Field Professionalism: Beyond the Clean Shirt

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But I can hear you now , but , chuck , I'm driving my truck on Wednesday night at 6 pm . I don't want to get into an accident . Okay , I get it . They're recorded and you can watch them at your convenience . Also , while this show is free and will always remain free , if you find value in this content , will you click on that QR code right there ?

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Let me tell you something that they don't write on the job description the way that you carry yourself on site says more than the spec sheet ever will . I have seen great techs get fired . I have seen average techs get promoted just because they showed up , they listened and they did what they were told .

This episode is about professionalism not about how to be a better tech , but how to build the reputation that's going to keep you employed and advancing

in your career . You can't have any conversation about professionalism without credentials . Credentialing is your career insurance . Oh , I like that one . I'm gonna start using that one more often . Career insurance Let me ask you this Would you go to a dentist who didn't have a DDS after his name ?

Would you go to a heart doctor who didn't have an MD after their name ? Probably not . Credentialing or certifications yes , they cost money . Knowledge is expensive . Yes , certifications cost money . I get it , but you know what they're worth every cent of it , and the more expensive ones don't necessarily equate to better ones .

Credentialing any kind of credential , whether it's a Bixi , rcdd or tech installer , copper installer , fiber , or if it's a FOA , cfo , t or one of the new ones put out by light brigade . Those certifications means that you have invested in your career . Your company has invested in you . Now maybe your company won't reimburse you , but you know what ?

Maybe you should consider investing in yourself , because one thing I've learned in this career is my credentialing has helped me make more money than had I not had credentialing . Now you can have your current Bixby credentialing . You can have certifications from your OSHA , like your OSHA 10 , osha 40 . Even the manufacturer certifications .

They show that you're not just pulling cable , but you are building a career . Now I get it . There's some good manufacturer training programs out there and some not good , so good ones out there . But you know what ?

Even the bad manufacturing certification classes , I still manage to learn one new thing , and that should be your goal every day is to learn one new thing every single day .

So if you want to stand out from that sea of resumes or to be trusted with that really cool job , this is how you do it and one of the things I can tell you about credentialing and certification . You know , I've been a a trainer for many years now .

I've started off in the field like everybody else , but the last 15 years I have been training people and I've had students who walked in who wanted to learn , and I've had other students walk in who just kind of sat back . I'm just here to get my certificate . You can't teach me nothing new . Let me tell you something . You know what ?

When you get your credentials , guess who's going to be the person who's going to be probably selected for that new position . Guess who's going to be the person who's going to be passed over for that position . If you said the person without the certification is going to get passed over , that is most likely a

true statement . So credentialing shows that you are investing in your career . Another thing personal image . Right , it's not vanity , it's a signal Field . Guys often say I work hard , I'm not here for a fashion show , and yes , that's true . But when your shirt is full of holes and stains , the client assumes that you know what You're . A risk is too .

If you don't take enough time and consideration in keeping yourself looking professional . Then what's that cable look like behind the wall that they can't see ? That's something you got to think about and it's tough . I know the work that we do is dirty Getting up in the ceilings , sweating , getting insulation on you , working on new construction sites , I get it .

I get it If you're out on a job site okay , but if you know that you meet customers from time to time , then maybe what you might want to do is carry a spare shirt , maybe even spare pants , in your van .

I used to keep two complete sets of uniforms in my work truck because if I was outside working in a crawl space getting all nasty and sweaty and stuff , the last thing I'd want to do is get in my work truck and then get my seat all sweaty and nasty smelling and absolutely the last thing that I would ever do is go meet with a customer like that .

So carry a clean set of uniforms in your trucks , and the uniforms don't have to be anything fancy . They could be just a company pullover shirt or a t-shirt that has the company name on it .

