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Restoration History - Marty King

7/28/2022

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The DYOJO Podcast released a clip titled, "Igniter of an Industry - Remembering Martin "Marty" L. King." This phrase was penned by an industry Founding Father recognizing another property restoration historical icon, Cliff Zlotnik. Unfortunately Marty passed away in 2015, but as our good friend Pete Consigli, who is also the technical advisor for PropertyRestorationHistory.com, says, 
“Marty had a vision for a new and emerging industry he called “damage repair.” Marty’s life’s work was to see the business of damage repair evolve into a profession. Fifty years after Marty had that dream, the legacy of the restoration industry is in the hands of those he influenced and many of those people are preparing to pass on the stewardship of the industry to the next generation. It is the hope of many that the next generation will take the industry to a place never imagined by the industry’s founders.” ​
In this video, which originally aired as part of The DYOJO Podcast Episode 85, we talk to John Pletcher. Mr. Pletcher was awarded the 2022 MLK Award at the Restoration Industry Association (RIA) Annual Convention. John shares his fond memories of being mentored by and working with Marty. ​
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Guiding Principles for Insurance Claims

7/21/2022

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The DYOJO Insurance Claims Standard is a guiding principle that will assist owners, managers, and aspiring professionals to train their mindset and habits for success in the property restoration industry.

"Restore the property to resemble pre-loss conditions, with materials of like kind and quality; no more and no less."

The content of the video below is adapted from Chapter 1 of Jon Isaacson's latest best-selling book, How To Suck Less At Estimating: Habits For Better Project Outcomes. The same content will SOON be released as a training course through the Restoration Technical Institute. Included in this segment is an explanation of The DYOJO Claims Standard as well as a common scenario that a restoration professional might come across and how they would use this resource to help set the right expectation with all parties involved in the insurance claims project. 

Buy the book
RSVP for the course
Read more at thedyojo.com ​
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The Pain of Poor Documentation

7/14/2022

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What is one item that most property restoration owners and managers will agree is an issue in their business? Within the Top 5 responses will be some aspect of documentation. Anyone who has been working with water and fire damage mitigation or renovation for more than six months knows that documentation is the key to getting paid in this industry. Owners and managers regularly express that the pain of poor documentation is consistent, if not unbearable, in their businesses. So, how do we go about fixing this? ​

Unpopular Truths


The unpopular truth is that poor documentation starts at the beginning of the process. As an owner or manager, before you can complain too loudly about the lack of thorough and consistent documentation from your team members in the field when was the last time you monitored your client intake process? 

How would your technicians answer these questions:

  • On a scale of 1 - 5, 1 being unclear and 5 being clear, how would you rate the consistency of thorough information you are provided when responding to a loss event for a new customer? 
  • On a scale of 1 to 5, 1 being chaotic and 5 being calm, how would you rate the manner in which you receive a new assignment?
  • On a scale of 1 to 5, 1 being regular and 5 being irregular, how often would you say that you are chastised for behaviors and habits that you observe supervisors and managers getting away with? 

Your client intake process is critical to setting up your team for successful outcomes. The estimator needs as many details as possible to be successful in invoicing for the work that your mitigation team has completed. Your mitigation team needs as many details as possible to be successful in responding intelligently and expediently to the needs of your customer.

Client intake is not something that should be left to chance, there should be a script and a form that gets filled out each time, regardless of who takes the call. 
Leadership Dissonance

Mixed Results

While many owners and managers have high aspirations for their businesses, many times what we do is not in line with what we say. Our habits do not reflect our expectations (dissonance - see Diagram 1). In chapter 9 of So, You Want To Be A Project Manager? I share a simple test for new managers, 

“When you are having issues with performance, you should take a step back and ask as a leadership team, ‘Are we holding our team members to a higher standard than we are holding ourselves to.’” 

While owners and managers preach it all the time, they must remember that success is a team effort. If you want your team to care about the mindset and habits that lead to clear and consistent documentation, they must observe everyone else working to do the same. You can’t just say that we all follow the same process, your team has to demonstrate it. Managers must be accountable for information flowing downstream if them want to see that example followed as information flows upstream. 

When was the last time the managers or the owners went out on a call using the information and tools that their team members receive on a daily basis? 

