The latest addition to our meters comes in the form of different calibrations to measure different types of drywall, exterior, interior, glass-mat, and standard drywall, allowing a more accurate assessment of moisture conditions. Lignomat pinless meters measure 2 different depths, allowing measurements of thin panels without including the studs or other structural elements behind the panels.

Contact: 800-227-2105 |

View all the companies featured in the Best Buys for 2023.

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Get the floor plans you need back in under six hours and start your estimates sooner with Encircle Floor Plan.

With any smartphone, just walk through the job, while scanning the baseboards, without pausing in each room. All you need is your phone, then hit send. You’ll receive an accurate, professional-looking floor plan within six hours so you can begin your estimates right away, work faster, and take on a
higher volume of jobs.

Toss the tape measurer. Skip the sketching.

Fast.

Super simple.

Wicked accurate.

Contact: 888-937-1077 |

View all the companies featured in the Best Buys for 2023.

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With its easily ductable inlet and outlet, the HEPA 700 is containment-ready “鈥� independent testing proves the HEPA 700 with its standard filter set passes the DOP air filtration integrity tests required for the most sensitive projects.

The unit’s optional activated carbon filter removes odors, fumes and smoke. You can fine-tune airflow up to 700 CFM and monitor its HEPA filter health, onsite with its touchscreen or remotely with a free mobile app (avail. early 2023).

Use its GFCI outlets to connect 8 units on low, and stack securely for transport. The HEPA 700 is molded and assembled in Legend Brands’ Burlington, WA plant.

Contact: 800-932-3030 |

View all the companies featured in the Best Buys for 2023.

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Contact: 877-335-6467 |

View all the companies featured in the Best Buys for 2023.

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AirAnswers 庐 has the ability to identify the harmful, invisible bioaerosols that can cause harmful health effects and property damage issues for your clients. AirAnswers 庐 is backed with a patented,
scientifically proven method for detecting a full spectrum of molds, allergens and fungi with just one sample.

Contact: 866-539-4253 |

View all the companies featured in the Best Buys for 2023.

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Contact: 866-390-2376 |

View all the companies featured in the Best Buys for 2023.

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When I was discussing possible editorial topics with Kristy Cohen, the CEO of the Restoration Industry Association (RIA), what jumped out to me was the challenge of restoration pricing, especially the idea of providing pricing feedback to software estimating providers. You know who they are.

Which led me to a discussion with Anthony Nelson, a member of the board of RIA, and who also serves on the AGA Pricing Feedback Committee. Before chatting with him, I had no idea there was a committee for this. You learn something new every day.

I wonder how many are reading this that were in the restoration industry before estimating software made its impact and yearn for the old days of competitive pricing.

Because, as I discussed this topic with Anthony, it was readily evident that restorers aren’t just tasked with doing a good job with water damage work, mold remediation, structural drying, fire and smoke restoration, and other services. Restorers are forced to play the game of pricing and negotiations with those outside of their true customer base. More unwanted balls to juggle than ever before.

But the solution that Anthony provides in our interview is solid. Smart restorers know how to provide pricing feedback to estimating software providers and how to negotiate to maximize revenues and profitability.

In the interview, Anthony said regarding pricing software: “There is a huge benefit to having it, and a huge challenge it presents. When the pricing works for your business, it is a good thing”娄but when it doesn’t function well for you, it becomes a challenge because you are forced to substantiate any changes that you make to that price list.”聺

So, some will say they value estimating software and others might not. It’s all about what you do with it and how much work you want to put into the technology that drives it all.

To learn how to perfect your restoration pricing and work alongside estimating software effectively, watch the full Take 5 With Cleanfax segment below.

The restoration pricing saga will continue, but there are strategies available to you that might move the needle into the positive zone the next time you look at your financials.

Jeff Cross is the editorial director of 天美传媒 Media, which includes 听Cleanfax 听magazine. He is the previous owner of a successful cleaning and restoration firm. He also works as a trainer and consultant for business owners, managers, and front-line technicians. He can be reached at 听jeffcross@issa.com.

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In a recent podcast conversation I had with Josh Zolin, he shared a thought-provoking question that I believe all leadership teams should consider: “Which is more important, effort or results?”聺 Zolin is an advocate for helping young people recognize opportunities in the skilled trades, which is the impetus behind his book and podcast both by the same name, .

