# The good things clients do



## thanohano44 (Aug 5, 2012)

I know we all have a lot to complain and be angry about in this business. What are some good things your client has done for you? Pay you on time? Not cut your bid. Lol. I had 5 bros pay call me a few times to tell me my bids were too low. Same with FAS. How about you guys and gals?


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## JenkinsHB (Apr 11, 2012)

I have a national client that pays me within 7 days of invoice.


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## HollandPPC (Sep 22, 2012)

JenkinsHB said:


> I have a national client that pays me within 7 days of invoice.


Berghorst. Had to say it. Lol.


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## Guest (Oct 21, 2011)

I have a guy right now,a farmer who needs masonry and stucco on his house.

His cheques clear right on time,every day I asked for cheque,I got it no problems.

He asks me if I need anything,leaves his house open and lets us to use his fridge for our food and his washroom(we are not using either one,just nice gesture).

He also always asks if I need something. Guy is a saint.


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## Guest (Oct 21, 2011)

Years ago I had a repeat client that insisted on paying by the hour, (he explained that he knew I could easily misjudge the time either way and wanted to be fair), paid cash at the end of every day, (claimed he might get hit by a truck any time and didn't want me to fight the estate for my pay), and included a heaping bag of canned and dry goods each day. (He was a hoarder that had enough nonperishable food to feed a small African village for a year)

I was nervous and wary at first, but turned out the guy was totally sincere and I've never had a client like him since.

Good Luck
Dave


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## Guest (Oct 21, 2011)

clients that pay on time with no haggling, the ones that pay before the work starts are even better, i wont rip em off if anything ill do a little extra for them.

the ones that are on the ball with having fixtures that we need, ones that have all their items out of a room when we need to go in that room next as opposed to leaving it for us to move. 

and of course the extra little things like showing up with coffee every now and then, baked treats. if working on their house during the holidays some will give us give cards to a resteraunt or something.. little things like that go a long way which will create better moral and have a job thats done better and quicker


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## Guest (Oct 21, 2011)

I'm just happy to be paid on time and at the end of the job. :clap:
The rest can go to hell!! :devil2:


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## Guest (Oct 21, 2011)

I had a client about 15 years ago That called up and was requesting a bid. Gave him a price and he agreed, signed contract the next day and instead of paying the 20% down he paid the entire amount up front. Then everyday at lunch he would have a huge lunch for me and my crew. bbq, pizza, lasagna, hogies, it was something different everyday. The job took 4 weeks to complete and by the end he was very very pleased. He gave each one of my guys a 100 bill and a 25 dollar gift certificate to a restraurant. He tried giving me one and I refused. A week later I got a letter in the mail insisting that i accept hes gifts or he would be insulted. Inside was a check for 500 dollars and a gas card for 100.

What an amazing man he was. Not rich seemed to be middle class, retired and so very nice. He died a few years later, I attended his funeral. There were hundreds of people there all with there great stories and memories. 

To this day every xmas I get a card from his wife and of course she gets one from me. 

I have had many many great clients over the years, but this one I will never forget!


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## Guest (Oct 22, 2011)

Last fall I did a double bathroom remodel for a nice couple and their elderly father. Every Friday they would nag me, starting at noon, to finish early so we could have snacks and margaritas on the deck. Just great people.

PS-I just realized all of my favorite customers fed me...:drink:


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## Guest (Oct 22, 2011)

Last week I had a customer try to tip me $300 at the end of a $4800 job. During the job, he was home everyday but stayed out of the project area. He was really easy to get along with, so because of that I threw in some extras. When he went to hand me the cash, I kindly turned it down and said we had an agreed upon rate. He said he was wanting to show his appreciation for the great job and such. So, I told him to tell family and friends about us and our services and send them our way. I said I would appreciate that far more than the cash. I'm looking forward to see if that investment pays off.:biggrin:

I would have to say that one of the things I love about this business is the relationships that I have created with a lot of my customers. Fantastic people that I am truly blessed to have come into my life!:thumbup:


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## BPWY (Apr 12, 2012)

Because some folks are incredibly insulted if you turn down their "gift" of a tip I make sure they understand that it was completely unnecessary but that I humbly thank them for their generosity.
If I can think quick enough I'll usually tell them that I'll use the money to buy some thing for the wife, or similar.
Some folks because of their culture view the tip as a personal gift from them to you and get insulted if some one insists they don't want their gift.


