WILFMC: #3 Be hands on, then establish an equilibrium

What I Learned From My Contractor: A Series About the Client-Provider Relationship
Third in a series of 10 on the provider-client relationship. For background see the introduction.

Our project, while not a total gut and rehab, was still rather extensive. It didn’t start with the centerpiece project (the bathroom), rather it started in one room downstairs and moved methodically from there. Even though the project started with smaller jobs (building a coat closet, finishing off a partial wall and doing some electrical work), Carlos dropped in every day and did a walk through with me. He reviewed what the crew had done, what they were planning for the next day, we discussed any unexpected things that had come up, he answered all my questions and, on occasion, gave me a to do list.

There are very obvious benefits here: I’m included in the process, empowered to ask questions and we’re fine-tuning our communication. Let’s take this one step further in the chain, though. If you’re working with a client, it is immeasurably important to keep that client happy. But also don’t forget that client has a boss and that person is likely not involved in the day-to-day and knows much less about what’s going on, so taking this approach helps your client look good to the boss too. Though I don’t think my husband would consider himself my boss, he was the other principle in this transaction, but was much less involved in the daily decisions. When he’d come home at the end of the day, I’d give him the same walk through Carlos gave me, tell him any conclusions we’d come to regarding questions on the fly and gave him a chance to provide input on any outstanding questions. The result: he felt knowledgeable and included in the process, he understood why we were making certain decisions and didn’t ever feel caught off guard. Surprises are great for birthdays. They aren’t good when you’re spending a not-insignificant portion of your income on your home.

By the time we got to the centerpiece — the bathroom — we had a well-established working relationship. The project was rolling and we had a shared vision. We still had regular conversations, but daily discussions were no longer necessary. Now walkthroughs were every few days and we talked more about what would be happening over the course of the next week instead of the next day.

Alternatively, if you start hands-off, you may find yourself experiencing this process in reverse. Something goes wrong, communication isn’t strong, the working relationship isn’t good … then you’re forced to be more hands on, and now you’re digging out of a hole. Similar to the first post in this series, it is much easier to spend the time up front than to try and backtrack later.

Up next: Pay attention to the small things.

WILFMC: #1 Listen Closely and Be Clear

What I Learned From My Contractor: A Series About the Client-Provider Relationship
First in a series of 10 on the provider-client relationship. For background see the introduction.

This cannot be said enough. It is human nature: people don’t notice when things go right but they always notice when things go wrong. When working with clients, spend the time – however painstaking or tedious – to listen, ask the tough questions and clearly define the scope of work. Misunderstandings are so very easy to come by.

Language is a common place where clarity can be a challenge. When I said: “Paint all the baseboards white”, to me, the decision had been made. To my contractor, I’d done nothing to help him because he knows (and I learned) there are about 100 shades of white and 50 of them are virtually indistinguishable. Add a dash of patience to those listening skills, though, and things can improve even more. This was especially important when I was trying to decide between two contractors at the end of the bidding process. It was important that I got as much of an apples to apples comparison between the two options as possible, but everybody has their own way of presenting things. I spent a lot of time thinking about what questions would get to the heart of what I wanted to know and then make sure I was getting it during follow up discussions. An extra bonus? If either of the contractors I interviewed showed frustration or wasn’t responsive, then the decision was made all the more easy. Fortunately neither did, but it was clear as we continued talking that H3 was not only answering my questions but listening to what I was saying. He understood what I was trying to achieve and offered lots of suggestions for how to meet my goals within budget.

I felt good about the outcome (even though, ultimately, I had to increase my budget a bit) and Carlos got major credibility points. It was a great way to start a big project. This skill isn’t wasted on smaller projects either. Getting off on the right foot like this helps build loyalty for repeat business and referrals.

Up next: Have a Higher Standard