Cry over spilled paint
I live in the fastest growing state in the US. That has many upsides and some downsides. When it comes to building and remodeling, it’s more down than up. I'm talking about the difficulty of getting subcontractors to return phone calls, simply because of the epidemic of urban sprawl in our area. If they want the work, they might take the job; if not, see you later. That's if they even return your phone call.
The reason for this? The subs have a line out front of the office with people, like me, who need help. We need their skill set. From plumbing to painting, remodeling to roofing, the demand outnumbers the supply.
But someday, the tide will shift. That’s why I'm reminding you to continue to do the little things that will bring back repeat customers, both in good times and bad.
Notice the photo above: the painter I hired did an okay job on my house.
It's done and, on a scale of one to ten, he gets a seven but I will not be hiring him again, however. Look at the hose. One, he used my home faucet and hose for clean up without asking. Two, my lawn and driveway have pockets of his paint brush cleaning station. And, finally, he left an empty bucket with a brush.
It goes back to the headline: you should cry over spilled paint. Little things mean a lot. A clean work-space is a happy work-space. I can go on and on. If you wonder why 90% of new businesses go out of business in their first year of opening, it's because customer care (and follow up) is a big part of winning or losing. If you can't wipe the paint off my garden hose, how do I know you mixed the paint correctly or taped the trim properly?
Remember this: business is going great now, even when you do screw up, so who cares? Someone else is waiting to take the place of a lost customer. If you don't remind your team to cry over spilled paint, however, you could find yourself painting a new sign in front of your office next year that reads “For Sale".
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