When the Customer Knows More than You

If you have been in business very long, you have likely run into a customer or two who knows more about painting than you do. Or at least, the customer thinks that he does. I used to get very annoyed with such people, buy now I simply find them amusing.

My company has painted more than 200 houses a year for the past 15 years. Since I get about 40% of the jobs I look at, this means that I have looked at about 7,500 paint jobs over the last decade and a half. I seriously doubt that a non-professional painter has even looked at the painting on that many homes, let alone tried to identify the various conditions and issues present.

But that certainly doesn’t stop some people from pretending that they know more than me. Apparently they believe that watching an episode on HGTV provides more experience and knowledge than years of actually painting.

I generally find that such people do not make very good customers. They tend to be very closed to listening to my advice and recommendations; they tend to have very selective memories and only recall what fits their preconceived notions.

This isn’t to say that every customer who has an opinion on painting is going to turn out bad. Indeed, I prefer customers who have done some homework and understand what should be considered regarding their project. But they also must be willing to listen.

I have said many times that sales is about communication, and communication is a two-way street. Just as a contractor should not assume that he knows what is best for the customer, the customer should not assume that he knows more than the contractor. Each must listen and learn.