​
Project Management Book

Simple Fixes

If you are experiencing the pain of poor documentation, there are no silver bullets or easy fixes. You should be encouraged to know that you are not alone and that improvements in these areas will be the result of committing to a few simple habits. Start with your client intake form and process, it may not seem like it will make a difference but accountability comes from clarifying the vision and being consistent with the process. 

Clarity + Consistency = Accountability 

  1. Have a consistent intake process, if this is primarily the responsibility of the office staff, get them out on a few calls so they understand the process.
  2. Go Undercover Boss with your team. Sheldon Yellen, CEO of Belfor said of his experience on the show, “I now take an active role in making sure my company’s managers get out from behind their desks and join the frontliners. Morale skyrockets when management works alongside staff rather than above it.”
  3. If team members aren’t understanding or respecting each other’s roles and responsibilities, have them spend a day in each other’s shoes working together. 
  4. As we discuss throughout my book on Habits for Better Project Outcomes, cross-train your teams. This is similar to point #3, just said another way (because it’s that effective) 
  5. Have team members lead elements of your regular training where they present on projects they are proud of, unique situations, or areas of personal excellence. ​
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FoCKED 010 Meeting Recap

7/13/2022

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We had a good discussion with local restoration contractors and insurance claim professionals at Aramsco (Tukwila, WA) for our 10th meeting of the Fellowship of Construction Knowledge and Entrepreneurial Development (FoCKED). Luke Draeger of Aramsco hosted lunch for those who were able to stay after the meeting concluded. ​
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Annoucements:
  • Next month we will be meeting at Reliable Contents Services (Tukwila, WA)
  • Our August meeting will also be an informational meeting regarding SOCKTember 2022
  • Quarter 1, likely February, we will be hosting the Restoration Industry Association (RIA) Regional Focus Group which will include an opportunity for a training course from the RIA library. Details: TBD. Location: Reliable Contents Services (Tukwila, WA) 

Resources:
  • Article - Quantifying Property Restoration Mastery
  • Article - Case in Illinois regarding an odd clause for arbitration exercised in a bad faith lawsuit for State Farm  
  • Article - Gangs running emergency services in New York 
  • Graphic - a sample metric (see below) for sales people from Micah Walje on LinkedIn
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Discussion:
Our topic was "Contractors Discuss Developing Consistent Customer Service". 
  • Book recommendations on this topic from Andrea Florescu - Gary V: The Thank You Economy; Frances Frei & Anne Morriss: Uncommon Service; Jay Baer: Hug Your Haters
  • Clive reports for insurance claim history of a structure 
  • "Inspect what you expect" if you want to see consistency from your teams
  • Be sure that you provide a clear scope of work to set your teams up for success 
  • Customers often make emotional decisions. It is important for the sales team to discuss the intangibles with the production team so that they can address those unique concerns of the customer 
  • Sales and operations are often disconnected, must work to get them in sync in your business. One idea was to cross train team members so that they have a better understanding and respect for what others do for the organization. 
  • Be sure that you are communicating with both partners, and/or all parties relevant to the claim, follow all communication up with emails to everyone involved
  • You need real time documentation of all interactions with the customers and job progress so that everyone who is working on the project has the same information 
  • Discussed various photo taking, labeling, and storage resources 
  • Idea to record videos of your typical processes to help customers understand and remember the next steps in the workflow 
  • If you have an issue that bothers you, formulate your ideas and submit them as an article to trade publications like C&R Magazine 
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Help Us Raise OVER 100,000 Pairs of NEW Socks For Local Charities

7/13/2022

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Out of the steaming pile of fun that the events of 2020 brought into our lives, a group of Washington State-based restoration contractors hatched a hair-brained idea to start an annual NEW sock-raising competition. These well-intentioned do-gooders thought they might have a little fun and do a bit of good in their local communities; they called the event The DYOJO SOCKTember. ​
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The SOCKTember Idea & 2020 Results

The idea was simple, keep in touch with peers, clients, vendors, and community partners by banding together in teams to see who could raise the most socks for their chosen local charities. With short notice and minimal traditional fan-faire or media coverage, we were able to raise over 5,500 NEW socks and donated those to local charities selected by the individual teams. The Sisters for Socks, led by Lindsey Ward (Reliable Contents Services) and Sarah Roberts (COIT/Superior Restoration). 

