Customers Come First

Regardless of the size of your business, taking good care of the people who pay your bills is key.

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Welcome to the June issue of Cleaner. The two businesses profiled in this month’s issue are very different, but they’ve succeeded by operating with one fundamental principle: The customer always comes first.

John Johnson owns Water Works Plumbing with his wife, Donna, in Oklahoma City, Okla. They opened the business in 1992 shortly after John got his contractor’s license. It was just the two of them at first, providing traditional plumbing services. The business grew, but only as much as he would allow. Unlike many contractors, Johnson’s goal was not to be the biggest contractor in the area, just the best.

Johnson runs three service vehicles and prefers to keep his business at that size. He likes to be in the field, down in the trenches, helping out and keeping an eye on the work his company is hired to do. It helps ensure his customers get exactly what they’re paying for: quality long-term solutions to their problems. He’s gone from general plumbing, to drain cleaning, to pipe bursting, jetting and whatever service he feels will benefit his company and his customers. He understands that the more needs he can meet for his customers, the better off his company will be.

Out East, Basim Mansour, owner of Michael & Son Services, also knows the value of customer service. When the Washington, D.C.-based company became successful, Mansour decided to take a risk on additional expansion. He wanted to know if the company’s success was attributable to luck or good work and quality service. He also had the foresight to keep the next location close to home so he could watch it carefully. Customers had to be treated right.

Next, Michael & Son opened locations in Richmond and Virginia Beach in 2009. When those locations became successful, Mansour grew more comfortable with continued expansion. In total, the company opened six locations in a four-year time span. Revenue for the sewer and water division in the Washington, D.C., location alone was $500,000 in 2009, but jumped to $4 million in 2013. This year, the company projects revenue of $5.5 million for water and sewer in the Washington, D.C., location.

Mansour attributes the company’s success to attentive customer service, based on the philosophy that customers come first. He understands that providing good customer service means doing what’s right for the customer, regardless of time and cost.

“Everything we do is for the customer,” Mansour says. “When all of our efforts are for taking care of the customer, then everything goes right for us. I remind our staff that although I sign the checks, without the customer, the signature would be worthless.”

While one contractor sees virtue in staying small, the other sees value in continuing to expand; yet both know it’s all about the customer and making sure their needs are met. It’s a simple philosophy, but one that’s often lost in the quest for growth and greater profitability. If the customers aren’t satisfied, your business won’t be successful.

I hope these stories can provide some insight on how to improve your own business.

Enjoy this month’s issue.



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