Money! There never seems to be enough of it, right? Just when you think you’re in the black, someone drops another slab or a customer complains about a job and you have to rework it for free. Now you’re actually paying to install countertops instead of getting paid. Ouch!
We all know that running a countertop fabrication business can be expensive. That’s why any way to get creative about saving money is so important to try out. Sometimes becoming more profitable might mean adapting to modern technology. And sometimes, it might just be small, consistent acts that can help your savings add up.
Keep reading to find out more about how you can save time and money without cutting the wrong corners. But we have to warn you, they all involve knowing your processes in and out…
1. Incentivize your team with cost-saving programs
Recently, ISFA has put on a series of really great workshops run by Eric Tryon. In these discussions, Eric blessed us with some really great ideas regarding just this topic! He strongly recommends tracking your shop all the way through so that you can clearly see exactly where there is an opportunity for becoming more profitable.
A great example of this is his slab saving program. By understanding his material costs and job costs, he was able to come up with a goal of trying to reduce the need for a second slab. Because he tracks his processes, Eric knows which teams are in the best position to help with this goal. If his sales team was able to prevent the use of a second slab during a sale, they were rewarded with a small bonus. Guess who saved a bunch of money with this small incentive?
2. Put up the numbers
We’ve seen this in some of the bigger shops. But it doesn’t mean smaller shops shouldn’t get on board. Dashboards are displayed on big screens in the shop and the office showing the right information that is relevant to the team. Eric also touched on this in his workshops. The key here is motivation. If a salesperson sees their name at the bottom of the list for weekly sales, they will automatically want to improve. Same goes for reworks, installs, and almost anything.
Simply put, this self-management approach will help you reduce reworks (the dream!) and increase sales. The two major players in your profitability.
3. Speed up your quoting process with software
You’ve heard the expression time is money, and even if it is an old saying, it’s true. Software that allows you to save your and your customer’s time is essential in today’s fast-paced world. For example, our drawing and estimating software takes less than three minutes to create an accurate countertop drawing, layout the countertop on slabs, and quote the customer. What could you do with all that extra time? You could then focus on other parts of your business where you could save a bit of dough!
Another plus here is that the slab layout feature can help you quickly estimate your material usage. Thus, saving you money in preventing material waste.
Get out there and save some money
We understand how tough it can be to run a business, but you’re not alone. There are plenty of ways for smart fabricators to save money while increasing efficiency and sales. It’s all about having a deep understanding of how your shop runs and being creative. Hopefully these three easy tips will help you get started…and once you start to see the rewards, you won’t be able to stop!