As prominent as he has become as an author, podcast host, and speaker, he is also the owner of the rapidly growing WCE in Phoenix, Arizona where he is implementing the leadership challenge that he shared. In our podcast, we discussed the intersection between goals, effort, and results as you develop your team, which I hope to share with you in this article.

Developing new talent

“Superhuman effort isn’t worth a damn unless it achieves results.”聺 鈥擡rnest Shackleton

When our children were growing up, we were encouraged to applaud their effort as opposed to their results. For example, if they achieved a hat trick (3 goals) in a soccer game, we would say something like, “Your hard work in practice has been so awesome. Look how much that paid off today in the game.”聺

One of the critical dynamics in a family setting is unconditional love, which is why it’s oftentimes silly to hear people refer to their company as a family. The dynamics in a business are such that results are essential to the life of the organization. It isn’t enough to have people we like giving their best effort when we are not making any progress or seeing results; however, employees thrive where there is acceptance. In the realm of goals, effort, and results, this means there is an appropriate amount of as they learn the skills necessary to thrive in your organization.

As Zolin pointed out in our conversation, effort is a key indicator of character. I have often said in my writing and podcast episodes that we look for people who are honest, hardworking, and willing to learn.

Honesty is non-negotiable, yet, if we want our people not to lie, we must be accountable for a culture that doesn’t punish people for realities of life such as honest mistakes. For example, a new hire can be working hard to do the right thing, think that they are making the right decision, and actually be completely wrong in their execution.

Is this not true of executive-level leaders and middle-managers as well? At the developmental stage, small honest mistakes are to be expected as this is where being willing to learn is critical to growth. The question becomes not whether an employee is perfect, but rather, “Can they learn from their mistakes and put their effort towards not repeating the same ones?”聺

Developing your culture

“The one requirement for success in our business lives is effort. Either you make the commitment to get results, or you don’t.”聺 鈥擬ark Cuban

While we might all agree that honesty and integrity are core values in our business as well as key characteristics that we look for in employees, we also have to be honest with ourselves with regards to what we reward in our businesses.

For example, several studies conducted by psychology professor Carol Dweck showed that “praising children for intelligence, rather than for effort, sapped their motivation,”聺 and “turned them into liars.”聺

Some have used this paradigm to analyze , a company infamous for propping up its successes, lying about its results, and catastrophically failing. Believing they were special, many Enron executives chose to lie rather than face the reality of escalating internal issues or the work necessary to correct them.

It is important for people in a position of leadership to question whether what they believe, practice, and reward is leading their team down the right path to achieving their shared goals. Dweck found that creates a short-sighted approach to development as well as adaptation.

Enron was not just a few rogue employees; it was a whole culture that incubated its own demise. As Zolin and I discussed in the video, leaders and managers must consistently ask themselves鈥攚ith brutal honesty鈥攚hether they have the right mindset and habits for success.

Below are some additional observations based on Dweck’s research:

• Rank-and-yank: Focusing too much on grading employees often leads to a lack of effort by the organization to develop talent.
• Creativity killers: “If you’re afraid of making mistakes, you’ll never learn on the job, and your whole approach becomes defensive, such as “藴I have to make sure I don’t screw up.'”聺
• Emotional intelligence (EQ): Management development usually requires those skilled in a craft to learn to manage others. Believing that EQ is also something that can be learned opens pathways for candidates to grow in these leadership areas.

Developing your team

“Success requires first expending ten units of effort to produce one unit of results. Your momentum will then produce ten units of results with each unit of effort.”聺 鈥擟harles J. Givens

What do you do when your team is underperforming?

As is discussed in my book, , when there is a disconnect, we want to look beyond the effects and dig into what the sources are.

It’s easy to measure effort, but it is also easy to fake it or expend it on the wrong things. Results should be obvious, but those can be manipulated as well. In sports, we look at high performers and argue whether their talent is acquired at birth or produced through hard work. We treat leadership and success with these same confining metrics. Dweck studied an underperforming British soccer team to determine why players were neither putting in the necessary effort nor achieving the desired results. Her initial research supported her thesis:

• “People who attributed their failures to a lack of ability would become discouraged even in areas where they were capable.”聺 Results impacted effort negatively.
• “Those who thought they simply hadn’t tried hard enough, on the other hand, would be fueled by setbacks.”聺 Results impacted effort positively.

