Tom McNall
Floor Restoration Contributor

The Polished Perspective: Written in Stone

Every once in awhile, someone abuses their stone. Now, as much as I am an advocate for stone and its proper care, I do make a living off of people who neglect it or do not otherwise follow proper care instructions. When this happens, our crew chooses to do the proper thing and repair the stone as if it were in our own homes.

Now, that last statement can make a powerful argument when selling your services to a customer. How many installers, fabricators or restorers actually have stone in their own homes? Those who do will find that they are a lot more passionate about the customer’s property than an individual that does not respect its beauty and longevity.

I remember discussing this many years ago with a flavor of the week “expert,” and he told me that he would never have stone in his home because of all of the problems he sees with it in his customer’s homes. That’s like a car mechanic who says he would rather ride a bike because he doesn’t want to change the oil or have to buy insurance in case of accidents. If properly installed and maintained, stone will last a lot longer with basic maintenance than your customer’s Ferrari.

And being in the restoration and maintenance business, having stone in my home is a no- brainer. I mean, who better to know how to care for it right?

Here is what I have found, though, with employees and various individuals I’ve done business with over the years. Those who own stone, understand it and can sell it better (and also restoration services) than an individual without stone in their home. Tile store owners that I know, who put quality stone in their own homes, know what to look out for from experience. They can speak with authority on the subject. Those who sell cheap, discount tile and put poor quality installations in their own home are the ones who hide behind the disclaimers in their contracts about stone being a “natural product and subject to flaws” … yadda, yadda, yadda.

They sell the product, but they don’t believe in it.

My right hand man has had a granite end tabletop that he found headed for the dump from before he came to work for my company. He cleaned it up and takes pride in it. I fully believe that this is why he is so passionate and diligent at work, because he loves the little bit of stone that he calls his. He knows how he would feel if he or anyone else were to work on that top and not deliver the results that he expected. And because of that, he pushes the employees under him to excel and not settle.

I’ve had sales representatives work for me and supplier reps sell to me who do not own stone. You can feel it in their delivery. To them, it is just a commodity, something that is no different than the next one on the shelf. And by speaking about stone in general terms like that, it does not inspire me to want to buy from them.

Now, if a customer really wants something badly enough, they will buy from someone, of course, whether they feel motivated by the sales representative or not. But the loyal customers, are the happy ones. I’ve witnessed it. They are the ones that have been shown the uniqueness of their purchase and they remember the individual that pointed that out to them.

I get repeat customers who remind me of the time I showed them that they had limestone and not marble because of the sea life fossils visible in their floor. I’ve watched them show other guests in their homes as they play a crustacean version of “Where’s Waldo” with the nautilus shells entombed in their tile.

I’ve had a lady of the house call me about removing a “defect” from her granite countertop later refer me to her girlfriends to do work in their homes because I helped her see that it was not a defect but rather like Cindy Crawford’s beauty mark and made her top one of a kind.

Aside from my children, of course (whom I see regularly), one of the only things I miss about my pre-divorce, marital home is my personally hand-fabricated Blue-Eyes Granite vanity and backsplash. Stone becomes all the more personal if you sculpt it yourself.

So how do we help all of our employees to have this love of stone? Do we pay them more so they can afford it? Now, before all you business owners get out the pitchforks and torches for me even suggesting such a thing, it was a question, not a call to action. But aside from that, maybe as leaders we could encourage them to get some marble or granite in their lives outside of the workplace.

Maybe a cutting board, or even an onyx chess set.

If you are in the fabricating business, maybe give them a discount on a coffee or end table cover. Once they find the beauty of stone in their own home, they will appreciate it in a customer’s home or work place. Until next month, keep your stick on the ice.

Tom McNall is founder and owner of Great Northern Stone, an Ontario-based stone cleaning and restoration company servicing Ontario and Chicago, IL. Tom also offers corporate and private consultations as well as speaking at conventions. He can be reached at stone_rx@earthlink.net.