For some, this may be a new process. For others, this can be a refocus or restructure of goals that have already been set. Either way, the road to success is more easily achieved when there is a focus and vision of what you want to achieve.

As mentioned, goals that you set should be specific and easily measurable. Goals that are based on performance – such as revenue – should be realistic and attainable. When establishing a revenue goal, the revenue should align with the amount of profit that you want to make. Setting revenue goals that are easily attainable are not always profitable. Know what your costs are, establish a reasonable percentage of profit, and set a revenue mark that makes sense. Revenue goals are easily measurable and should be broken down to yearly, quarterly and monthly time frames to ensure success all year long.

Installation performance goals can be based on time, labor budget, or quality. Setting goals to finish a project in a certain amount of time can help you stay on schedule and get to the next project. Project labor time goals can also be established to make sure you stay within the budgeted amount of labor cost for the project.

These types of performance goals can help you reach your revenue goals and increase your profits when meeting or outperforming the labor budget. With project costing, these types of goals can also be easily measured and tracked. Setting quality goals that focus on using the correct installation methods and standards can reduce your callbacks, save you money, and allow your time to be used producing revenue. Bad installation quality will have a negative effect on your profits, leading to callbacks and costly repairs.

If you set quality goals, take the time to track and measure callbacks and the time spent on them to make sure you are meeting your quality goals.

Training should always be a priority. Goals should be set to ensure you are achieving the training that keeps you updated with the tile industry. Realistic training goals can be as easy as attending an NTCA Workshop or Regional Training once per year. Or you can set a goal to attend at least one industry conference per year, where industry trainings are in abundance. Many installation companies are committed to in-house trainings and have made it a daily part of their business. There are many opportunities for training in the tile industry; find a balance of what is realistically attainable that improves and fits your businesses budget.

It’s a new year – get off on the right foot and prepare yourself for success. Refocus or set new goals that will lead to all that you want to accomplish. Reward yourself and your team when you reach your goals. Stay focused and measure the goals you have set so that you stay on track. Good luck, and happy new year!

Best to your success, Sam Bruce, NTCA President