A few months ago, we received this note from a contractor facing problems with his jobs. The note has been lightly edited to protect the guilty:
I have been following your program for a couple years now.
I find myself in the worst nightmare situation.
I have been growing my business for a couple years and have spent 12 years building up my reputation as a go to guy who gets it done.
About 6 months ago I took on 3 big projects. Due to unforeseen delays and complications, I failed the client’s expectations. My hands off partner is furious about his reputation. We live (in a small town) so word gets around quickly. I am ashamed to go out to eat with my girlfriend and to be seen. I have never been in any other situations and a close friend is trying to help me from my distraught feelings… basically saying it’s business not like I killed somebody drunk driving etc.
Any advice to send out a letter to my clients that I have failed.
He’s made some big mistakes and is trying to make them right. I admire that. A situation like this is extremely painful for everyone involved and the only way to make it right is to face it head-on.
I reminded him that stuff happens in construction, and there are a lot of ways to spell Stuff. His job now, as an honest contractor, is to get it fixed. That needs to be done face-to-face, not in a letter, and the sooner, the better.
We talked about this a few years back in this article titled Handling Customer Complaints. I asked him to read the article, then go to each of his clients and follow it to resolve the issues. It will be painful, but it needs to be done. Then he needs to get busy, make the corrections, and get the jobs done.
I also suggested he tell his partner that he was in the process of fixing the problems and ask him to stay out of the way and keep his mouth shut so he doesn’t make matters worse.
Looking back on this now, would I add anything? I don’t think I would. After all is said and done, once the jobs are completed your clients will judge you on how you made them feel. They might be upset right now, but if you deal with the issue immediately and get it resolved, they’re more inclined to give you the benefit of the doubt.
Living in a small town when things go bad can make it seem worse. But remember that they might talk about how you failed them today, but tomorrow they’ll talk about how you admitted your mistakes and made it right. They’ll be surprised, because most people don’t have the courage to do that, especially face-to-face.
That’s why he needs to see these clients again, face-to-face, at the conclusion of the job and ask for a referral. It has been my experience that if you handle complaints and problems like we outline in the article, you’ll get at least one referral when all is said and done. You won’t get any referrals if you don’t ask.
Everyone makes mistakes. We’re all human. Face your mistakes and get them fixed. Down the road, you’ll feel better about yourself for facing them head-on, and you’ll garner business and respect because you handled it like a pro.
The knowledge and experience Michael Stone gained in his 60+ years in construction has helped thousands of contractors improve their businesses and their lives. He is the author of the books Markup & Profit Revisited, Profitable Sales, and Estimating Construction Profitably, and is available for one-on-one consultations.
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