Article reprinted from Western Roofing magazine July/August 2007.

 

Extra Effort

That Little Extra Effort Can Pay Big Dividends

by Chris Margarites, technical director, EternaBond

 

(Editor’s Note: Chris Margarites has been climbing on roofs since 1975. He started as a repair technician, was named service manager, and then became a partner of a contracting firm. He later sold that company and started Eternabond with an idea to create a product that would make a roofing technician’s job easier, the customer’s repair more permanent, and the company profitable. Margarites may be reached at (888) 336-2663.)

 

 

Facts are fun. Everyone loves facts, so here are a few that will help articulate the point of this article.

•               Between 1997 and 2006 the average margin of victory for the Daytona 500 was .175 seconds. For the Indy 500 it was 2.80 seconds.

•               The average margin of victory at the British Open is 2.48 strokes – the same number of strokes as the U.S. Open.

                  Endless examples exist displaying the prized results of a little extra effort. More often than not, extra effort is the difference between winners and losers. If business owners and managers model this principle, they are sure to have significant results in their business. If you are not management, serving the company and customer as technical or administrative personnel, the same rule applies. Extra effort is the key to advancing in your career and ultimately advancing the company.

                  So what does that mean to you? How does one learn to give the extra effort required to be a winner? In his book 212: The Extra Degree, author S.L. Parker gives numerous, practical examples of how to put forth more effort and become a winner. In general, he encourages us to challenge every situation until our new behavior becomes habit, and then challenge it again. For example, eliminating one half an hour of television each day results in 182.5 hours – the equivalent of four and one half weeks) of time per year to invest in your career, your spouse, your children, your faith, and your health. Another example is by getting to work 15 minutes earlier each day results in having more than 60 extra hours per year to do the little “extra effort” things that you cannot do now.

                  For business owners, this extra time may give you the opportunity to send a birthday card to your employee(s). For managers, it might mean reviewing and updating an employee’s file with recent accomplishments or achievements, as well as making time to meet with them to offer accolades. For the sales person, it may mean calling one more contact per day just to say hello. For the employee, it might mean organizing your workspace, cleaning out your vehicle, or reviewing the days work and developing a plan for the day. These are some of the little things that separate the best from the rest.

                  At EternaBond, we believe it is this extra effort that sets us apart from the other manufactures of repair products. We do not simply want to offer our customers the best technology and quality in our MicroSealant tapes. We want to give them the best service and the best experience. This starts with our commitment at an individual level to be intentional about how we live our lives. This effort is demonstrated with our internal customers (our co-workers). We have developed an environment that fosters the ideas of teamwork and an “extra effort” culture and apply it to everything we do to serve our customer. This philosophy takes training, requires being intentional in our actions, and incorporating constant encouragement and feedback. The results speak for themselves – our customer base is growing at a rate of over 30% per year!

                  Recently, all of our employees and service providers were given a book to help stay focused on this goal. This book can help you and your team to develop a culture of extra effort within your organization. Referenced earlier, 212: The Extra Degree was written by S.L. Parker and published by Walk the Talk Company. This fun, easy book that can be read in a short period of time helps provide insight and the tools on how to implement the idea of extra effort - a mission that your company can rally around.

                  Perhaps Yogi Berra, the Hall of Fame catcher of the New York Yankees who holds the record for most World Series games won said it best, “You give 100% in the first half of the game, and if that isn’t enough, in the second half you give what’s left.” That’s extra effort. •••