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The Secret to Scaling Snow Operations

If you want to really scale your snow operations, the best kept “secret” is to utilize subcontractors.  But there is a right way and a wrong way to accomplish this task.  Instead of spending tens of thousands on equipment and pointlessly trying to hire more labor, let me share with you how to subcontract your problems away and still profit this season. 

The first key to subcontracting is to stop thinking of subcontractors as subcontractors.  We like to think of them as “service partners” because companies are most successful when they work together toward a common goal.  The term “subcontractors” has a negative connotation that implies these companies do not provide quality work, are not as intelligent, or simply exist to work for a lower rate.  This absolutely isn’t the case.

There are many reasons why a company would want to be a service partner with another.  For one, being able to make a route more dense means that profitability across all jobs increases.  Second, utilizing equipment that would otherwise sit dormant can help them manage the payments year-round.  And finally, many companies find that being a service partner takes the hassle out of account management, service documentation, and invoicing because of dedicated account managers and automated smartphone apps that larger companies often provide.  Companies which choose any of these very valid business reasons for being a service partner should be celebrated.

The second key to having success with service partners is to educate them well.  Most companies fail at subcontracting because they simply don’t share enough information with the companies they hire.  When it comes to education, service partners may need even more training than in-house employees on customer expectations, contractual obligations, and industry best practices.  It can never be assumed that a subcontracted firm knows and executes all the best practices for snow and ice management.

If you manage service partners, keeping on top of this education can be difficult, especially as you hire them at different times of the season.  To help with this, we’ve created a course you can send to your service partners that will teach them all the basics of contracts, insurance, storm management, and communication on our sister site GrowTheBench.com.  You’ll have the ability to view their progress through our admin panel. Get a leg up on success for your winter operations — without breaking the bank. Check out the course here and start to have subcontracting success today!

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Where to Find Snow Shovelers

If you’re working to hire snow shovelers for winter work, you might be starting to get a little frustrated.  It’s always difficult to fill these seasonal positions with reliable workers but this year is absolutely one of the toughest.  When I was hiring hundreds of shovelers, I always succeeded by looking at my “secret” labor sources.  Here’s my full list of where to find snow shovelers…

I always found success hiring those from backgrounds that would prevent them from being employed at other locations.  People who had spent time in jail often had messy background checks.  Sometimes they would have visible tattoos or lack professional soft skills.  Fortunately, none of that necessarily prevents them from being reliable snow shovelers because the work is done outside, away from customers, and usually doesn’t require security clearances.

Similarly, I found success hiring from addiction rehabilitation programs.  People involved in or having recently completed these programs were usually committed to making their lives better and consistently worked hard to do so as snow shovelers.

Veterans and immigrants composed another great source of labor who, for a variety of reasons, struggled with traditional employment opportunities but would thrive with winter work.  Some accommodations may have to be made, like having a translator on the job, but the work was always accomplished.

I also always tried to find people who didn’t have the education or experience required for many jobs.  Giving others the opportunity to work despite a disadvantaged background was one of the greatest accomplishments of my career in snow removal.  Retirees can also find renewed purpose in a part-time, seasonal job like the ones our industry offers.

Of course, there is a lot of technique in how to post positions, engage these untapped talent pools, and actually get them hired.  Fortunately, our friends at Team Engine have allowed us to create a FREE course on Recruiting Talent on our sister site GrowTheBench.com.  If you need to hire people, then you need to sign up today by clicking here.  You may just learn what you need to solve the hiring puzzle.

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Selling Snow Services

It’s time to get serious about selling snow services for the upcoming winter season.  But if you’re like most contractors, that means driving to sites, measuring square footage, endless spreadsheets, and lots of guessing when it comes to estimating prices.  Here’s a better way to estimate that will save time while increasing your chances of winning the ideal snow contract.

Seventy-eight percent of contracts awarded go to the first contractor to respond.  In fact, I can’t tell you how many times in my career I was told that most of my competitors were too busy to respond with bids to even have a shot at winning.  If you’re too busy to respond, you definitely need a new process that is fast and scalable.

When I was estimating snow services, I relied on Google Maps and spreadsheets with lots of formulas.  It worked pretty well, but there were times when mistakes would be made.  Measuring big sites required lots of math and there was always room for error when entering numbers.  Sometimes the spreadsheet formulas would break and could take hours to fix.  The process was solid, but the tools left much to be desired.

If you have similar issues in your estimating, or you feel like no one else at your company can create estimates as well as you, it’s time to check out the new FREE tool at SnowBidder.com.  We’ve partnered up with our friends at SiteFotos to create the perfect tool to help you respond quickly and accurately to any pricing request while creating a sustainable and scalable estimating process.

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Hiring Seasonal Snow Employees

If you’ve already started to think about how you’ll hire all of the seasonal snow employees you’ll need this winter, you’re not alone.  Every major snow company has been advertising their job postings for weeks online.  Fortunately, most of the players are making some critical mistakes that you can use to stand out.

