Shocking news!
Like many, I have trouble getting tradespeople to do anything.
But compelled by the dictates of 120-year-old Empire House, I keep bashing away.
Recently, I had a rare win with an electrician.
I report this result in the hope you may repeat it in your home and/or business.
Such peer review could flag a shift in artisan communication.
Negative
In the past, I sought to curry favour with tradies by being friendly and flexible.
But I went way too far. For instance, when a:
- Sparkie asked for a convenient time to visit, I said I worked from home and was there pretty much 24/7.
- Plumber said he was flooded with storm work, I said I’d happily wait until he caught up.
- Plasterer mentioned he had several big jobs on, I offered to let him do mine in between.
I thus gave away all my power for a modicum of goodwill.
And when, as people do, these craftsmen took my inches to miles, I got upset.
On reflection, I see I was unreasonable, as I’d created a rod for my own back.
Positive
Having failed to resolve a chronic phone line problem, I switched from gentle reminders to a more structured approach:
‘Dear Fred*,
Could we please get this problem fixed on Monday?
I’ve been waiting for nearly six months now, and my clients have been complaining about my crap phone line – which is making me sound like a hack.
I have a multi-party phone conference with a huge new prospect this week, so it’s critical I get this problem sorted beforehand.
Please can you help?!
Best regards,
P.’
Fred came the next day! He fixed my line, which remains flawless.
How come that?!
Stunned at my success, I analysed my approach and found four points of difference. I had:
- Nominated a specific day.
- Flagged the time I’d been waiting.
- Detailed the consequences of not getting action.
- Used a much firmer tone.
Maybe I was just lucky.
But I sure plan to try this tack again.
(I’ll let you know how I get on.)
Rewire?
Meanwhile, let’s take a macro look at my experience.
Building-related businesses are dropping like flies.
I wonder if this downturn might encourage tradies to lift their game.
Could the building industry take a hard look at itself and address such chronic complaints as:
- Failing to turn up.
- Failing to turn up on time.
- Turning up unannounced, weeks after an appointment, immediately before some vital event (e.g. large family dinner).
- Doing sub-standard work.
- Using sub-standard materials.
- Refusing to provide guarantees.
In my view, any tradie who pulled this off could eclipse his shabby competitors to win a dwindling work pie.
Or is such thinking pie in the sky?
Whatever your view,
this debate needs your
spark.
* Not his real name.
Paul Hassing | Founder & Senior Writer – The Feisty Empire
Get ready for business with MYOB and Wes...
5 simple steps to prepare your business ...
MYOB and BankLink unite to define a new ...
Working from home? You’re part of a ri...
How will the Federal Budget affect small...
Loading ...
Author
Malcolm Owens
August 9, 2012 at 11:14 am
It appears that many tradespeople consider doing your work as a huge favour to you. They also act like they have far more work than they can ever handle so if they ‘choose’ to do yours then that’s a bonus.
I had an electrician turn up and he was pissed off because he had to climb into the ceiling and said if he knew it was this much trouble he wouldn’t have turned up. Amazing.
Rather than pick on tradespeople we can also include delivery drivers and service technicians. On time, ready to go, good attitude and a complete and proper job should be the basic standard, not the rare exception.
One of our staff here had a delivery driver recently that was due between 8.00am and 10.00am not show up. On calling him he said 4.00pm. After returning to work he called back and said he would be there in 30 minutes, no good as she was back at work. So he kindly offered to leave her new goods on the front lawn!
In the current market this provides an excellent opportunity for those that get it right to shine and for TAFE to consider adding business management to the tradies requirement (if it isn’t already) so they learn more than being on the tools.
Author
Paul Hassing Founder & Senior Writer - The Feisty Empire
August 9, 2012 at 11:21 am
Hi, Malcolm. Having witnessed some of your renovation dramas, I appreciate your restraint (and can picture your blood vessels bursting with the effort).
