When we ran our remodeling company, we had two different clients with whom we worked for over 20-plus years. These good folks watched me and our business change and grow over time.

For each of these clients we did more than six projects, with most of the projects being in the range of hundreds of thousands of dollars. They were among our most special patrons.

These clients had a relationship with me and our company that transcended business transactions. They were helping us as we continued to mature. They saw something that attracted them to our company—to the exclusion of others.

Here are some examples of what we used to do to engender a feeling of mutual respect and attraction:

  • Asking lots of questions during the sales process to help the client see that we were committed to solving all the problems she had with her home, often discovering issues that were troubling her that were not on her radar.
  • Having a systematic way of doing the handoff of responsibility for the project from the sales side of the company to the production side so clients truly felt we were on their side. This included meeting in the office with sales and production staff but without the client present so could talk about things that were inappropriate to bring up in the client’s presence.
  • For some projects, we would do a simple ground-breaking ceremony. A little bit of demo would be done by all present, after which we would celebrate finally being able to start construction.
  • Once the project was more or less ready for drywall, we would do a topping off ceremony, to acknowledge having reached this major point in the progress of the job. As with the ground-breaking ceremony, we would encourage the client to invite friends to join in. We would put the spotlight on all the folks present who had helped get the project to this point.
  • As the project moved along into the finishing stages, my wife, Nina, and I would take the clients out to dinner at a favorite restaurant of ours. By taking the time to talk with the clients, we were letting them know how much we appreciated their business.
  • After the project was completely done, I would visit with the client, bringing a gift that Nina had selected, something that complemented the design elements that were part of the project. We wanted to give them something like a vase, a gift that the client would see over and over, instead of a gift basket or the like that would be consumed and then no longer exist.

What does your company do to help the patrons who feel so positive about having your company work with them? Remember to make these clients feel special or they might decide they need to meet a different remodeling company!