Keep one good one in your work truck so that when you meet with the customer or you go to meet with somebody , you can put it on and you can look like a professional . Carry yourself like a professional and you will notice a difference in the way that

people treat you . Ask me how I know that one Reputation is built when nobody is watching . You know , it's the little things that's going to help you become a professional . Showing up early , right , staying off your phone oh , that's a good one in today's environment because everybody's always on their cell phones right , taking notes . Those compound into trust .

You know , when I was an estimator , I used to quite often carry a notepad with me and I've done so many estimates that if somebody said , hey , we want to have X amount of drops and I've already walked through the site , literally all I had to do was write down the number of drops and I could figure out the pricing from there .

But as the customer's talking , I would just go ahead and jot down notes , because that signals to the customer hey , what you're saying is valuable , I am listening to you , and that is a professionalism . That is that's going to go help you become better in anything and everything you do . When you start doing that kind of stuff , trust is going to build up .

You're going to start getting better positions within your company . You're going to start getting better projects and less micromanagement . Nobody likes to be micromanaged . Nobody likes somebody standing over top of them telling them every single step they got to do when they've been doing that particular task for 20 years , 10 years , even five years .

You know what you're doing . You don't like to be micromanaged , but when you build up that trust , then the boss knows or the customer knows . I don't have to be there to watch over top of everybody . And another thing I need to tell you is you are not just an installer , you are the face of your company on site .

I say this almost every single class that I teach Everybody is a salesperson . When the customer typically thinks of your company ABC , cable contractors , able-bodied contractors , whatever it is they typically don't think of the owner of the company . They don't think of the salesperson who sold them the project . They think of you , the person who them the project .

They think of you , the person who spends the most time in front of them . And that's why you got to make sure that you act like a professional , no matter what anybody else says .

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One of the things that I look for in a good technician is not somebody who knows the codes , not somebody who knows the standards , not somebody who knows the Bixie best practices , but somebody who makes life easier for their crew , who takes time and invests in their crew .

That but the person who's going to make the life easier for the customer or , better yet , your supervisor , your project manager . That is what you should do daily and that's going to echo professional . So let's talk about some of the things you can do , some daily habits that you can do that's going to separate you a professional from the others .

Number one arrive 10 minutes early . I can tell this is going to start an argument with a lot of people , but John , the company's not paying for me to be there 10 minutes early . Okay , it's better to be 10 minutes early than one minute late .

And another thing that's going to go a long way for helping you be like a professional is respect the break room Park where you're supposed to park . Follow the construction site rules , even when nobody is watching , because if you break the rules , trust me , sooner or later , somebody will find out and they will look at you less professional .

Keep your tools clean . Keep your tools labeled . It's a sign of pride . We spend a lot of money on our tools , so why not put them away when you're done ?

Put them away clean , so that way when you go to get them out later for the next job , you don't pull them out and already have dirt all over your hands because the last job you used them on were done .

Plus , when you keep your tools organized , it's easier to spot when something is missing , and it's much better to figure out when your tools are missing before you leave the job site than three days later when you're on a different job site . Ask me how I know that . One and communication skills . It's not an afterthought .

Texting done versus fiber runs complete and IDF tested and labeled changes the whole way that you're seeing . And done means done . If you say I'm done , accept , then you're not done . I don't care how you try to package that sandwich up , you are not done .

Give a complete , accurate description of what it is that the customer asked for or your PM has asked you for . If you pull the cable and you terminate it but you haven't tested it yet then tell them that . Don't say we're done , but we got to test and label Again . You're not done .

Don't yell across job sites and this is a hard one , because in a lot of construction sites it's noisy , it's busy , I get it . Use radios , use a professional tone . A lot of times when we were pulling cable , we didn't even use radios or audio signals . We used hand signals .

We had hand signals for pull the cable , stop the cable , hold on a minute so that way we could communicate across long distances without having to be able to hear the other person or even have to have radios , because what always happens with radios is you always forget to charge them .

If you ever get to have the opportunity to speak to a client , speak to them respectfully , even if they don't know what a Keystone Jack is . Remember it's not their job to make to know every piece of component . It is not their job to know the codes , the standards and the best practices . It is up to you to educate your customers .

