Dones

What Constitutes A “Done?”

A thing is not done until it is completed. When it is completed, it can be called a “done” thing. Sometimes I just call it a “done.” We sometimes call a done “a completed cycle of action.” Or a “completed cycle” for short. Either way, a completed cycle or a done are both the same thing: something that is totally finished in the proper manner.

It is a skill to start something, and it is a skill to continue working on it. But it is a valuable skill to actually complete something. Oftentimes people will start something, even continue to work at it, only to give up or get distracted before it’s actually done. That results in the wasted effort spent starting and working on, and the loss of what was to be gained by getting this particular thing done. Could be a sale lost, could be a lack of improvement that continues to waste everyone’s time, could be the thing has to be done regardless so someone else has to spend time doing it again.

If your supervisor asks you to do something, make sure that it gets done. If you don’t, your supervisor will have to follow up with you repeatedly, and maybe at some point even find someone else to do it, which may put your job in jeopardy.

People love to think something is done because it looks done, because someone said it was done, or it is nearly done. None of those are an actual DONE. The way that I thoroughly learned this was managing my salespeople. I used to hear all sorts of things about how “a sale was done.” If a deposit was left, the salesperson thought they had a sale. If it was paid for in full, they thought they had a sale. If it was delivered, they thought they had a sale. But it often happens in sales (as in life) that things get in the way of a “completed cycle of action.”

To show you how completely you should think through an item before you consider it “done,” this is what I came up with to define a completed sale.

1. It is fully paid for.
2. It is in the hands of the customer and accepted as satisfactory (with some exceptions).
3. The invoice, charge slips, and applications if any, are signed by the customer.
4. The invoice has been fully completed and turned in by 10am the following morning.
5. The computer is fully updated with all important data.
6. All related transactions are handled completely, such as trade-in paperwork done properly, trade-in accepted by inventory, New Name and Contact Source correctly indicated, if a referral, who referred them entered in BM logs, etc. and all data is correct.
7. A marketing survey is completed and attached to the invoice (see PL Surveys Required).
8. The customer has been asked to leave a review.
9. All the above is ideally done on the day that the item is delivered and accepted, or at the latest, by 11:00am the following business day.

Just because the item was paid for did not mean it was “sold.” It could still be sitting in the store waiting to be picked up. Just because it was delivered does not mean that it will not be returned. After it is accepted by the customer you can feel fairly solid, but finally all the administration (paperwork) must be finished before you can feel that it is DONE.

DONE = completed, ended.

When orders are given, what is wanted is a done. Not a half done, can’t do, tried to, couldn’t because of, or anything but a done.

Anything but a done keeps the individual and the organization from attaining its goals.