.com |