Running a contracting business is hard enough in a strong economy, but when it’s tight, it requires way more than just technical skills and industry knowledge. Your team is counting on you to succeed. The crucial factor that makes or breaks you is the level of standards that you set for yourself and your team. There's a reason the military sets such high standards for its' recruits and elite units — you are responsible for each other — you need to act like it. Business is no different.
- Demanding high standards starts with setting benchmarks. Establish clear expectations for the quality of workmanship, attention to detail, and adherence to timelines.
Everyone knows whether you mean it or don’t mean it by how you hire, reward, and fire. This matters both inside and outside the organization. Don’t think you can hide it behind seniority, family, or friendship. Your business is not the time to play favorites. Results *matter* and your team is watching.
Business is too tough not to establish a reputation for excellence. Strive for it. Make it your mantra. Repeat it everywhere.
- It's essential to invest in continuous skill development for yourself and your team. Not just for the trades, which are important, but also for customer interfacing and technology. Keep in mind — it’s a very rare instance where your techs don’t talk to customers at all.
When they are out there they represent your company, for better or for worse. And believe me, your customers will remember their interactions.
- Communication is key to success in any business, and the contracting industry is no exception. Set high standards for effective communication and transparency within your business. Establish clear and immediate channels for communication with clients, suppliers, and team members. Ensure everyone knows what’s going on as quickly as possible and that nothing is missed. Sticky notes and random texts aren’t going to cut it here. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve called a business and their voice mailbox isn’t set up. Not a good look.
A personal story — one contractor I called to get a quote for a fence came out to visit and measured my property. 6 months later, and 3 follow up calls and emails from me and I still didn’t have a quote. Finally I heard back from the guy, and he asked me if he’d ever sent me one. I told him no, he hadn’t (you’d think he would know) and he disappeared again. At that point I was just curious as to whether he was ever going to send me a quote. Guess who wasn’t going to get the sale regardless.
Customers want to be known. Be sure that you and anyone who might speak to them know what’s going on with them at all times.
- Respond as immediately as possible to questions, provide regular progress updates, and be clear about project timelines, budgets, and any challenges that come up. Everyone has a story about a time a project ran over — heck, someone has made a whole business teaching people how to avoid it — if you want to AVOID being on that list, it’s crucial that you are upfront about what is going on with the project when bad things happen.
Nobody likes surprises unless they are puppies or birthday cakes (and sometimes not even then). Your customers least of all.
- Invest in a robust project management system that allows you to efficiently plan, schedule, and track the progress of your projects. Establish organized workflows that have a clear owner of the project at every stage, allow for timely procurement of materials — and with clear monitoring of project milestones you can consistently meet or exceed client expectations. Effective project management minimizes delays, improves productivity, and enhances your reputation for delivering projects on time and within budget.
Poor processes sink projects. Poor projects sink companies.
- Implement rigorous quality control measures and prioritize customer satisfaction. Customers can be terrible. We all know this. People change their minds. They expect more for their money than is reasonable. This is expected. But what they don’t expect is to get poor-quality work, no matter the cost. It may seem like the way to do business is to bid less than the next guy, but that’s a race to the bottom.
Charge what you’re worth and then make sure you’re truly worth it.
- Establish quality assurance processes to ensure that each project exceeds the highest standards of workmanship. Conduct regular inspections, address issues promptly, and provide warranties or guarantees to showcase your commitment to quality. Ask clients why they picked you and double down on both that AND what you can improve on.
If you’re not improving in the way clients expect, you’re dying. Continuous improvement is the way.
- Reputation is everything. A positive reputation will lead to increased credibility, client trust, and referrals. When you say you’re going to do something, do it. When you make a mistake, own it. Humans have a built-in meter for detecting when people are selling us something and we don’t like it.
Your word is your bond. Make sure you keep it that way.
Competing on price is a race to the bottom. There’s always a guy who can do it more cheaply especially when prices are tight. But consumers know the difference, even if they play hardball up front. Your reputation for excellence means everything and it will get around if you play it right.
Building success is a daily grind of discipline, process improvement, and dedication to excellence. You’ve got to be tough to get at it and you can never be complacent. Raising your standards and expecting the best out of your team and yourself is the only way to survive.