Author: Phil Harwood

Phil HarwoodNov 3, 2023

In Phil Harwood’s May 2014 Snow Strategy column, “How to use weather data for sales, renewals,” he offered snow management companies several suggestions about what snowfall data to collect and what charts are useful. Here are some examples he compiled for his home market of Detroit from National Weather Service data. Example 1: Detroit Seasonal […]

Phil HarwoodNov 3, 2023

Calculating probability of various snowfall totals is not all that complicated, although not quite as easy as calculating the average seasonal snowfall for your market(s). Probability is the likelihood of occurrence in terms of a percent. While there are different ways to calculate probability, one of the easiest is to sort your list of seasonal […]

Phil HarwoodNov 3, 2023

Sometimes things go wrong. Even with best practices in place, mishaps will occur, and sometimes these mishaps involve the customer. When they do, you have an opportunity to show your customers how much you care about them, whether it’s a little or a lot. Damage control situations have the potential to foster even deeper customer […]

Phil HarwoodNov 3, 2023

The snow business is full of unknowns. One of the biggest unknowns is, of course, the weather. But there is one aspect of the weather that’s 100 percent known: data for weather that has already occurred. Weather data are widely available for most communities in North America. It might require some digging to find, but […]

Phil HarwoodDec 29, 2014

May often is the most stressful month in the life of a Green Industry professional. Seasonal activities peak all at the same time. Buried in our work, we have no time to appreciate the regeneration of landscapes, profound beauty and abundance of life that May brings. For most of us, May simply brings an overwhelming […]

Phil HarwoodNov 3, 2023

Do you have difficulty retaining good employees, whereas the duds seem to hang around forever? If so, it’s time to take some common-sense steps toward fixing this problem. Solutions do exist, although some are easier to implement than others. First of all, it’s important to recognize that good employees know they’re good and aren’t going […]

Phil HarwoodAug 2, 2018

I often am asked for advice on finding good people, as many organizations struggle in this area. Of course, I have a long list of powerful strategies to share. But I’m going to tip you off to what I feel is the absolute best way to find good people—maybe even great people. Amazingly, this strategy […]

Phil HarwoodAug 2, 2018

Let’s be honest. Nobody enjoys disciplining others. Well, maybe some do, but most avoid it like the plague. As managers and business owners this is an unavoidable part of your job, though. Therefore my first tip is to embrace it. 1. Embrace discipline. Recognize that it’s essential to instilling boundaries for behavior. Without correction, boundaries […]

Phil HarwoodJul 31, 2018

As an undergraduate student, one of the first business concepts I was introduced to was the Marketing Mix. Sitting in MKT101, my first marketing class at Michigan State University, I learned about the “4 Ps” of marketing. When combined, they became the Marketing Mix. Product. The first P is the product (or service) you offer. […]

Phil HarwoodNov 3, 2023

Most owners and senior managers I interact with view personal cellphones as a problem. They’ve received customer complaints about employees talking on the phone while on their properties. Thus through the customers’ eyes, the people they’ve paid to do a job are being inefficient and distracted. Therefore management sees lost profits. Is this you? I […]

Phil HarwoodJul 30, 2018

Several years ago I took my team on a road trip to the best trade show ever. Advanced planning began several months before with the selection of attendees. The trade show was out-of-state but within driving distance. Because of this, we decided to send our entire management team. Hotel arrangements were made. Education sessions were […]

Phil HarwoodJan 17, 2014

Some of the most powerful things are simple, elegant and pure. Recently I was reminded of a powerful, but simple question posed by Gary Keller in his Wall Street Journal bestselling book “The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results.” Keller cofounded Keller Williams Realty in 1983 and grew the company into the largest […]

Phil HarwoodNov 3, 2023

It’s important to recognize there are many different types of contracts to be considered in the snow business—sales contracts, subcontract agreements, employment agreements, buy-sell agreements and more. This scrutiny comes on top of analyzing and balancing out the entire snow contract portfolio. All of these contracts may be filled with risk and should be written […]

Phil HarwoodNov 3, 2023

Snow and ice management professionals face one of the most difficult variables of all— unpredictability. How many other businesses have no idea when they’ll be required to perform services, how long they’ll be performing services or what demands will exist for labor, equipment and materials? The unknown makes it very difficult to plan, manage and […]

Phil HarwoodNov 3, 2023

Successful snow and ice management professionals have learned the spring and summer months are the best time to address many important aspects of their snow businesses. While others refuse to think about the snow season in the off-season, these pros are proactively improving their snow processes, researching innovative technologies and making major decisions affecting profitability. […]

Phil HarwoodNov 3, 2023

Many business owners, executives and managers struggle to manage their time well. Despite their best efforts, they’re unable to stay on top of everything coming their way. Some even have trouble deciding what to do, what not to do and when to do it. Most busy people have tried various time management or organizational systems. […]

Phil HarwoodNov 3, 2023

A recent study of more than 3,000 business owners and managers found growth was their No. 1 priority. This study was conducted by Pro-Motion Consulting in the fourth quarter of 2009. Not surprisingly, their other top priorities were closely related to growth: becoming more strategic, improving sales processes, fine-tuning marketing messages, etc. This focus on […]