“How about today?” I capitulated.
“That’s great ’cause I’m in a mad hot rush,” he reiterated. I met Big Joe at his jobsite. He wanted me to quote the millwork, but the job, which was a very large new home, wasn’t framed yet, and I couldn’t verify any dimensions. Also, the specs on the plans lacked detail. I asked Big Joe about the particulars and he outlined some specifications and told me to quote the doors, trim, and cabinets from the print.
“Can you get me pricing today?” he asked, just as I suspected he would.
I didn’t get him pricing that day, but I did respond quickly. The following afternoon I faxed him pricing and that evening he left me a voicemail telling me to order the material as quoted.
“And hurry up with it,” his message said. “I’m in a mad hot rush.”
As instructed, I ordered the material as quoted. And as you might predict, the job turned into a disaster. The millwork was ready weeks before Big Joe really needed it, and then we discovered that framing changes were made on the fly, which resulted in unusable doors and trim. Even some of the specs Big Joe gave me at our jobsite meeting turned out to be incorrect.
We eventually got through the job and Big Joe paid for all the changes and additional material. But I will always regret the way I handled the situation.
When a customer calls, our instinct is always to hop to it, meet his requests, and hopefully get the order. I can recall many jobs that we earned based on our company’s commitment to being accommodating. But in this case, I had let Big Joe down by being too accommodating and letting him set the schedule for the material I was providing. I should have slowed down, reviewed a realistic schedule with him, confirmed the job specs, and insisted on field measuring after framing—and before ordering.
We are not just order takers—we are sales professionals. And as such, sometimes it is our duty to not take the order until the time is right.
So when Little Joe called and asked to see me “today,” I kept my booked appointments and met him the following morning. When he asked me to quote the material as speced on the prints, I asked him to confirm the specs with the homeowner first and to please call me as soon as it was framed so I could do an accurate takeoff.
