S5: E1 The Nuance of Navigating Clients

The Nuance of Navigating Clients 1. When I started out in Season 1 of the podcast, I said I learned through trial by fire, I’m not from a construction family. It was the school of hard knocks all day long. I always strove for definition in my work so I could express what I was doing for clients i.e “know what you’re selling” and understand why I was doing it for myself i.e. a need to understand purpose. 2. When I started my business I wanted to be different. Yeah yeah, don’t we all but I meant in the sense that I wanted people to think about contractors differently where I live. To remove the stigma on some level. Was that idealistic, yes. Naïve, a bit. How exactly was I going to do this? Not be a sleazy contractor? Do good work? Follow through with what I said? Be reliable? That’s what everyone says. And, also, those were already characteristics I had. I’ve always been an if you’re on time you’re late kinda guy. Ok, I wanted to create a positive overall experience. I started saying “specializing in kitchens, baths, full home remodels and client care.” A couple of my good friends laughed when they heard the ad. “Client care?” These are good and supportive friends that were just giving me a hard time but I meant it. I was diving into being a better builder at the human level. And guess what, it resonated. Incoming potential clients responded to it. There was a sense of trust built into the first conversation. Ok maybe some skepticism but just work with me people. The need for definition in my work and bettering my understanding of clients brings me here. What I know today is that, its not just money on the line, its not just a potential payday calling. It’s a person with a unique set of circumstances calling you. It cannot be dismissed as much as we would all like it to be black and white. Our interactions with clients are unique in that they are not familiar. They are not friends. They are not employees and staff. We use different language with those familiar to us. We talk openly about body language and nuance. We enjoy being able to read each other on a personal level and the person being read is often flattered by that level of understanding. So you know what Im talking about When something goes south or the wheels come off with clients, most of the time it can be traced back to communication. We as builders have the experience and its our choice whether to unlock our full experience and share it with our customers and benefit form this tool. We must lead. This is not about miscommunication, I mean, it is but it isn’t. It’s more about observation and, also, gut. Look, I believe in following my gut even though I don’t believe in being ruled by emotion. I follow information. This nuanced stuff can also be picked up by observation, but it’s often what informs our gut. Knowing that actually allows me to rationally say “follow your gut”. You were informed through some non-verbal communication. Now, if you’re present, you’re paying attention, you’re practicing, you’re putting in the time. You’re going to observe the nuance of your interactions which will improve your building game and keep building enjoyable. Because if you don’t like it, there’ no point in doing it. The hard knocks of working with clients is when it goes wrong. Nuance the subtle difference in or shade of meaning, expression, or sound. We’ll take a look at this in the context of strangers on the phone and after a contract is signed and a remodel Obviously, psychology plays into our everyday interactions so lets get into the first impressions. I’m not going into “qualifying clients on the phone” per se in this podcast. I hit on that in episodes 9 and 10 of Season 1. Also, this episode is not specifically going to talk about red flags. This is not the “do they have money” conversation. It’s not “get it in writing” The contractor client relationship is complex. This is roots right here. You take a call Here are some factors shade your listening and response: For example Bias- towards say project type Naivity towards their set of circumstances or experience tired So, you’re listening largely to tone and how it effects the definition of the words being said -People are stupid- stop it- living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see Factors shading their interview of you Stigma Naivety of the construction process Bias in preference and experience tired So, the words start coming out You’re exploring meaning “what do they want?” and interpreting expression “what do they really need?” How do they sound? This is big. Patient? Decent? Serious? Experienced On the other end they may be sitting with the stigma, is this person honest? They’re listening to your tone and candor Is this a surly contractor, are they confident, are they listening? All of this is flavored by your moods, circumstances and you wanting to know whether they are qualified. And there are many permutations of how each side interprets the other. Self observation is key At

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