As an employee transitions into a realm where they understand the basic functions of the work and have formed their core abilities for being a productive member of the team, results become the primary metric. However, effort continues to be the primary function that the individual (as well as the organization) can control.

As an aspiring professional, you can control your effort even if you can’t always control the results. Similarly, as people in a position of leadership, we try to predict results, but we do not always control outcomes.

Effort intersects with results where can be applied to real-world functions. For the employee that wants to grow their career and the organization that needs to meet their goals, effort and results are interconnected in the pursuit of success.

Developing your leadership approach

“The best results are achieved by using the right amount of effort in the right place at the right time. And this right amount is usually less than we think we need.”聺 鈥擳ony Buzan

When Dweck continued her research with the University of Illinois studying elementary students, they added a variable, asking the children to “think out loud.”聺 In doing so, the research group discovered that how a person thought about their goals (desired outcomes) was a critical factor.

There was a significant change in results between the students who developed a mindset for “performance goals”聺 verses those with “learning goals.”聺 Her research unearthed a new field of educational psychology called achievement goal theory that I believe many organizational leaders will find helpful in their pursuit of developing excellence in their teams.

Performance goals mindset aka “藴Entity Theory’

• A person who wants to look smart even if it means not learning a thing in the process.
• Each task is a challenge to their self-image.
• Each setback becomes a personal threat.
• They pursue only activities at which they’re sure to shine鈥攁nd avoid the sorts of experiences necessary to grow and flourish in any endeavor.
• They think intelligence is fixed from birth.

Learning goals mindset aka “藴Incremental Theory’

• A person who takes necessary risks.
• Doesn’t worry about failure because each mistake becomes a chance to learn.
• Loves a challenge.
• Has a growth mindset about intelligence, believing it can be developed.

While studying underperforming students, Dweck concluded, “The belief that you can’t improve stunts achievement.”聺 We know we need hard work to learn new things and implement new initiatives, but we need to believe that we can improve before we will put the work in or see the results.

The hard work and willingness to learn won’t combine into something productive until those being encouraged to learn first believe that their efforts are worthwhile. As educators and business leaders, Dweck states, “If you target that belief, you can see more benefit than you have any reason to hope for.”聺

In my leadership role I need to be more intentional when assessing what is needed for personal and professional growth for myself, my team members, and our local contracting business. It has also been productive to have this discussion with our team members. We all want to build the company that we swore we would if we were ever given the chance, but sometimes, those ingrained habits paired with great effort and good intentions, can lead us away from the results that we aspire towards. This is why constant refinement and learning from experts like Zolin and Dweck is crucial to actualizing the success you dream of.

Jon Isaacson, known as the “Intentional Restorer,”聺 is a contractor, an author, and the host of the . Jon speaks, writes, and coaches start-up phase owners and growth-minded restoration professionals through his organization, The DYOJO. Isaacson is the author of the Be Intentional book series for restorers. Reach him at iz@thedyojo.com.

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I use the product Matrix Miracle combined with Biobreak. They are high pH. I pretreat with a 30-volume clear oxidizer for anything organic, such as pet issues or water damage. I let it dwell for 5-10 minutes before spraying with Matrix Miracle and Biobreak. I mechanically agitate with an Oreck Orbiter. This allows for a dwell time of 15-25 minutes before I steam clean the area. The rinse I use is either Fab Set or Flex Ice. The Fab Set is great because it also helps clean your solution lines out from any residue buildup.

These photos of a hallway are from a commercial job. I used a Cimex machine on the carpet with a great encapsulation product called Releaseit. I treated all of the oil, tar, or grease spots with a volatile dry solvent. Running over the carpet with the Cimex will eventually get them looking great, in most cases.

If you have a cleaning or restoration “hack”聺 or photo contest entry to share with Cleanfax, send it to Jeff Cross, media director, at jeffcross@issa.com.

[infobox title=’DID YOU KNOW’][/infobox]

The global flooring and carpet sales are expected to grow at a healthy CAGR of over 5% through 2031, despite a period of muted growth in 2020, according to a latest study by ESOMAR-certified market research firm. This means an increase in carpet and floor cleaning projects is sure to follow.

