Lately, we’ve been interviewing businesses about how they compete, what makes them unique, and how they thrive despite an uncertain economy.  There are some common factors that make them successful, but when it comes to their competition, the bar is pretty low. 

It sounds like most countertop fabricators know of a competitor who pisses off customers.  Here are four ways:

1. Put customers on hold for half an hour to answer any question.
2. Don’t show up when you said you would.
3. Leave 2 weeks between tear-out and installing a new counter top.
4. Fabricate the wrong edge on a countertop.

As a homeowner, it’s amazing how low I’ve set my expectations.  Any contractor who actually appears when they said they would, explains the process, and finally does the work they said they were going to do… well, those are the amazingly rare. 

And if they actually care about the quality of the work they’re doing, not only is it a shock, but they’ve gotten a customer for life.  Maybe a step beyond that… a fan who’s willing to recommend their services unconditionally.  The alternative – pissing of your customers – isn’t a good choice.

We’ve talked to thousands of countertop fabricators over the years, and I’ve been trying to figure out what the great ones have in common.  Some fabricators thrive no matter what their competition , or the economy, is doing.  Here are six of the things I’ve learned from watching the most successful fabricators.

1. Hire motivated people you can trust.
2. Always work on improving the business.
3. Make sure that no matter who does the work, the results are the same.
4. Intensely focus on making customers happy.
5. Give every employee clear responsibilities.
6. Have an owner who’s the best salesperson at the company.

I like to think that software is what makes countertop companies succeed, but in reality it’s just another tool that lets people improve what’s already a solid business.  The same is true for any equipment that you use, including CNCs, digital templating tools, or even a fancy water filtration system.

There are lots of other factors that go into being successful, but these six set the overall tone at many companies we’ve worked with.  If you’re not considering how you address each one of these today, it’s worth a few minutes of your time…and if you realize that one of these secret ingredients is missing from your business, it’s worth fixing quickly.