We immediately started to reap the benefits...of the system. Our time management improved out of site & as a result our productivity as well. Suddenly we had “time” to work on the business.
The day at Symphony wire is almost always busy & throwing up new challenges that we need to deal with, so it was a significant mind shift to take control & actually plan how the days would go. It was amazing how much time we were wasting. Once we implemented our default diaries & kept to the plan wherever we could, suddenly time wasn’t a problem. Financially I can’t stress enough how critical it is to have a separate account for excess working capital. Without it we were always short of cash, even with a good cash flow. On cash flow, I guess we’d never really had the nerve to both put our prices up & shorten our credit terms, so once we did this, suddenly Symphony Wire was a new business. Our confidence in paying our BAS & IAS had been shaky; we had often put money into the business to get the BAS paid. After the provision account was open and started filling with cash, well we knew exactly where we were with the BAS & IAS. If something needed to be bought out of the working capital, we had a much better idea of how much we could part with at any given time, while still covering the BAS & the bills. All our systems for production resided in our heads and communication was never very effective. Once we had put our systems down on paper & then most importantly conferred with the production employees, we were able to build a much more efficient production system. We had more productivity & fewer errors. Also we implemented testing & measuring of all aspects of production, which is how we KNOW the new system is working well. Prior to commencing business coaching our sales & marketing was either haphazard or totally non-existent. Now we have an ordered, methodical approach to our sales. We have regular customer contact & customers greatly appreciate that. Our website is now easy to update & we are far better at writing the content. There are several sections now & many good stories giving testimony as to Symphony wire’s excellent products & service - a lesson learned from the Coach. Business coaching helped us to position Symphony Wire in the industry we’re in. We sell the most expensive locally produced product in our industry but our customers wouldn’t be with anyone else. We always emphasise our service & advice and our manufacturing warranty is VERY well received with our customers; we make an excellent product & stand behind it, which limits their vulnerability to breakdowns and buys them peace of mind. We were the first (& still the only) supplier to GIVE our customers a repair kit. Management wise, we’ve gained a great deal of experience in the past 19 mths, and the action system has helped us with recruiting, training & then managing our people. It was of great comfort because we hadn’t employed anyone outside the family prior. Clive has been a huge inspiration. Implementing various parts of the action systems sometimes created tensions within the company, Clive’s steadying influence helped keep things productive. We really could not have hoped for a better ambassador to the Action system & all round help to Symphony Wire - Well done Clive! I firmly believe in the Action business coaching system. Action Coach is an excellent way to take your business & your life higher & further than your wildest expectations. Playing above the line is the only way to conduct one’s life & business, something we should all strive for at all times. It’s great to have someone such as Clive around to help with this. I recommend both Clive & the Action Coach system to you - you won't regret it. - Tom Howell - Symphony Wire
