RentalMetrics 60 Second Grill - Episode 004
In this grill, we lighten up a bit. Hey even we RedMeat craving carnivores need a little digestion help now and again. Digest this video and take some tips on not "overcooking" your staff.
RentalMetrics...red meat for heroes that rent iron and move dirt.
RentalMetrics is the "in-sourced" management
consulting firm for the construction equipment rental sector. We're
headquartered in the heartland of America too. Please browse through our site
to gain some insight on how we think, what we do, and what makes us passionate
(some say obsessive) about extracting every last drop of efficiency from your
operations.
Business Process Analysis
RentalMetrics 60 Second Grill - Episode 002
We're cooking up a serious side dish today with some French flair that would make the perfect accompaniment to a huge hunk of bovine goodness (ie STEAK!). So bring it on, click play, and prepare for a treat.
New Series - RentalMetrics 60 Second Grills
Hello there. We've just released the first in a series of videos called the RentalMetrics 60 Second Grills. These short videos are designed to get your creative juices flowing. Do you like Red Meat like we do? Well you're about to be served up a bevy of bovine enjoyment. So grab yourself a cup of coffee and share about a minute with us. WARNING: Watch AFTER lunch. The images inside this video will get your mind...and stomach working overtime!
What’s Your Style?
Image via Wikipedia
Have you ever found yourself bored to death during a lecture? Do you struggle to read anything longer than a comic book? Do you find yourself looking for pictures or diagrams to understand a new concept? Maybe you find that in order to learn something new you just need to “do it.”
Knowing your dominant learning style (visual, auditory, or kinesthetic/tactile) can be incredibly helpful when trying to master a new subject. Are you an auditory learner? Try getting books on CD. Visual learner? Movies or step-by-step pictorial diagrams are the way to go. Kinesthetic/tactile learners – go get your hands dirty!
At RentalMetrics we recognize and appreciate the diversity in dominant learning styles and the unique viewpoints each group of learners brings to the table. We believe a one-size-fits-all training program is antiquated, biased, and just plain ineffective. That’s why our Interactive Learning Environment (ILE) provides written documents, podcasts, videos, examples, and exercises to best fit your learning style.
Get smart…check out our Free Trial today!
Great article on Making Change...Pleasurable
It's great to find complimentary articles to courses we offer in our Interactive Learning Environment. Since we just released our new course on Change Management, the timing of this piece was fortuitous.
The article is titled: The Influencers: A Manager's Guide to Succeeding at Change
In the article, author Kerry Patterson gives some tangible ideas and concepts on how to make change stick. One of my favorite points in his piece is number 3:
Principle No. 3: Make the Undesirable Desirable
Humans seek pleasure and avoid pain. So, when tasks are repetitive, painful, or boring, find a way to make them more desirable by either changing the task itself or helping people view it in a new way.
This basic rule of humankind is applicable in the workplace and at home. (If you have kids, you understand this well).
Here's Kerry's bio and website link for further investigation:
For more information and resources visit www.influencerbook.com
Kerry Patterson is coauthor of Influencer: The Power to Change Anything, (McGraw-Hill) and the New York Times bestseller Crucial Conversations. He is also a sought-after speaker and consultant and cofounder of VitalSmarts, an innovator in corporate training and organizational performance.
Plan, Do, Check, Act
The iterative Shewhart cycle of Plan, Do, Check, Act (PDCA) was made popular in the 20th century by quality guru Dr. W. Edwards Deming, and with good cause. Scientific thinking yields consistent and measurable results.
Right now the RentalMetrics team is hard at work checking out our soon to be released Interactive Learning Environment (ILE). Why are we testing? Because we care about quality!
Even though PDCA was developed with the manufacturing industry in mind, it works on any kind of project. For Instance, at RentalMetrics:
We’ve made plans to deliver an interactive learning environment. Through brainstorming and research we’ve created the intellectual framework to design an top-notch portal for those interested in learning more about using business processes and technology solutions to manage their construction equipment fleets.
