Safety Consulting Corner

Surveys Part 2

Yesterday we talked about what might get someone to take a survey (or not). Why would you want to create and send out a survey in the first place? There are many reasons. One of the most important is to find out what your market wants or needs. If you don't ask them, how will you know? Once you have this valuable information, you can provide new products that provide true value to your clients and potential clients. You can also take a survey to see how you are doing. Are you doing a good job as a consultant, trainer, inspector, or any other role you fill? A survey can be a great way to solicit and get feedback. A survey can also be an aid when doing research and any research you do, even informal as with a survey, can also be used to issue White Papers, special reports and press releases and all of these can help to build your credibility. Never do a survey simply for the sake of doing a survey. You don't want to ask your clients and contacts to waste their time on anything. Surveys, when created and used with a specific goal in mind, can be a great help to your business.

Two to Tango?

Do you work with your spouse? If not, would you? I have run into only a dozen or so safety consulting couples and they have been as varied as all of the other individual consultants I have met. Sometimes one half of the team is really a "front" (unfortunately, usually the wife) so that the consulting firm can be certified as a Women's Business Enterprise (WBE). I have met some of these business owners and they know about as much about safety as my 7 year old - okay - I'll get off of my soapbox and get back to the topic - Other safety consulting partners are truly partners and both the husband and the wife are true professionals.

In either event, working together can be tricky. First, have you determined if one of you is "boss"? (and does the other know it?) Have you determined specific responsibilities for each partner? For instance, who is responsible for paying the bills or hiring and firing? If you can't agree on something, who has the final say? (this could be a sticky one). You should also establish guidelines for professional behavior. Although this might seem like a no-brainer because both partners want the business to be successful, what's appropriate at home may not be appropriate at work and this should be discussed. Finally, try to keep some division between work and home. While one partner may be ready to jump out of bed and start discussing work before they even brush their teeth, the other partner may not. Try to keep your personal and business lives separate  - at least for part of the day. With some pre-planning, you can work successfully with your partner - and still have time to tango.

RFP stands for...

I just read an excellent post on Alan Weiss's new blog, Contrarian Consulting, about the uselessness of Request for Proposals (RFPs).  I really enjoyed this post because I have toiled through many of these things - usually for the federal government but also for the State of New Jersey (my home state). If you read Alan's post, you will see a variety of strange questions that may appear on RFPs. I have seen most of these and more. Alan hits my pet peeve right on the head and that is the requirement to make multiple copies of the RFP and associated paper work. I always wonder why I, as a small business owner (who doesn't own a high speed copier), must make 6 copies of a 60+page document, and then pay to mail this giant package of paper when I am pretty sure the government has more than enough copiers available. Wouldn't an electronic submission be nice? (and save a lot of trees?)

Additionally, I am pretty sure that many of these RFPs are already pre-decided so for the unknowing bidder, they are also a complete waste of time and money. Alan's suggestion to really know who (and what) you are dealing with on the inside can help you to avoid spinning your wheels. Alan's post refers to an RFP as Really Flatulent Paperwork. I like RFP = Really Futile Process. Either way, you get the message.

With Risk Goes Reward

In Seth Godin's blog, he talks about two different types of people in the workplace - thrill seekers and fear avoiders. Seth goes onto say that thrill seekers are the ones that love change and are excited to try new things. If you have read any of my articles in "The Advisor," you know that I strongly encourage consultants to go out on a limb and try new things. As safety professionals, we are trained to avoid or lessen risk and if an employee is a thrill seeker at work, they are likely to have a lot of accidents - exactly what we do not want.  The key is to understand that there are right risks and that not all risk is bad. Yes, trying a radically different approach to workplace safety is risky but isn't it riskier not to try something new that could have a positive effect on the lives of thousands of workers? One of my favorite books is "Right Risk: 10 Powerful Principles for Taking Giant Leaps with Your Life" by Bill Treasurer. (Click here for an excerpt that was posted on the Business Know How website). Mr. Treasurer really puts risk in perspective. Even after several readings, this little book (it's only 200 pages) is still one of my favorites.  Take Seth Godin's and Bill Treasurer's advice - be a thrill seeker and find those risks that are right for you.