“On your job everyday until completion; guaranteed!”
In a kitchen and bath remodeling business.
Practical?
Realistic?
Would you?
Better way to get a point across?
It’s not working very good for us in a number of ways. Mostly when we get the clients who rightfully take it literally. And then there is the day or two or three when we are waiting for something or a guy calls out for the day…………
Putting this in advertising actually put us in the position of a client threatening to sue us for false representation/advertising.
Let’s hear it from all of you.
Thanks,
Eric
Replies
Yeah... sounds like a dangerous promise. Sometimes you can't do it. You certainly want to tackle the project aggressively, and you want a reputation for doing so, but I wouldn't advertise "every day".
Mostly when we get the clients who rightfully take it literally
If I were the client and you missed one day, I would be pizzed. Don't say anything like that if you don't mean it. I think you're stating way too much that you realistically can't back up.
I would lean toward something like "always in touch" or "always reachable". Of course these are concepts and not very good slogans. I'm just trying to get a point accross.
Don't think it can be done on a kitchen or bathroom. Better would be we keep you up to date on what's happening or we don't drag it out!
if it's down to the studs and back ..it's pretty much impossible to have something happen every day...
and /or so costly that it is usually not an option
i remeber a book about a guy and his buddys that started acompany based on that model.. ( it may have been just baths, though )
they succeeded, but they had many limitations on customizing
also.. they didn't use licensed plumbers & electricians
Edited 2/21/2008 8:55 pm ET by MikeSmith
if it's down to the studs and back ..it's pretty much impossible to have something happen every day...
and /or so costly that it is usually not an option
Mike,
Our average bath is (guessing here) 35k, kitchens 65k without appliances. Usually all total guts or very close.
We do used licensed subs but don't always pull a permit.
We do a pretty damn good job for the most part but seem to get caught with our pants down on un-fulfilled promises.
Over.........[email protected]
we try to keep it flowing.... do the inside.. do the outside
but sooner or later we run into a schedule constraint...
i'v usually got some 1 or 2 day jobs bankrolled.. and we take care of them at the opportune time
in managing our customer's expectations.. i do it at schedule time
"this job will take 4 weeks, but there will be scheduling slippage so the total elapsed time will be 6 weeks"
then we deliver it in 5 weeksMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
"this job will take 4 weeks, but there will be scheduling slippage so the total elapsed time will be 6 weeks"
then we deliver it in 5 weeks
Why do some business owners insist on creating unrealistic expaectations?
Oh, sorry. I meant that one for Freud!
Can you see what's going on here?[email protected]
When you say "Mostly when we get the clients who rightfully take it literally." do you mean that they expect you to be there 7 days a week?
I would think that is a little excessive as far as expectations go. But you made the claim that you would be there EVERY day, maybe something as simple as "5 days a week until we're done" would suffice.
Now, as JMadson said, if you promise to be there every day, I would expect you to be there M-F, 7:30-4 or whatever your working hours are.
Maybe it's not practical, but no one's forcing you to make the claim.
Do your guys do PL & EL in house?
Jon Blakemore
RappahannockINC.com Fredericksburg, VA
EL and plumbing are subbed to licensed contractors. We are above board for the most part.
Skirting permit requirements a lot though.
We leave the decision up to the HO.[email protected]
Maybe drop the guarantee:
"On your job everyday until completion."
We joke about the competition at my work, "We're not good but damn, we're fast!"
Is that really your company's ad? And, if it is, and clients want to hold you to the "guarantee," how do you honor it?
I know if I tried to operate under that slogan, I couldn't... "Two Weeks!"
Winterlude by the telephone wire,
Winterlude, it's makin' me lazy,
Come on, sit by the logs in the fire.
The moonlight reflects from the window
Where the snowflakes, they cover the sand.
Come out tonight, ev'rything will be tight,
Winterlude, this dude thinks you're grand.
About ten years ago I was shopping price on a new motorcycle, looking for a good deal on a left-over '98 in early '99.