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## Guest (Oct 22, 2011)

That is another side of the "tip" coin for sure! 

After spending some time with the guy, I think I made the right choice. Time will tell :whistling


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## Guest (Oct 22, 2011)

I like the guys that walk into my blast shop and just hand me some parts. When I get them done then they ask how mutch.:clap:


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## david (Apr 11, 2012)

The old saying if you dont have something nice to say ,dont say anything,well im being quiet,i have a job thats about it


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## Guest (Oct 24, 2011)

I have had a few over the years. I have one customer that will call every month or so for small jobs, pays right on the spot and never complains. But that is rare, lately its been more bounced checks or the six month pay window. 

I have made more money in the last serveral months, by refusing more jobs than in the past serveral years at this time. I rather not deal with the bs. I have had a few that feed me, but I am always kinda hesitant about that. I just wish people would say this needs done, its done, heres the check and bye.


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## david (Apr 11, 2012)

*hi*

yes tenec it was through vendor management,never know if their telling truth or not or just dont want to pay,and no they dont want me attending conference,they would'nt like what i have to say about how things are ran,i know what you mean they change contacts every 2 months,never figured it out why they do it,no wonderwhy so much confusion all the time


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## Guest (Oct 24, 2011)

mnjconstruction said:


> I had a client about 15 years ago That called up and was requesting a bid. Gave him a price and he agreed, signed contract the next day and instead of paying the 20% down he paid the entire amount up front. Then everyday at lunch he would have a huge lunch for me and my crew. bbq, pizza, lasagna, hogies, it was something different everyday. The job took 4 weeks to complete and by the end he was very very pleased. He gave each one of my guys a 100 bill and a 25 dollar gift certificate to a restraurant. He tried giving me one and I refused. A week later I got a letter in the mail insisting that i accept hes gifts or he would be insulted. Inside was a check for 500 dollars and a gas card for 100.
> 
> What an amazing man he was. Not rich seemed to be middle class, retired and so very nice. He died a few years later, I attended his funeral. There were hundreds of people there all with there great stories and memories.
> 
> ...



did one similar to this 2 years ago this time of year. it was two additions on the house. all new windows and doors plus a deck. he was super horny to get us to do the work. asking for almost 3 years but we couldnt fit him in. when we did come , every day there were baked goods his wife made at break, every other day once it got cold she made us soups, chili, stew and what not for lunch. on top of that when xmas came when we were finishing up he gave us all $25 gc's to the booze store and a local work clothes shop and had two cases of beer in the garage for us to enjoy at quitting time


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## Guest (Oct 24, 2011)

Never had a good client. I have had clients that were considerate enough to let me remove my outer wear before they rammed me up the @ss.


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## APlusPPGroup (Apr 14, 2012)

Okay, I gotta ask this question of the vendors.

Is everyone so burnt out by being taken by the nationals that they've given up on the good clients?

With very few exceptions, we have been very good to our vendors and we pay as soon as the clients pay us. Like any other company, we have the occasional problem with a missed payment or a lost check but we get it corrected as quick as we can and I don't think I'm unreasonable to work with. So what gives?

Yes, we take a percentage. But everyone gets paperwork up front that tells them what it is. And, if they don't like it, they simply need to let me know they can't do it and I'll move on to the next vendor who can.

My problem, which seems to be becoming the norm anymore is that vendors are accepting work, then don't return calls or emails and most of the ones that do are turning stuff in so late I am getting my ass chewed by my really good paying, long term clients.

How many of you need to get out of this industry altogether? I'm so tired of finding vendors to complete the work that comes in, then having to find replacements for them within 2 weeks because they don't respond.

On the flip side, I have some excellent vendors in my network and am very pleased with the way they perform. But the ones that don't are making my life a living hell. I spend a lot of time online these days looking for vendor replacements for the primadonnas and the non-performers.

One of the things that a few vendors are not understanding is that we don't get work in all of the areas we service all the time and there are some areas we've got vendors in that we've never received work in. But, even in the areas where the load is light, we still have to be on time. If we're consistently late, we stop getting work in those areas altogether. 

