Stop Being a Commodity!

“We didn’t get the project because our price wasn’t low enough.” How many times have you heard that, often followed by general clucking and head shaking among staff members who complain, “We’re just a commodity”?

Gimme a break.

You don’t lose projects because your prices aren’t low enough. You lose them because you’ve allowed price to become the only issue. “We didn’t get the project because our price wasn’t low enough” actually means “We didn’t get the project because we didn’t establish a relationship with the client’s representatives, so they like us, trust us, and understand that value is more important than price.”

Of course, establishing relationships takes time. You can conserve that time if you make contact only by telephone or e-mail. But if you don’t bother to invest the time required to visit with client representatives, how will they know you are different from everyone else in the marketplace? And if you do nothing to show you’re unique, why shouldn’t client representatives assume that the voices they hear in voice mail and the words they read in e-mail belong to people who are more or less the same and, that being the case, they might as well differentiate on the basis of – and so deal with – those who charge the least?

One of the major contributors to this sad state of affairs might well be the notion that “we’re problem-solvers.” Understand that it’s not a good thing to be a problem-solver. Plumbers are problem-solvers…except the best of them have come to realize something that geoprofessionals need to understand, too.

To be regarded as a “real pro,” you do not solve peoples’ problems; you fulfill their needs. One of those needs is to fix the problem. But that’s only one need of many.

What does the “real pro” plumber do? Upon arriving at the customer’s home, the plumber says, “You have a beautiful home. How long have you lived here?” He is surprised that it’s that many; the home looks so much younger than that. Taking that approach doesn’t fix any problems, but it sure fulfills the homeowner’s need to be admired, enhancing the homeowner’s perception of the plumber’s discernment and sophistication. After presenting a value-based, flat-rate bill (that results in an hourly rate that’s probably 20 percent more than a senior geoprofessional’s), the plumber imparts some advice on avoiding future problems, demonstrating concern for the customer’s best interests. And then the kicker: The plumber asks for help: “Your tulips are the prettiest I’ve ever seen. Mine don’t look nearly as good. What am I doing wrong?”

Will the homeowner regard the plumber as a professional? Absolutely. Will the homeowner call the plumber again, assuming the work was okay and the price was reasonable? Yes. Did the plumber fix the problem? Yes, but more important, the plumber fulfilled needs. In fact, fixing the problem was probably the least important aspect of the entire service, because the customer expected the problem to be fixed. What delighted the customer; what made the plumber stand out and appear to be “a real pro,” was the manner in which the plumber identified and addressed so many unspoken needs.

What needs do your client representatives have? Do they need to be respected? Of course they do. And do you demonstrate respect by failing to take yourself to the client representative’s office? No.

Most client representatives you deal with report to higher-ups and they want need to look good in the bosses’ eyes. Are you conferring with your client representative to provide guidance or ideas that “could make you a real hero with your bosses”?

Are you taking the client representative to lunch even when a project is not ongoing, to address your client representative’s need to be appreciated? If you’re not, is your failure to do so interpreted as aloofness? Do your client representatives think, “I guess I’m not good enough to be taken to lunch”? And do you flatter your client representative by asking for help; e.g., “Who else do you know that could use our services? You’re probably known by more people than anyone else I’ve ever met. I really envy you your Rolodex.”

Have you taken the time to learn more about the client representative’s company and the industry it’s in? Do you take the time to record the names of the client representative’s family members? Make notes about events important in the client representative’s life? special interests? Have you done anything to fulfill what many say is the most important need of all, to “make me feel important”?

Of course, you have ten million reasons why you cannot do these simple little things that can make all the difference. But, until you “just do it,” the situation will worsen. You’ll be just another faceless so-called professional who sends an e-mail, submits a bid, does the work, and then goes home, complaining all the time that “I’m just a commodity.”

You owe more to yourself. You owe more to your profession.