Or what ever you wanna call it.
Just a short story … I thot cool …
anyways …. my wife goes to the dentist today … same “new” dentist I went to about 2 or 3 months ago for a some work ….
So anyways … he tells her … she should come in in Aug for a cleaning …. and have Jeff come in at the same time … and .. hey .. Aug will be good … because that’s about the time I was thinking of calling Jeff anyway to have him look at my basement conversion ….
Ya see … my root canal was a two-parter. And He was a new dentist … so in the first 5 seconds of our conversation … I let him know what I do for a living … and in the next 10 seconds I found out he just had a new kitchen done … but … was considering a basement conversion … and thinking about a deck … next year.
So … at my follow up appointment …. I figured he’d have a few minutes to kill while the cap glue set … and what better way to kill that time than to look over my picture portfolio?
So … like all good self employeed carpenters … I brought my portfolio in for him!
I love to show up with unannounced pictures ….
Not that this is any guarantee that anything will pan out …
But we bitch and moan anough about the hard parts of this biz … thought I’d offer my little bit of brightness. The way I look at these things …
The hard part is over … the seed’s been firmly planted … now … it’s my job to loose.
Since he brought it up … it’ll be the old assumption close …. no looking back … full steam ahead. I’ll have a CD burned off all my basement and basement-like jobs ready for him to take home and show the whole family when I go in for the teeth cleaning.
For those who think “selling” all the time is being too pushy … just think if I never bothered to mention what I do … or ask what he needed?
It’s nothing more than a chance … but that’s how it all starts ….
Jeff
Buck Construction, llc Pittsburgh,PA
Artistry in Carpentry
Replies
What took you so long?
#### 101.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
Quittin' Time
"For those who think "selling" all the time is being too pushy"
Jeff,
No arguments here, but you do need to know when to back off, and also when to FEEL it is OK to ask if the prospective client would like to see or hear more.
Way too many people don't get that part.
Jon
I just bartered some fancy copper chimney caps for braces for my daughter. I'd done work for her orthodontist previously and he suggested it. I seldom go to any social event where I don't make some kind of contact. But WorkshopJon is right. You don't want to be too pushy. My business is probably a little more specialized (custom copper fabricator might draw a little more interest than custom carpenter when asked what I do for a living), but I usually get quizzed and often get a call later from someone I met at a party or something.
You have to let everyone know what you do. I think it's fair game to 'encourage' someone to look at your photos for a minute or two. Now and then someone does that to me, and the net result is I know more about what they do and I know they're motivated. I went looking for a piece of flashing recently and the guy whose shop I ended up at grabbed his book and showed me a couple of fancy copper roofs. I wouldn't know he did that unless he had grabbed my elbow and made me take a look. He made it real quick so I could get back to work.
Got myself a pocket pc comes loaded with outlook and software to do slide shows of pictures. that coupled with the full version of chief architect and I's loaded for bear! I download the renderings on to the pocket pc and show people some of our "design service"
Steve
S.J.MERRETTE Carpentry & Construction • Robesonia, PA
Nothing is impossible...It just hasn't been done yet.