Okay, end of rant for now. But I really would like to hear what everyone has to say about being burnt out. Are you? And, if you are, why are you accepting work if you don't plan on doing it? 

BTW. I'm not talking about accepting work from the nationals, then not doing it. My rant isn't about the nationals, although I can understand how quickly THEY are sucking the life out of people.

Linda


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## Guest (Oct 24, 2011)

HollandPPC said:


> Berghorst. Had to say it. Lol.


Who are they? They pay in 7 days....amazing! Are they national?


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## BPWY (Apr 12, 2012)

a1propertyclean said:


> Okay, I gotta ask this question of the vendors.
> 
> Is everyone so burnt out by being taken by the nationals that they've given up on the good clients?
> 
> ...






I'll freely admit I'm burnt out from the national BS.

And I don't have any "good" nationals to work for.
All tho I must admit and it pains me greatly to praise them, I have to thank SG for the work they gave me last winter. It allowed me to cash money about $10,000 in lawn equipment this year.

All my "good" customers are local companies doing lawn care.


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## APlusPPGroup (Apr 14, 2012)

I get the occasional work from the brothers but not enough to get excited about. Thankfully, they don't take a discount making it easier for me to give the work to a vendor. They typically jerk me around on payment every time but they always pay it in full.

I think we've all been burnt by the nationals. I've worked with SG, FAFS, and Cyprexx. I wouldn't take a work order from any of them if they tripled the best rates out there.

You're doing what other vendors NEED to do BEFORE they burn completely out and start treating the good clients like crap.

I'd much rather have a smaller pool of vendors to choose from than to have the 900+ I have now and have a good portion of them flaking on me.............. BEFORE they get their first job done.

What I want to know is why the burnouts are allowing it to affect the clients that DO treat them right?

Linda


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## brm1109 (Sep 17, 2012)

*Good customer*

Here is one for you. I had a customer ask for a bid to cleanout some items in a couple of different buildings. So I give the estimate and then they call me and say "you know what, I have some extra stuff so how does this much more sound?" Well it was actually more than I would have charged. So I told them no it should be less and they replied "don't worry about, we like the way you guys work".
Finished the job and on top of it, we wound up recycling 4500 lbs of metal from the job..


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## APlusPPGroup (Apr 14, 2012)

ARpreservation said:


> Who are they? They pay in 7 days....amazing! Are they national?


I think Holland is pulling peoples' legs. His comment may be in reference to an argument about Berghorst in another thread.

Any client who pays in 7 days is going to be kept a closely guarded secret.

My best client pays every 2 weeks for every order closed up to the point they cut the check, which is pretty close to the best ANY company is going to do. And I bend over backwards for them so they will keep sending work. Unfortunately, this is the client the vendors are crapping out on.

Linda


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## APlusPPGroup (Apr 14, 2012)

brm1109 said:


> Here is one for you. I had a customer ask for a bid to cleanout some items in a couple of different buildings. So I give the estimate and then they call me and say "you know what, I have some extra stuff so how does this much more sound?" Well it was actually more than I would have charged. So I told them no it should be less and they replied "don't worry about, we like the way you guys work".
> Finished the job and on top of it, we wound up recycling 4500 lbs of metal from the job..


YOU are one of the better ones, Rich. Honest, up front, and hard-working. Companies like mine appreciate companies like yours. We just need to clone you and those like you.......... many times over.:clap:

Linda


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## Guest (Oct 25, 2011)

Linda,
You sound like me 2 years ago...p&p life still stinks BUT its getting better everyday!


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## BPWY (Apr 12, 2012)

a1propertyclean said:


> Unfortunately, this is the client the vendors are crapping out on.
> 
> Linda









Yeah it don't make sense!


I may be burnt out but I still try to get done what I say I'm going to do.


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## APlusPPGroup (Apr 14, 2012)

FremontREO said:


> Linda,
> You sound like me 2 years ago...p&p life still stinks BUT its getting better everyday!


Every once in awhile I go through something like this. But not nearly as bad as this past month has been. I'm just very frustrated right now and wondering where all the good, reliable vendors are. I know there are still some good ones out there that I haven't worked with yet.