One of the signs that you are absolutely getting it right is when a customer requests that you go back and do the job , and I've had this happen to me multiple times over my career . I've had people request me to go back . I've had customers request some of my foremen to go back on a job site .

I even had one customer tell me I will award the project to you , provided you're not too far over everybody else , as long as you put technician ABC on the job and if we did , we would get the job .

That is the sign that you're acting like a professional , not because you're the best tech , but because you're the tech who listens , who hears the customer and applies what the customer has . And they don't treat the customer like they're dumb . Yes , customers don't have the cable smarts that we do . It's up to us to educate them .

And here's another pro tip for you Start to lead , even when you don't have the title . A lot of people wait . Oh , I'm not going to do that until I become a project manager . I'm not going to do that until I'm a project foreman . You know what ? Start acting like one before you get it . And that doesn't mean start being bossy to everybody .

What that means is take the new guy under your wing . Show the new person how to terminate the jacks . Show them how to put the faceplate on correctly . Make sure that it's level . You don't leave fingerprints on the wall . That is leadership , even if you don't have the title . Share what you know and don't hoard the knowledge .

I am a big proponent of this and you can tell just from the podcast . I am giving all of my knowledge to you because I love each and every low voltage technician out there . I don't hoard my knowledge . All you got to do is ask me If I don't know the answer to it .

I will find you the answer for it , even though you might've been asked five times that day . How come we don't have to untwist the pairs by four different people ? Don't get mad . Take the time and explain it , and do it patiently and with care . Be calm in the chaos . There's a lot of chaos in our industry , a lot of chaos in construction .

Construction is stressful . It does , and your demeanor manners . People remember you long after you left the job site if you were the one who did not cause them additional stress .

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Here's a secret that nobody tells you in trade school Clients don't remember your certification , but they do remember how you made them feel .

That should ring true to everybody who's listening to the show , because I have a feeling you listen to this show because you want to be the best technician , you want to be the best project manager , you want to be the best estimator , and people who do things right , who do things the best , become the best . Customer relationship is everybody's job .

I said this earlier you are in sales even if you don't have a sales quota , even if you don't have to make cold calls .

Because , trust me , if you are the project foreman on a job site and you belittle the customer even the next time you get the opportunity to work on a bid or your company gets a chance to bid on a job site , and you belittle the customer even the next time you get the opportunity to work on a bid or your company gets a chance to bid on a project for

them , even if you are the lowest bid , the customer may not choose you because of how the technician treated them in the field . They might just have to get three bids to meet some corporate mandate and you're just a number . Now you are in sales . Your attitude and your communication they all will help get that next contract . They absolutely will .

And you don't have to be slick , just be there , be helpful , be respectful and be clear . Listen to the customer's question . Don't talk over the customer . Listen to what they're asking . Here's a tip for you when they ask you something , repeat back to them what they just asked you in a different language . That helps you clearly understand .

That's going to tell the client . You were actually listening . I learned that one from one of my estimators when I used to run an estimating team here . I was the manager of the team and one of the team members was teaching me something new . Again . I said try to learn one new thing every day and try to explain the things at the customer's level .

Don't assume that the customer is an RCDD or this customer is a fiber optic expert . Explain it in a method that they're going to understand . If they don't get it , they won't trust it . Take the time , explain to them and this is going to help you overcome those challenges like why can't we put the telecom room in the bathroom ?

Why can't we put the telecom room in the storage closet , if you sit there and you tell them look , if you put it in the storage room . Storage room has cardboard boxes that has dust . Dust is contamination . That's the number one enemy to fiber and we don't warranty dirty connectors .

Take the time , explain to the customer how their decision is going to affect their network . Let's talk about business ethics . What you do when nobody's looking there is always it's Dad always used to say it's better to be quiet and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubts .

