I would like to take a moment and add my thoughts to the interesting ideas brought up in the May 2014 Editor’s Notebook column in Onsite Installer magazine.

Jim Kneiszel did a great job summing up the state of blue-collar workers not only in America but especially in our sewer/septic industry. In his article “Getting your hands dirty,” Jim discusses how although there is plenty of work available, many companies are having a hard time finding the next generation of young people to work with. He builds on this point by hypothesizing that young people do not want this work because it is both very difficult and very dirty to do. He also states that there is a lack of initiative to really work hard and see a job through to a quality completion. Jim finishes out the article by mentioning that people like his dad (and also my dad, and probably even yours), who want to build things and fix things with their own hands, just no longer exist.

I completely agree. In this article, Jim has perfectly sized up what has happened in America over the last 50 years. Our workforce has dramatically changed. The well-paying jobs of yesterday existed in the trades or on a production line. Unfortunately that just isn’t always the case in today’s world. Of course it doesn’t have to be this way. There is still a need for trades. People still need to use their toilets after all.

So what can we do about this? How can we persuade the next generation of workers to join us in our very dirty and difficult but still rewarding line of work? Can we do anything? At first I said no. But after thinking about it, maybe there is something we can do.  

CONSTANT DEMAND

Our industry is not a glamorous one. We will never directly compete with the likes of high-tech industry in Silicon Valley. Nor should we. Why fight our human nature to go after work that is less stressful, less dirty, and potentially more monetarily rewarding with less physical strain.

But this plays to our advantage. As the old expression goes, “If you have lemons make lemonade.” We must follow the economics of supply and demand. We have the good fortune to be in an industry that most everyone needs. Running water and working sewer systems are the tenets of our first-world society after all. There will always be a demand for these services.

But take a minute to think into the future. What will happen as fewer young people enter our field? The amount of demand will increase for each of our industry’s suppliers. This translates to fewer workers, allowing us to charge more per worker. Expertise does not come cheap, especially as it becomes more rare.

This market movement will finally legitimize our trade to the professional level that it needs to be viewed. People need our services just as much as they need those of a lawyer, sometimes even more! Our market is heading in a profitable direction, and it is up to us to prepare for it. It’s just a simple case of economics.

MOVING FORWARD

So how do we prepare to be successful in this future? We obviously can’t just start dropping huge price tags on projects or services. We have to start really explaining to the customer what we’re going to do and how we’re going to do it. We must act and look professional at all times. Our whole operation needs to show professionalism, expertise, and experience to
the customer.

We must structure our companies in a way that allows us to make and justify real profits. Not just profits to get by, but profits that allow us to buy new equipment, have a professional operation, and yes, even take nice vacations with our family. And where does all of this start? It starts at the sale. The sales process is where we differentiate our expertise and our skills to our customers.

The sales process is where we make our profit and show our customers why we deserve it. The actual doing of the job is just follow-through. So let’s keep improving our sales techniques, and pricing our jobs to make a profit. Our market is ripe for success, whether the younger generation wants to take advantage of it or not! Let’s stop complaining and continue becoming more and more successful.

Frank Taciak
C.A. Taciak & Sons
Towson, Md.