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Near Misses

by | Sep 9, 2024 | Safety | 0 comments

Near Misses

Written by Eric Petersen, CIC

One of my favorite parts of being a former arborist turned insurance agent is when I join tree care companies for their safety meetings. Seeing first hand how dedicated most tree care companies are to improving their safety culture and being a part of that is extremely rewarding for me. It also is great to see the variety of safety meeting formats, both in length and structure, but one common item almost everyone includes is a discussion on near misses. 

OSHA defines ‘near miss’ as a potential hazard or incident in which no property was damaged, and no personal injury was sustained, but the easier definition is that of a close call. Something happened whether it was intentional or not, that could have caused an injury or accident. 

Near misses are great learning opportunities for everyone within the company as it creates discussion around what could have or should have been done differently to avoid the close call.

Do you discuss near misses at your company? 

If you haven’t incorporated a discussion on near misses into your safety meetings yet, don’t fret, here are a few simple tips. 

  1. Establish the Purpose and Ground Rules – To be effective, a conversation about near misses needs a defined purpose and ground rules set by you, the leader of the organization. Make sure to explain that the purpose of this conversation is simply to help others avoid an injury or accident by learning from someone who had a close call. The ground rules are also simple but also very important. You must establish the trust within your team to let them know that they will not be punished for sharing a near miss and you will not tolerate anyone belittling someone for sharing details of a close call. Without an open trusting environment, your near miss discussion will not be effective. 
  2. Start with a Personal Example – As the leader of your organization, you may not be involved in the day-to-day production work anymore, but everyone of us has had a close call to recount or can think of one from their personal life. When the leader begins to share and makes him/herself vulnerable to their team, it sets the stage for anyone in the organization to be able to share a near miss situation. 
  3. Ensure Everyone has a Chance to Share – Without letting the meeting get too long, it’s important for everyone on the team has a chance to share their near miss. When someone feels like they didn’t have a chance to share when they were ready to, they are less likely to share the next time around. 

If you are struggling with what to include during your Safety meetings or how to begin discussing near misses with your team, reach out to an ArboRisk team member or sign up for our Thrive Safety Package today.

Job Briefing

by | Sep 9, 2024 | Safety | 0 comments

Job Briefing

Written by Eric Petersen, CIC

Job Briefing. Job Hazard Analysis (JHA). Job Safety Analysis (JSA). Pre-Work Checklist. 

There are many names that tree care companies use to describe the activity a crew goes through before they begin working at a jobsite but for the purpose of this article, I’m going to use the term Job Briefing. 

Before I get too far along, it is important to note that the technical function of a JHA is slightly different to a JSA or Job Briefing, but the concept I want to dive into is…

What should a tree crew discuss before working at a jobsite?

For starters, the Job Briefing may be the singular most important moment of each job. It is the time for all crew members to understand the work that will be done, the specific site hazards involved and create an emergency plan for an accident. 

Let there be no doubt, Job Briefings save lives. On top of that, the Job Briefing helps each job be completed in a more efficient and profitable manner than a job that didn’t have a briefing. 

So what should your crew be discussing during their Job Briefing? The Job Briefing doesn’t need to be a long drawn meeting, but it should address several key items including specifics about the work to be done at this location, and site specific hazards and special equipment needed along with a discussion about the work zone setup. The crew should also discuss emergency procedures, who will call 911, who is the backup caller, where is the nearest hospital or urgent care clinic, where is the first aid kit. 

To help your crew remember to discuss all of these topics, utilize a paper or digital form that each employee signs to acknowledge that they understood the specifics of that job. You can include more than this, but in my opinion, the bare minimum information that should be on your Job Briefing form should be:

  • Date
  • Jobsite address
  • Start time
  • End time
  • Crew Leader
  • Physical Hazards/Obstacles specific to this location
  • Simple description of Work Plan including a sketch of work zone
  • Questions/Comments from the crew
  • Signature lines for each crew member 
  • First Aid kit location
  • Who will call 911 and who is the backup caller?
  • Specific equipment necessary for the job
  • Specific PPE requirement necessary for the job

A copy of the Job Briefing should be kept on file in case an accident does occur as this can be a key piece of defense that your tree care company will want to have if being sued by someone after a job-site incident. 

