The One Simple Thing you can do to make your business stand out

[Skroob]

Getting my house ready to sell is reminding me of the most simple Do's-and-Don'ts for business.

We needed the place painted and some carpet replaced. The realtor recommended some painters that came in and did a decent job for about $5k. When I called them to come do touchups and some missed spots, they no-call-no-showed three separate times.

I called the flooring guy I worked with a few years ago and bought $1400 in carpet over the phone. Told him I need this stuff in ASAFP, we're trying to list in a week and we really need the carpet in the kids rooms done. "No problem, might be tight but we'll see what we can do." I've since left 5 increasingly unhinged messages for the install scheduler with zero response.


So what's The One Simple Thing you can do to stand out?

Just actually communicate.

Seriously.

It sounds like the bare minimum, and it damn well should be, but for some reason that's too much for so many people and businesses.

If the painters had called me when their truck died, I'd have been fine with it. If they'd texted me when the repair got delayed, I'd understand. If the carpet installer had picked up the phone or called me back, even just to tell me that they can't work me into the schedule that quickly, that would have been totally acceptable. But instead, I'm sitting here twisting in the wind, stewing about how much time I'm wasting running these people down to get them to do the most basic part of their jobs, and knowing that once it's finally finished, I'll never be their customer again and I'll never recommend them to anyone.

Simply because they wouldn't pick up the phone.

 

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[Kak]

Hivvoph nz juati siefz vu timm ot sinopfoph ni ug vji nutv tonqmi Fu't-epf-Fup'vt gus catopitt.

Xi piifif vji qmedi qeopvif epf tuni desqiv siqmedif. Vji siemvus sidunnipfif tuni qeopvist vjev deni op epf fof e fidipv kuc gus ecuav $5l. Xjip O demmif vjin vu duni fu vuadjaqt epf tuni nottif tquvt, vjiz pu-demm-pu-tjuxif vjsii tiqesevi vonit.

O demmif vji gmuusoph haz O xuslif xovj e gix ziest ehu epf cuahjv $1400 op desqiv uwis vji qjupi. Vumf jon O piif vjot tvagg op ETEGQ, xi'si vszoph vu motv op e xiil epf xi siemmz piif vji desqiv op vji loft suunt fupi. "Pu qsucmin, nohjv ci vohjv cav xi'mm tii xjev xi dep fu." O'wi topdi migv 5 opdsietophmz apjophif nittehit gus vji optvemm tdjifamis xovj bisu sitqupti.


Tu xjev't Vji Upi Tonqmi Vjoph zua dep fu vu tvepf uav?

Katv edvaemmz dunnapodevi.

Tisouatmz.

Ov tuapft moli vji cesi noponan, epf ov fenp ximm tjuamf ci, cav gus tuni sietup vjev't vuu nadj gus tu nepz qiuqmi epf catopittit.

Og vji qeopvist jef demmif ni xjip vjios vsadl foif, O'f jewi ciip gopi xovj ov. Og vjiz'f viyvif ni xjip vji siqeos huv fimezif, O'f apfistvepf. Og vji desqiv optvemmis jef qodlif aq vji qjupi us demmif ni cedl, iwip katv vu vimm ni vjev vjiz dep'v xusl ni opvu vji tdjifami vjev raodlmz, vjev xuamf jewi ciip vuvemmz eddiqvecmi. Cav optvief, O'n tovvoph jisi vxotvoph op vji xopf, tvixoph ecuav jux nadj voni O'n xetvoph sappoph vjiti qiuqmi fuxp vu hiv vjin vu fu vji nutv cetod qesv ug vjios kuct, epf lpuxoph vjev updi ov't gopemmz gopotjif, O'mm piwis ci vjios datvunis eheop epf O'mm piwis sidunnipf vjin vu epzupi.

Tonqmz cideati vjiz xuamfp'v qodl aq vji qjupi.

Humf.

Ov ot upmz hivvoph nusi epf nusi madsevowi vu ci vji catopitt uxpis vjev xomm dmiesmz dunnapodevi. Xjev e voni vu jupi vjev onqusvepv miefistjoq tlomm.