There must be a hundred or so “Rocky” movies out there, or so it seems to me. But the best one ever, according to the ‘ol Coach, is Rocky I (which, by the way, was never called “Rocky I”! How’s that for a bit of trivia?). I digress—sorry. And what a terrific example it is for teaching each of us how to be an effective project manager.
Okay, now; simmer down. I hear the objections out there, all across the country, and half-way around the world. You can hardly believe your eyes and fear that Coach is about to showcase Rocky as some kind of a PM guru. You are convinced that, this month, Coach Gary has finally flipped out entirely! Rocky the PM? “Absurd”, you say. And I’d agree.
But I’ll bet you agree with this: to a PM, Rocky is a fantastic example of setting and achieving his goals. Gotcha! So, let’s take a quick look at an old, but up-to-date movie.
Hear the music? Sure you do, because everyone knows that theme. See Rocky running through the neighborhood, up the steps, then dancing around, imagining victory, with his fists in the air? Using a side of beef as a punching bag—see it? Of course! Finally, can you see him in the ring, going toe-to-toe, trading punch for punch with Apollo Creed, the heavy champion of the world, and with blood everywhere?
As the fight ends, and Rocky loses on points, Apollo tells him that there’s not going to be any rematch. He’s had enough of this upstart, this new guy, this—unknown. It’s harder to remember that part of the movie—the losing part. But the fact is this: Rocky gave it all he had–more than Apollo ever imagined he could give him—because Rocky left it all in the ring.
Rocky lost, but what did he get? Respect—boy, did he ever get respect! Not just from Apollo, but from his “team” of coaches, trainers, family, the referee—everybody. And when Rocky did get his rematch, he made the most of it, because—this time—everyone knew that he deserved to be there, it wasn’t just some fluke. I’ll argue that Rocky’s losing that fight was the best thing that ever happened to him—career-wise.
You see, fighting a good fight, against a world class opponent, even if you lose, puts you into an elite category. Rocky knew he had weaknesses, but he also knew his strengths, and how to make the most out of them. Rocky believed in himself. He was fearless. He knew he could run with anybody.
And that brings us back to our own, real world, and real-life battles in the arena of project management. How you can set and achieve your own goals. How you can go up against world-class competition and fight your own, good fight, leaving your “championship” clients wondering where in the heck you and your company ever came from, and how you fought for what was right, and made your case, won their respect, and you even did a little better this round than the last one! Your training is paying off.
Here’s a novel idea: how about we start getting paid for all of this free work that we do on our projects? Is that really a “secret strategy” that PMs use? Or is Coach Gary just putting you on–again?
Well, the answer is both “yes”
and “no”!
First the “no”. It’s not really secret–you should already know that you need to get paid for way more of these freebies that you are doing now. And if you don’t think you are doing freebies, then we need to talk!
But the “yes” is this: there really is a “secret” way to get paid much more often, and to do it in a way that your clients can’t get mad at you. Honest!
Let’s start by reading the article I wrote in the June issue of Masonry Magazine. By the time you get through that, you’ll probably realize that you do need more training, more inside secrets, more strategies on how to become a better PM. And hopefully, it won’t even take the article to do that–you already know this.
If I were you, I’d make a a beeline right over to the order page and get the book, “Get Paid for a Change!” It’s on the right-hand panel of this blog. This bookwill give you tools you can use in developing your career and improving your business. And most of you readers of this blog can either deduct the cost of it, or get your companies to reimburse you for it. After all–there are secrets strategies in the book that will help your business!
Speaking of helping your business–your project management skills: have you registered here on the site yet to become a member? It’s free, you know! Team members have access to information that others don’t have. And have you listened to the audio I have posted down below? Do everything you possibly can to become the most knowledgeable PM around. Especially when this help is either cheap or free. How’s that for a deal from Coach?
In the meantime, here’s the article I promised:
Masonry June 2007
Full Contact Project Management
You Aren’t Going to Pay Me—Because…Why?
by “Coach” Gary Micheloni
I try like heck to avoid court! Bet you do, too. Know what I like in a project? Simple answer: Get in; get out; get the money! And I bet it’s the same for you. But if I ask myself, how often do I get these kinds of projects, the answer is disappointing. Here’s my answer: Almost never! You? I’m guessing we’re alike, here.
Recently, I ran into a situation where someone didn’t want to pay for some work that was performed, and they used a really lame reason. It’s something that you need to know about. I’ll come back to it in a moment.
But you know, it’s a crazy world out there. Our clients all demand top craftsmanship from us, yet are not willing to give us the time (and money) required. And because time is money, it seems that there is rarely enough of either that will go to the contractor.