For the past few months we’ve done the work to integrate a variety of software tools and developed multimedia content.
Right now we’re checking out what we’ve made. We’re testing the login system, billing system, and the usability of the navigation to ensure proper function. How do we know if it works “right?” We check our results against what we’d planned!
As we act on applying changes and bug fixes we don’t end the PDCA process. We keep updating and reviewing our plans, doing what it takes to work out the kinks, checking and re-check the changes we’ve made, and fixing the problems we find.
Simple. Yes. Powerful. You bet. No matter what industry you’re in, or the end goal of the project, PDCA is a helpful framework for organizing projects in a scientific, results oriented manner.
Project Management & Team Collaboration - Interview with Isaac Garcia, Co-Founder & CEO of Central Desktop
In this episode of the RentalMetrics RedMeat podcast we chat with Isaac Garcia, co-founder and CEO of Central Desktop.
Central Desktop provides some pretty high horsepower on-demand team collaboration software. In fact, Central Desktop's solution is what I'd call "core" to operations here at RentalMetrics. We use it for our own intranet, document management, wiki/team collaboration, and project management. Don't forget that every single subscriber to the RentalMetrics Interactive Learning Environment gets a subscription to Central Desktop...at no additional charge. We're so convinced you'll love it...and that you need it...that we'll pick up the tab. Enjoy.
RentalMetrics subscribers can hear the FULL interview with Isaac in our course called Introduction to Central Desktop in the Project Management Solutions category.
RentalMetrics RedMeat Podcast - When Six Sigma Works...and when it doesn't
In this edition of the RentalMetrics RedMeat Podcast, Doug and Paul have an open and informative discussion on their experience with 6 Sigma in organizations. If you are a 6 Sigma company or are contemplating moving to that set of tools to improve your company...this one is worth a listen.
Download RentalMetrics_Podcast2_WhenSixSigmaWorks.mp3
You can also listen via our Podbean hosted site.
Confessions E-Book: Chapter 3
Each Monday, we're bringing you quotes and tidbits from my newly released E-Book called
Confessions of An Ex-Enterprise Salesperson: What I Really Meant When I Said _____________ .
Below you'll find some material from Chapter 3 called, My solution is supported well.
The bottom line with custom software in the enterprise is that it breaks. How many times have you rebooted today?
Most enterprise software companies’ make as much from customization as they do selling their stuff. The custom development is paying salaries so the company has the R&D money to plow into their “perfect rocket ship” solution.
Previously released chapters: Introduction, Chapter 1, Chapter 2
If you'd like to receive this e-book immediately...fill out the boxes below and delivery is almost instant!
Confessions e-book: Chapter 1
We continue to bring you snippets and quotes from Doug's e-book Confessions Of An Ex-Enterprise Salesperson: What I Really Meant When I Said: ____________.
This week we take a peek inside Chapter 1 titled, "My solution is the one that best meets your needs.
Quotes & Questions from Chapter 1:
Enterprise software is SOLD not bought. The key is having enough of what matters to you in my product to build a case for saying yes.
Few organizations actually have consultative sales people that conduct a real sales qualification process. Thus, most are happy to talk to any company that expresses even slight interest in their product (because that could mean a payday).
Key Question To Ask the Enterprise Salesperson
The last time you lost a deal to your competition, what were the main reasons given? If the response is snotty or the rep attempts to discredit the prospect that ultimately said no, be wary. She will probably speak of you in these terms if you don’t choose her solution. If you’re presented with truthful accounts, kind words, and reverence for the “one that got away”, put a check box in the credibility column. An ES cannot be perfect and certainly can’t be perfect for everyone.
Previously released chapters: Introduction
Please feel free to fill in your name and email below to receive your own FULL COPY of the e-book, Confessions Of An Ex-Enterprise Salesperson: What I Really Meant When I Said: ______________.
If you're reading this post via an RSS News reader...please visit RentalMetrics and submit your information. Look for the Confessions book image in the right sidebar.