Read More at 听

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So far in this article series, we have covered”娄

• The 8 Steps to Building Your Dream Team
• How to FIND Dream Team Members
• How to ATTRACT Dream Team Members

Today, I will share a few tips on hiring the right person. You’ve identified a candidate鈥攇ood. You’ve attracted them to your vision鈥攇reat! However, you still don’t know enough about them to make the hire. That’s why you need a hiring process.

If there is one mistake I have made over the years, it’s hiring someone who was truly a great person with tremendous gifts, but not the right fit for our culture.

The application process

Whether hiring someone for the field or a routine office position, it’s important to have an application process, which should include an application, a background check agreement, and a request to copy their driver’s license. As applicants complete this process, take the opportunity to observe their dress code, courtesy, and professionalism.

Many times, a candidate will eliminate themselves well before you waste your time interviewing them. For example, you may find they have a criminal background, or they don’t have a valid driver’s license. Or, in some cases, they can’t even fill out an application!

A woman that started going to our church applied to my company and it took her over an hour to fill out the application. Sometimes, people want to take the application home to fill it out. It’s possible that they can’t write, and they are taking it home for the wife to fill out. If possible, have candidates fill out the application in the presence of one of your team members. If you don’t have an office, ask them to get the application back to you in a short amount of time.

Since I don’t use any of the online ad companies, most of the people that come to us are referrals. When you build a strong network and a great place to work, people will be referred and attracted to you; however, even in the case of a referral, any applicant should be asked to complete the same application process.

When I review applications, I look at how long applicants were at previous jobs. Changing jobs every few months gives me pause. That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t hire them, but it is worth asking about. Our company culture keeps great people around for a long time, but the culture of many companies is awful and leads to high turnover.

If you are comfortable with the application, proceed to the next step in your hiring process.

The interview process

First off, be prepared for the interview. If you have an office, clean it up! I’m always intrigued by those who tell their people to be organized when their own office could be featured on the Hoarders reality show. Remember, if you want to attract someone who has the ten qualities we talked about earlier in the series, you need to display those yourself.

I like to start the interview by asking the candidate what their goals are. The answer isn’t really that important because many people in our society don’t have clearly defined goals, but it gets them talking.

Next, confirm the position, the responsibilities, compensation program, and the benefits and requirements of the position to make sure you are both on the same page. Then, you can begin asking more questions.

In an interview, you must strike a balance between “selling”聺 the opportunity and “screening”聺 the candidate to ensure they will be a good fit. The candidate should do most of the talking so you can get to know them. After sharing the position details, use the 80/20 rule: They should do 80% of the talking. Meanwhile, you should be asking questions like:

• “Why do you want to work here?”聺
• “What attracts you to this opportunity?”聺
• “Is there anything that would prevent you from doing this job effectively?”聺
• “Tell me about a time when you had to deal with a difficult client. How did you handle it?”聺
• “Why did you leave your last position?”聺

Ask open-ended questions and let the candidate talk. The more they talk, the more you find out about them. Consider doing at least one of your interviews at a restaurant or coffee shop to see how they treat the waitstaff. I once heard a speaker at a seminar say that he would meet candidates at a restaurant and intentionally arrive early so he could ask the server to mess up the candidate’s order. He wanted to see how they would respond. I’m not sure it’s necessary to go to that extreme, but you do want to observe behavior during the interview.

More than anything else, I am looking for attitude. A person with the right attitude can learn the technical skills. In fact, we often hire technicians without experience and train them ourselves because lack of experience can be a benefit. Sometimes highly experienced technicians tend to do things their own way, rather than following the 12 Step Cleaning Program I want all my technicians to follow. Your interview questions should be designed to discover a candidate’s attitude: how flexible they are, how reliable, etc.

The ideal team player

Leadership expert Patrick Lencioni shares that the ideal team player has three qualities: They are humble, hungry, and smart. Humble means they don’t have a big ego. Hungry means they want to win. Smart means people-smart, or someone who has a high level of self-awareness and awareness of how others feel.

