Well, I’ll be a dirty word

MY DIRTY four-letter words, such as deck builder and blue collar, like a badge of honor—guys like us have earned the right.

IWEAR

Our necks have been burned to a leathery RED from too much sun. The whites of our eyes are bloodshot from hard days and longer nights.

The ol‘ collar may be as blue as the veins bulging from every muscle in our beat-up bodies, but after years of construction, we carry loads that would bow the knees of an Army mule. At the end of the day, we bleed our country’s colors with the same pride as our forefathers. Yet, somehow the words deck builder and blue collar have become four-letter dirty words.

Since the end of WW2, returning servicemen, carpenters, tradesmen, and blue-collar tradesmen became the backbone of America and its economy. They became synonymous with the middle class that carried North America into the 21st century. However, in the last decade or so, there has been a notion that hard, construction-type work is beneath the younger generations. The younger generation seems to prefer to go hundreds of thousands into debt instead of learning a trade. Little do they realize how lucrative and rewarding being a Deck Specialist can be.

Deck Specialists have come a long way. We no longer live in shanties; we reside in the same neighborhoods as our clients. We drive luxury vehicles, sports cars, watercraft and off road vehicles. Our children go to the schools of our choosing, public or private. They aren’t forced to wear Bi-Lo Bombers, Keds, or Chucks (unless they want to). We attend the same churches, and shop in the same stores.

Our children play on the same sports teams. Yet, the moment they call us to create that high-end outdoor living space for them, we get demoted from neighbor to dirty four-letter words like deck builder and blue collar. These words become as demeaning as an F bomb. We are treated like their employees instead of their peers. They no longer care if we went to college or have a degree equal to or greater than theirs; nor do they care about our extensive years of experience, just what kind of a deal we can give them. They look down their noses and across their table, measuring and assessing, generally, mistakenly assuming their portfolio is larger than ours. We’ve all been there. They are bragging about the $60k car in the driveway while we have a $70-90k truck parked next to it. Yet, we are the dirty word.

One local builder relayed this to me:

“We had a doctor three doors up the street inquire about a deck. He and some buddies were originally going to do it since “anyone can build a deck.” After comparing my numbers and projected work days to the material list from the box store, he said I was making as much as he does and I have no right to charge that much. “I’m a doctor and I went to college,” the client bellowed. I just laughed and put my book away, wished him and his buddies luck, chuckled at the femininity of his handshake, thanked his wife, and left with a grin on my face. Wasn’t going to give any satisfaction to his insult. Six months later, his wife hired us.”

I tapped a few more contractors from around the country for some similar anecdotes. Dave from

Southern California relayed this to me: “This highly successful, national award-winning deck builder and outdoor living specialist said that while on an appointment, he found himself thoroughly embarrassed by the fact that even though he graduated from an Ivy League college, the client treated him as though he were a dirty blue-collar worker in a white-collar home, even though his own home was much nicer than the client’s. He couldn’t understand the shame he was being made to feel until we discussed it further. He was actually sensing the insecurities of a client who was probably coming to the realization that his outdoor living specialist was most assuredly more successful than himself.”

Another anecdote was relayed to me by Clint Webb who along with his wife, Jackie, owns and operates the national award-winning Webb Decks (@webbdecks on IG and @deckbuilding101 on Facebook) in Godfrey, IL. Their kids Kylen and Christina run the Deck Building 101 page on Facebook.

Clint had a slightly different approach: “My journey in this industry began working for Clyde, a well-respected home builder and WW2 vet.” Clyde spoke of a time when tradesmen were as well respected as doctors, lawyers, and teachers. He discussed how it is our responsibility to regain that respect through our character and workmanship.

We can avert some of this dirty word discrimination by exercising a little more attention to our own personal presentation—first impressions are lasting. We all like to be comfortable in shorts, but I have found my closing ratio to be 10 points higher when wearing (khaki cargo) pants. Set appointment times so they make your time equally as important as your client’s. Your vehicle should always be clean, washed and waxed; it shows professionalism and attention to detail. Always make sure you are armed with more knowledge than the client or your competitors. You are the expert. The more you separate yourself, the more you drop the stigma and become a peer. When the client recognizes you as a business professional, they are likely to spend more with you. Be the consummate professional that is always “Setting the Standard.”

With 35+ years experience in construction, Brendan Casey, with his wife Dianna, launched Casey Fence & Deck, Frederick, MD., fulfilling a need in the market for an innovative, creative, custom builder.

ANDY HENLEY MIKE MITCHELL