The nearest dealer was advertising that he'd meet any price offered by any dealer in the county. He had the bike I wanted on the floor, even my preferred color.
I soon found a great advertised close-out price at another dealer, about fifty miles away.
I showed the price to my local dealer, telling him that I'd prefer to buy from him. He said that there must be some hidden costs, that the other dealer couldn't sell at that price without losing money.
So I spent a half day driving over to the other dealer and getting the details in contract form. As it happened, this was a high volume dealer and they were given year old models at a better price by the importer.
When I showed the local dealer the contract he pleaded with me to buy the bike from the other dealer.
I told him that he was in violation of the false advertising laws and that he shouldn't continue that practice or the next guy would probably call the DA. He pulled the quote from his ad that week.
I don't want to know why someone can't live up to their advertised claims. I'm not in their business and don't want to hear excuses either, particularly when I'm loosing time or money.
We advertise it and with the exception of sick days or occasional "done with the mud at 1PM" we do it. We tell the client of those possible issue up front and our work hours including holidays up front.
We live in an area that we don't have permits except for plumbing on stack modifications and we are licensed for that so we do it all except occasional flooring or HVAC issues.
The other thing we do is we buy all the material and have it on the floor of the shop 2 weeks before the job starts. This way no one has it out of stock till tommorow etc. and we can work at our own pace. It simply allows us to control the time of the job.
A kitchen may be a little tougher but we did 30 bath remodels last year and I can't think of one that didn't go start to finish non stop. Again though we don't have the sub issue so maybe that is the difference. But we assign one guy to each job and it is his until completion. Help may rotate in and out but he doesn't. DanT
The other thing we do is we buy all the material and have it on the floor of the shop 2 weeks before the job starts. This way no one has it out of stock till tommorow etc. and we can work at our own pace. It simply allows us to control the time of the job.
And you don't get the call that the tile you selected is discontinued! We are promising what you are but not doing it. It amounts to a lie.
You guys are screwing up all my future threads!![email protected]
"And you don't get the call that the tile you selected is discontinued!"
Sure, we get that too. Thats why we order early and if it comes up we hot foot it over to the client and say "Mrs. Stuffy, really sorry but it seems as though your tile is discontinued, thankfully we ordered early enough to re-order and not miss our starting date, would you please make another selection?".
We generally order material the day we have a deposit and sign a job. So sometimes we have some items sitting for a month. I think it is cheaper to control the time and flow than worry about the small amount of money I am losing having inventory on the floor. But I am sure there are other ways to do it. This one just works for us.
We start (2 year old numbers) 88%% of our jobs on the day we stated with 98% being started no later than a day late. We complete in our contracted time frame 91% of the time if no change orders. Like everyone else if I think the job will take 6 days I put down 7 to 8 on the contract to help myself. DanT
"We generally order material the day we have a deposit and sign a job. So sometimes we have some items sitting for a month."There is another side to that!
LOLI have a shop attic and corner full of stuff that I ordered early on and then ran into change orders generated by interior designers...all paid for of course, but too good to throw away...
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
I appreciate the compliment, especially from one with your stature.
The paid for extras can be a problem. Last year we had a bathroom start on a Monday. On Thursday (we do a final material check 2-3 days before the job begins) I found that I had forgotten to order the shower pan. In a panic I called the manufacture and located one 300 miles away. The next morning I got up and left to go get it. All day deal, whipped when I got back but I got it.
Job starts all goes well but then the homeowner sees the pan next to the tile. Changes her mind. Wants a tile pan. I said this pan is special order you remember. "No problem, just bill us for it but we want tile". Arrrrghhhh!!!!! Really a nice looking job though! Great pan too, I'll show it to you sometime. DanT
Sheesh, Dan. When are you going to start franchising out your business model?I think of you like I think of Hazlett. You both talk about how your simple and just try to do a good job and serve your customers well, but your knowledge of what the customers want and how to get it done quickly, efficiently, profitably, and with satisfied customers seems anything but simple.I aspire to have a company like yours some day.
