Being in business requires smiling even when you are not in the mood to smile. Smiling projects a sense of happiness and satisfaction; it has the potential to lead those you deal with to smile and be satisfied.
As a plumbing and HVAC service contractor, smiling can make your job easier, even if the smile is forced. After all, no one likes to deal with grumpy people. And you want consumers to like you so that your business becomes the one they choose to address the matters that they need or want serviced when it comes to what you provide to the public.
However, you should not fool yourself into thinking that a smile is all you need. It’s only one of the tools needed for you to accomplish your goal of making your business successful.
Obviously, you need the knowledge of how to perform the tasks you offer to the public. Then, you must have the intent of delivering excellence to consumers and following with superior performance. In turn, consumers will receive value for the dollars they pay you for the services you perform for them.
Delivered excellence also serves to put a smile on the faces of the consumers you serve. It places your business in first place in consumers’ minds when they need or want the type of services you offer.
It is important to recognize the meaning behind the following quote from the poet John Lydgate that was famously used by Abraham Lincoln: “You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time.”
Being exceptionally adept at those aforementioned qualities and abilities needed to be successful does not mean that you will not encounter the misanthropic consumer who complains about everything and everyone.
Even though you quote the price of any task before commencing service, wait for consumer authorization to perform the task at that price, perform the task in an excellent manner and get paid for your service with a smile from the consumer, trouble may arise.
Addressing buyer’s remorse
Some consumers do comparative price shopping after you have performed the service and left their property.
That’s when you get the phone call that makes your skin crawl. It seems this consumer found a contractor who wasn’t available when they wanted the service performed — a contractor who claims he would have done the same job for less money.
The smiling consumer you left satisfied is now casting aspersions upon the integrity of your business. How do you address those aspersions while still maintaining your smiling disposition?
The following is an excerpt from my book “Solutions Management Theories & Methods For The Contracting Business,” which addresses the pleasant, truthful, honest and smiling way to respond to the consumer’s allegations (lightly edited for style).
“As the saying goes, ‘I’ve got good news and bad news.’ Let’s discuss the good news first. The consumer is satisfied with your performance and wants to thank you either in words [or] by making an appointment for additional work. That’s great.
“So much for the good news. This section is dedicated to the bad news. It deals with buyer’s remorse. Assuming you have technically performed in an excellent manner and a business-like fashion, including having the consumer accept and authorize all work and prices prior to commencement of any service, buyer’s remorse is never a valid argument on the consumer’s part.
“Let’s look at a situation that can raise its very ugly head.”
Consumer: “I was told by (my neighbor — another company —whoever) that I paid too much for the job you did for me. I could have gotten it cheaper and you ripped me off.”
Response: “It’s ironic that after you buy anything, there’s always at least one person who could have gotten you a lower price for the same product or service, but they are never around before you make your decision to purchase.
“You said you paid too much; however, the fact is you paid only that to which you agreed and authorized prior to commencement of the service being performed.
“You said you could have gotten the job cheaper. That’s certainly possible. Whether it would have been of the same caliber is questionable. Cheaper is never cheaper. More often than not, top-quality workmanship can be less expensive than a cheap job. The truth of the matter is that you, and you alone, chose to have our firm perform the task at the price to which we both agreed. This obligated our firm to fulfill the agreement in good faith. Furthermore, we never agreed to do it for less.
“You, in turn, were obligated to fulfill your part of the agreement by paying our firm for the service performed. Therefore, no one was ripped off. We both entered into a contract and fulfilled our respective obligations under the terms of that contract.
“I hope my response addresses and satisfies your concerns.”
Consumer: “I understand your point, but I think you should give me some money back.”
Response: “I’m sure that if you had found a higher price after the job was done than the agreed price we charged you, you would not be in this conversation offering to send us more money because we had a legal and binding agreement. Even if you did, I know we would not accept it. We stand by our agreements and would never give a consumer less than that to which they agreed, nor would we expect them to give us more.”
Assessing price-only consumers
Addressing the consumer in this manner demonstrates honesty, fairness, intelligence and common sense.
Any consumer who doesn’t understand that is one of those people you can’t please all the time, and you will never please some of the time.
When it comes to future work for those people, ask yourself these questions:
• Do I want to waste my time trying to appease those people who refuse to abide by the contract which we both agreed to prior to commencing service, and who have proven to never be loyal clientele?
• Should I let that type of clientele drive my competition crazy and possibly out of business?
• Or should I concentrate on servicing those people who represent the majority of consumers and who realize the value my business gives to them when they need or want the type of services my business offers and recognize the value of a good smile?
It seems to me that it’s easier to keep smiling when you deal with honest and ethical consumers who allow you to fulfill your obligations under the contract you both agreed on before services commenced while they fulfill theirs.
Putting up with consumers who cause you to frown by attempting to renege on the legal, valid and binding contract that you both agreed to before you commenced services is a draining and unfulfilling process. l
Richard P. DiToma has been involved in the PHC industry since 1970. His Contractor Profit Advantage podcasts, Solutionars and programs show contractors how to improve their business results. DiToma has authored books on contracting business management as well as customized contractor price guides. Contact him at 845-639-5050, [email protected] or www.contractorprofitadvantage.com.
