OPERATING OPPORTUNITIES

WALLY LYNCH Paid Associates

PO. Box 741623 Dallas. Tx.75243 lJ Ow MANY times have you said to I I yourself, "if it weren't for meetings and keeping up with reading, I could get something done around here"?

Our clients say that when sales are up, meetings are down and vice versa, but, no matter what, they are four months behind in their reading. Most companies have routinely scheduled meetings which drag lor lack of substance on many occasions.

Here's a program that can liven up your meetings, make them more productive and help out with the reading as well.

Companies in our industry receive publications relating to hardware, lumber and home centers as well as association bulletins and a variety of news- letters and local newspapers. The norm in handling this onslaught is to stack it lor a rainy day and/or put a buck slip on it. This way everyone in the organization can initial that they have seen it.

The buck slip is the original revolving door. lt insures the movement of information, but does nothing to guarantee assimilation or even lamiliarity with content.

Let's assume that your company has a staff meeting once a week attended by someone from operations, finance, merchandising and sales. Assign each person a specific reading assignment. lt doesn't matter which goes to whom because responsibilities should be rotated periodically.

As an example, finance could take association news, newsletters and local newspapers; sales, home center publications; operations, Iumber periodicals; merchandising, hardware magazines.

Each publication should be read from cover to cover by the person to whom it is assigned.

The idea is that someone will actually read an industry trade journal for about l5 minutes per work day. Approximately 30 days later he will report on its contents et the weekly meeting. A different area should be covered by a different reader each week.

One reporting method uses copies of the table of contents for each person. The reviewer can run through this, quickly summarizing each article. The purpose is to point out what is new, what is being done and what the company could do.

When an article is noteworthy, copies can be made for all. The buck slip can be utilized flor anyone wanting follow up.

Using this system, you will never be behind in your reading. Your people will acquire information lrom each other in a new and effective way. You will change an endless chore into a productive training tool at very little, if any, cost.

Sacramento, Ca.

Pondcrosa Plne, Sugar Plne White-Ftr, Douglao Fir, Cedar, S-P-F James A. Haas, gen. mgr.

Richard H. Mills

Sales Agents for:

Duramold Wood Products, El Paso, Tx.

W&W Moulding Co., Loomis, Ca.

P.O. Box 255546. Sacramento.

Ca. 95825 u.s. wATs (800)624-5319 cA. WATS (800)321-1278

(916\t972-7282

FAX916-972-7290