Tom  McNall
Floor Restoration Contributor

AS the stone business continues to thrive, there’ll be some growing pains – and, along with the growth, we’ll see those who can damage the industry by using unprofessional methods and products.

How can we protect our customers, our friends, and ourselves?  As the saying goes, “it’s a jungle out there.”  

So, let’s look at the jungle. You may know the story of the crocodile bird, the Egyptian plover that gets its name because of the close association with the Nile crocodile.  As a crocodile opens its mouth, this bold bird flies in and eats the scraps of food left in the crocodile’s teeth.  

Is this just a trick for the crocodile to gain a meal? No; this is a symbiotic relationship, where two organisms are helping each other. The plover gains a free meal and the crocodile gets clean teeth. Because of their close relationship, the crocodile also receives early warning of approaching danger, as the bird cries out well in advance. Crocodiles are known to eat birds – but they don’t eat crocodile birds. 

Symbiotic relationships can exist and can be beneficial to both parties. And, it’s not much of a stretch to make the same case for natural-stone restoration contractors and stone fabricators. Restoration contractors benefit from a close relationship with fabricators with referrals to the fabricators’ best customers – the ones who shop for quality and like to deal with people they trust. Restoration contractors require no sales force and they have access to a network of customers who will need their countertops and flooring restored, cleaned and maintained.  

Let’s not forget though, that a relationship like the one between the crocodile and the crocodile bird means that the restoration contractor must provide benefit for the tile store/fabricator. And, the answer is… clean teeth! Yes, a good relationship with a qualified educated contractor will make you look good to your customers.  In business, the way our customers perceive us is everything.

Having a healthy relationship with a good restoration contractor will ensure your customers are happy with their purchases by helping them see how easy it is to care, clean and maintain their natural-stone investment.  The trick is to get the restoration contractor involved early. Perhaps by sealing the stone following installation, the contractor can encourage the homeowner to use the specialty cleaning products available from the fabricator. Or, by providing care and cleaning tips in the form of a brochure for fabricators to give a customer upon installation, customers see that both parties care about their cleaning and maintenance concerns.  

There’s a great business saying that, “the customer doesn’t care what we know until they know how much we care.”  

When a customer sees this, they trust us and will do business with us again. More than that, when they see how easy it is to care for their natural stone and enjoy its beauty in their homes or business, they’ll want to buy more. They’ll want to pull up carpet and rip out their veneer and plastic countertops to buy more stone.  And, they’ll buy that stone from someone who solved their problems and showed that they cared more for the customer than just making a sale. A good relationship between the restoration contractor and the fabricator is more than customer contact, however.  A good contractor will warn fabricators of problems that they see, such as quick fix and bogus maintenance techniques.  

With plenty of experience fixing problems, a restoration contractor can alert their friends in the industry ahead of time.Also, if a fabricator happens to run into problems on a job, having a good relationship will ensure quick and professional service to fix it.  

The restorer can also minimize the problem in the eyes of the customer if an honest mistake is handled promptly. Aside from the referrals, what else does the restorer gain? If a restoration contractor can keep fabricators looking good after the installation, it protects their territory. Fabricators will steer their customers away from lowball competitors using unprofessional techniques and products that can actually ruin the stone and turn customers away from this beautiful covering medium in the future.Of course, all of this only works if fabricators and restorers are professionals, and if the restoration contractor is committed to staying in top form. So, how can a fabricator size up a restoration contractor?

One quick way is the use of crystallization techniques; perceived at one time as the quick fix, results from over the years proved that it actually harms the stone. At one time, this practice was not endorsed by the Marble Institute of America (MIA).

If so-called quick-fix methods such as these end up damaging stone in only a few years, customers no longer see longevity as motivation to buy more stone.  Another way to tell if you are working with a good restorer is to go with your gut feeling. Is there a good presentation to you and your customers? How does the restorer talk about stone?  

Is there knowledge and passion about the work?  And, when you talk, is this one of the first questions: “Why haven’t you called me in a while?” Or do you get something useful (like information or help) every time you meet?Restorers, of course, need to seek out fabricators with a good solid reputation – not the lowball companies that mostly care nothing about quality and usually have a hard time paying outside people.  

This relationship works beautifully and seamlessly in the customer’s eyes when no money is exchanged between contractor and store. Each party deals direct with the homeowner.For this to work, it must be a win/win situation. After all, the crocodile could just eat the bird, but then the teeth will rot.

If the crocodile bird offers no value to the crocodile, it ends up as lunch.Fabricators must provide sustenance to the restorers, and the restorers must make fabricators continue to look good. It doesn’t just benefit these two parties, however; this is a situation where the whole stone industry succeeds.  

When the end users are happy with the product, they buy more. When they buy more, fabricators sell more. When they sell more, the quarries and processing yards produce more. The more stone that’s installed, the more restoring that will be needed down the road.  

It is a TEAM approach: Together Everyone Achieves More! So until next time my friends, keep your stick on the ice.