Q: I have been given the opportunity to take on a high-profile remodel, but I am concerned about my ability to get along with this potential client. Is there anything extra I should do to ensure that the job goes smoothly?
A: Whenever you are concerned about your ability to get along with a potential client, take a serious look at what your gut is telling you. Evaluate your feelings. Determine if your concern is real or the result of a misinformed thought or opinion.
Do Your Homework Quietly ask people in your community about their experiences with this individual. Your potential client has likely checked you out. You should do the same.
Cover All the Bases There is no job in which you should leave a “t” uncrossed or an “i” un-dotted, and this is not a time for exceptions.
Communicate Completely Communicate with all parties involved in such a way that everyone is 100% clear about the plan — the direction, the costs, the by-whens — for the project as a whole. All verbal conversations should be backed up in writing and confirmed to ensure a seamless paper trail.
If, given all of the above, your gut still says, “This isn't a project I should take on,” then you shouldn't. More often than not, your gut is right. Better yet, follow your heart. —Clay Nelson is a business coach to contractors nationwide, www.cjenterprises.com.
