Do you find yourself with plenty of work on, however not enough time to get everything done? Chasing your tail with work that is not profitable, or wishing there was a simpler, easier way to run your business? There is an answer, yet for many trade business owners it remains elusive. The key to freeing up time, guaranteeing profitable work, building value in your business and reducing stress levels comes down to a few simple steps. Effective systems and procedures, when created and implemented correctly, can transform a business…and your life. It builds a trade business that works for you. At PROTRADE United we know the key systems required to allow you to take your business to the next level.

1. The Top 7 Business Systems to
Reduce Your Hours and
Increase Profits

2. Welcome
• Hi…I’m Jon Mailer
• Relax
• Enjoy – eat, drink, connect,
• Be Open – take notes, ask how?
• Link to slides – slideshare.net/tradeinsights
• Phones, parking, toilets
• Participate – share
• Contribute & Win…

3. Who is PROTRADE United?
Australia’s #1 coaching & mentoring organisation
supporting trade & construction business owners
nationally…
To help business owners to:
• Stabilise & Streamline – creating CONSISTENCY with
income, profit & cash to give them freedom of CHOICE
• Scale – growing # projects, vans, teams, (with profit!)
• Step Out – off the tools, choose a role, sell/manage buy
out

4. Some of our clients…

5. Who is this for?
In this session…
• Think differently about your business
• Understand how to prepare yourself to step off the
tools/site – and free up your time
• Avoid the biggest mistakes that trade owners make when
implementing systems
• Implement habits that with give you greater profit and cash
• Discover a ‘new way’ of approaching your business and life
to create freedom and fulfilment

6. Quick hello…

7. What is the hardest for you?

8. Does it get any easier?
Don’t wish it was easier.
Wish you were better.
Jim Rohn…

9. Are you prepared to change?

10. Are you willing?

11. Tactics/Mechanics
vs.
Emotion/Psychology

12. What is your sweet spot?

13. What is your sweet spot?

14. Adapt the ideas…
To suit your business and
target customer…

15. What is it really costing you?

16. What is it costing you?
1. Health – mental and physical
2. Physically can’t do the work
3. Making a bigger impact/difference
4. Potential profits – and financial benefits
5. Potential freedom – time to spend on other important areas
– that matter most
6. Personal growth/leadetship
7. Leaving a legacy – training/coaching others

17. A typical approach…
1. On the tools…loving being a business ‘owner’
2. Being good at what you do…work comes in ‘droves’
3. You get busier, things get left incomplete, get tired,
stressed, burnt out – too many hats
4. You hire someone reactively/desperately
5. No training/systems – thrown in the deep end
6. Work quality drops – lose customers, frustrated
7. See! – you cant trust people. I may as well do it myself!
8. Back to square one! Slave to the business.

18. What are the barriers…

19. What are the barriers…
1. Fear – failure, success, the unknown…
2. Fixed mindset
3. Understanding your NEW value/worth to the
business
4. No vision/plan
5. Not working ON the ‘business/vehicle’
6. Lazy ‘CEO’ syndrome
7. Bad hiring
8. Poor profit/cash flow to support the changes

20. #1 Mistake

21. #2 Mistake

22. #3 Mistake

23. What is a System?

24. What is a system really?
1. What needs to be done?
2. Why it needs to be done?
3. When it needs to be done?
4. How it needs to be done?
5. Who needs to do it?

25. Begin with end in mind...

26. What has been valuable?

27. 1. Your Structure
• Your business/team is a reflection of you
• Structure = Freedom
• Planning – 1, 3, 5 – 10 year
• Your Schedule – On vs. In
• Group your activities/energies
• Know your strengths and weaknesses
• Understand vs. Doing
• Manage distractions

28. • Know your ‘dream’ customer
• Allocate a set time – weekly to connect
with your TOP 25
• Have your collateral/materials/templates
• L.A.M. – make it part of the job
• Create a routine
• Involve your team
• Optimise and Automate where possible
2. Lead Generation

29. Jay & Krista – Fully Wired Electrical

30. 3. Pricing/Winning the Work
• Write the System/flow
• Use templates
• Have set pricing
• Know your hourly cost to employ
• Offshore – plan reading, take offs, material
pricing
• Get back to client - quickly

31. Gio – Inspired Constructions

32. 4. Delivering the Work

33. Same - Same?

34. Tools

35. Train, Coach & Support
• Plan it out – up to 12 months ahead
• Give feedback
• Allow them to make mistakes*
• Be patient
• Use/empower others on the team

36. Jon Tucker

37. Michael – Livable Landscapes

38. What has been valuable?

39. 5. Meetings/Communication
Annual
Quarterly
Monthly
Weekly
Daily

40. 5. Meetings/Communication
• Have an agenda
• Only review the period before/after
• Be consistent
• Be patient
• Use/empower others to be part of the sessions

41. Glen – Stilus Design &
Constructions

42. Habits

43. 6. Hiring
1. Know who/what you want
2. Hire from within
3. Sell the opportunity – advertise well
4. Qualifying
5. Application process
6. Interview & offer
7. Automate where possible

45. 7. Collecting Payment
1. Remember – what matters most
2. Deposit
3. On completion
4. Invoice as a priority
5. Follow up on terms
6. Automate where possible
7. Outsource the debt collection

46. Aidan – Platinum Plastering

47. 8. Review
1. Review
2. Reflect
3. Respond
• How am ‘I’ going?
• What’s working?
• What’s missing?
• What would I change if I could
start over?
• What different ACTION will I
take?

48. What about…
• Technology?
• If the systems don’t work?
• If the people don’t work the systems?

49. Remember
• Mistake will happen on site – coach don’t
play!
• People will want to know ‘where you are’
• You will want to – jump back in
• Always refine the recipe
• Be patient & persistent

50. A planned approach…
1. On the tools…loving being a business ‘owner’
2. Being good at what you do…work comes in ‘droves’
3. You have a game plan to develop your business and know
the exact next steps to take
4. You manage your profit margin and know when you can
hire (the right person)
5. You hire proactively – saying NO to work that you cannot
commit to fully
6. You provide systems/ training and coaching (& feedback)
7. Profits drop initially, yet then grow again
8. Repeat Step #5 (until you have your sweet spot)
9. Gradually step back – and manage effectively

51. What has been valuable?

53. What ACTION will you take?

54. It’s interesting you know…
Most of business owners will…
• Hear what we say,
• Understand it intellectually,
• Agree with all the principles,
• Get excited about what’s possible
• KNOW that it is the thing they should
do, yet…

55. Do nothing!
What gets in the way…
LIFE
!

56. Which leads to?

57. Your opportunity to get clear
Complimentary - ‘Strategy’ Session
• Where are you NOW
• Where you WANT TO BE
• Identify the BLIND SPOTS & OBSTACLES
• Create a ROAD MAP to get you there…

58. Participant or Spectator…?