What a Rotten Roof Can Teach You About Your Business
I recently stood in the gravelly snow of spring and stared up at the roof of my garage, observing it with what must surely have seemed like knowledgeable expertise. The man beside me did the same, and we made quite the pair – this roof was a serious matter.
“Mmm… I don’t think I want to get into this project,” the man mused, never taking his eyes from the blue tarp that hid rotting boards and moisture-soaked sheets of plywood. I nodded, having expected as much.
What happened next struck me, though, and I appreciated his refusal even more. “You see, it’s our reputation.” He’d turned to face me. “I don’t know if you’re aware of our name, but we’re known for doing a good job – and we’d like to keep it that way.”
That’s a valuable lesson for all you readers – and my story includes a few more important ones as well.
You see, I knew I had a roof in bad shape. I knew it was a job beyond my abilities (and my interest). And while I knew I could get some cheap joe-jobber to patch up the cave in, I also knew that cheap work becomes a maintenance money pit – it costs more to keep patching the patch than to start over with quality work.
Lesson one: Never opt for cheap, even if you’re on a budget. Get the best you can afford, and don’t be stingy. The long-term payoff is well worth the short-term expense.
So I picked up the phone book and opened it to the Yellow pages to ‘Construction’ to see what I could find in the way of good help. The long columns of business names were overwhelming. There were over three double-sided pages, each with four columns, listing name after name. I nearly put the book down.
Lesson two: People don’t like too many options. They dislike uncertainty even more. Give them choice, but limit the number of choices you offer so consumers can make a decision quickly and easily.
I didn’t put the book down. I needed prices and estimates, so I began to skim columns. Who could I call? Knowing who to choose to contact became a problem: they all looked the same. Almost every single construction business had chosen to name itself “Construction Something-or-Other”. Nothing grabbed me. Nothing helped me know who would be best for my needs.
Lesson three: Differentiation is crucial to attracting customers. If people can’t tell your business apart from the next – even from your business name alone – then you’re in trouble.
Finally, I found a name familiar to me. The construction company had won awards, accolades and many word-of-mouth referrals. Their advertising was also widespread and frequent. I knew the name, I’d heard good things, and their reputation preceded them. That would be a good company to contact.
Lesson four: Out of sight, out of mind, and the opposite is just as true. Make sure potential customers hear about you often – and make sure they hear good things about you, too.
“We’ll send someone soon,” I was told by the very friendly and knowledgeable person on the phone. I asked if it would be today, and he said he couldn’t promise, but he would say it would be within three days. That was fine with me – and the guy showed up that afternoon for an estimate.
Lesson five: Customer service counts. Friendly service, confidence, and conveying expertise makes people feel comfortable. Giving a firm turnaround also counts for good service, as does promising less and delivering more.
The man who measured and poked, opened doors and squinted up knew what he was doing. It goes without say that if you’re in business, you really should have a clue. He was helpful and answered my questions, and he did so with confidence, supporting what I already knew about the company.
Then he turned me down.
“It’s not that we can’t do the work,” he explained. “We can. It’s an easy job – replace the roof. But you wouldn’t be a satisfied client.” He spoke surely, and I listened. “You’d be happy with your roof, but then your walls are going to go in a year or two. You’ll have problems from other parts of your garage. You’ll need to invest more money to keep it in shape – because you paid for that roof we built you, and you wouldn’t want to lose out on your investment.”
This guy knew his stuff.
“You’d spend money for the roof and have to continually invest on all the other problems that your garage has. In the end, you’ll have spent so much money that you hate your garage, and where did the problems all begin? With us,” he shrugged. “You’ll be looking for someone to blame, and we’ll be it.”
“So I’m sorry,” he shrugged again and gave me an apologetic smile. “We can do the work, but we’re not going to take the project on, because we have a reputation to take care of.”
Lesson six: Your reputation is all you have. One bad project, one unhappy client, and word about you can spread faster than you can say, “Stupid.” Work on projects that help your business maintain and increase its reputation – don’t take on work that may bring your name down.
