Masonry Magazine June 1994 Page. 44
A Word From Your Customer
"I am your customer. Satisfy my wants with personal attention and a friendly touch, and I will become a walking advertisement for your products and services. Ignore my wants, show carelessness, inattention and poor manners, and I will simply cease to exist as far as you are concerned.
"I am sophisticated much more than I was a few years ago. I have grown accustomed to better things. I have money to spend.
"I am an egotist. I am sensitive. I am proud. My ego needs the nourishment of a friendly, personal greeting from you. It is important to me that you appreciate my business. After all, when I buy your products and services, my money is feeding you.
"I am a perfectionist. I want the best I can get for the money I spend. When I criticize your products or services and I will to anyone who will listen when I am dissatisfied-take heed. The source of my discontent lies in something you or the products you sell have failed to do. Find that source and eliminate it or you will lose my business and that of my friends as well.
"I am fickle. Other businesses continually beckon to me with offers of more for my money. To keep my business, you must offer something better than they. I am your customer now, but you must prove to me again and again that I have made a wise choice in selecting you, your products and services above all others."
Source: Communication Briefings.
PREPARE FOR LITIGATION
Continued from Page 11 of bankruptcy, the lien is effective at the date of the original contract date, which means that the contractor becomes a secured creditor. If a building is sold, a lien can be enforced only if it is filled within four months of job completion; under most other circumstances, the contractor has two years to file.
The mechanics' lien covers "brick and mortar" only; it does not include insurance, attorney fees, and so forth. There is no lion right on public projects for contracts, but there is for subcontractors if the public agency has not paid out the money. In Illinois, no-lien contracts are void as of January 1, 1992. Don't ever waive your lien rights, especially in today's environment, Gould advised.
Collectability is probably determined before the project starts, warned Sklar. Contractors should do their homework to assure that the owner has the money and financing needed to complete the project. Remember that a lender will take out "reserves" for debt service, insurance, and so forth. A $1-million loan may produce only $800,000 hard cash for the owner, Sklar said.
Private or alternative dispute resolution can be a good alternative to litigation, because it takes a long time to get to trial, the attorneys said. There are several organizations, including the American Arbitration Association, which offer these services. Mediation, which is not binding, offers an opportunity to ventilate the issues and attempt to come to agreement. Because arbitration is binding, courts will recognize it and hold up litigation pending the outcome of the arbitration.
The project architect is not a good mediator, said Sklar, because the architect works for the owner and, also, is unlikely to admit his own errors or contributions to the problem. Although arbitration can work well, it can take a long time and occasionally will be just as difficult as litigation, said Gould.
Both attorneys also discussed "mini trials," a newer form of dispute resolution in which the arguments on both sides are presented in concise form to a neutral party or a panel including the potential litigants and a neutral party. The mini-trial is a flexible format which can help the sides come to a settlement, they said.
How to Hire for A 'Good Fit'
WHEN INTERVIEWING a job applicant, talk only about twenty-five percent of the time and let the candidate talk the rest of the time.
Spend about three-fifths of your time asking thought-provoking questions and the rest explaining the position and selling the organization. That's the advice of Vicki Spina, author of Getting Hired in the '90s. Companies with a high turnover and those that are unhappy with their hires, she says, often make the mistake of talking seventy-five percent of the time and listening only twenty-five percent.
Here are some probing questions to ask candidates:
"If you owned a company, would you hire yourself? Why? Note: You'll get a feel for how candidates view themselves and what their confidence levels are.
"What do you think your current boss would say about you? What would he or she say you needed to improve in? How about your past boss?" Note: You'll discover if applicants can view themselves objectively and if their boss-employee relations were positive.
"If you were the head of your current department, what would you do differently? Why? Note: You'll find out if candidates can come up with ideas and think for themselves. You'll also discover how they feel about their current situations.
Source: Vicky Spina, Corporate Image Consultants, 1450 East American Lane. Schaumburg. IL 60173, with permission from Communication Briefings.