The masonry, concrete and other contractors I talk to all seem to have one thing in common: their jobs never go exactly as planned. And a lot of times it’s a simple case of the plans, themselves, being inadequate to build what the contractor has bid! Tell me I’m wrong. Send me an e-mail and tell me that almost all of your projects go according to plan. I’d love to hear that from our industry, but right now I’ll settle for at least one person. But I don’t think I’m going to get that e-mail!
“Hey, Coach,” you say, “how about some help for us out here who are struggling with all of the changes—almost everyday—on most of our jobs.” Okay, here’s a deal for you: tell me about the craziest, the hardest, the strangest change you ever had to deal with on one of your projects. I’ll give a copy of my e-book, “Get Paid for a Change!”, to the contractor with the best answer. Hey, it sells for about $40, and might only take a minute of your time to drop me a note, so give it a shot.
“Hey, Coach,” I hear someone else say, “what can we do the next time we run into these changes—which will probably be tomorrow?”
First, we can do some practical stuff, Team. By the time you read this, you should be able to log on to www.fullcontactBlog.com. You’ll be finding there some new resources, such as regular audio updates from Coach Gary to help you with your PM issues. I think you’re going to like it. Check it out today. As always, almost all of the helps on the site are free to you, so surf on over, check it out, and sign up.
Second, drop me an e-mail when you run into something difficult or strange. Maybe a fresh set of eyes can help you sort things out.
The third thing we can do for you today is to offer an answer to the most difficult job in construction—collecting your money! Now, where was I? Oh,yeah: “I don’t want to pay you.” How in the world do we get into messes like these. Listen up, now, and don’t miss this, because it is critical, and can happen to just about anyone.
We all do extra work. We are all used to getting a ticket signed when the extra work is done, and then we bill for it. But there can be a twist, and you need to look out for it, or your client might not pay you. And you probably didn’t see this one coming.
So picture this: you’re asked to do some extra work, you’ve got your signed ticket, your office bills for it, and then you find out that, “You’re not going to pay me—because…why?”
Pay attention to the “why”. To do that, first read your contract documents and your specs, and see what they have to say about paying you for changes to the work. In most cases, you’ll find that the client really doesn’t have to pay you without some kind of written authorization—in advance of the work. You say, “No sweat—I got my signed ticket, right?” Unfortunately for your company, you might not be covered.
When you check that fine print stuff, you will probably read that no work will be paid for if it is not authorized—in writing—before the work begins. This means that a client can tell you to do the work, sign your ticket, and still not pay you. Hey, what happened here?
You look at your signed ticket, and you see that the superintendent wrote on it, “Verify hours only”, or words to that effect. That’s legal-speak for, “Hey, I agree that your crew spent hours doing that work, but I don’t agree that the work was not in your contract. I was asked to verify that the work was done, and that’s all I did. I never said it was extra work—I just told you that you needed to do it. Sorry!”
Sorry? It’s not right! It’s not fair. I object!I’ve been, shall we say, violated!
Settle down, Team. Because right now we’re going to learn a play that we can run, which will avoid a lot of this. And it’s simple. It’s so simple you’ll just about slap yourself in the head, and wonder why you didn’t think of it yourself.
When your client or his superintendent tells you to do some “extra work”, wants youto do it T&M, and promises to sign your ticket afterwards, here’s what you say: “Love to help you. We’ll get right on it. But first, your office needs to fax over to my office a note or send an e-mail telling us to do the work, and the note needs to say that it’s extra work. Your contract docs require us to do things this way, before starting your work. Sorry for any inconvenience!”
Now, when your office bills your client for this extra work, as shown on the signed ticket you have, your office can reference the note or the e-mail or note telling you that the work was “extra”.
It only takes a moment longer to do things this way—to protect yourself. A hassle? Maybe. But if you ever get into an argument with your client, or into arbitration, or into a courtroom battle over an issue like this, would you rather have just the signed ticket, or the signed ticket plus the note authorizing the “extra” work? And the cool thing? You didn’t even have to write the note!
Put this to work for your company immediately, and see how much grief and money it saves you. And while you’re at it—stay out of court, too!
Coach Gary’s Playbook: Need to get good at this PM stuff? Go to www.fullcontactpm.com, click on to the archives, and see the helps available to you for free. Also, you get Coach Gary’s book there. Gary Micheloni is a working project manager, speaker, author and consultant. Got a question? e-mail him at coachgary@fullcontactpm.com. He tries to personally answer all notes and letters sent to him. And be sure to check the new blog site: www.fullcontactBlog.com. Subscribe and get free audio updates that will help your projects.
July 2007: Quick Start Audio Lesson on the Basics of Project Management
Team—
Read the short note below, and then click on the play button above for your first audio lesson
This is your quick start audio lesson on the basics of construction management! Here’s where you begin to get grounded in the mindset of Full Contact Project Management. This audio happens to be a favorite one of mine: it’s from the first magazine article I ever had published. It’s called, “A Contractor’s Guide to Surviving Opportunity”, and is all about getting paid for our change orders.
