Slippery Rock Gazette

Tom McNall

Floor Restoration Consultant

Anyone who has read my spiel over the years knows that I hate the “F” word – Free!  And when customers ask for a sample, it can make me itch in places that I don’t like to scratch in public.

Not because I am afraid of what my company can do, but rather I am afraid that after we make that sample look so good, the customer cannot afford (or is too cheap to pay for) our services.

Now, there are a couple of ways to read into a customer’ request for a sample, and a difference also between residential and commercial request. Number 1, if a residential customer asks for a sample in an “out of the way area,” that tells me that they may be afraid of the cost, and if it is too noticeable and in the open, then they would be obligated to either admit that they are frugal curmudgeons and/or, they may have to actually pay to get the work done (or risk embarrassment from friends who notice a stand-out sample area next to the dreary surroundings).

My estimators are trained to inform the clients that doing a sample outside of the traffic areas will not show enough of a difference from tile to tile as it would in a heavily worn area.

If, on the other hand, a residential customer doesn’t mind where we do a sample and actually insists that it be done in the traffic areas, then I am not so nervous about wasting my time (or my paid technicians time – which comes out of my pocket, anyway) because I know they will see the results they desire and are not afraid to have the work done at a fair price.

Usually, I instruct my estimators to be upfront with the “out of the way” sample customers and do what is called in the car business as the “subject to clause.” This is well-known in the car industry because people always want an “out” that allows them to change their mind. Some people are afraid of commitment no matter what. So, a man will say to a car salesman, “What if my wife doesn’t like the color?”

To which the well-trained car salesmen says, “Let’s write up a deal ‘subject to’ your wife not liking the color.” This allows the customer to cancel the deal if his wife really doesn’t like the color. Now, behind the scenes, the man can come up with any number of excuses if he wants to not finish buying the car as long as his wife (if he indeed “has” a wife) can say she doesn’t like the color.

But, it also allows the salesmen to tie the commitment-wary customer into a contract showing some intention of moving forward.Using the “subject to clause” in the restoration contract allows you to finish what you started – book a job. If a customer hums and haws about price and/or needing to talk to their husband (or wife), you can offer to do a sample on the day the crew shows up to do the work and therefore, if they truly do not like the sample, then we part as friends (never happened as of yet – they always follow through).  

If they, however, do like the sample, the crew gets to put in a full day and you do not have to set-up equipment twice (or more) for a residential customer and you get paid for the sample you did. Pretty smart, now, isn’t it?

Now, commercial samples are a little different. Very few times a company will pay for a sample. But the majority of the time there are many levels to the decision making process.  You may be dealing with a manager, a purchasing agent or their title could even be “director,” but ultimately, the purse strings are being held by a purchasing committee and/or board. 

With so many people involved, you have to please the sceptics first. Therefore, I prefer the “ballpark close.” This is where I like to make sure that the corporation understands what the costs are going to be before I have my guys unload the equipment. I want to make sure that the people in charge of paying the bills can actually afford it (or have it in their yearly budget).  

I also want to make sure that they understand that we aren’t a 12-year-old, midget league baseball team who can be paid in pizza and Cokes, but major leaguers who expect a Yankee Stadium-type payday once we prove we can do what we say we can. I do this by giving them a “ballpark” price before we even agree to a sample and let them know that it could be higher or lower, based on how much work is involved in the sample.  

Now, please note, that within that ballpark price, I always include the cost of doing the demo – that way, it really isn’t free. The idea is to get some form of commitment out of the customer so that my crews are actually getting paid for the work they do and not just randomly restoring tiles all over town for (dare I use the “F” bomb again) free and for people who have no intention of paying for our services.

So, there you have it. You can have the best of both worlds. Give samples, but not without return.

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.