 For starters…

Advertise the Mission

Most job postings I see for snow work do a terrible job of advertising the mission of the company.  Snow management often requires long hours working in the cold, usually in the dark, doing a lot of tiring work.  It’s a difficult sell compared to most jobs and can be tough to stand out from the big companies that offer better benefits or pay.

But there is one key way to shift the tables.  When we can connect the mission and purpose of our companies to individual jobs, interest, safety, and retention skyrockets. Stand out by incorporating marketing language into job postings such as:

“We help people get access to groceries, prescriptions, and their place of work safely by clearing snow and ice at supermarkets, pharmacies, and offices.  Working with our firm allows you to make a difference in your community no matter what mother nature brings this winter.”

Studies have shown that mission-driven companies which advertise the purpose of their organization in job ads receive a boost in job posting interest and quality equal to that of offering a 30% higher wage.  There is simply no better or more affordable way to increase recruiting effectiveness.

Develop Your People

Of all the things that employees are seeking in jobs today, the top priority is an opportunity to learn and grow.  Seasonal positions in snow and ice are often treated by employers as transactional and rarely are the employees that hold them given developmental opportunities.  This is the biggest mistake companies repeat to cause turnover.

The reason why most companies don’t invest in their seasonal employees is that they are concerned about the time and money commitment to do so.  But Gallup studies have proven that teams which strongly agree they have had opportunities to learn and grow at work are 10% more profitable than those who do not.  Plus, with advancements in online learning, employee training has never been easier.

Consider a Snowfighters Institute Event 

By teaching employees a holistic approach to snow and ice management, they see the larger picture of the company and industry while feeling valued and invested in as team members.  Sending one of them to a Snowfighters Institute event will greatly change their perspective and engagement. It’s so wonder they have higher levels of commitment and involvement as a result.

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Reviewing Snow & Ice Scope of Work Contract Language

Contracts for snow & ice management services take on very different forms across the industry. At one extreme is the simple one-page agreement; at the opposite extreme is an extensive contract containing every imaginable clause and condition. We see this variation in contracts written by both contractors and property owners/management firms.

When reviewing your own contract for snow and ice services, there are some important “scope of work” areas to focus on that I would like to highlight in this article. But keep in mind that contract terms are often negotiable. (This is not always true.) But there is never any harm in attempting to negotiate unfair contract terms before accepting them, or walking away, based on the assumption that they are not negotiable.
 
To begin with, the scope-of-work section should be accurate and detailed. Make every effort to address potential areas of conflict or disagreement. Clarify with specificity the areas that otherwise may be ambiguous. Consider the following questions (not all will apply to every property, but some may):
 
Are you responsible for dumpster enclosures, cart corrals, gated areas, loading docks, awnings, canopies, or anything else unique to the property? If there is a car in the parking lot, how close to the car will you plow? Will you plow between parked vehicles?  Are you clearing the snow between the sidewalk and the parking stops? Are you responsible for returning to the property to clear drifting snow hours, or days, after the snow event has ended? Are you responsible for returning to the property to clear snow from a driveway or access road that has been blocked by a municipal snowplow? Are you responsible for public sidewalks? These are examples of details that should be clarified in your scope of work section.
 
It is also important to clarify expectations for anti-icing and de-icing in this section. Does the contractor have unrestricted decision-making authority? If not, what restrictions apply and how is liability redistributed? Clarify expectations for both pre-storm and post-storm applications. Specify any requirements for type of material, timing of applications, etc. The goal here, and throughout the scope of work section, is to avoid surprises during the season.
 
Many snow and ice management contracts still contain a trigger depth, which implies that the scope of work is something less than zero tolerance. In a zero-tolerance contract, the contractor has discretion to do whatever is needed, based on the weather and time of day. As such, the inclusion of a trigger depth is inconsistent and confusing.
 
Another consideration is surrounding the expectations for inspecting the property between storms for refreeze, and any action to be taken if needed. Be sure to address this in your scope of work and pricing.
 
Still another consideration is the location of where the snow should be pushed. An industry best practice today is to designate these snow pile locations on a map, and have the customer approve the locations. This is easily done in cloud-based software programs such as snowbidder.com – a free website for professional snow contractors.
 
Snow pile locations will vary based on the property. Whenever possible, it is best to leave snow piled in designated areas on top of paved areas, taking into consideration the location of drains. Due to the potential for damage to landscaped areas and contamination of ground water, plowing snow or piling snow on landscape or turf areas should only be considered if no other options exist. Melting snow piles should drain into a system that is designed to collect and process runoff in a way that is environmentally sound.
 
Moving snow great distances on properties, relocating snow, or hauling snow off the property is generally not part of basic snow plowing. Instead, these are value-added services, requiring specialized equipment, and pricing. Be sure to clarify the expectations for these additional activities in your scope of work section.
 
Finally, it is important not refer to “bare pavement” or snow “removal” in your scope of work section, unless you mean what you say. While your customer may hope that you will catch every snowflake falling out of the sky, this is not generally possible. Your contract should not imply that it is.
 
A clear and accurate scope-of-work section may result in a longer contract, but it may also result in a better relationship with your customer. 

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