Jon Blakemore RappahannockINC.com Fredericksburg, VA
Thanks Jon (gushing and blushing). Funny how we appreciate other's skill more than our own. I am always in awe in the shear talent of the craftsmen here. I (and my company) are more good quality installers with a little craftsmanship thrown in. The things built here in terms of furniture and such I marvel at, since I have the patience of a pit bull in a steak house. Thanks again. DanT
I'm impressed. Sounds like you run a well organized, disciplined outfit, one I would be proud top work for.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Does that include any custom stuff that gets back-ordered? ;-) My record was six weeks for a kitchen's worth of knobs to arrive. Holy krap.
Anyways, no, I'd say that's a silly thing to promise. Stuff happens. Custom counters, tempered glass, so forth can be late. Sometimes. . . sometimes you legitimately have to get something else done, not that it's a good idea, but maybe another client is left without a sink or something important and they need your attention.
The ad violates CYA in my book.
Edited 2/21/2008 10:12 pm ET by Biff_Loman
INstead of the word, "gauranteed"
use "That is our goal - YOU are our #1 customer!"
Welcome to the
Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
where ...
Excellence is its own reward!
Eric,
I love the slogan. I think that amongst the biggest complaints of customers is that the contractor starts their project and then disappears.
However, I see where the claim, if taken too literally, can be a pain for you.
So, here is the solution. You write out the guarantee in long form and gie it to the client at the point of the estimate. explain in this "guarantee" the limits of the promise.
I think the general hope of the client us timeliness and that you won't disappear to another project half way through theirs.
They have to understand that the promise really means "every reasonable day"
I refuse to accept that there are limitations to what we can accomplish. Pete Draganic
Edited 2/22/2008 12:27 am ET by PeteDraganic
""So, here is the solution. You write out the guarantee in long form and gie it to the client at the point of the estimate. explain in this "guarantee" the limits of the promise."" And put it in very , very tiny print at the bottom of the last page of the contract.
They can't get your Goat if you don't tell them where it is hidden.
Absolutely not.
The idea is to be up front about the reality of the guarantee. It is not unreasonable or dishonest to define the terms of the guarantee in a realistic way.
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I refuse to accept that there are limitations to what we can accomplish. Pete Draganic
Along the lines of what Piffin said: "INstead of the word, "gauranteed" use "That is our goal - YOU are our #1 customer!"
Maybe it's just a matter of massaging your message while still getting the point across.
I've often thought of using a similar tagline, something like "Your project is our #1 priority" or "quality craftsmanship -one project at a time."
Something to convey that you're really invested in the homeowner's project without promising unrealistic practices.
I'm small enough that one large project is all I can handle at one time, so I'm trying to figure a way to make it a selling point rather than a weakness...
Good luck.
haven't youy got something in the small print that says it's subject to terms and conditions????????
then it would be easy to get out of it if someone is ill or you are waiting for parts for a day
:-)
Fro those inevitable days when you can't or shouldn't be there can you send over a helper or a carpenter? They can always clean up or do helper work. You'd have to set it so the guy(s) would be trustworthy and have a car.
"On your job everyday until completion; guaranteed!"
Eric, I think that is a very effective marketing slogan that would appeal to those folks that have already lived through a bad remodeling experience. It's a tough promise to keep but it's certainly do-able. I always made that promise verbally to superintendents for frames with the appropriate weather exceptions.
Your sales staff could easily head off the complaints by explaining that the slogan applies to a standard kitchen or bath package. They could diffuse the "false advertising" claim by explaining that if the client opts to purchase a custom installation, then every effort to be there every day will be tempered by the realities associated with custom installations but in no case would the job be stalled with no effort on the part of the remodelers. At that point, the client would have to make an informed decision to either buy a "standard" installation or customize their package. They would sign appropriate forms which explained the entire process and allowed for the occasiona l days where no one was onsite.
Bob's next test date: 12/10/07