WHAT’S IN/OUT
Management
In:
Small jobs and specialty niches
Streamlining operations
Out:
The way you’ve always done it
Sales
In:
Clients expecting discounts
Asking for the sale
Out:
A casual approach to sales
Order-taking
Personnel
In:
Smaller but stronger teams
Open-book management
Out:
Hasty hiring
Rigid job descriptions
Marketing
In:
Free marketing (a.k.a. social media)
Personal contacts
Out:
Broadcast marketing without a defined target audience
Administration
In:
Cutting overhead — even more
Staff doing whatever it takes
Out:
Complicated processes and systems
Design
In:
Using technology to boost efficiency
Out:
Structured design fees
Full-time design staff
Production
In:
Asking trades for a discount
Strategic partnerships with trades
Out:
New-home building
Inefficiency