In article JDI_d.12136$hA3.6227@trnddc09,
Robert Allison wrote:
- In another thread, I kind of scolded a poster who said that
- they would never use me (see; estimates from contractors). It
- got me to thinking about what I have seen in 35 years of
- construction and where I am now.
-
- I have worked my way up through the ranks in construction
- without ever intending to be a contractor. I just kept seeing
- ineptitude and thought that I could do better than others and
- for the most part, I was able to prove that when I was moved
- up in the chain of command. There were plenty of false starts
- and errors, but I kept on, knowing that I was at least as
- smart as most of the next guys and hardworking to boot.
-
- Finally, I went out on my own and formed my own construction
- contracting company, specializing in residential and light
- commercial. By the time I did this, I had many happy
- customers that were delighted to have my company do their
- work. All of these customers trusted me, and their method of
- hiring me was to show me what they wanted done, get a price,
- and if it was within their budget, we would discuss when I
- would start. About half of the work I do is cost plus with a
- not to exceed number. The other half is hard contract.
-
- It had taken me 25 years of hard work to reach a point where I
- could do this. I have so much work that I have to reject work
- because I just don't have the time to do it. Guess what? I
- can pick and choose what I want to do! I take the jobs that I
- want to do and pass on the rest. I take the clients that I
- feel comfortable with and reject the rest. This is not the
- result of doing shoddy work, or not knowing what I am doing,
- or not knowing how to run a business. It is because I have
- worked very hard to develope a good reputation and worked
- harder to keep it.
-
- I have only had 2 unsatisfied customers in the last 10 years.
- This was not due to bad product, but from what I call
- unsatisfiable clients. If you are in this business for long,
- you WILL run across some.
-
- I have a lot of friends in the construction business. Many
- are out on their own, barely making it. Some are capable
- craftsmen, but they are unreliable. Some are great salesmen,
- but not very good at quality control. Some are great
- craftsmen, but have no business sense, which of course, causes
- problems. One thing they have in common is that they will do
- just about anything to get the job, because they need the
- work. They have little repeat business and few referrals.
-
- OTOH, I have people that are great at what they do. They are
- hardworking, honest, reliable, and have good business sense.
- They are rarely out of work, and, like me, pick the jobs they
- want to do and let the rest go. These are the guys that I use
- for subcontractors.
-
- My clients refer me to their friends, neighbors and even
- people they meet on the street. I get lots of calls to come
- out and give estimates and look at work. While my regular
- clients tell me they have a job for me to do and ask when I
- will be available, the referrals are all over the spectrum.
- When I am out doing the initial contact, they are feeling me
- out, and I am doing the same to them. I will often give the
- person that referred them to me a call to feel them out about
- the potential client. If I don't feel right about them, they
- get a polite call explaining that I am too busy to take on
- anything else right now and giving them a few people to call
- who may be interested in doing their work.
-
- My point in all this is that if you are a homeowner that wants
- a good contractor, you need to show a little patience. Be
- honest, and don't feel shy about asking questions. Don't be
- impatient. I know that remodeling or building a home can be a
- nervewracking enterprise to take on. Remember that the good
- contractors are busy and they are busy for a reason. It is
- because they are good at what they do, and quality is in
- demand. So don't be too demanding right at the outset. Feel
- out the contractor and see if you feel you can work with him
- and trust him. Trust is probably the most important element
- in a good relationship with your contractor. That doesn't
- mean blind faith. It means trust.
-
- Once a client has chosen to work with me, I will do just about
- anything to make them happy. I won't do that just to get the job.
I don't suppose you'd come up to Gatesville, TX, to do a small job,
would you?
--
8^)~~~ Sue (remove the x to e-mail)
~~~~~~
"I reserve the absolute right to be smarter
today than I was yesterday." -Adlai Stevenson
http://www.suzanne-eckhardt.com/
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