Rebecca Cassel, President of SGI, talks about how contractors can stabilize and strengthen their companies during these uncertain times.

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Our teams need to be able to communicate with each other.

Mm-hmm.

And they need to be reminded that they are heroes. I really communicate that to my team a lot. They're heroes, they're essential, and I'm thankful for them. And I'm thankful for our opportunity to have jobs. And I just remind them every day that we are very blessed to be able to be doing what we're doing.

Welcome to the Successful Contractor Podcast, powered by Success Group International, a show for residential contractors about residential contractors. We chronicle business journeys, share insights, and celebrate successes in this wonderful industry. I'm your host, Bob Houchin. On today's show, you'll be listening to a conversation I had with Success Group International's President, Rebecca Castle. We talk about how she's coaching SGI members through these uncertain times, Rebecca shares some strong insights on how contractors should be communicating with their people, what areas of the business they should be focusing on daily, and how to prepare as everything slowly returns to normalcy. Let's take a listen. I hope you enjoy.

Well, Rebecca, I can't thank you enough for your time. For those who haven't had the pleasure of meeting you, could you share with everyone the Reader's Digest version of your story in contracting and with SGI?

Sure, absolutely. I've spent the last 24 years in the home services business, and my husband and I have owned 2 HVAC businesses. together. He actually has owned several others, but that was prior to me meeting him. But in 1999, we wanted to help contractors and invested in a group called Success Group International, which is SGI today. And we both held executive positions there for many years. In 2019— excuse me, in 2014, we had the opportunity to buy SGI and are continuing to help contractors achieve the success that they desire through proven business systems.

Thank you for sharing that. We're talking right now because these are certainly some interesting times for business owners. Thankfully, you know, for contractors, for the most part across the country, everyone's been deemed essential. But what has been your message to contractors, to members that have been affected by this? How have you been trying to keep them positive and get them into a right mindset?

So first of all, I think you said something that's really key is that we are essential, and I've really tried to relate to our membership that we have been given a gift that many other industries have not. We're very lucky that we actually can go out and still earn a living while it being very hard. I'm very thankful for that, and I've tried to make sure that people can stay focused on that. I also have wanted them to be Very focused on the fact that while we aren't doctors and we are not nurses, our technicians are heroes. They are the people that are going out there into the home and serving the customer and taking care of the customer's needs. And so their job as leaders is to make sure that the technicians, their call takers, their dispatchers, everyone who works for them keep that right mindset of the positivity with everything that's going on. So that's been one thing. The other thing is I talk to them a lot about find things that they can solve. So right now things are very hard and it's easy just to go, this is too hard. And our job as leaders is to help find solutions for new ways to adapt to this current situation.

Right.

And then of course I'm telling them all the time, focus on what you can control. We have no control over what's going on with this virus. We have no control on what our states are mandating for homeowners to do. And so we have got to stay focused on what we can control.

What are, what are some of the things that contractors in the residential services should be focusing on daily to find success even in these trying times?

So yeah, sometimes I say we go back to the basics, and some of these things are things that we should be focused on every single day. But right now I think they become more important. And first of all, since we depend on our people to deliver great service and take care of the customer, we We really need to be focusing on our people and our culture. Really, how are they doing? What are their concerns? What do they need from me as a leader? And how can I help them? How can I protect them? And how can I inspire them to go out every single day and do what they do? So, first of all, people are so essential. This is the people business. It's kind of our machine. We are not, you know, we have products, but in order to deliver those products and in order to deliver the service, our people are the machine. Mm-hmm. So that is a critical thing to focus on. And we know that if we focus on our team, they'll go out and then take care of the customer. And of course, that's a huge focus of ours right now, letting our customers know that we are protecting them as well and that we are open. I think a lot of homeowners right now don't understand that we are essential and we are open and we're taking all these precautions. Everything the CDC says, we are doing— gloves, masks, shoe covers, sanitized trucks and equipment, and taking temperatures of our employees before they head out to home. So all these different things that we're focused on for customers is a huge thing.

Right.

And then also, a daily focus every day should always be our numbers and our KPIs. This is a business that is driven from calls, and so we need to understand what our call count is. And a lot of right now of what's going on, it's challenging. We may have fewer calls, and so we need to focus on what we can do to increase that call count or maximize the opportunity on every single one that we have to make sure that we can cover all of the overhead expenses. I mean, right now I've been talking to members about, hey, you might just need to be able to break even so that we can cover the overhead and so that we can get through these challenging times so that, you know, you're really financially going to be okay.

What you were talking about, you know, communicating with your team, what does that look like? How frequent should members be talking to their technicians, to their office folks? Because, I mean, obviously you just don't have that face-to-face interaction, you know, and we were such big proponents of huddles and daily huddles. So what does that— I mean, does that mean communicating even more today with phone calls and FaceTime, or what are your thoughts on that?

You know, I don't think you can overcommunicate right now, and I think we're having to find more creative ways to do that. I know we're actually using Zoom to be able to do morning huddles, and those those are our times where we can get together with our teams in groups and get to see their faces. But then also via texting, we're doing a lot of celebration via text and a lot of high-fives being texting. But I also, I think you said it, we are now going back to the good old pick up the phone and talk to somebody, hear their voice.

