Stone Industry Education, Tulsa, OK
Fabricators from across Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri and Arkansas gathered in Tulsa last week for another Stone Industry Education event organized by the MIA+BSI.
The morning featured a presentation by GK Naquin from Stone Interiors in Alabama, but the afternoon was reserved for break-out discussions among the attendees. GK set the tone by sharing terrific stories collected over his 35 years in the stone industry.
Reduce Go-Backs to Regain Profits!
GK stressed the importance of reducing “go backs.” In addition to the cost of fuel and wages for the staff making the trip, you have to consider the cost of the work that is NOT getting done. So what’s the solution?
Participants agreed that incomplete information and poor internal communication was at the root of the problem. We’ve seen fabricators address both of those issues with JobTracker! For example, you can design Job Forms to track essential information, print Activity Packets to ensure your crews have complete information, and flag potential problems with Job Issues.
Check out this interview with Scott Hanes to learn how he uses JobTracker to support his workflow. For example, Scott requires that an initial intake form is 100% complete BEFORE they will even schedule the Template. Sure, you still have to enforce internal policies like these – but JobTracker makes it easier! You can see when you fall short and reward the team when you improve.
Create Happy Customers by Setting Clear Expectations
GK also emphasized the importance of setting realistic customer expectations. Money spent training your salespeople can have a huge pay-off if they, in turn, train your customers. For example, if your salespeople understand the properties of quartzite vs marble – and which colors fall into which category – they’ll know how to help customers set realistic expectations about performance and care. 
Similarly, it is important to help customers envision how the slab they fell in love with in the show room is going to look once it is divided into smaller pieces and installed in their home. As GK explained, customers often fall in love with the complete stone almost like a painting. They might not stop to imagine that once you layout the counter, the “painting” may not be recognizable.
CounterGo can be a lifesaver here! You can quickly import a slab image and show your customer how it will look in their home.