Lastly, don’t over complicate this process for your team. Make it easy enough for them to do before each job, yet detailed enough to get the right information to everyone. 

If you are struggling with what to include during the Job Briefing or how to improve your pre-job meetings, reach out to an ArboRisk team member or sign up for our Thrive Safety Package today.

Effective Sales Meetings

by | Aug 5, 2024 | Business Strategy | 0 comments

Effective Sales Meetings

Written by Eric Petersen, CIC

Raise your hand if you love sales meetings.

I bet not many readers of this article actually raised their hand and I don’t blame them for that. Most sales meetings are not an effective use of the sales person’s time. Sales people do not want to be stuck in a meeting, they want to be out seeing their customers and prospects and their frustration with meetings compounds when they don’t feel that they get any value out of the meeting itself. 

What is the objective of a Sales Meeting? 

It is simply to help your sales team sell more.That’s it. Don’t overcomplicate this during your meetings. 

So how do you make sure you are having effective sales meetings? Here are my six tips to getting the most out of your sales meetings:

  1. Define purpose to all involved – The “Why” – Make sure everyone knows why you are holding sales meetings; to help them sell more! This sounds elementary, but this simple purpose must be stated fairly regularly to keep sales people engaged before, during and after the meeting. When they feel that they have your support, salespeople perform better and are more likely to help offer suggestions for improvement. 
  2. Set an agenda and stick to it – Without an agenda, sales meetings meander around hoping to help someone in the meeting while undoubtedly wasting most people’s time. No one wants to sit in a meeting and not know what is going to be talked about next or worse yet, not know how long the meeting will last. An agenda that is sent out in advance of the meeting also allows the participants a chance to prepare beforehand to be more effective during the time spent together. For a few sample meeting agenda types, check out this article. 
  3. Start AND end on time – This also is pretty basic, but when you ask a sales person to take time out of their day to spend in a meeting versus with their customers/prospects, you need to start the meeting on time and end on time. Respecting your sales people’s time should be a foundational part of any organization. Most tree companies are good at starting on time, but need to work at ending on time. To properly end a meeting on time, your agenda must keep you focused and have a built-in option to table certain items until the next meeting.
  4. Celebrate wins – Everyone likes to feel victorious and sharing success stories with your sales team are a great way to do this. Not only does the individual salesperson get recognition for a job well done, the others may learn a thing or two on what went into closing that sale and be able to apply that the next time they have a similar situation. 
  5. Ensure collaborative environment – It is easy for a sales meeting to turn into a competitive bragging session between your sales people, especially when you are celebrating individual wins. Ensure that you create a collaborative environment by focusing on team goals throughout the meeting and building in time for everyone to contribute something that they’ve learned/experienced. It’s amazing to hear the sales ideas you get from your team when you foster a team environment in your sales meetings.  
  6. Keep meeting minutes – This last tip is probably the hardest for every sales manager, but it is so critical to keep your meetings as effective as possible. Before the meeting starts, someone should be assigned to take the meeting minutes. They do not have to be an entire log of everything that was said, but they should reflect; who was in attendance, summary of each agenda item, goal updates and most importantly who will do what by when. The last part is the crucial accountability part that is often missed with sales meetings. Remember, the purpose of the sales meeting is to help your salespeople sell more, so build this into your meeting structure so there is more accountability for everyone involved.


If you are struggling creating a sales meeting format that works for your team or need help developing a better sales process, reach out to an ArboRisk team member today to get started in our Thrive Sales & Marketing Package.

Sales Meeting Types and Agendas

by | Aug 5, 2024 | Business Strategy | 0 comments

Sales Meeting Types and Agendas

Written by Eric Petersen, CIC

Ah, the dreaded sales meeting. Every tree care company that has a sales team holds these meetings, yet, not many companies know how to best utilize the time spent together. The largest improvement a tree care company can make to their sales meetings is to create and stick to a set agenda. 

