4 ways to piss off your customers

Mar 31, 2010 | Business

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.