Supply houses in the construction industry are the equivalent of urgent care facilities in the healthcare industry. Plumbing, heating, HVAC and mechanical contractors are the first responders when homeowners, institutions, industrial and property management companies call during an emergency. If the equipment maintaining the proper temperature in your local hospital’s operating rooms breaks down, guess who gets the call! 

These contractors are like the doctors and nurses in the emergency room. They have the knowledge, experience and skills, but also need immediate access to the supplies they need to fix the “patient.” They also need access to product knowledge and technical support. 

I recently spoke with a contractor who said he responded to such a call in Boston. He was on the roof of Massachusetts General Hospital, examining the patient — a very large rooftop air conditioner. At the same time, he was on the phone with his supply house, calling in the model number and pertinent information, seeking answers to product data and troubleshooting information. He then needed the parts delivered ASAP. 

The contractor volunteered that his supplier was an integral part of his business. His day is filled with situations like this one: unplanned events requiring an instant response. He stated that his relationship with his top suppliers was based on loyalty, performance and reliable expectations. 

“Mutual allegiance, not only convenience,” he said. “Whether I’m in the basement or on the roof, time is not my friend. I can’t take a chance on another supplier that hasn’t earned my confidence with deeds, not words. I go with the best suppliers based on my own experience and when or if there is a callback, they have my back! When the emergency is over and the ‘patient’ has been saved, in addition to the financial compensation, even more motivating and fulfilling is the feeling of pride that together with my supplier partner, we saved another one!” 

A reminder that you matter

Later that day, I spoke with the salesperson from this customer’s supply house. She explained about the satisfaction she derives from helping her customers in these situations. “However,” she added, “my focus is on the now. I don’t celebrate yesterday’s report card.” She looks forward to the next emergency call and another opportunity to make sure that her customer is always right: “I help my customers to be heroes to their customers.” 

I asked her about her experience when she first started her sales job. She said that, initially, it was a man’s world; a competitor told her that she wouldn’t have much of a chance going up against him. She ran into him a few years later. He asked if she was enjoying any sales success. She simply replied, “Many of my best customers used to be yours.”

In a follow-up conversation with the Massachusetts General Hospital contractor, I asked how he got all his tools, ladders, etc., on the roof of large complexes like the hospital. He responded with a smile that he often had to take shortcuts through the maze of rooms and hallways. The last time, he took a shortcut through a door that said restricted to medical staff only. Halfway through, a security person asked him if he was a physician. He responded that he was a “drain surgeon” reacting to a “stat” situation. 

I love contractor humor!

Another interesting insight from this contractor was how much he enjoyed a daily trip to his supplier’s counter. He likened it to the old TV show, “Cheers.” He started singing some of the theme song lyrics: “Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name, and they’re always glad you came.” 

“The counter is where I connect with the rest of my support team,” he said. “Coffee, donuts, conversation, free advice. Often manufacturers conduct product introductions, demos, training and, as a bonus, free swag. Just another daily reminder that you matter.” 

He stopped by the branch manager’s office and thanked him for responding so well to his urgent need to get the job done at the hospital. They kidded about installing a siren and flashing lights on the delivery trucks. 

How can we do better?

I chatted with the manager after the customer left. He was telling me how satisfying it was to have the customer thank him: “It motivates me and my staff to jump through the hoops for our customers. We pay attention to the daily faces that frequent the counter, and if a day goes by and they aren’t there, we go looking for them and another chance to demonstrate how much they matter to us. We also review our daily performance as a team. Can we do even better next time?”

He reminded me that great companies push themselves. The mission statement creates a message of expectation, the promise. The team needs to deliver on this and do even one better. It’s not easy being the best. You have competition scrimmaging to beat you. To be exceptional, you absolutely need exceptional people who want to be the best all the time! 

Some of my favorite quotes are from Vince Lombardi, the legendary coach of the Green Bay Packers: “Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.” (This one actually originated with college football coach Red Saunders, but Lombardi said it often, too.) “Winning is not a sometime thing; it’s an all-the-time thing. You don’t win once in a while, you don’t do things right once in a while, you do them right all the time. Winning is a habit.” “The will to win is not nearly so important as the will to prepare to win.”

The customers’ parting words to me were, “I can get stuff at other suppliers and online, but why would I? I want allegiance more than convenience!”