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HEADLINES ADDED: June 26, 2008
5 Ways to Improve the Customer Experience
ethnoMetics Inc. president Martin Smith shares ways to improve your customers' experiences in your store or showroom.... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: April 02, 2008
Editor’s Note: Value Engineering
The term “value engineering” is one I have heard spoken by commercial roofing contractors as long as I can remember. In this context it is a fairly straightforward process whereby a given design or specification for a roofing system is pulled apart, analyzed, and reconstructed in order to achieve more bang for the owner’s buck. In an economy with more than a few challenges, it would seem a good idea for all of us in the roofing industry to consider turning our value engineering skills inward. In other words,... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: March 28, 2008
Make sure everything is in order BEFORE you start the job . . .
Got a phone call recently from a contractor doing a job in the $150K range. Everything is fine, contract signed, and the job is going great. Problem was he asked for his down payment (after the job started) and the owner said, “Well, ummm, the bank hasn’t approved the loan yet.” I told him to shut that job down right away. Or sooner. The longer he works, the more money he has to lose if he isn’t paid. He can explain to the owner the job will start again... Read More
Cream of the Cropp
“Your customers are only satisfied because their expectations are so low and because no one else is doing better. Just having satisfied customers isn’t good enough anymore. If you really want a booming business, you have to create Raving Fans.” — from the book Raving Fans, by Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: March 27, 2008
Cool, Calm, Protected
HVAC product warranties bring peace of mind to customers, but must be explained and managed correctly. Contractors, manufacturers, and a waranty provider offer commentary on the benefits and caveats of extended product warranties.... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: March 25, 2008
THE EASIEST WAY TO KEEP YOUR CUSTOMERS
Are you one of those contractors who believe that if you service a customer once and do a great job, they’ll remember you forever? I wish that was true. Instead, studies show that 55% of the customers you lose leave you because you paid them no attention.... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: February 17, 2008
Smart Business: Time For A Manners Check
The late 1990s were the best time ever for the airline industry. Seats were packed elbow-to-elbow and the airlines made more money than ever before. United Airlines, then the nation’s biggest carrier, saw its stock price jet to more than $125 a share. United’s biggest hub is in my hometown of Chicago. They go almost everywhere out of O’Hare Airport and their fares are usually among the lowest, so I fly them a lot. What I remember most about traveling in that prosperous era was the rudeness and arrogance... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: January 16, 2008
Busy Clients for a Construction Company - What Would You Do?
This scenario, once again, is a reminder of the importance of a good contract. And signed change work orders. And checking details to make sure a job is done right. But now that it’s a full-blown problem, what would you do? A busy client (married couple) contracted to have a bathroom remodeled. This included a soaking tub on an island in the middle of the room. After the island was set and the tub installed, the tile installer pointed out to the contractor that the grout lines were not... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: January 08, 2008
PEOPLE JUDGE THE INTANGIBLE BY THE TANGIBLE
A "service" is consumed at the time it's purchased. It can't be picked up and examined like a tool in the hardware store. You can't kick the tires of a service. To try it is to buy it. As a result, consumers look for signals that indicate what kind of service they will receive. Surprisingly, they also judge the quality of the service by similar tangibles.... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: December 26, 2007
Be a Problem Solver For Your Customers
How do you market yourself to convey that you deliver impeccable service in order to differentiate yourself from lesser service providers? ... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: December 19, 2007
Ownership: The Ultimate Motivator
Encouraging employees to take ownership of their work will result in better customer service and a stronger company.... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: December 16, 2007
A new way for clients to check you out
Experian (the credit report people) is offering a new service where homeowners can download a report that show's a contractor's license status, ban...... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: November 16, 2007
Contractor Marketing Tools & Customer Service
... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: November 12, 2007
Beware the pissed off customer
... or former employees, I should add to that. Check out the reaction to this blog post from July. I've gotten 14 comments (and counting) from past clients and employees and defenders (maybe his current employer? …... Read More
How to Handle Common Client Complaints
It happens to everyone. No matter how careful you are, sometimes things don’t go as smoothly as you had planned. Here’s how to deal with two common client complaints.... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: November 08, 2007
Are You Doing Net Promoter?
