Can A Glass Shop Owner Throw A Perfect Game?

Since 1900, there have been about 181,000 games played, including playoffs, in the major leagues. On Saturday, Chris Humber of the Chicago White Sox threw a perfect game, only the 21st game in these 112 years.  Or about .000011 of games played.  It is special.  A perfect game is 27 players up and 27 players down.  No hits, no errors, no walks, no nothing except outs.  Can it really be that hard?  Well considering it comes down to about one in every 86,000 games, yes it is that hard.

No other sport has the same precept.  In golf your score could always be better, in football you could have scored once more, in hockey you could have thrown one more punch, well you get it.  What does this mean for a glass shop?  Can you have a perfect year? How about a perfect day? 

The answer is: YES, YOU CAN!  In baseball there is a preset definition of perfect, 27 outs and your team has to score a run.  In your glass shop, you set the rules for perfection.  Let’s look at some of the options for a perfect day in a glass shop.  Pick and choose the ones you want, and there it is, you can have a perfect day at your glass shop.

• You quote three jobs, and land all of them.  It doesn’t matter that you could have quoted four.  You set the rules.
• You open the mail and Mrs. Smith sent her payment on time, and you thought she would be stubborn.
• Every employee, including you, comes to work with a BIG smile on their face.
• Your medical insurance bill for next year only goes up 3%, with better prescription coverage!

OK, let’s get real.  Here are some goals you can set for your daily life at a glass shop, where you can come home and say you had a perfect day!

• You received a request for quote from a contractor that usually uses you.
• All your employees do smile when walking in the door.
• A vendor calls to set an appointment to teach you and your crew about a new product line that can help increase your sales.  Or, you call a vendor and ask them to set up a seminar on an existing product to help increase your sales.
• Your estimator cold-calls three building permits issued last week in your town, and he gets a real good feel from two owners.
• You get a PO from a cold-call you made last week on a jewelry store where you pitched them on heavy laminated glass that could stop a smash-and-grab.
• You finish your employee reviews that have been sitting on your desk and are two weeks late!
• All of your trucks pass state emissions inspection.

All you have to do is set reasonable goals and your day can be perfect.  Set the goals for everyone in your place.  Start easy, and build them up with each success.  It is a great way to motivate your team.