Facility managers should report back to top management on how approved facility projects are performing.
Getting a "yes" on a facility funding proposal is one part salesmanship, one part public relations, and one part stick-to-it-iveness. Successful facility managers are the ones who have developed a system that works consistently, and successful facility management organizations are well-funded ones. So understanding all that goes into a successful facility funding proposal — from laying groundwork to campaigning to understanding the difference between a smooth, quick presentation and one that will get you laughed out of the boardroom — is a career must for any facility manager.
One common mistake facility managers make is failing to report back on an approved project, even if nobody asked for data. "We remind everyone when we have a successful project," says Jim Cooke, national facilities operations manager for Toyota Motor Sales, USA. "Give updates. That provides the personal touch."
John Balzer, vice president, facility planning and development for Froedtert Health, agrees: "Facility managers can make themselves more noticeable by sending quarterly reports on how their initiative is working. It's a great way to build credibility. You're saying, 'Look, I stuck my neck out and I'll report, even though you're not asking, because I'm confident enough in this initiative.'"
Doing such voluntary reporting completes the credibility loop, which again, is one of the biggest factors in getting a "yes." Your personal relationship with the financial folks making the decision on your proposals is just as important - perhaps more so - than the numbers themselves. As Jim Cooke, national facilities operations manager for Toyota Motor Sales, USA, puts it, "Your credibility and personal relationships are the keys." The question to ask, he says, is this: "f I call them, will they give me the time of day?" If the answer is "yes," you've got much better odds the answer will be "yes" on your proposal as well.
