Questions That Save Money

By: Steve Kaye
Submitted: 2007-01-17 11:54:03
Print this article | Tell a friend | For publisher | Social Bookmarking
Rating:
 

Have you ever asked a question that saved you money?

Here's an example that could help with your business.

When we bought new windows for our home one of the technicians cracked five of the tiles on our roof. I called the company that installed the roof a few years earlier and their representative told me that it would cost about $150 to replace the broken tiles.

Then I called the window company to ask them to pay for the repairs. Their representative told me that they would send a man over to fix the tiles instead.

That seemed reasonable.

And to make sure this would work, I asked, "Does he know how to walk across a tile roof without breaking tiles?"

She agreed to check. A minute later she called back and said, "Have the roofing company repair the tiles."

So, what's the point?

First, we always benefit from asking questions. If I had let the window company send someone, I could have ended up with more broken tiles.

And second, when results matter, it’s worth having an expert do the job.

In this case, the professional roofer took only a couple of minutes to replace the broken tiles. And the roofer did something extra: he patched holes in the tarpaper that had been caused by the broken tiles.

So, the job was done quickly and done properly.

There is a parallel here that applies to meetings.

Many people think that they know how to lead an effective meeting. And for routine issues they may obtain workable results. But these meetings take too long and they often miss important things.

And all of that costs money.

How?

Inefficient meetings waste valuable payroll dollars; missed opportunities never make money; and bad meetings cause problems that lose money.

Fortunately, conducting an effective meeting is not like repairing a roof.

Since you hold many meetings, it pays to learn how. You'll earn back the cost of a workshop by holding only two or three effective meetings. And you'll gain control of a business activity that determines the future of your company.

For those special cases where the meeting deals with complex issues or where you want to participate (instead of lead), you can always hire an expert.

- - -

Steve Kaye helps leaders hold effective meetings. He is an IAF Certified Professional Facilitator, author, and speaker. His meeting facilitation and leadership workshops create success for everyone. Call 714-528-1300 for details. Visit http://www.stevekaye.com for a free report.

Article source: Expert Articles

Most Recent Articles in Management category

  • Employee involvement - By: john david
    Employee involvement involves the creation of an environment wherein people are involved in the decision making process that have an impact on the decisions and the actions that have a bearing on the jobs.
  • Work from Home Based Business With 7 Secrets of Internet Millionaires - By: Gagan kainth
    The external and internal secrets of Internet millionaires are explored. Find out what the Internet millionaires know that has made them so successful.
  • The Top 10 Questions to Ask Your Community Association Management Company - By: James Small
    Throughout the industry, HOA Management Companies overload their community managers by giving them too many homeowners associations to manage
  • Things to think about before hiring an accountant - By: Michiel Van Kets
    Locating a good honest accountant is not as simple as you would think. The majority of us looks in a local directory and chooses the first one who answers the phone.
  • A Chartered Accountant Can Help You In Many Ways - By: Michiel Van Kets
    The function of a chartered accountant can be intricate to understand, the majority just associates them with tax returns.
  • Considerable Factors involved in Product Creation & Marketing - By: Kamal Kant Gupta
    The niche you have chosen should allow creation of more than one product or service. With the technological advancements in the hosting industry, from automated control panels and scripts that simplify creation of accounts, to complete turnkey solutions; there is no need to worry about spending time on the real products sold to the customer.
  • No One Wants To Hear They Have An Ugly Baby - By: Rene Jones
    It's time to admit you have an, "Ugly Baby!" Or, in distribution terminology, "Admit your warehouse is in shambles!" If your warehouse has returns that sit around for days without being processed, "Your warehouse is in shambles." If your warehouse has receiving that does not get received for days, then once it is received it sits again before it is put away, "Your warehouse is in shambles!" If your customer service personnel spend more time in the warehouse checking stock, because your inventory is so inaccurate, "Your warehouse is in shambles!"
  • Make your Sales Team the Best with Excellent Sales Training - By: John McLean
    An article that shows you how to get the best sales team with the best training courses
  • Highlighting The Benefits Of Project Management Training - By: Gurinder Singh
    Project management is one of the important processes of an organization for the simple reason that it answers a lot of your questions and adds order to the company. With this, project management training is important to ensure that you have the right skills and knowledge when it comes to doing project management.
  • Benefits of Management are Essential for Business - By: Avesh Dahiya
    During the implementation of project, the benefits manager has to check whether the benefits are being achieved within the specified time frame. Therefore helps the management in selecting the right projects.