Twisting Like a Pretzel

A recent thread on a painting forum raised the issue of working on Sunday. I opposed the idea, stating that I desire to have a life and I’m not willing to turn into a pretzel to please my customers.

One responder stated his desire to be flexible and show the customer that he “will be there for the customer”. I emphatically disagree with this position. Not only does it convey the wrong idea to the customer, it also sets the contractor up for a nightmare.

I doubt that the poster literally meant that he would do anything to please the customer. So where does he draw the line? Apparently he is willing to give up his weekends and evenings. What else is he willing to give up? If he is willing to meet customers at 7 p.m., why not 8 p.m., or 9 p.m.? If he is willing to be there for them at 7, why not be there for them at 9 or any other time they choose?

Some may say that my questions are silly, that we have to draw the line somewhere. I agree that we must draw a line. I simply disagree where the line should be drawn, and who should draw it.

While I believe that we should exhibit some flexibility in dealing with customers, it should be on our terms. We should establish the type of business we want to own, and then operate on that standard. I choose to have a life in addition to my business. I do not want my business dominating my life and preventing me from enjoying other activities.

I will admit that there was a time I would do almost anything a customer requested. And I was miserable. My life was being dictated by the desires of others. And when I finally realized this and established set work hours, a funny thing happened—customers were generally accommodating. We occasionally lose a lead, but it is rather infrequent. Just as customers find a way to accommodate the cable guy, or the phone company, or a multitude of other service providers, they can find a way to accommodate the painting contractor.