JUNE 2013
In this issue: 1 The Best Communication 2 Key Elements of Active Listening 4 Top Ten Volume Leaders Advertising Resource Guide 5 Personal Best, Chart Toppers 6 Servpro Owner Turns Disasters into Success 7 2013 Small Business Person of the Year 8 Kudos 9 Words of Wisdom 10 Anthony Palumbo
SUN
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SERVPRO速 of Southern New England and New York
The Best Communication By Robert Willis
The best communication creates mutual understanding. Effective communicators listen well, analyze needs, and focus on answers that provide solutions based on the needs of the other party. Being a great communicator is so much more than being a big talker. Constantly talking is the opposite of effectively communicating; when business owners are always trying to be heard, they miss the value in hearing from others. The best communicators are experts at paying thoughtful attention to those around them and are also experts at hearing what was not said. The best communicators know that is it best to be forthright, honest, and timely, regardless of whether the news is positive or negative. They know that people appreciate transparency and truth. The best communicators utilize a variety of mediums to disperse information. They share their goals and plans for their organization. Key members of an organization can only work together for a common goal if they know the goal. The best communicators express appreciation and gratitude, and they reassure and calm those around them. Great communicators are confident and enthusiastic, but are never condescending. Communicators make articulate statements that serve to inspire and encourage those around them. The best communicators are engaged in hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly activities. They support their subordinates and fellow leaders to do the same. During the summer months, when business can be a bit slower, it is important that Owners communicate with key personnel so that all components of the business are working together toward a common goal. Continued on next page
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Continued from cover
The best Franchise Owners and entrepreneurs lead by example and precept. When a Franchise Owner tries to communicate one thing to employees, but acts in a way that is contrary, the mixed message dilutes the potency of the communication. Great communicators follow the rules. For those who are not confident in their communication skills, there are many resources available to them. There are classes, books, and even professional coaches that can increase communication effectiveness. The goal should be to maximize the important skills of communication through knowledge, preparation, rehearsal, and performance.
Five key elements of active listening will help ensure you are participating in the best communication 1. Pay Attention Give the speaker your undivided attention, and acknowledge the message and recognize that non-verbal communication also “speaks” loudly • Look at the speaker directly • Put aside distracting thoughts • Do not mentally prepare a rebuttal • Avoid being distracted by environmental factors • “Listen” to the speaker’s body language 2. Show That You Are Listening Use your own body language and gestures to convey your attention • Nod occasionally • Smile and use other facial expressions • Note your posture and make sure it is open and inviting • Encourage the speaker to continue with small verbal comments 3. Provide Feedback Our personal filters, assumptions, judgments, and beliefs can distort what we hear. Your role as the best communicator, is to understand what is being said • Reflect what has been said by paraphrasing • Ask questions to clarify certain points • Summarize the speaker’s comments periodically
Remember that a key characteristic that most successful entrepreneurs and the best communicators possess and exhibit the critical skill of effective communication. Most of us are not good listeners and therefore not the best communicators. Research suggests that we only remember between 25% and 50% of what we hear. That means that when you speak to colleagues, customer, or other for 10 minutes, they pay attention to less than half of your conversation.
4. Defer Judgment Interrupting is a waste of time. It frustrates the speaker and limits full understanding of the message. • Allow the speaker to finish each point before asking questions • Do not interrupt with counter arguments 5. Respond Appropriately Active listening is a model for respect and understanding so be candid, open, and honest in your response • Assert your opinions respectfully. • Treat the other person in a way that you think he or she would want to be treated Start using active listening today to become the best communicator, improve your workplace productivity, and develop better relationships.
JUNE 2013 - 3
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Top Ten Volume Leaders GROSS VOLUME LEADERS APRIL 2013
PER LICENSE AVERAGE VOLUME LEADERS
APRIL 2013
1
David Kluger
1,147,878
Doug & Lisa Jameson
319,700
2
Allen & Susan Randolph
746,596
Kenneth & Rebecca Matejek
314,229
3
Frank Mattos
551,843
Ralph Rimualdo
308,556
4
Lou & Michelle, Danielle, Justin Sepe & Nicole Travis
494,406
Anthony & Danielle Palumbo
259,887
5
John Maughan
414,326
David Kluger
242,979
6
Joe Pelli
388,548
David & Patricia Harrison
207,537
7
Patrick Jones
328,437
Greg & Allison Geaski
202,177
8
Doug & Lisa Jameson
319,700
John O’Sullivan
196,449
9
Kenneth Matejek
314,229
Daniel & Allison Wallace
193,665
10
Ralph Rimualdo
308,556
Mitch Kaikow & Stuart Cleary
187,165
2013 Advertising Resource Guide This Publication is your reference to advertising policies, graphic design standards, and sample advertisement.