Never trash talk the designer , never trash talk the previous contractor . Even if that work is garbage , even if the print was garbage , just fix it , document it and move on . Another one that I learned in the field when I was an estimator . I went out to a project one time to do an estimate for a project and we were doing a walkthrough .

We walked into the telecom room and it was done horribly , horribly and I even made a comment about how horrible that work was and the customer turned around and looked at me and said it was your company that did the work .

Yeah , I had to swallow my pride that day , but I promised the customer look , we will send somebody here to fix it and it'll be done up to the ANSI standards , up to the Bixie best practices . Cost us a little extra money . We didn't make money on that job , but you know what ? We won more contracts with that customer down the road .

Don't say yes to every customer's ad hoc changes , at least not without checking with your project manager . If you get asked to do more work , listen to the customer , document the work that they want to have done and then seek out your project manager , because the project manager is going to look at that .

Is it covered under the scope of work that they're currently contracted for ? Is it going to be considered a change order ? Scope of work that they're currently contracted for Is it going to be considered a change order ? Is it going to impact the schedule ?

You know some jobs the schedule gets done when it gets done , but other projects you'll be doing , you literally will have a schedule . If you're not done on that schedule , there's a huge penalty for that , a huge financial penalty for that . So always document those changes the customer wants .

Never do them until you tell the project manager and the project manager tells you to do it . Okay , the customer , don't ? A lot of technicians fall into this trap . They want to please the customer , they want to make sure the customer's happy , and the customer says we want one more drop over on that wall .

Okay , well , we're already pulling some cables out of the way , so it's just one more cable . Okay , no big deal , but that wasn't in the contract . Right , that was not in the contract . That material wasn't in the contract , that labor was not in the contract . Talk with your project manager . Let them be aware of it , let

them decide to do it . A good rule of thumb is never do change order work until the change order is signed . Also , confidential information is not locker room talk . Protect your client , protect your crew . If there's something going on and somebody doesn't need another information , pass it along to somebody else . Let them answer that information .

We're grown adults in this industry . You should say grown men , but there's a lot of women in this industry . We are grown adults in this industry , but yet we gossip , we gossip and we gossip . If you don't have anything nice to say , then don't say anything at all . Another key sign of somebody who's a professional they follow up and they follow through .

Update your project manager , update the customer when changes happen , even if it slows things down . You know what . It doesn't take but 30 seconds to pick up a phone and call somebody . It doesn't take 30 seconds but to type a text or send an email .

Text and email is probably better when communicating with project managers and customers , because the number one rule of a good installer is document , document , document , document , everything .

Leave every client with good taste in their mouth , leave the job site clean , make sure everything is labeled and make sure that all your communications with that customer was respectful . When I say make sure the job site's clean , that means make sure all the ceiling tiles are closed , make sure there's no fingerprints on the ceiling tiles .

Make sure there's no dust from opening up tiles over on top of people's desks . You vacuumed under every faceplate that you've cut out in the wall . There's no cable scraps in the telecom room . You leave it cleaner than the way that you found it . And what does that do for you ? Is it builds trust . It's going to lead to callbacks .

It's going to lead to referrals , and you know what ? Again , but Chuck , I'm a technician . That means that you're going to be able to go back to the customer and do more work in the future . You are keeping yourself employed , you're keeping your company

employed . So let's wrap this all up . You know I've worked with technicians who could fusion splice blindfolded , but they still couldn't keep a job because they lacked professionalism . If you want to grow in this field , get serious about your habits , your ethics , your image and your communications .

If you want a roadmap for all this stuff , I only just scratched the surface . If you want a roadmap for this stuff , buy the Bixi . It's A Manual , information , transport Systems , installations , methods Manual . They have a complete , entire section for professionalism , because it's not just about pulling cable , it's about being a professional in everything you do .

Until next time , knowledge is power .

Until next time , keep those cables clean , your standards high and your future bright . Let's Talk Cabling Empowering the industry , one connection at a time .