I like your mix of problem and solution and agree in wonderment that some bright … spark isn’t cleaning up while his or her no-show colleagues wonder why their phone has stopped ringing.
It seems such a simple equation. I must be missing some big piece of the puzzle. I’ve just hit up the Master Builders Association of Victoria in the hope of answers.
Meanwhile, thanks very much for your … constructive comment.
Author
Bridie Jenner
August 9, 2012 at 11:26 am
I agree Malcolm, you almost feel like “the chosen one” when they deign to do the work for you.
My worst experience was when an apprentice fell through our ceiling (I was 8 months pregnant at the time and it was the middle of winter AND the only reason he was up there was because he’d left his torch the previous day and I did him a favour by letting him go and get it) and they took ages to fix it. They even had the cheek to tell us we couldn’t keep ringing up to chase the repair….! Unbelievable..
Great tips though Paul. I’m like you, I tend to use the “I work from home” line but it does give too much leeway. Will definitely be putting your ideas to the test.
Author
Paul Hassing Founder & Senior Writer - The Feisty Empire
August 9, 2012 at 11:29 am
Geez, Bridie; that WAS a nasty one! You just can’t make this stuff up, can you?!
I can’t believe it took me so many years to work out that kowtowing is NOT the way to go.
I really hope this approach works for you and would love to hear how you get on.
Best regards, as usual!
Author
Jason
August 9, 2012 at 11:34 am
•Nominated a specific day.
•Flagged the time I’d been waiting.
•Detailed the consequences of not getting action.
•Used a much firmer tone.
Good one Paul!
Try a similar approach on first engagement. Be friendly, but assertive – I have this issue with my whatever, I need it fixed by such and such a time, can you do it? (don’t accept a wishy washy answer). If they can’t do it on your terms then ring the next one. They are serving you, and getting paid for it. Generally speaking, I don’t think they need to know the consequences for you if it isn’t done – that is none of their business.
Being a good customer helps get you good service. And good customer doesn’t mean being overly flexible. I think it means being friendly and communicating you needs and expectations clearly. And if they aren’t or can’t be met, maybe give them a chance to redeem, then go elsewhere.
P.S. Your FB posting is working. I linked to here from my FB wall.
Author
Paul Hassing Founder & Senior Writer - The Feisty Empire
August 9, 2012 at 11:40 am
Great stuff, Jas! I do like your extension. It’s so definitive! If there’s even a hint they’re going to shaft you, you cut them at the first hurdle. Very smart and efficient.
Many years ago I took your advice to exchange names with any customer service person I got on the phone. While I still strike out often, my success rate has improved markedly – especially as I’m now helping my dad with his affairs. So, thanks heaps for that tip – and this!
Great news re Facebook. I still have trouble keeping track of everything. But if it’s sending cats like you to our shore, I’m sticking with it!
Best regards and thanks again, P.
Author
Paul Hassing Founder & Senior Writer - The Feisty Empire
August 9, 2012 at 11:41 am
PS. I also agree about ‘too much information’. There’s a fine line between truth and blurting and I’ve managed to all but erase it. Must get my chalk out again …
Author
Adam Finlay
August 9, 2012 at 4:24 pm
Nicely said, Jason.
Author
Leon Noone
August 9, 2012 at 12:10 pm
G’Day Paul,
“Pie in the sky?” Sounds like the description of another Collingwood premiership! I think that you’re a closet sports fan at heart.Be that as it may……
I have a long-standing client here in Sydney called The Clean Plumber. They are specialist domestic maintenance plumbers. They do no other plumbing. Their business is based on specialization and incomparable customer service.
For instance, all plumbers wear “Cleanboots.” These are neoprene overshoes they put on at your front door before they enter your premises so that they don’t mark your floors. They guarantee to “leave your worksite cleaner than we found it.” You’re invited to inspect the worksite when the work’s finished to see that it’s spotless.
They have a range of service guarantees to ensure that you’re satisfied before they leave your premises.
