Less stress means better workplace. But can running a business be anything but stressful? Robert Barnes offers basic business management advice for installers
Why write about stress management, in the context of basic business management? Because the two are inextricably linked. No-one in your organisation can perform to the best of their abilities if they are stressed. But some elements of stress are undoubtedly good for you, as they make the adrenalin flow and enable you to be motivated and productive.

Some people realise what type of stress is productive and what is unproductive, negative and demotivating. Unfortunately there are many people who will not own up to being in a stressful situation, and many whose colleagues choose to ignore it or not to understand it.

There is no escaping that matters associated with work are major contributors to personal stress. Nothing new there! Professionals pinpoint areas where stress manifests itself, such as:

  • Poor relations with colleagues
  • Expectations and realities
  • Competition
  • Square pegs in round holes
  • Traffic (commuting and delays in getting to appointments).

    Each working week I visit installers around the UK and see and hear about all of these and more, bearing out these all-too-common "human" situations, and how companies and individuals deal with them (or not). I offer my apologies for dealing with what is a complex and involved subject, in a few paragraphs – but these summaries are intended as a catalyst for deeper thought and action on your part.

  • Poor relations with colleagues. We all want to get on with those we see every day at work – at whatever level in the company. Those at the top can then be seen to be leading, approachable and supportive to those below, and those below are respected for the skills that they bring to the business. Happy Valley? If only! Every company has its style – and boy, have I seen some styles! Bitchiness, political manoeuvring, one-upmanship, autocracy and point-scoring are rife – and generally so destructive to the development and success both of individuals and the business.

    As always in such situations, there are winners and losers. The trouble is that the losers are very often those who are capable of the really good work, but do not possess either the skill or the will to get involved and to fight their corner. So you end up with under-performing and unhappy staff.

    Every business should be worth fighting for, so it is also up to the individual to stand up and be counted. Ending up in a discussion or confrontation will serve to highlight whether a common-sense solution is achievable. If not, then something may well have to give.

  • Expectations and realities. Managing expectations is, I find, a major source of business-related stress. The subject of visitor numbers readily springs to mind – the Dome, the National Centre for Popular Music, the Earth Centre. All over-hyped, over-funded under-performers, to the point of extinction.

    Or maybe they were not under-performers, only that there was kudos in creating a certain expectation – and no-one wants to be seen as anything but bullish when trying to secure funding! Oh, and who picks up the tab for these follies? You and me, the taxpayers.

    If we get our business expectations wrong to this extent, who picks up our tab? Right again, just you and me, the owners – no bailing out, no "if only we had our time again, we'd have…". I am keen on deliverable expectations; I see too many expectations which are patently not deliverable.

    Three engineers do the work of five
    I have seen three engineers trying to do the work of five, I've seen the same team of salesmen tasked with doubling turnover and profitability, I've seen good alarm installers lose their way because they think on the back of this, selling and installing CCTV and fire alarms is just the same – it tends not to be! All good, solid, stress-creating situations.

    Why bother? While not suggesting that we treat life like Baloo in Jungle Book, why not just play to your known strengths, grow steadily in the markets that you know well, and that know you well.

    This should not preclude you from developing and expanding your business, with the appropriate resourcing and investment. Just be aware that payback times can vary, and that you must have patience – and enough financial resource to be able to pull the plug and not feel too much of a pinch, if pulling the plug is in the long-term interests of your business.

  • Competition. We have all heard about the "free" installation – "we'll give you back what you've paid" offer, and low-cost rental type services, which certain companies can use as the attention grabber. Some companies seem to have the muscle to play these games.

    Whether it is in the interest of the customer is another matter. I could try to impress you with a favourite Latin quotation at this point (I know two, and one of them is rude), but to coin a more familiar phrase, there is no such thing as a free lunch! In a publication only the other week, there was an advertisement offering "free connection" to this, and "financial support for those seeking an upgrade …".

    It amuses me how it always seems to be the companies which have never failed to levy a charge where they have been able to in the past, who all of a sudden seem to have had a religious experience. They haven't, of course. These "offers" come under the heading of slick marketing.

    Most people can see through this type of offer. What you know you have to be aware of with such offers from the competition, is the small print behind the magnanimous gesture. Somewhere down the line the customer has to pay – the call-out charges, the (all of a sudden, sky-high) annual maintenance charge.

    Independent installer is not suffering
    The independent installer around the UK does not seem to be suffering unduly, because he can still offer the friendly, reliable, cost-effective local service that he has built up over the years and, believe it or not, this is what the majority of customers continue to want. The style of the competition will just mean that you have to refine your knowledge systems and sales efforts.

  • Square pegs in round holes. Is the engineering manager fit to manage? Has the service engineer ever actually taken a panel apart? Has the computer operator any idea how to do a mail-merge? Not business-shattering shortcomings, but it's well worth ensuring that you have got round pegs in round holes.

    If staff are trying to hold down positions which they are patently incapable of, this can pose intolerable stresses on the organisation. Personnel development is a major issue, and proper training and job evaluation have never been more important than they are now.

  • Traffic. Not something that many of us can do a lot about, other than for the sales staff to not chase anything that moves, giving them more quality time at appointments which have the right profile, and a little more leeway between appointments.

    There are few things more stressful to a salesman than having to rush a good sales call because he is due somewhere else, and then somewhere else – hence traffic-stress. It's quality, not quantity.

    And if you concentrate on quality sales, quality service and customer support, it is amazing how the word spreads, and you are inundated with quality sales leads where the prospective purchaser actually respects these virtues, and is prepared to pay the right price for them!

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    Security Installer

    Postscript

    * Robert Barnes is a Director of ACA Systems. Telephone him on 0191 417 3166 or e-mail robert@acasystems.co.uk