Yeah.

You know, and making sure that they're okay. And then I know that, you know, FaceTime and technology today has allowed this to be a little bit easier than it would have been 20 years ago. So, thank God for that. But yes, and I would suggest if you can do a group message or a group communication every single day, and then if you can touch base with as many people one-on-one, whether that's via text, via phone, via email, FaceTime, whatever, those are critical too. Right.

Very good. You know, you mentioned it earlier too that, you know, call volumes for most people are down. So, you want to communicate. to your team the importance of every phone call, of every service appointment, every sales lead. How do you do that without putting pressure on them? You know, because you don't want to be negative, and you also don't want them to do anything unethical, obviously, right? So how do you kind of stress the importance of every opportunity while not also putting undue pressure on their shoulders?

Sure. So we have a tool that we've used for years, and this is a tool that guides Mission on what they're supposed to be doing in the home. And a lot of times when we have a plump, you know, lots of calls and business as normal, we'll rush through some of the things that we need to be doing. And so what we've done at our company is just reminded our technicians, hey, you have time to go through the systems performance report.

Mm-hmm.

And you also have to remind them that it may take them a little bit longer to do some of these calls because we are taking all these extra precautions. So it's, you know, you're going to have to sanitize your tools after every single call. You're going to have to make sure that you're wiping everything down. You've got to, you know, overcommunicate all these extra things that we weren't communicating before. So we are seeing that maybe you're not running as many calls, but the amount of time that we're spending has been fantastic to be able to build the relationship or to be able to be more thorough.

Right.

And I think most people are happy even though they might not be running the normal number of calls, but if they are seeing the ability to be able to stay busy and continue to work, install, Right, right.

Thankfully, I've talked to some people who revenue numbers are still good even with less calls, but I know there's some people whose sales are down. When these business owners are looking at their big goals that they've set for the year, second quarter may not be the best. Should they recalibrate their year-end goals, or should they still just strive to achieve them? And if they fall short, just understand, hey, this was out of my hands. I did the best I could, and try to learn something? What's your, what's your thoughts on that?

So I think this might be a different answer depending upon where people are and what their situation is. I mean, I think there's people all over the US and Canada right now that are being affected by this in different ways. If I'm in a hotbed of where the virus is, you know, I'm probably going to see dramatic changes to the amount of revenue or the amount of calls I'm going to have. And so in those types of situations, especially if they're prolonged, I would recalibrate your goals, I would do kind of an estimate of where you think you'll be at the end of the year. Because what we don't want to do is have these high expectations when people come back and it's a little bit more normal and it demoralizes our team, right? They're going to go, well, why do we have the same goals? We had all this challenge going on and it was out of our control, and now you're going to hold my feet to the fire. Which can, to your point, drive unethical behavior. And I believe That the culture that you create in your company will drive the right behavior.

Mm-hmm.

We, we provide 100% money-back guarantee. Our guys know that we will take care of the customer, whatever it costs. And there's accountability in that to do the right thing. And so I think when it comes to goals, we want to make sure that they are attainable and that they are achievable. And with what's going on, it's probably unlikely in a lot of people's cases that they're going to end up at the end of the year maybe where they thought.

Right.

But on the flip side, I know people right now who are exceeding their goals. So they're, they're blowing things away because they're, they're able to be able to go out. They're still generating a tremendous amount of revenue. And so I think what I would look at it as a case-by-case basis and say, look, it has to be achievable. It has to be attainable. It has to be something that will inspire your team to continue to push forward. If there's absolutely no realistic way to do that, then I would recalibrate the goals. If you're exceeding them, And you believe that you'll be able to continue to do your, your plan as, as is, then I would continue just to move forward with that.

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Welcome back to the show. When we left the discussion, Rebecca and I were talking about goal setting. Our conversation now shifts to culture, core values, and what the future holds for contracting businesses over the next several months.

So much we talk about in our organization is, you know, core values and establishing culture. And I know when this all kind of happened, I think everyone Even if you had a strong mindset, kind of freaked out for a second and you just kind of want to figure out how to keep business going. But it's important to get back to core values. So in this business climate where we can't get together, I mean, and we're relying on technology, why is it important to still try and communicate core values even today and given these extenuating circumstances?

Well, the whole purpose of core values is to help drive the decisions that get made in your business. And right now there are a lot of hard decisions that are getting made. made. And so we need our teams to be aligned with who we are and what we're doing more than ever before. And so we really want to continue to stress our core values and talk about them. They do shape your culture and they do inspire action. And so it's critically important that everyone is reminded of that, and that will feed into the vision, it will feed into the messaging, and then also inspire your team to continue to say, hey, this is who we are. This is where we're going to continue, and we're going to come out on the other end stronger for it.

Sure.

What are some things contractors can do to kind of strengthen their culture? Now, I know when times were normal, people would get together for cookouts, or they'd have a big Christmas party, or they'd make a point to get together once a quarter and maybe do even something fun once a month. But obviously, life's not quite normal right now. So what can they do to kind of stimulate that culture and that togetherness? in today's climate?