You may be surprised to learn that my respect for this company has shot up a few notches. I didn’t feel bad that they wouldn’t take my job (even though I knew they might not). I felt good about this company already, and their ability to say no to protect their reputation only made me think more highly of them.
The fact they said no to me only made me want to hire them more. I almost wished they’d say yes or change their minds. They said no, they didn’t and I’m still stuck looking for someone else to fix my roof.
And yet, if someone asked me to refer a good construction company, they’d be the one I’d mention. If someone asked me to rate them on a scale of one to ten, they’d get a ten – and I haven’t even worked with them. If I had to call a construction business in the future, they’d be the ones.
They won me over – and they didn’t even lift a hammer for me.
Last lesson: If you have consumer trust and desire, you have it made.
17 Responses to “What a Rotten Roof Can Teach You About Your Business”
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This article is very true, by saying no this company has not only protected itself from a bad investment in it’s brand but also gained a potential client in the future. The fear of rejection in an individual can equally be mapped to a fear of rejecting, don’t be afraid to say no or step away from something that will bring short term gain but imeasurable long term loss.
Great Article!
This is especially good advice for companies just starting out – taking on a job “for the money” rather than because it can enhance your reputation can be fatal to the business rather than helping out the bottom line.
Alex Fayle | Someday Syndrome´s last blog post…Fear of an office job: Allison Day interview
James,
Good job on turning a lemon into lemonade,
The points you correlate are certainly valid for any business and it’s easy to see how the lessons learned apply to my own business.
I’ve just recently had experience with lesson six. I took on a client early on in my business and did a fair to partly crappy job of outlining the terms of the work. He didn’t have much to spend so I didn’t charge very much. Within a month it became obvious that I was doing his stuff for what worked out to about 3 bucks an hour.
Even though I was doing what he requested, he didn’t do the little things on his end that would have made a difference in terms of results and ultimately we got a divorce earlier this month. I was a bit relieved to have him gone, but I also know he was an unhappy camper. I’m not certain there will be consequences to this, I guess I’ll just have to wait and see.
Thanks for another spot-on post, Mr. James.
George
Tumblemoose´s last blog post…Writer’s newsletter: A little help, please
James,
I like it. Good lessons in being a picky provider, and my respect for him would definitely have gone up based on that interaction.
But what’s the guy suggesting? Fix your walls first? Do a slap-dash job on the roof? Or put up a for sale sign?
I’m torn here, thinking for this to be really great he should have recommended someone who could do what you need (which is what I’d do if someone came to me with a project my company can’t/won’t handle)… but of course, if it’s a job that’s going to leave you with a bad taste in your mouth (sez he), then recommending someone else is almost like saying “here’s someone I don’t mind you hating.”
So if he can’t recommend a company, I hope he did recommend a course of action at least…
Hm, hm.
And sorry to hear about your roof!
Regards,
Kelly
Kelly´s last blog post…MCE Round Table: Misery, Money, Music…
@ David – What struck me was his total lack of fear and complete comfort when he handed me the results. He was smiling, reassuring and just generally very confident. Excellent!
@ Alex – Not only for startups – I see a lot of businesses take on work that isn’t going to help them in the long run. There *always* has to be some sort of benefit for both parties involved.
@ Tumble – The explanation the man gave me, that I’d be an unhappy customer because of something totally unrelated to the work the company would do, was a spot-on analysis of consumer behavior. But I can bet he learned it through experience, just like you did. You’re on the right path!
@ Kelly – What?! The story wasn’t enough? You want the, “But what happened then?!!” (I actually got four emails asking the same – sign of a captivated audience?)
The guy provided me with eight alternatives, from cheapest to most expensive, and those even included strategies for “over-time” improvements as a couple of years pass.
He didn’t provide me with a referral name, as we both know there are *plenty* of people who would take the patch job on and they’re easily found.
And I’m sorry about my roof too. I had other plans for that money… *cries*
Wow, James. I absolutely loved this. I loved the real world story, I loved the real world business, and I loved the way you wove it all together. Taking a job just for money or hiring the first “joe Jobber” who will do the job the cheapest are two sides of the wrong coin. Quality is paramount and reputation everything.