You don’t need to inhale to be doing Net Promoter. You don’t need to ask only one ultimate question. You don’t even need to call it Net Promoter. To be a Net Promoter practitioner, there are just three things your organization needs to be doing: 1. Systematically categorizing customers into promoters, passives, or detractors. If you prefer, you can call them loyal advocates, fair-weather friends, and adversaries. 2. Creating closed-loop processes so that the right employees will directly investigate the root causes that drive customers into these categories. 3.... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: November 06, 2007
The True Value of Loyalty
These Avid Award winners share a common characteristic. Read on to find out what it is.... Read More
Quality Measured
Centex Homes focuses on delivering complete homes.... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: November 05, 2007
Homeowner Warranties
New home builders and remodelers should be aware that more and more homeowners are trying to come back at contractors for items they think their state required guarantee should cover. A lot of these claims are fueled by consumer advocate websites where some “shade tree lawyer” has declared what they think you should cover. While there are things that should be covered, all too often the problems are deferred maintenance or normal wear-and-tear. These include floor coverings, painting, roofing, appliances, wood or rubber base, electrical breakers and the like.... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: November 01, 2007
Customer service -- getting it right
... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: October 26, 2007
Houston Audio Video and Custom Integration Design Services: Retrofit as a Fiddle
This integrator minimizes client frustration by having tough, honest conversations about how the project will proceed and, as he says, “under-promising and over-delivering.”... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: October 24, 2007
Customer Service Tips for the Construction Industry
We look at ways that simple changes can have a dramatic affect on your business.... Read More
Dealing with Difficult Customers in the Construction Industry
The construction process can be very emotional for your clients. We look at tips to help diffuse a volatile situation.... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: September 04, 2007
Marketing Emotion Still a Far Cry from the Dude Ranch
Last week my family and I spent a three day mini-vacation at a “Dude” ranch. Don’t think City Slickers. My kids are 6 and 9, so this was more “dude” than ranch. We bought the kids cowboy hats so they felt authentic on the back of our senior citizen horses walking along a muddy trail. They met kids from other states, playing with cap guns and bullwhips. My 6 year old son hooked up with adults as my wife pulled me into line dancing. Surrounded by drinking strangers, to... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: May 14, 2007
It's Worth it to Have Your Customers Stay
Always remember, your company’s current customers are the absolute No. 1 source of your future sales. When you lose customers, you lose all of their future business and all of their referrals to your competition. When you keep customers, you keep that pool of sales for yourself.... Read More
Recruiter follow up should be a two-way street
Career experts have written countless articles encouraging, and often requiring, job seekers to send thank you notes or emails within 24-48 hours of an interview. Yet there’s no industry standard or similar expectation for hiring companies. Recruiter follow up should really be a two-way street. Not only because it’s the right thing to do, but also because it can positively or negatively impact the hiring company’s brand with potential candidates. Each and every day, human resources departments at companies everywhere are inundated with hundreds and thousands of applications from... Read More
Customer Feedback: The Right Response
Let me contrast two approaches to responding to customer feedback. The first comes from my recent experience with a hotel chain that engages in predatory pricing for long-distance calls made from its in-room phones. I invested the time to complain to the headquarters staff. In response I received a two-page letter from the general manager of the hotel explaining that their pricing was no worse than competitors. Moreover, he noted, providing phone service was far more expensive than I might think. The letter went on to bemoan the large... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: March 25, 2007
Seven steps to remarkable customer service
... Read More
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Favorite Book 2007
The Toyota Way is my favorite book for 2007. It had so many good ideas that I could not keep up and ended up reading it again and even buying the Field Book to go along with it.
Download Elegant Solutions from Change This which provides some highlights of the Toyota Production System. Too many ideas that are applicable to contractors to even count!