The SOCKTember Need 

Why socks you may ask? Well, if the golden rule tells us to treat others the way we would want to be treated, who doesn’t love a NEW pair of socks? The answer is everyone. It turns out that NEW socks are also among the highest requested items of need for local charities. Every team reported that when they delivered their haul of socks to a local organization the reception was heartwarming and energized our restorers to return year after year to compete again. 

The SOCKTember Growth

Last year, we grew from four local teams in Washington State to 39 teams in 2 countries. The 2021 haul exploded to over 66,000 pairs of NEW socks donated, collected, and distributed to local charities. The competition between teams was much closer with 2nd place losing by only 4 pairs of socks. 

SOCKTember 2021 Highlights & Results:
​
  • 15 of the 39 teams raised over 1,000 pairs of NEW socks 
  • Team No Show, led by Brandi Hawthorne of Office Services by Brandi was the Rookie of the Year with 3,503 pairs 
  • Team Culture Sock, led by Elan Pasmanick of Born to Repair, won the Out of the Box Award for raising 1,030 pairs of new shoes for kids 
  • On Side Restoration based in Canada participated company-wide and collectively raised nearly 35,000 pairs 
  • Those DANG Sisters for Socks won once again, back-to-back champions, with 8,506 pairs of socks raised! ​
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Announcing SOCKTember 2022

If you are wondering how you can get involved with The DYOJO SOCKTember 2022 3rd Annual NEW Sock Raising Competition, you are asking the right question. THIS is your opportunity to get in on the action. If we are going to maintain our momentum, we will need to raise over 100,000 pairs of NEW socks. You can START a local sock-raising team, and take your shot at de-throning the Sisters team, or you can JOIN an existing team. Check out the website to review the SOCKTember 2022 Team Captain Informational Flyer. 

SOCKTember 2022 TIMELINE:

Tuesday, August 9, 2022
SOCKTember informational meeting at our local networking event for PNW-based insurance claims professionals, The Fellowship of Construction Knowledge & Entrepreneurial Development (FoCKED) hosted by back-to-back winner Reliable Contents Services (RCS) in Tukwila, WA

Please register your team by Tuesday, August 23, 2022 by contacting Jon Isaacson, ARES Restoration (Puyallup, WA) and The DYOJO Podcast - iz@thedyojo.com 

Thursday, September 1, 2022
SOCKTember 2022 BEGINS!

Friday, October 21, 2022
The SOCKTember 2022 Winner will be announced LIVE at the PNW Restorers 2nd Annual Costume Dance Party hosted by Reliable Content Services (RCS) in Tukwila, WA

​
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Pain Points & Profitability: New Client Intake

7/12/2022

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New Client Intake
What is one item that most property restoration owners and managers will agree is an issue in their business? Within the Top 5 pain points for restoration contractors will be some aspect of documentation. 

The Key To Getting Paid

Anyone who has been working with water and fire damage mitigation or renovation for more than six months knows that documentation is the key to getting paid in this industry. Owners and managers regularly express that the pain of poor documentation is consistent, if not unbearable, in their businesses. 

In Episode 86 of The DYOJO Podcast, we discuss a great place to START, the beginning. We will discuss what we should STOP doing so that we can gain ground, through simple steps, on our vision and goals.  

Additional Resources from The DYOJO 

  • Habits for a consistent client intake process discussed during The DYOJO Podcast Episode 86
  • Sample Client Intake Form (see below)
  • The Pain of Poor Documentation (DYOJO Blog) 
  • Garbage In, Garbage Out Part 1 (Article in R&R) 
  • So, You Want To Be A Project Manager? (Book) ​

1._dyojo__blank__intake_form_-_sheet1.pdf
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    The DYOJO - helping contractors shorten
    ​their DANG learning curve


    Book #4 - AVAILABLE NOW - How To Suck Less  At Estimating. Habits for better project outcomes. 

    Book #4 - AVAILABLE NOW as a TRAINING COURSE through our friends at Restoration Technical Institute

    Book #3 - So, You Want To Be A Project Manager? is designed to help contractors with the mindset and habits for success in this role. 

    Book #2 - Be Intentional: Culture, is a collaborative publication discussing how the small things enhance or undermine your efforts to build a thriving culture. 

    Book #1 - Be Intentional Estimating, is the 5 star rated book that helps estimators produce more consistent outcomes in the insurance claims process. 

    ​Jon is the host of The DYOJO Podcast, helping the skilled trades to shorten their DANG learning curve for personal and professional development. 

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  • HOME
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