There is a difference between compassion and compromise. Compassion for your client is employed if for no other reason than it makes them feel better. Compromise is a one-way ticket to failure. There is not a builder in the world that is perfect for everyone. If you believe that your program is the best one for you and the client, then nothing should compromise your belief system. A client will sense your confidence and will almost always respond favorably. If the client responds negatively, the question must be asked, “Do I really want to build for that person anyway?”

Strict Deadlines

Once you have a prospective client following the guidelines of your company, the tone must continue throughout construction. If you have deadlines, they must be met before submitting information is needed to build the home. Stay firm on your timelines and do not compromise. If the client knows that the penalty for not producing answers in a timely fashion is that you will pull off the job until that information is complete, they will respond to your program. Having the confidence that your procedures are effective and the fortitude to implement those procedures is what sets the profitable companies apart from those that struggle.

Setting the tone at the onset is paramount to your success. If you let clients slide on a deadline even once, you are setting yourself up for a combination of failure and misery. The design/build business is difficult enough, even when you are operating on your own terms. Most likely, a builder has the best intentions when considering compromising their practices. Unfortunately, the result of the compromise is the client receives what they want — more time. And you get what you don’t want — less money and more headaches.

Clients respond to rigidity and take advantage of flexibility. Creating an organized schedule that can be demonstrated on the front end of the project gives your client a written road map to follow. That level of rigidity allows your company to work within a routine that frees up time for the owner to do what he should be doing in the first place: looking for additional business opportunities. Give your client flexibility and you become a fireman. The schedule will be compromised, you will be chasing information, you will hemorrhage money, and you’ll realize in short order that you are not running your company; your company is running you.

Great Expectations

The relationship between client and builder is similar to the relationship between a doctor and a patient. When it is determined a patient needs to have an operation, he assumes the doctor is the expert and that he has gone to great lengths to ensure the procedure is done safely and effectively. The patient doesn’t dictate to the doctor how and when the operation will be done. He selects a doctor because of his reputation and skill. He puts his health and welfare in the hands of the doctor.