Interviewing Customers

Painting contractors often talk about pre-qualifying customers. They typically do this by asking a series of questions during the initial phone call. Their goal is to avoid wasting time looking at jobs they have no chance of getting.

I think this is a bad idea. The premise underlying this tactic is that the customer must give the "right" answers. Anything else disqualifies the customer. But business isn't a game show, and the "wrong" answer really doesn't tell us much.

This does not mean that we shouldn't interview our customers or be selective in who we work for. As Dan Miller writes, "...if you haven’t identified your goals, I can assure you you’re living out someone else’s goals for your life. If you don’t have a red velvet rope, you’ll have customers stealing your valuable time..."

The velvet rope he refers to is that barrier we often see at museums or special events. It restricts entrance to the facility. We do need similar restrictions with our business and our life. We need to limit who we associate with, hire, and work for.

I doubt that you select your friends on the basis of a single random phone call. I doubt you hire painters on that way either. So why select customers that way?

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