Why is Brand Awareness so important? • Brand Builds a Trust • Consistency Builds a Brand • Trust Builds Relationships • Relationships Build Revenue
NOVEMBER 7 JUNE2012 2013 -- 5
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PERSONAL
BEST
Personal Best Volume Month
Chart Toppers
April 2013 January 2013
Allen & Susan Randolph
SERVPRO® of Waterbury # 10146 SERVPRO® of New Haven # 10147 SERVPRO® of The Naugatuck Valley # 10148 SERVPRO® of Northern Westchester County # 10149
$746,596.60
Cleaning Commercial Wallace Duct Residential Mattos Fire Commercial White Mold Commercial Jones
Kenneth & Rebecca Matejek SERVPRO® of Plymouth/Wareham # 9799
Mold Residential
$314,229.18
Maughan
R. Citrangola & R. Kluger
Rookie
W. & S. Loiacono
Subcontract
Ralph Rimualdo, Jr. ® SERVPRO of Southern Saratoga County # 9319
$308,556.30
D. Kluger
Water Residential
D. Kluger
Mattos Reilly Harvey
David & Patricia Harrison SERVPRO® of Nutley/Bloomfield # 9326
$207,537.83
Total Volume
D. Kluger
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SERVPRO OWNER TURNS DISASTERS INTO SUCCESS By Dan Schneider The Patriot Ledger
After 14 years as a car salesman, in 2009 Navy veteran Ken Matejek decided to leave the automobile business to open a SERVPRO franchise in Carver. SERVPRO is a Tennessee-based company that focuses on disaster cleanup and restoration, and has more than 1,500 franchises across the U.S. After investing $150,000 to get his franchise running, things were going smoothly for Matejek until late 2011. “I had grown so fast that I was cash poor, and needed more money to fuel the business,” he said. Fortunately, Matejek qualified for a Small Business Administration program designed to help entrepreneurial veterans like him: the Patriot Express program. The program works like this: Veterans submit a loan application to a banking institution (in this case Eastern Bank) and if the application is approved the borrower is eligible for a loan of up to $500,000, with 85 percent of the loan guaranteed by the federal government in case of default Steve Diprete, team leader in business banking at Eastern Bank, said the government’s guarantee enabled the bank to “maximize the amount of capital we could provide” to Matejek, to make him “storm-ready”. “I bought everything I needed for storm relief – the trailer, pumps, everything – with the loan that they gave me,” Matejek said. But Matejek began to think his purchase had been a bad investment as the weather remained relatively calm through most of 2012. When Hurricane Sandy rocked the mid-Atlantic in October, however, he and his crew sprang into action, racing to New Jersey to help with the cleanup. “We had 13 guys living in RVs for a month in a customer’s driveway. We worked 18 hours a day, and got gym memberships to go shower in the morning,” Matejek recalled with a laugh. Then, in February, when a blizzard buried the South Shore in more than 2 feet of snow, Matejek was buried in business: 37 residential cleaning jobs, and a $170,000 contract to dry out Oak Ridge Middle School in Sandwich. For a job that large, Matejek had to use a truck-mount desiccant dehumidifier that ran off its own diesel engine and 170 air movers to get the building dry.