But when creating an agenda, many sales managers realize there are a lot of topics they wish to cover and not enough time to do it. Because of this, I recommend getting your sales team on a regular schedule of three types of sales meetings to be held weekly, monthly and quarterly. 

At ArboRisk, we recently moved to this structure and it has helped our sales team keep their focus during these meetings and has allowed us to be more effective with the time we spend together. 

**Pro Tip** Select a set day of the week and at the same time to hold these meetings every week so everyone becomes comfortable in the cadence of the meetings. 

 

Weekly Prospecting Meeting – Just Sales Team – 30 mins

This meeting should be brief and focused on the tasks that are needed to be performed to achieve results. These meetings keep your team aligned and on track. 

Agenda

  • Introduction (5 minutes)
    1. Icebreaker
    2. Outline goals for the meeting
  • Team Brief (5 minutes)
    1. Go over new company updates or policies
    2. Review questions or concerns from the previous meeting
  • Prospect Pipeline Updates (5 minutes)
    1. Discuss open Opportunities in the pipeline
    2. Identify challenges or bottlenecks
  • Review Goals and Metrics (5 minutes)
    1. Evaluate progress
    2. Review key performance metrics
    3. Discuss trajectory
  • Celebrate Wins & Share Ideas (5 minutes)
    1. Recognize individual and team achievements
    2. Highlight specific successes
    3. Exchange ideas
  • The Wrap Up (5 minutes)
    1. Action items to be completed before next meeting
    2. Confirm next meeting time and agenda

Monthly Sales Meeting – Just Sales Team – 1 hour

This meeting is a little more strategic than the weekly meetings. While you still focus on tasks that need to be done, reviewing the past month and setting the course for the coming month are important here. 

Agenda

  • Introduction (5 minutes)
    1. Icebreaker
    2. Outline the goals for the meeting
  • Performance Review (5 minutes)
    1. Analyze overall team sales performance for the month
    2. Review key metrics for team and individuals
    3. Discuss areas of success
    4. Discuss areas of improvement
  • Goal Progress (10 minutes)
    1. Assess progress toward our quarterly sales goals
    2. Discuss any challenges and bottlenecks identified during weekly meeting
  • Strategy Evaluation (10 minutes)
    1. Reflect on the effectiveness of sales strategies and tactics
    2. Identify opportunities for refinement or new approaches
  • Training and Development (25 minutes)
    1. Sales Training Topic 
    2. Brainstorm for next monthly sales training topic
  • The Wrap Up (5 minutes)
    1. Action items to be completed before next meeting
    2. Confirm next meeting time and agenda

Quarterly Sales & Marketing Meeting – Sales & Marketing Teams – 1 hour 

Quarterly Sales Meetings need to focus on more strategy items and incorporate your marketing team. This is when Sales & Marketing come together to make adjustments and ensure the marketing messaging is being utilized by the sales team. 

Agenda

  1. Introduction (5 minutes)
    • Icebreaker
    • Outline the goals for the meeting
  2. Review the Last Quarter (15 minutes)
    • Evaluate the team’s performance
    • Identify successes, challenges, and areas for improvements
    • Discuss lessons learned
  3. Plan for the Next 90 Days (15 minutes)
    • Set new goals and objectives
    • Define specific action plans and targets
    • Establish clear expectations
  4. The Health of the Pipeline and Strategies (10 minutes)
    • Assess the status of ongoing deals in the sales pipeline
    • Identify any bottlenecks or opportunities
    • Review the effectiveness of current plans and tactics
    • Discuss new marketing approaches or initiatives
  5. Review the Annual and Long-term Plan (10 minutes)
    • Revisit the annual and 3-5 year goals
    • Evaluate progress towards these goals
  6. The Wrap Up (5 minutes)
    • Action items to be completed before next meeting
    • Confirm next meeting time and agenda

Lastly, it’s important to note that the Monthly and Quarterly meetings will take place instead of the Weekly meetings, so as not to overburden everyone with extra meetings. For example, let’s say you make Tuesday morning your meeting time, here is this basic cadence for the first quarter in 2024. 

