Do you stress about increasing sales while the available opportunities are shrinking and the competition is increasing? Most companies try to work harder in tough times. But the best they can do is hope to stay even if they continue to do the same things they’ve always done. The truly successful contractors and suppliers do things different than their competitors to get ahead. They provide more than the minimum per plans and specifications they are contracted to perform. They do more to get more. This gives them a competitive edge and gets them more signed contracts.
What can you do to improve your customer relationships and treat your customers better? Here is a list of things to consider:
- Be a friendly team player versus an enemy
- Provide competitive, fair and consistent pricing
- On-time, accurate and complete bids and proposals
- Educate an estimator about the options available
- On-time delivery of supplies and materials
- On-time submittals and shop drawings
- Know the business of contracting
- Be professional, look sharp and act first class
- Return your phone calls and emails within 30 minutes
- Have a regular time you can be reached every day
- Use email for every day correspondence
- Use digital cameras to send photos of job issues
- Do your own project clean-up every day
- Know construction contracts and do what they say
- Be well funded and have adequate working capital
- Charge the right price on change orders
- Always include proper backup on invoices
- Visit jobsites before you are called to start work
- Stay ahead of job schedules
- Never create down time for other’s crews
- Don’t bid jobs you can’t handle
- Never delay jobs with lack of manpower
- Do your own punch-list
- Provide responsible decision-making foreman
- Have a professional ongoing safety program
- Don’t over-bill and front-end load invoices
- Have the same salesperson/estimator who is friendly, positive, in a customer's office every week, quick, knowledgeable, not a pest, and anticipates needs
- Be someone who helps the customer sell
- Bring the customer lots of leads
- Pick up plans and return them timely
- Suggest other subcontractors and suppliers
- Recommend architects, engineers, bankers, real estate agents, insurance and bonding agents
- Keep customers stocked with up-to-date product literature and samples
- Take customers golfing or to lunch
- Provide subscriptions to industry trade publications
- Invite customers to industry association meetings
- Have a great website with product information, technical materials, engineering data, and up-to-date industry standards
- Invest in general contractors' development projects
- Bring the customer (or GC) joint venture and equity partners
- Tell the customer (or GC) what we can do to improve and make a profit
- Give the customer great front row Laker tickets! (Joking)
Providing the minimum at the lowest cost will continue to get you marginal low-profit work. To get the results you really want, you've got to do more. Consider implementing a few of these proactive ideas and get more than the minimum from your customers.
George Hedley is a professional business coach, popular speaker and best-selling author of "Get Your Business to Work!" and "The Business Success Blueprint For Contractors" available at his online bookstore. He works with business owners to build profitable growing companies. E-mail: [email protected] to request your free copy of "Winning Ways To Win More Work!" or sign up for his free monthly e-newsletter. To hire George to speak, be part of his ongoing BIZCOACH program or join one of his ongoing Roundtable Peer Groups, call 800-851-8553 or visit www.HardhatPresentations.com.
