Needs Assessment - Services & Programs - Contractors Business School

Contractor's Business School Assessment Questionnaire

The CBS Business Analysis is a no-cost, no obligation evaluation of your business. Here's how it works:

Complete and submit the form below
We'll call you within 24 hours to arrange a phone meeting
A Senior Coach will evaluate the information you provide
You and the Coach meet over the phone to discuss the findings and recommendations (length and detail dependent on your situation).

You'll receive a professional, objective analysis about where you are and how to move ahead. So let's get started...

Please read each phrase carefully and check all that apply to you and your business.

1. Background
What type of contractor are you? (Electrical, General, Plumbing, concrete, roofing, etc.)

What are your market(s)? (Commercial, residential construction, public works, service/maintenance, etc.)

What were your total revenues in 2008?
<250K
$250K-$500K
$500K-$1M
$1M-$5M
$5M-$10M
More than $10M
What’s the current state of your market?
Dead
Down but ok
Flat from last year
Moderately good
Strong
What is your projected growth rate for this year versus last year?
Down more than 25%
Down 5-25%
Flat
Up 5-25%
Up > 25%
How long have you been in business?
less than 3 years
3-5 years
5-10 years
more than 10 years
How many employees do you have (Not counting subs)?
sole proprietor
3-10 employees
10-25 employees
more than 25 employees
How many subcontractors do you have working for you on a regular basis?
none
1-5
6-10
more than 10
Have you ever worked with a business coach or consultant before?
Yes
No
How did you hear about us?
Webinar
Speaking Event
Magazine article
Search Engine
Friend
2. Vision
I'm not sure where my business is headed.
I'm unclear about the life I really want.
I seem to be stuck in the same place for months or years.
Sometimes I don't see the point of all my work.
I don't know why I started this business in the first place.
3. Strategic Orientation
I spend a lot of time fighting fires.
I don't/can't think beyond tomorrow.
I don't know what's going on in my market.
Most of my decisions are about day-to-day things.
I spend my time working IN my business.
Things always sneak up on me.
Everything's a crisis.
4. Planning
I don't have enough time.
I have trouble scheduling work to keep my people busy.
I don't know how much inventory I should carry.
I don't have a budget.
I don't have an operating plan.
I don't have a cash flow plan.
I don't have a sales forecast.
Planning is a waste of time.
I think I need to increase capacity.
I don't know what my sales will be from month-to-month.
I don't have time to just sit and think about the business.
5. Owner-Dependence
I'm the only one who knows how to do the work.
My people don't do the work as I want them to.
I can't take a vacation--the place would fall apart.
I don't have the time to manage my people.
I work too many hours.
I'm never sure a job can be done on time.
My people waste too much time.
My work is too complex to teach someone else to do it.
I have trouble estimating how long it takes to do a job.
Paperwork is always getting lost (I have too much or I can't find it).
My people can't/won't think for themselves.
I do most/all of the work myself.
6. Management/Leadership
I can't seem to hire good people.
My managers don't know how to manage.
I can't keep my best people.
My people aren't motivated (don't care).
I can't trust my people.
My people don't get things done on time.
I don't know how to manage.
My people take advantage of me.
My people won't follow rules.
I can't afford to hire people I need.
Training people takes too much time.
7. Money & Metrics
I don't have enough money.
I can't pay my bills on time.
My suppliers will only sell to me C.O.D.
My customers pay their bills late.
I never know where I stand financially.
I don't know how to set up my books.
My financial statements are unclear to me.
My overhead is too high.
I don't know my breakeven point.
I can't afford new equipment.
My cashflow is inconsistent (or poor).
I have trouble managing my money.
I don't know how to (or can't) get a loan.
I can't afford to keep enough inventory.
My creditors don't understand my problems.
I don't know what records to keep.
My sales/service/production costs are too high or I don't know what they are.
I don't know what's in my inventory.
I'm not sure I'm estimating/pricing profitably.
8. Customer Service
My customers complain about my service/deliveries.
My customers keep coming in for a while and then disappear.
My people don't know how to deal with customers.
I don't know whether my customers like me or hate me.
My customer service is lousy.
We treat customers about like everybody else does.
We don't treat customers consistently.
9. Marketing
I don't know what my customers want.
I don't know how to advertise or I don't know how effective it is.
I don't know who my customer is.
I don't know how to research my market.
Marketing is too expensive.
Marketing doesn't work.
I don't know what makes people buy from me.
I don't know what my competitors are doing.
I don't know how to get more customers in the door.
10. Selling
I don't have enough sales.
My people don't know how to sell.
I hate making sales calls.
My people don't know what to say to customers.
I can't find good sales people.
I don't know how to sell.
My people can't sell as well as I can.
I don't have time to make enough sales calls.
I have trouble with customer questions/objections.
I never know what my sales people are doing.
I'm not sure what to pay my sales people.
11. Balance
I spend too much time at the business (or working at home).
My family wants me to be home more.
I'm in poor physical condition.
My stress level is too high.
I don't eat a healthy diet.
I don't exercise enough.
I'm moody.
I've missed important personal events because of the business.
I've missed important family events because of the business.
I feel empty, unfulfilled, dissatisfied.
I feel disconnected from my family, friends, or myself.
What are your goals and objectives?
12. What would you like your company to become in 3 to 5 years? In 10 years? What is your dream or vision of your business? How would it look if you could have it precisely on your terms?

13. If the business were operating as you've described it above, what would be your reward? What would your role be? What are your personal objectives?

14. What do you feel are your major obstacles?

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