But the real humdinger is this. “If we’re late, your plumbing’s free.”
When you arrange a job they specify a two hour “window” and guarantee to arrive at your place during that two hour period. The mutually agreed period is quite specific; between 10am and midday: between 1pm and 3 pm. There is no “Mid-morning” or “Early afternoon” nonsense.
They tell you of the “if we’re late you don’t pay” guarantee when they make the appointment. The guarantee is mentioned on their website and in all publicity material. It’s no secret.
A couple of “takeaways” as the Americans like to say. Find a specialist: not just a specialist plumber or whatever but someone who works only with customers like you. Let them know exactly what you want and what you expect. If they can’t meet your expectations, find someone else.
Paul, if you want to buy a suit, you wouldn’t go to Maggie T or Noni B or , for that matter, Target merely because they sell clothes. Nor would you wander into Henry Bucks and say “I want a suit. when would it be convenient for you to fit me for one?”
I suspect that a lot of the trouble we have with tradies as you call them occurs because we don’t specify exactly what we expect and just cop whatever we’re offered then grizzle about it when we’re dissatisfied.
And I thought that you’d be delighted to hear about The Clean Plumber. Just make sure that you and Fonnie use finger tight as your standard for turning taps off. About 50% of all calls to plumbers are about dripping taps created by householders who throttle their taps as if they were Jack The Ripper.
Best wishes
Leon
Author
Paul Hassing Founder & Senior Writer - The Feisty Empire
August 9, 2012 at 12:16 pm
Thank you for this pour de faucet, Leon. It’s always good to plumb the depths of your experience and I’m glad we’ve managed to tap you yet again.
In case our readers wish to follow your advice, is this the crew you’re talking about: http://www.thecleanplumber.com.au/ ?
Author
Leon Noone
August 10, 2012 at 2:56 am
Yes Paul, that’s it
Leon
Author
Paul Hassing Founder & Senior Writer - The Feisty Empire
August 10, 2012 at 2:58 am
Ah, goodo Leon; I’ll see if they’d like to join us. Many thanks!
Author
Jason
August 9, 2012 at 12:49 pm
Great comment Leon!
Author
Paul Hassing Founder & Senior Writer - The Feisty Empire
August 9, 2012 at 12:52 pm
He’s jolly good like that. Very switched on.
Author
Phil Owens
August 10, 2012 at 11:06 am
Ring Ring….
Hi its Tezza’s plumbing, this is Tezza!
Hello, its the Fiestymeister. I would like some help with a plumbing issue, can you help?
Sure!, Im pretty busy at the moment. (Actually, Im sitting on the couch, but scarcity is an important sales tool..)
OK, No problem. How about you sqeeze it in between a couple of other jobs. I am available 24/7
(What a sucker! He obviously doesnt really have an issue, and he sounds like he will be a pushover when I get there. I can switch off my brain and he won’t know a good job from bad….)
OK, I’ll see what I can do. Sometime next week, maybe? (I can still watch the grass grow and get to him eventually…)
Thanks, I really appreciate it!
(Sure you do, and you will appreciate it no matter when I come or what sort of job I do….)
How would you rate your approach when you look at it from Tezza’s perspective?
A few thoughts:
Being clear of what you want. expect, and the boundaries that you set helps everyone.
You can be ‘socially polite’ without being overly nice or compliant.
It is a fee for service. It is not a friendship. My rule is no cups of tea or coffee. If they want a coffee, they can go to the local cafe on their own time and buy a latte like the rest of us.
Perception is indeed projection. Project what you want into the relationship and see what happens. Treat people with dignity, respect and trust, but not from a place of being ‘slave’ to the interaction. And as Leon says, shop around to get the one that is right for you.
Often our core social needs of wanting to be liked, wanting to be included or needing to feel competent encourage us to behave in ways that put ‘social’ aspects before logical/rational/financial ones. When I coach people, I find that these are often behind self-sabotage strategies. I’m not saying this is in play here (often it is our conditioning that we have to be ‘nice’).
