Comments on: Are you a good customer?

By: Fashion Incubator » Blog Archive » Are you a good customer? pt.2

Fashion Incubator » Blog Archive » Are you a good customer? pt.2 — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 20:55:38 +0000

[...] being but a circuitous introduction to a follow up to Are you a good customer, I watched a TED talk by Sheena Iyengar on the art of choosing. By way of introduction, she’s [...]

By: Cheryl Lynn

Cheryl Lynn — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 03:25:48 +0000

Funny I ALWAYS provide my workers/hired help/etc with food and drink…Beer and pizza ONLY when the job is completed YES…spring for conduit…..ALWAYS better to be PREPARED for the future…you know that

By: Kathleen

Kathleen — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 21:04:48 +0000

…because even transparent hyperbole tweaks you.

By: brina

brina — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 20:48:40 +0000

beer & pizza… but dancing girls?

By: Elaine

Elaine — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 04:17:12 +0000

Yes, definitely spring for the conduit. You won’t regret it; but you’ll regret NOT doing it.

By: Kathleen

Kathleen — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 19:20:19 +0000

Good points David. Let’s call it a network referral problem. The phone company engineers came out to survey with the idea of installing an aerial line but that plan was a no-go. They left me names of two contractors they recommend (that’s all they do) who keep the cable in stock. They did mention I could hire a plumber to trench it and I could lay the cable (told me where to buy it, Greybar, where else?) and connect it myself. I started calling plumbers, just for the trenching quotes were crazy, upwards of $1,300. Happily tho, one of the contractors called me back an hour ago with a quote of @$350 plus tax and did I want to do it? He sounded dubious. Yes, I want to do it. [For that price, I'll also supply beer, pizza and dancing girls.]

You’re the 5th or 7th person to say I should lay conduit. I didn’t get a quote for it but I can go and get it and have them tack the install of it onto the job.

By: David S

David S — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 16:41:52 +0000

One question for Kathleen, which applies broadly to other situations: Are you asking the right sort of contractor? In Kathleen’s case, is she asking excavating companies, or an electrician? 180 feet of trench for a phone line, which will be anywhere from 6″ to 24″ deep, depending on local practice, isn’t a big job (depending on the soil condition and contents, it’s anywhere from 10 minutes to a couple hours with a small trencher, plus time to install the cables, and backfill). It’s not enough for someone with oodles of expensive machinery with mortgage payments to be interested in. On the other hand, this is the sort of thing that (the right sort of) electricians do on a regular basis. They’re used to doing smaller jobs, dealing with homeowners (not just other contractors), etc.

On an unrelated note, consider getting conduit buried, not just a bare wire. It won’t cost a whole lot more (most of the money is in the hole…) and will make it much easier to install additional wires when you want to in the future.

By: Kathleen

Kathleen — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 15:30:34 +0000

I think a good question to pose is “are you a good service provider?”

I write a lot about this and in fact, linked to given entries which themselves contained links to yet more of the same. If I covered every nuance this touches, it’d be book length. Hey, I already did that. At some point it can’t be all about the other party (service provider) which seems to be the running sentiment judging from comments on earlier entries.

Ex: Over the past two weeks I’ve been trying to hire a contractor to dig a 180 foot long trench to get phone service to my building. It’s been a tough road, contractors are limited and it’s been a trial just to get a quote. And I don’t know why. I wish I did. There has to be some kind of hang up on the job. If I knew what it was, I could deal with it. Is it a matter of paying for a quote? I’d do that. Do they have a job minimum? I’d be willing to talk. I suspect I’m in the proverbial quandary of the $100 hankie. I’m not in a position to even have the opportunity to put a contractor on the hot seat as to whether they’re a good service provider. That’s my point. There are constraints we know nothing about -and I certainly wish it was something that could be discussed more frequently which was the purpose of my entry.

What I was hoping someone would mention is the question of value and why it causes contractors turn down jobs. Value is a two way street. While the trench job might only be a value of $500 or so, it’s worth much more to me.

By: Karen Judge

Karen Judge — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 15:07:49 +0000

I think a good question to pose is “are you a good service provider?” It’s pretty obvious that because we are still small we are a lower priority for some (not all) of the service providers we work with. On one hand I can’t blame them for making their higher-paying clients a priority but on the other hand if I could send them a message it would be not to burn bridges. Some of us “little guys” become “big guys.” When I suspect my work is being back-seated for another client I just sigh and keep my sights on the road ahead.

By: Rocio

Rocio — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 04:46:56 +0000

To us, a good customer falls into one of these categories:
- They don’t expect hand holding for free
- They actually take the time to research and confirm that our suggestions are given for a valid reason
- They see their product as a business, not as a hobby that may grow into a business
- They take responsibility for their mistakes just like we take responsibility for ours

A good job is always one that is profitable for us and for the client