Jim Martin, how's that helper thing going?

[Bob Foster]

Tell me about your experience so far. Did you start with a part time guy and then make him full time or what?

Heading there over the next year and have started with a very part time helper for my larger jobs.

 

[Jim Martin]

Its going really good....He had no experience at all cleaning carpets...and that is what I wanted....I did not want anyone who has done it before...old habits are hard to break and I wanted to make sure I got some one that I could train to do things the way I wanted....

I made him full time right out of the starting gate....I am still on the truck...but I let him do all the work..I just pick up the little stuff....

He has everything down pretty good....But there are still some things that he needs to get a little bit better hold of...
but most just takes a little time to get the patterns down and get his own program going....

I figure by the end of the year I am going to pull myself off the truck and let him go alone and see how he does...

so far I am happy with what I am seeing ad he seems to like what he is doing....

 

[Mikey P]

who drives?

 

[Jimbo]

Hey Jim...did you put him through Mr Bishop's online cc course?? Just curious, Thanks, Jim

 

[Bob Foster]

Jim would you say you are netting more profit with your helper on the truck?

 

[Royal Man]

From my experience, If you don't make more money with a helper something is wrong.

 

[Jim Martin]

who drives?

.....both of us do....

Hey Jim...did you put him through Mr Bishop's online cc course?? Just curious, Thanks, Jim

....No..so far he has only been threw the Jim Martin school of hard knocks....

Jim would you say you are netting more profit with your helper on the truck?

.....it took a bit but once he got up to speed and he got a lot of the process down...we spend less time at the jobs we do and are able to add more in.....

He is not me...he has to get his own program down to where he finds his own comfort level...and I don't care what it is as long as the jobs are done right...there are things that he could do that would make him a bit more efficient...and there are things that I point out to him that I think would help him...but I am not going to try to make him me...and do it the way I would....he is a pretty smart guy and he gives me 110% every day...that is all I can ask for...the rest will fall into place in time....

 

[Bob Foster]

110% every day

You are lucky to have him. How long has it been?

 

[Jim Martin]

sense mid June.....

 

[Marc Imbesi]

sense mid June.....

...so what happened to the other(s)? I recall one a year ago...

 

[Jim Martin]

[quote="Jim Martin":1l5ek75f]sense mid June.....

...so what happened to the other(s)? I recall one a year ago...[/quote:1l5ek75f]

there has only been one other...he was running his own land scape business....good guy...he did a good job...but...his business picked up and it was interfering with mine....and he could not do both...

 

[Marc Imbesi]

I ask, b/c I'm as anal as you, and I never could keep an employee. Had 8 years ago when I installed full time, and they rotated in and out quarterly. Maybe some was my fault on how I taught the trade. I can see now where I tried to make evryone like me and that being a problem.

What have you done to teach, not clone yourself?

 

[Hoody]

I ask, b/c I'm as anal as you, and I never could keep an employee. Had 8 years ago when I installed full time, and they rotated in and out quarterly. Maybe some was my fault on how I taught the trade. I can see now where I tried to make evryone like me and that being a problem.

What have you done to teach, not clone yourself?

I've worked around a few people that are like that... and its always affected their business until the damage was done. There is treating your employees great, and there is trying to be their friend that might make you look past some of their down falls.

 

[Jim Martin]

I ask, b/c I'm as anal as you, and I never could keep an employee. Had 8 years ago when I installed full time, and they rotated in and out quarterly. Maybe some was my fault on how I taught the trade. I can see now where I tried to make evryone like me and that being a problem.

What have you done to teach, not clone yourself?

I have my own system....how I pull my hoses...how I set everything up...how I clean each room...but my system may not work for him...he has to figure it out his own....all I care about it the out come..
how long it took... and how clean the carpets are...
I can teach him how to clean carpets...how to remove spots...and everything that goes with this job...and I want him to be efficient and neat about what he is doing...I can give him suggestions on what I think may help him make his day easier but that is it.....you have got to let them figure out what works best for them...

 

[Bob Foster]

I go along with what you are doing Jim.

If I can ask, how do you pay him?

 

[Jim Martin]

I am paying him by the hour...

 

[Chris A]

Its funny. The guy that trained me was so anal about every little thing, and had exact ways of doing everything. I fought it tooth and nail when I started. Now that I've been doing it a while, I find myself being the exact same way...

 

[Ken Snow]

Cats and the craddle Chris lol.

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[joe harper]

sense mid June.....

"Sorry to hear you FINIALLY got some help."... :roll:

I was looking foward to "moving" to Arizona.... :shock:

I fIgUrEd ....the next time you NECK went out...."I could STEAL your biz for pEaNuTs"...




"HOPEFULLY"...in 6 more months... :idea:

You will take the NEXT step to get OFF that UNIT...!!!!!!!

"TIME TO GROOM A REPLACEMENT FOR.....Jim..!"


ps "GO FiSh-In"..... shiteatinggrin shiteatinggrin shiteatinggrin shiteatinggrin shiteatinggrin

 

[Chris A]

Cats and the craddle Chris lol.

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Actually it was our long time ace Wayne that taught me most of my cleaning, and he was 10x worse than my dad.

 

[Ken Snow]

Oh shit I forgot about Wayne- of course!

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[Jim Martin]

you have to set certain ground rules....corner guards...vacuuming...things like that..
then teach them how to clean....spot...clean tile...UPH or what ever...

then just stand back and watch...as you see something just tell them..."if you do this...this way...you might find it to be easier on you"..but if he does not want to do it that way and thinks his way is better..who cares...as long as he is not tearing up the house...has done all the ground rules and the end result is what it needs to be....

life is good........

he is not going to be me...and trust me .there are days I don't even want to be me...he has to do it his way because that is where his comfort zone is...

 

[GCP]

great post guys.. best part is not trying to make your helper you.. great advice i do the same with my helper and he works very hard and loves what he does simply because i allow him to be him. if there is a mistake that, is what it is, and more. its an opportunity to teach. so take them and teach them as best you can for your service.

 

[KevinL]

I'm on my 6th helper this year. This kids the first great helper but he's a big hunter. Like he wants to go every other day and spend the weekend at the cabin. I don't know how you guys find good help, especially with the dead winters so you can't keep someone busy.

 

[Jim Martin]

Look for someone in there mid 30's with a family to feed.........