I think we touched a little bit on it already, which was communicate, communicate, communicate. Our teams need to be lifted up every day, and they need to be reminded that they are heroes. I really communicate that to my team a lot. They're heroes, they're essential, and I'm thankful for them, and I'm thankful for our opportunity to have jobs. I just remind them every day that we are very blessed to be able to be doing what we're doing. And so they need to hear that message all the time. But I would also then schedule one-on-one time with as many people that you possibly can to just check in with them. How are they doing? How are their families? What can you do to help them? And then I also remind them, hey, this is going to pass. This will be something that we'll look back on and go, what did we learn? How did we get better? What efficiencies did we get? What are things about our business that are going to be changed Right. But from the fun perspective, I do think it's critical to make sure that people have the opportunity to laugh. So, if there's an opportunity to have just a Zoom meeting or Zoom get-together where you're seeing everybody, they're maybe talking about some positive things, talking about what they're grateful for, and being able to connect that way. I've heard of people doing Zoom games together. I've heard of people doing Zoom happy hours together. So, there are some virtual ways that we could still instill a little bit of fun. Contests are fun right now. You could also send them a care package to their home. It's just sometimes the little things that are appreciated more so now just because we're limited on what we can do.

Sure.

And then I also think one of the things that we should continue to do to foster culture is train as much as we possibly can. If we don't have calls or as many calls as are needed, I know lots of people who are investing in their people and have a That's great.

That's great. You mentioned it, hopefully things get back to normal soon. Some states are opening up. What should contractors be doing to prepare themselves for when things start to normalize a bit more and customers, the demand starts to increase, which I think we'll see? What should they do to get ready?

Well, I think you just said it. I would be prepared to be very busy. If people are putting off having people in their home because they are concerned about what's going on, then they will need someone eventually. And with all the people at home right now, they're putting a lot of stress on their home and their systems. So I think right now we should be advertising so when all of that happens, people will know we are the person, we are the company that they should call. And I think it's very important to focus on being where competition is not, so that we are top of mind. And I'd also then be focused on recruiting because if we're going to get busier, Right now, I know there are companies that have laid off people in my marketplace. We are actively recruiting and have put more of a campaign together to talk about we stayed open, we stayed busy, and here's what it's like to work at our company. And that's starting to resonate in the marketplace via radio and some of the other things that we're doing. So I would definitely be recruiting and would be very focused on Getting anything in my business that's not organized or systemized in place so that it's really smooth when things start to return to normal.

Right.

That's great information. Thank you. Just in kind of wrapping up, what are you doing on a personal basis to keep yourself centered and positive? You've got several businesses. There's a lot going on. So how do you keep a positive positive mindset each day?

Well, the thing that I have pretty much eliminated is turning off the news and not getting on social media in very, you know, very, very limited basis. I just feel like what's on there right now is very negative. And it's— some of it's not accurate. There's so much misinformation. And so I just, I just choose not to watch it. I choose to go to the sites that give me fact-based information. And I really try to focus on what I can control. And I know that being fearful and panicking, no good decisions get made when those things happen. And so I've really just tried to find positive influences. I also make sure that I have people in my life that if I'm starting to be concerned or who, you know, or I'm starting to be more challenged with my mindset, I can pick up the phone and call them and say, hey, Okay, talk me off the ledge here. I'm having a moment, and it gets me right back on track. But yeah, choosing my attitude and choosing my mindset every single day is something that I think all of us need for success through this.

If I'm not mistaken, if I read in an email I think you sent, you also— aren't you guys as a family, when you have dinner, you express something you're grateful for? You know, even given what's going on, there's still Things to be grateful for, right?

Absolutely. So we used to do this when we were just on vacation, and it was what was our favorite part of the day discussion at dinner. And once we all started being at home and having more family dinners together— and this is a staycation is what we've been calling it— I, I said, why don't we do favorite part of the day every day? And so it's turned into kind of something that we're focused on is what was good today, what What was our favorite part? What are we thankful for? And it's been interesting. Some days are more funny than others because of what's going on. But yes, we have instituted that new tradition now every day.

I love that.

I love that.

Last question. Any bit of advice or anything else you'd like to mention to the group or any outside contractors listening?

Sure. As leaders, we are really being tested right now. And everyone is watching us, our employees, our families, and you set the tone. If you are scared and fearful, then that is what your employees are going to be. That's what your family is going to be. We must find ways to lead people, inspire people, stay positive, have a great mental mindset, and stay strong. And, and we will come out of this stronger on the other side if we take that approach.

Awesome.

Well, Rebecca, thank you so very much for your insight and your time. I really, really appreciate it, and I look forward to speaking with you in the future, a few more of these. So thank you so much.

Thanks, Bob.

That's Rebecca Castle, President of Success Group International. Thanks for listening to the show. If you feel like you have a great story worth sharing, that also would help other contractors, email me at bhouchin@yoursgi.com. Also, if you enjoyed today's show, please give us a rating. Remember, friends give fives. You've been listening to the Successful Contractor Podcast powered by Success Group International.

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