Jan. 2nd, 2024 – Quarter 1 – Sales & Marketing Meeting

Jan. 9th – Weekly Prospecting Meeting

Jan. 16th – Weekly Prospecting Meeting

Jan. 23rd – Weekly Prospecting Meeting

Jan. 30th – Weekly Prospecting Meeting

Feb. 6th – Monthly Sales Meeting

Feb. 13th – Weekly Prospecting Meeting

Feb. 20th – Weekly Prospecting Meeting

Feb. 27th – Weekly Prospecting Meeting

Mar. 5th – Monthly Sales Meeting

Mar. 12th – Weekly Prospecting Meeting

Mar. 19th – Weekly Prospecting Meeting

Mar. 26th – Weekly Prospecting Meeting

April 2nd – Quarter 2 – Sales & Marketing Meeting, and so on…


If you are struggling creating a sales meeting format that works for your team or need help developing a better sales process, reach out to an ArboRisk team member today to get started in our Thrive Sales & Marketing Package.

Mindful Communication

by | Jul 29, 2024 | Employee Management | 0 comments

Mindful Communication

Written by Eric Petersen, CIC

There has been a much needed trend in today’s society to focus on mindfulness in all that we do and the tree care industry is no exception. At the most recent TCIA Winter Management Conference, we had the privilege to learn from Pandit Dasa, a world renowned leader in mindfulness. Pandit talked about how leaders of tree care companies can use mindfulness to become more effective and grow stronger bonds within their team. 

While everything that Pandit discussed was helpful, the part that really resonated with me was when he dug into Mindful Communication. 

As a leader within your company, how you communicate with your team makes all of the difference in the world. We’ve discussed this topic in the past with an article on Intentional Communication by Kevin Martlage, but, since I truly believe this can be a game changer for your business, I want to offer Pandit’s spin on it as well. 

Pandit identified four areas to reflect on with your communication.  

  • What you are saying.
  • How you are saying it.
  • The impact it will have on others.
  • How the message will affect your relationships.

First off, words matter, now probably more than they ever have. A successful leader must choose the words he/she uses wisely, especially when using written communication (email or text). All too often the words that are used are taken out of context and instead of resolving a situation, create a bigger mess. Ensure the words that you are using to communicate a message can not be misconstrued or misinterpreted by the receiver. If you are not clearly articulating your point, try rephrasing so the receiver understands what you are actually trying to say. 

The tone of your voice and your body language go a long way in delivering the message to your team, which is especially true when done over the phone or on a video conference call. If there is an urgent message that needs to be delivered to your team, pick up the pace of your voice and add more urgency to the tone. Be engaged with your body language and give direct eye contact when speaking to your team. The tone of your voice and the body language will transcend the actual words you are saying if they all are not inline. You’ve probably had plenty of personal experiences to look back at when someone is saying one thing with their words and another thing with their body. This disconnect destroys effective communication. 

Before speaking or delivering your message, you need to pause and think about how the message that you are about to deliver will impact others and how it will affect your relationship with the receiver of the information. Many times as leaders of organizations, we are quick to point out where our team members failed and how they could’ve done a better job, without recognizing the positive aspects of the situation. Certainly, there are times for direct attention on the negative action, but when consistently done that way over a period of time, your message actually gets tuned out. Instead start with a positive comment about the situation and turn the focus on repeating more of the positive behavior versus only focusing on the negative. 

Remember, our team members look to us as leaders of the company to provide the encouragement and positive work environment that allows everyone to shine. If the leader is not mindfulness enough about how their communication is contributing to the work culture, chances are the communication is fostering negativity throughout the organization.


To dig into company culture and mindfulness communication more for your organization, please reach out to an ArboRisk team member today or take our free Company Culture Assessment to bring awareness to where your culture sits now.