Since that time I’ve had over 40 more published in magazines that you probably read: Masonry, Site Prep, Coatings Pro, Construction Purchasing, as well as the Kimmel Construction Newsletter. All told, some 200,000+ subscribers read those magazines, and I suggest you should, too.
Listen to this short audio lesson of mine—it’s just over 9 minutes long. Better yet, download it to your computer so that you can listen to it often. It’s an MP3 file. Save it to a CD and play it in your truck or iPod while you’re driving around. Play it a couple of times each week until you really begin to absorb it. I even encourage you to share this file with your friends and colleagues. Invite them to www.FullContactBlog.com. Start talking about these things among yourselves. Better still—start using these ideas. Just don’t try to sell the audios—because I do own the copyright. But you can share these with anyone.
You’ll be getting updates like this from me on a regular basis. Sometimes audio. Sometimes notes or even newsletters. Maybe even a surprise or two now and then. It’s the PM TV and radio station! So don’t miss even one of these updates—and don’t let your friends miss them, either.
And remember, while I can give you a little coaching each time, and it will help you, your PM career will skyrocket after you read the book. You know, it’s called “Get Paid for a Change!” for a good reason: it is the blueprint that contractors need to convert into cash those many changes that always seem to crop up on almost every jobsite. I’ll bet you’ve got at least one of those right now. Haven’t you? Thought so! Let’s turn them into change orders—now!
So get the book. Your company will probably even reimburse you for it. It’ll really help your career to take off—and help your company’s bottom line. Even if you’re a veteran—you’ll still learn some new tricks, I think.
Being a Full Contact Project Manager will be a real resume enhancer for you. In many ways, the book gives you the essence of what so many expensive, construction project management software programs try to do. But this book is effective, simple and easy to use. Unlike them, it’s logical. It’ll make sense. You’ll love it.
And a final piece of advice: if your company won’t reimburse you, then you might just want to keep that resume all shined up!
Get the file. Get the book. You need this stuff. Let your friends know, too!
Too many contractors do too much extra work—for free! If you realize that, and think it’s about time to do something about it, then you’ve come to the right place.
Here’s the scene: you walk into the jobsite trailer, looking for the superintendent of your project, because he phoned you and said that your crew missed something—and you need to fix it—right away. At your expense? Of course! The superintendent is practically barking at you.
You’re saying to yourself, “Man, I don’t think that’s mine…but, he is the superintendent, for a great, big general contractor, and he seems so positive. I’ve not been doing this PM stuff for very long—I’m mainly an estimator–a salesman. And I don’t want to slow down the crew or shut down the job. Maybe I should just go along, give him what he wants, and do the work. I’m not sure I can tell him ‘no.’”
Ever had this happen to you? Ever read where this happened to someone else? Did you ever read the story (an advertisement!) where some bully kicked the sand in the face of a 97-pound weakling, then took his girlfriend? Sad! But later, our hero takes a body-building course, comes back and fights with the bully, and gets the girl.
Well, that story ran for decades in some magazines, and it sold a lot of body-building courses, and built up a lot of muscles.
Full Contact PM is just entering its third year, but it’s already been successful in building up the “muscles” of a lot of PMs. They know that they can come here and get some answers, some direction. Heck, sometimes just an encouraging word goes a long ways. You’ll get that here. You can also get my book on how—EXACTLY—to deal with these kind of issues. You need this stuff!
Mostly, what you’ll get here are tools you can use, and most of them are free. Let’s start off with some right now. Go to the button below and click on it to get to the Playbook. There are three new plays there for you that you will want to try out for yourself. Go ahead, leave your name and e-mail address now, and you’ll get them immediately.
These plays will be really helpful to you:
Make the Most of Your Pre-construction Meeting
10 Quick Things You Can Do to Tune-up Your PM Skills
Response to “Stupid” RFPs
I’m going to be putting new tools in there on a regular basis. Again, most of these are free, and you absolutely need to see all of them.
Especially this next one, which should be there in another week or two: It’s a mini-course on how to handle changes in your scope of work. It’s taken from my book, “Get Paid for a Change!”, which is subtitled “The Contractor’s Blueprint for Turning Extra Work into Extra Money—through Change Orders”.
One of the great things about signing up for these free plays is that you’ll get notified when there’s something new for you.
And you’re going to find some of these new plays are given to you on audio and video. You’ll be able to download them to your Ipod or other MP3 player, and take along with you. How cool is that?
And that’s why this Website is going to become a radio and TV station for PMs.
So, go ahead and sign in right now. Get those new plays. Just leave your name and your e-mail address, and we’ll get them to you immediately.
