Credit: Mark Robert Halper
The events of the past few months have made clear that, at the national level, our industry is influenced by many forces beyond our direct control. By turns, we’ve seen wildfires, floods, and hurricanes, along with an economic crisis that has spread from housing to energy to banking. We’re all feeling bruised and battered, and most of us are trying to keep our spirits up.
After five years of runaway prosperity, those of you who are now struggling to keep your businesses afloat may find it difficult to find any upside in the current market. But a slowdown sometimes offers an opportunity to see things about our business that are obscured when we are in the thick of the fray. It is in times like these that we learn who is really important and essential to our success.
When everything else is stripped away, what remains at the core of a remodeling business — and of the industry itself — is the people. Here then is my list, David Letterman-style, of the top five most important people in the industry.
No. 5: Trade contractors. Most remodelers work with the same trade contractors year after year. During flush times, when they have more choices and you have fewer, you find out who you can rely on for more than just a price and a place in their schedule. Now that business is operating at a saner pace, when a whole new set of trade contractors may be competing for your attention, it’s easier to identify those who stuck with you when it was tempting to wander.
I include suppliers in this category as well. They don’t always get it right, particularly when the pace of business is fast and furious. But by now it should be obvious which ones are honest and most sympathetic to your needs. There’s somebody behind that counter that you ask for because he’s the guy who knows your company. He’s the one who appreciates the jam you’re in, and he’ll go the extra mile to help you make it work.
No. 4: Your production crew. Nothing gets done without the people in the field. Maybe that’s just one person, but where would you be without him or her? While you’re busy chasing after the future — the next appointment, the next billing, the next job — don’t lose track of the people whose day-to-day is all about getting the project built. If you’ve forgotten what that means, strap the nail bags back on, as some have had to do during this slowdown.
No. 3: Your clients. Remodeling customers are a special group. These are people who put their money where their mouth is every time they sign a contract with you. Regardless of how good your customer service program is, remodeling clients suffer a thousand little indignities during every project, from realizing how laughably inadequate their original budget is to washing dishes in the laundry sink to feeling guilty among their neighbors about the noise and the mess around their home. Remodeling clients are people who value history, who strive to improve their surroundings and make them last longer, and who would rather salvage what exists than build new — rare traits in our throw-away culture.
No. 2: Your partner. This could be your spouse, your business partner, your life partner, your significant other, or one of several possible combinations. Business has a way of spilling over into your personal life, and that goes double when business is slow because you’re working harder with less to show for it and relationships are strained. Everybody leans on someone, but it’s easy to take that kind of support for granted. A soft market reminds us that remodeling is a team sport, often because some of the team is no longer around.
No. 1: You. The most important person in the remodeling industry is you. As a small independent businessperson, you are the backbone of the U.S. economy, even if it feels otherwise at the moment. That’s easy to forget in the face of the huge national and global issues that dominate the news. You may not make the headlines — just as well these days, considering the company you’d be keeping — but you are a hero in your community, someone people can rely on to solve problems and get things done.
It’s time to stop feeling beat up and start feeling upbeat. Otherwise, nothing changes.
Sal Alfano, Editorial Director
salfano@hanleywood.com