Ken Matejek , SERVPRO® of Plymouth/Wareham owner, was able to expand his business with the help of a federal loan program for veterans and he has donated some of the profits from his recent success to other struggling veterans Thanks in part to the Patriot Express program, Matejek has been able to grow his SERVPRO franchise into a more than $1 million business, he said. As a veteran, Matejek feels obligated to give back to vets who are struggling financially. In the first four months of 2013, he donated $8,100 directly to veterans in Plymouth, Plympton, and Kingston, he said. “A lot of these vets don’t qualify for the traditional government money programs,” Matejek said. “They need a rent deposit, or need food, or need gas for their car to get to an interview.” Matejek, who struggled to readjust to civilian life after leaving the service in the mid-1990s, sees himself in some of the veterans he has helped. “I always said if I made it to the next level, I’d make a good attempt to give back,” Matejek said
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JUNE 2013 - 7
The Greater Binghamton Chamber of Commerce Honors 2013 Small Business Person of the Year
Lou Sepe, Jr. Servpro® of Binghamton West Servpro® of Binghamton-East Servpro® of Tompkins & Tioga Counties About 450 people attended dinner Tuesday night May 14, 2013, at the Doubletree in downtown Binghamton as The Greater Binghamton Chamber of Commerce honored members of the community. The Small Business Person of the Year award is given to an individual that shows evidence of growth in the number of employees, growth in sales for the past three consecutive years, innovation of product or services, and being active in community-oriented projects.
Anthony & Danielle Palumbo, SERVPRO® of Paramus, excitedly shared this information about their own outstanding hockey player ...
This is our son, Tony Palumbo, taking the ice at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, May 12, 2013, during the Rangers v Capitals Playoff Game 6. Tony and his team, the NJ Bandits, participated in the Little Rangers Program and played an exhibition game during the first intermission. Tony is nine years old and is a goaltender for both the NJ Bandits travel ice hockey and Bergen Edge ice hockey teams. He has been playing ice hockey for four years. This is the fifth time that Tony has participated in the Little Rangers Program.
Congratulations to the Palumbo Family!
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From: F., Peter Sent: Tuesday, April 30, 2013 9:46 AM To: jeff@servprohobokenuc.com; lance@servprohobokenuc.com Cc: robert@servprohobokenuc.com Subject: Thank you Good morning Jeff / Lance, I just wanted to take the time to thank you and inform you of their professionalism and outstanding level of service from your team. Just to give you a quick background of my case, we had a kitchen fire where baby bottles were melted and the apartment was covered with smoke and black soot. I spent hours trying to clean it myself, with little progress and increasing frustration. My insurance company provided little suggestion as to what could be done, until I was told to ask for emergency services and put in touch with your colleague Robert. From the get go, he was very reassuring and comforting, telling me that a team would be dispatched shortly and he was in constant contact with me, letting me know what to expect and exactly when they would be coming. Without a doubt, he is the right person to have as the first contact to your clients and is an outstanding representative of Servpro. The first two gentlemen that I met with were John and Cesar, who came on site and provided air scrubbers which were the first major step towards getting the place clean. They walked me through the process and were very comforting and detailed in terms of what I could expect. I can’t tell you how important that is when you have a newborn baby at home and are worried about getting your family back at home. The next people that came in yesterday were Jorge and two women who helped with the cleaning process. Jorge was also a consummate professional who walked me through the process and provided specific details of what I could expect in a timely manner. I was comfortable enough with him that I was able to leave him alone in my home and go back to work without having to take time off. I’m sure you all work enough to know how important that is. His team far exceeded my expectations and brought my home back to its original state (or even better). I thought it was important to highlight how great of a team that you have as the people are what make a company like Servpro such a great place. I would not hesitate to recommend your team to anyone and think that everyone involved should be proud of a job well done. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions/comments. Sincerely, Peter F
JUNE 2013 - 9
Peter Drucker
The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place. George Bernard Shaw
In the last analysis, what we are communicates far more eloquently than anything we say or do. Stephen Covey
Science may never come up with a better office communication system than the coffee break. Earl Wilson
The art of communication is the language of leadership. James Humes
The way we communicate with others and with ourselves ultimately determines the quality of our lives Anthony Robbins
Communication is the real work of leadership. Nitin Nohria
Humor is the affectionate communication of insight. Leo Rosten
The tongue is the only tool that gets sharper with use. Washington Irving
Communication works for those who work at it. John Powell
Electric communication will never be a substitute for the face of someone who with their soul encourages another person to be brave and true. Charles Dickens
Self-consciousness kills communication. Rick Steves
When the trust account is high, communication is easy, instant, and effective. Stephen R. Covey
Constantly talking isn’t necessarily communicating. Charlie Kaufman
Communication is truth; communication is happiness. Virginia Woolf
Words have power. Mira Grant
Start with good people, lay out the rules, communicate with your employees, motivate them and reward them. If you do all those things effectively, you can’t miss. Lee Iacocca
Words of Wisdom
The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn’t said.