Challenge Your New “Very Best People” From Day One (Part I)
Get your new techs engaged, challenged, and productive during the critical first two weeks with this fast, practical onboarding system built for residential service pros.
KickStart: Implement a routine, organized system to orient, train and most importantly mentor new techs’ first two weeks in your company.
In 2026 do you want to build a residential services business that runs smoothly? (Without you babysitting every little thing?) If so, to achieve this Critical Mass Business above all else…
You MUST recruit and hire the Very Best People (VBP).
NEWSFLASH: Once you land one of these VBP rock stars, your real job begins: challenging them fast and giving them a clear path to win.
Here’s what I’ve learned over the last 40+ years helping Home Services Providers. Your new hire decides—subconsciously—whether they’ll stick with you long-term or bail out quickly… all within the first two weeks.
Yep. Two weeks. Sometimes sooner! 😯 Blink once and your new tech has already made their decision! Heck- they may already be GONE!
Steve’s TAKEAWAY: If you want to build a team of VBPs that actually sticks with you long term, you’ve got to stage-manage their entrance like it’s opening night!
Get Your New Hires “Engaged” Immediately!
Top talent does not like sitting around twiddling their thumbs. These Very Best People hate confusion, they hate chaos, and they REALLY hate feeling useless.
This means you need a structured, fast-moving but “high-touch” onboarding plan that challenges your VBP hires right away.
TA-DA! 😁 Your Fast Track Training “mentor” enters stage right! Ideally, this mentor is one of your best field techs—someone who lives your culture and your customer experience every day.
NOTE: If you’re a smaller shop, your mentor could be you… at least for now. Either way, this caring individual is the “acting coach” that will guide your new tech actor through their first in-the-home performances.
RESOURCE: Read more about mentor requirements HERE.
But mentorship alone isn’t enough. You need a system… a simple, repeatable process that gets your new tech up and running fast while keeping everyone accountable.
Here’s what I used in my residential services companies:
My Two-Week “Fast Track Training” (FTT) System
My FTT goal was simple: I wanted a new tech to handle basic jobs on their own within two weeks. (If they couldn’t maybe they weren’t VBP!) Here’s why…
💡 VBP crave challenge, responsibility, and feeling that they matter. This FTT system hits all of these. Let’s examine an On-the-Truck FTT…
1. Break Down a Task into Simple Procedures
List every individual procedure required to run a straightforward job solo. Think basics:
Paperwork
Re-stocking their truck
Equipment names & uses
Job setup
Safe use of tools and machines
Step-by-step procedures
Customer Moments of Truth
Reviewing the job with the client
Receiving payment
Communicating with the office
These points will become the backbone of your Fast Track Training system.
2. Write Out Every Procedure Step-by-Step
Example: Under Paperwork, you’ll include:
Reviewing the Production Day Screen
The Why and How of Job Folders
Filling out Work Order
Recording customer concerns
Communicating job issues and data to the office
Keep it simple. Keep it clear.
3. Decide What MUST Be Learned First (Day One)
Print these Day One procedures and put them in a folder labeled—surprise!—Day One.
4. Create a One-Page “Skills Review” Test for Each Day
Ten days. Ten folders. Ten simple tests.
Multiple choice. No stress. Just clarity.
Clip the Day One test to the Day One folder. Repeat for all ten days.
Simple, right?🤔 No? Well then, in our next KickStart let’s get down in the trenches and do a walk-through of a new tech’s Day One!
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