Satisfaction…Is it enough in todays market?

I have been thinking a lot about the word satisfied. We talk and hear about customer satisfaction. Every business wants to satisfy customers or else they will not stay in business. If a customer is satisfied they may tell others about their satisfaction. The flip side is that if a customer is unhappy they will tell many more about their dissatisfaction.

The more I think about this the less satisfied I am with satisfied customers. I think of someone I know that was telling me about their experience remodeling their cabin. They told me that they were satisfied. They proceeded to tell me that the project took several months longer then they were told and was well over budget, “as one would expect when remodeling”. I am very disturbed by this. My projects run on schedule and costs only change when the client wants to make a change. I don’t change the price once the contract is signed, although it does seem common for contractors to low-ball the price to get the job then adjust as they go. I suppose I could do this if my goal was to “satisfy” clients.

My goal has never been and never will be to satisfy clients. My goal is to amaze, impress, dazzle and supersede all of their expectations. While I can’t say ALL are “dazzled” I usually reach my goal. My standards for workmanship are generally higher than that of my clients. I fix things that haven’t been noticed to make sure it reaches my standards. I do a lot of referral work and repeat business so maintaining high standards is imperative for my business. Satisfied would be a major upgrade for many people hiring a contractor but if when I am hired to do a job I strive for much, much more!!

This entry was posted on Monday, July 11th, 2011 at 9:39 am and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.