Where's Your Focus?

Recently I’ve been made painfully aware of a problem some contractors have that they may not even realize. That problem is focusing on themselves and their business, instead of the customer.

I was made aware of it by my own recent experience. I hired someone to do some work for us. I thought I’d found the right person, but as time went on and the job progressed, I saw something different.

Everything revolved around him. He talked a good story, seemed genuine in most things he did, but when push came to shove, it was all about him. If I asked about something that was or was not done, I heard why he did things the way he did. If something didn’t get done right, I heard about his being involved in other jobs and not having the time to supervise the work correctly. Then I heard he didn’t have time to research how to do something right or I heard the problem was his crew not paying attention. Regardless of the question or problem, it was always about him and why he could or could not do something.

Gang, when your customer has the gold, your focus is on keeping them happy. It is not about you or what you want to do instead of focusing on the customer’s job. It is not about where you spend your time that has nothing to do with the customer’s job. It is about making your customer feel like you are listening to them and paying attention to their job. You need to make them feel important. You don’t have to grovel or crawl on your belly. And it’s a completely different issue than writing and following your contracts. It means paying attention to the work you are doing for them, and making sure they know your focus is on them. The focus should be on the customer, not the owner of the construction company.