However, how would you behave differently in your search and discussions with your next Tezza now?
Author
Paul Hassing Founder & Senior Writer - The Feisty Empire
August 10, 2012 at 11:22 am
Wow, Phil. You utterly nailed it to the letter! This could be yet another of your finest works.
How will I behave differently? I’ll rise at 2 am, having been woken by drips that sound like rifle shots. I’ll go to the lounge, light a tea candle, curse the building industry in toto, fail to match my buckets and pans to the moving drips and watch this wretched, chronic leak steadily ruin my (now actually) floating floor.
Then, when it finally stops pouring rain inside and out, I’ll ponder your patent wisdom and see if I can make a better fist of things.
I bet you’re glad I’m not on YOUR books! Thank you VERY much for such a cogent arguement. P.
Author
Phil Owens
August 10, 2012 at 11:50 am
I know the feeling – we had a massive leak and roof cave-in 8 days after we bought our current house. I had some interesting phone calls about responsibility and liability. In the end, the terrace has received 2 coats (the one they had to do, plus one extra because they wanted to) of super sealant and the plaster will shortly be fully repaired – at their cost. So I had first hand opportunity to test many of these things in real life. Keep focused on the outcome you want, and be persistent in its pursuit. good luck with your current scenario.
Author
Paul Hassing Founder & Senior Writer - The Feisty Empire
August 10, 2012 at 12:00 pm
Top effort, Phil! Few people nail theory AND practice. I tip my rain-soaked, plaster-battered and dangerously electrified hat to you.
Author
Desolie Page
August 13, 2012 at 2:18 pm
Here’s my ‘nice but not a doormat’ comment
Perhaps living here in a semi-rural community to the north west of Brisbane, we don’t experience a similar degree of dis-service and frustration.
When we need a tradesman, our search starts with our local business directory, paper, and my Chamber of Commerce contacts. Very seldom have we had problems over the 30 years we’ve been here (apart from the few who ask for cash, no questions [ie tax] asked, and politely refused). Perhaps it’s the ever-growing competition or the risk of word-of-mouth non-recommendation that have been in play.
A recent experience with a ‘from the other side of the range’ business went smoothly – arrived within the time frame nominated, polite and friendly (including to our l-a-r-g-e dog), and relaxed about payment (drop in and pay next time you’re in our area).
Don’t quite know what this contributes to the conversation, Paul, apart from suggesting that there are reliable businesses out there, and local ‘nice but not door mat’ works for us.
Author
Paul Hassing Founder & Senior Writer - The Feisty Empire
August 13, 2012 at 2:53 pm
As usual, Desolie, you contribute a great deal!
Your comment is replete with elements we’ve not covered (and which I wish I’d put in the post)!
So you’re off the hook for another week.
Thank you kindly! 
Author
Belinda Weaver | Copywrite Matters
August 13, 2012 at 5:29 pm
Ah Paul. I feel your pain! We were jumping around our house (with joy) when we discovered a very accomplished handy man who turned up when he said he would (twice!) and has extremely reasonable rates. Such a treasure! I would share his name but he’s our precioussssssssss.
I actually apply your points of difference to my debt collection process.
- I very nicely remind my client of the due date on the invoice
- I very nicely remind them of my payment terms
- I very nicely ask them for the specific date “I should look out for their transfer”
- I offer to send them another copy of the invoice
- I sign off with a cheerful message
I keep the tone really friendly but assertive. If it’s been an honest mistake, we’re still chums, but if not there is little or no room for slacking off. I’m grateful that most of my clients pay on time but if I have to follow them up, this works a treat!
Author
Paul Hassing Founder & Senior Writer - The Feisty Empire
August 13, 2012 at 5:40 pm
This is super stuff, Belinda. I don’t blame you for keeping that chap to yourself!
Thanks for another ace insight into your business operation. I never fail to be impressed.
Best regards, P.