I’m looking for people who share my vision. Once you’ve learned about them, take some time to share your vision for your company. According to author Jim Collins, vision consists of core values and beliefs, purpose, and mission. I moved these around a bit to create what I call MVP (Mission “鈥� Where we are going; Values “鈥� How we will act; and Purpose “鈥� Why we do what we do). You should share this when you are recruiting, during the hiring process, and on a regular basis within your company. The ideal candidate will be one who is just as committed to your vision as you are.

Personality profiles

A personality profile is a tool that can help you determine if a candidate is the right fit for the position. We use the DISC Model of Human Behavior created by Dr. Robert Rohm, whom I consider to be the world authority on the subject. Some people are outgoing, and others are reserved. Some are task-oriented, and some are people-oriented. In other words, some people will go fast, and others will go slow. Some will be more concerned about tasks before people, and others will be more concerned about people than tasks.

This one tool has been the biggest difference-maker in my leadership journey and for the business owners that we coach. Everyone has a different communication style. My definition of leadership is “effectively communicating your vision.”聺 If you don’t speak or understand the language another person speaks and vice versa, you’ll have problems. This is true in business as well as in your
personal life.

All of business and all of life is about relationships, and relationships are built on trust and communication. When there is a breakdown in a relationship, there is a breakdown in communication.

Get a free report on the DISC Model of Human Behavior at

You can use that report to get some insights into your personality type and that of your team members, clients, vendors, prospects, and family members. During the hiring process, this tool can help ensure you match a task-oriented person to a task-oriented position and a people-oriented person to a people-oriented position.

Second interview? Team interview? Referral?

Keeping in mind that you’re looking for long-term team members, you may want to consider multiple interviews. You may be thinking that you don’t want to lose the candidate by making them jump through hoops, but the alternative is hiring the wrong person, and that is worse than not hiring someone at all.

Keep in mind that we are not talking about leads from online ads that usually ghost you on the first interview. We are talking about people that you have found through networking and that you have attracted by adding value.

You want to make sure you have the right person. If there is one mistake I have made, it’s hiring too fast and not getting input from my team. Also, even if the candidate is not the right fit, they may be able to help you find someone who is.

The operations manager at my training/coaching company has been with me for fourteen years. Michelle not only handles member billing, operations support, and event management, but also cares for our home while Denise and I are away. She is truly a Godsend.

The store where she worked was closing and I interviewed the manager of the store. Throughout the interview as we reviewed my vision and his goals, we both realized we were not the right fit for each other. Then he said to me, “This position sounds like it would be perfect for my assistant manager, Michelle.”聺 I showed up at the store unannounced and he led me to the stock room where Michelle was working.

She stood amidst stacks of boxes all around her with a price gun in one hand and a phone in the other. The way she was talking to the vendor on the other end of the phone (who was not doing what he was supposed to do), led me to believe that she was the right fit. And she has been exactly that for almost a decade-and-a-half!

Victoria is the marketing manager for my training/coaching company. She had just graduated from college with a degree in marketing and thought she wanted to be in radio. My wife is a legend in that industry and has since retired, but Victoria interviewed with Denise. Denise saw Victoria’s gentle nature and warned her of the back-stabbing corporate environment that permeates the radio industry. She suggested that she interview with my company, Phenomenal Products.

I had been through a few bad hires due to not getting my team involved in the hiring process, so I required Victoria to interview with the rest of the team. We obviously hired her, and she carries the marketing load which is huge in that company. She will be celebrating her tenth anniversary with us very soon and we are proud to have a master marketer like Victoria on our team.

Ready to hire?

There are two final steps in the hiring process:

1. Complete a background check
2. Get an actual DISC Assessment for your new-hire to confirm their personality style

It will reveal the strengths and weaknesses of your new hire and help you find the right role for them. Be sure to assess yourself and everyone you work or live with also. It will be the best thing you’ve ever done.

脗听started his cleaning business from the trunk of his car 35 years ago and built it up to over $3 million per year. For two decades, Partridge has coached cleaning and restoration companies, teaching them to have phenomenal success. He is the exclusive small business coach for Ziglar Inc., the world’s first Ziglar Legacy Trainer, the founding member of the John Maxwell Coaching Team, a DISC Certified Trainer, a ONE THING Certified Trainer. a Certified StoryBrand Guide, and No. 1 bestselling author of eight books including his latest:脗听F.T.I. (Failure To Implement).

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