Writer Dad´s last blog post…Meet Cindy, My Wife
Okay, you answered my question in your comments — I just wanted to know what you finally decided to do about the garage!
Anyway, after a fire next door to my parents house necessitated the fire department poking a big hole in my parents’ house’s roof, we had various roofing contractors out for quotes to patch the hole, or redo the entire roof.
Only one said he would not recommend doing the whole roof in the middle of winter — said the temperature would not be conducive to making the materials last as long.
He got the job for the patching.
Dave´s last blog post…Christine and Jeff’s Wedding | Caffe Verbena | Oakland
Have I mentioned how much I adore the way you can relate ANYTHING to business and customer service, James?
Although I really think you wrote about a fairy tale – such a contractor could never exist in real life (she said, having written the book Avoiding The Contractor From Hell back 9 years ago….)
Barbara Ling, Virtual Coach´s last blog post…What Profit Personality Are YOU?
It’s interesting to think how these points might relate to blogging:
Lesson one: Never opt for cheap, even if you’re on a budget.
Blogging: Use a good designer for your site.
Lesson two: People don’t like too many options.
Blogging: Use clear callS to action, for example “Subscribe to…” instead of “You could subscribe to RSS, or you could subscribe to email. Actually, why not subscribe to our newsletter?”
Lesson three: Differentiation is crucial to attracting customers.
Blogging: Know your niche – and stick to it.
Lesson four: Out of sight, out of mind
Blogging: Comment on other blogs -especially if you want to remind people of Write to Done.com …ahem
Lesson five: Customer service counts.
Blogging: Be friendly and insanely useful – respond to comments and emails
Lesson six: Your reputation is all you have.
Blogging: Don’t blow your credibility with a stupid post
Mary / WritetoDone´s last blog post…Quote-Hunting: How to Improve Your Writing and Your Life
I was definitely surprised to hear that they turned the job down. It’s a great testament to the caliber of their work and the company as a whole. However, it can be a scary thing for a small business owner to turn down work when he/she doesn’t know what’s around the corner. If someone is just getting started in his/her business, would you advocate taking on almost any job just to build up a portfolio or reel, or is it best to be selective right from the get-go?
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@ WriterDad – Heh, you’re welcome. I like when I can tell a story versus just giving out information. Makes my job more fun!
@ Dave – Well, winter lasts about 8 months around here, so sometimes we can’t always go for that summer-only option
@ Barbara – *grin* I love that I can find a tie-in to anything as well. And no fairy tales! I swear! (Because I’d wave a magic wand and find the 10k I needed…)
@ Mary – Woot! Love that, thanks!
@ Clint – I’d take on any job that allows you to build up your reputation – even if the money isn’t great. But I *wouldn’t* take on just any job. So it’s a bit of both: Don’t be picky, but don’t be too selective either.
James Chartrand – Men with Pens´s last blog post…What a Rotten Roof Can Teach You About Your Business
Hi James,
I enjoyed reading the post so much. I read it almost thrice! I liked your analogy to drive several crucial points, though. By being very sincere, some people though step on nerves, teach us a lesson or two to follow.
I’m so much strengthened by your post to speak nothing but the truth to the client. Whether I get the project or not. unfortunately, that’s not what I do most of the times and get stressed out.
Thanks for the great post!
Solomon
Solomon´s last blog post…Every BRAND knows who copywriter is
Um. James, I’m thinking you need to tear the garage down.
Oh, excellent post though!
Urban Panther´s last blog post…My very first flame!
Nice and provoking post, James. It gives me a lot of inspirations after I’ve finished reading it. By the way, if you don’t mind, I can lend you a hammer here! lol
I think the best thing that cam out of the story is the valuable advise you have received from the construction guy. At least you can use this advise to weigh up your options and make a better decision from it in the hope of not making the mistakes he made you aware of. His visit actually may have saved you a great deal of money in the long run.
I would probably have taken out a loan and rebuilt the garage, but that’s overkill, isn’t it?
Marilynne´s last blog post…Three Little Birds – a song