Sustain Your Sales: How to Make Sure Your Top Customers Stay Your Top Customers By Tim Saddoris, Grand Onyx
I don’t want to be an alarmist, but the warning signs of a potential recession are all around us. While we all hope it
dependability and communication. If either is lacking, customers have a reason to look elsewhere.
doesn’t come to pass (some are saying it won’t), you need to be
Look at things from their point of view. For example,
proactive just in case. Building a sustainable business model
a builder managing several homes might be coordinating
before any downturn happens is the smart play. If an economic
several dozen contractors and scheduling all of them on
downturn does occur, you’ll be better prepared. If not, you’ll
tight timetables to meet deadlines. So, if they’ve scheduled a
have taken steps to solidify your business. So what should you
plumber on a Tuesday, the countertops had better be there on
do to prepare? Get closer to your clients right now.
a Monday. Dependability is crucial. If you told them 30 days
Start Getting Sticky
it better be. If you miss the install date, you can easily create a
For most stone fabricators, the most significant revenue source comes from wholesale clients, builders, kitchen and bath, etc. So, you want to look at your client base and categorize them into tiers. Figure out your best grouping of clients and start getting sticky. Have you ever tried to super-glue something and get some on your fingers? Even after scrubbing off the residue, you might still be picking at it for days. It’s a constant reminder of the job you did. You want to be that sticky with your clients — constantly reminding them of the value you bring. You want them to know you support them and value their business. However, it’s not just about your basic products or services. It’s about the things you do that make you invaluable to them. Dependability and Communication Your wholesale clients aren’t concerned only with price. They choose fabricators based on two important things: 24 • Vol. 16 / Issue 4 • International Surface Fabricators Association
ago that the countertop would be installed by a particular day, ripple effect that throws off the builder’s entire schedule. The second piece is communication. Let’s say a builder orders a specific slab of quartz and it’s coming from your supplier. You find out that the delivery from your supplier is running a few days behind. We all understand that things that are out of control can happen, but bad news never gets better with age. You need to know about any delays as soon as possible and communicate with your client. You may not always be perfect, but you can always communicate. And it’s a heck of a lot better to tell them two weeks in advance versus 48 hours. The more notice you give them, the better they can plan. Stick close to your top-tier clients and suppliers to keep those lines of communication open. Everybody has a schedule of when a quote is accepted. That starts a series of events to meet delivery and installation dates. From the time a quote is accepted to install, there might be dozens of interim steps before the job is complete. You need to map the interim steps and have a schedule to track