At the moment, about every other NEW vendor is flaking on me and I don't understand it. They don't even stick around long enough to find out how I am to work with so I don't think I'm the one running them off.

Glad you're doing better, though, Brent. Is it because you cut your area back?

Linda


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## BPWY (Apr 12, 2012)

a1propertyclean said:


> Glad you're doing better, though, Brent. Is it because you cut your area back?
> 
> Linda







Its because his "give a Flying Fig" is broken until further notice.



Kinda like mine. :laughing:


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## APlusPPGroup (Apr 14, 2012)

BPWY said:


> Its because his "give a F" is broken until further notice. Kinda like mine. :laughing:


Very funny, Paul. 

Linda


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## APlusPPGroup (Apr 14, 2012)

lol. Quoted you before you had the chance to edit.:laughing:

Linda


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## BPWY (Apr 12, 2012)

Oh well. I like both versions. lol


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## Guest (Oct 25, 2011)

a1propertyclean said:


> I think Holland is pulling peoples' legs. His comment may be in reference to an argument about Berghorst in another thread.
> 
> Any client who pays in 7 days is going to be kept a closely guarded secret.
> 
> ...


Found it, figured it was too good to be true.lol


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## APlusPPGroup (Apr 14, 2012)

ARpreservation said:


> Found it, figured it was too good to be true.lol


lol. Yup. It's very rare to find a client who actually does pay in 7 days. 

If you see claims on the internet that companies pay like that, always check them out first. A lot of the info is right here in this forum and, if not, you can always ask.

Linda


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## Guest (Oct 25, 2011)

Yeah cut back to 1.5 States. I will/would pick up good vendors and expand in those areas.. We have been blessed with all the work we can handle and honestly we have cut out all the mediocre crews and running lean-n-mean.

Our thing is that currently 60%+ of our work is non-p&p work. Thats good but still carries its headaches.


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## APlusPPGroup (Apr 14, 2012)

FremontREO said:


> Yeah cut back to 1.5 States. I will/would pick up good vendors and expand in those areas.. We have been blessed with all the work we can handle and honestly we have cut out all the mediocre crews and running lean-n-mean.
> 
> Our thing is that currently 60%+ of our work is non-p&p work. Thats good but still carries its headaches.


There will always be headaches in this business but there are certain types of headaches that I'd much rather do without, like the ones that cause me to lose work or clients.

Where I live now, in the middle of the Arizona desert, it's a PITA just to get to the bank to deposit checks. I've got one to the West and one to the East of me and they are both over an hour away. 

But THOSE kinds of headaches I can live with 'cause it means I can cut checks to the vendors and, since my daughter does most of the bill pay submissions, it makes her happy, too. The bill are off the books once they're paid and she's earning her keep. 

On the flip side, I've had clients who paid so poorly every time that I've lost good vendors, too. Keeping the balance is not always an easy thing to do when you're the one in the middle.

Linda


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## BPWY (Apr 12, 2012)

Linda do you do the bill pay thru your bank's bill pay service?
No out of town required to mail checks.
You handle it all from the computer.

Mine is free but I'm betting if you were mailing out 900 checks they might start to charge you.
Central Valley paid me thru a payment service. 
I never got a check direct from them.

I've got another local apartment unit that the owner lives out of town.
He pays the same way.


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## Guest (Oct 25, 2011)

72opp said:


> Never had a good client. I have had clients that were considerate enough to let me remove my outer wear before they rammed me up the @ss.


:lol:...under the table at the moment...helpers are looking at me like I am nuts.

No vaseline either?No kiss first?


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## Guest (Oct 25, 2011)

Personally what the p&p business has done to good people is make rational folks do irrational things. Not all in this business is bad its just that there is a lot of bad people in this business (banks, service companies, vendors, realtors, inspectors). I don't blame contractors for the "who gives a darn" attitude since all of us would be millionaires if half the bids were approved or if these Service Companies would only be honest to the contractors.

1 of our best Companies will tell us when its a waste of time and this allows us to do a "short bid" so we don't waste anymore time. Due to this the approvals are good and the take the good with the bad works.


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## APlusPPGroup (Apr 14, 2012)

BPWY said:


> Linda do you do the bill pay thru your bank's bill pay service?
> No out of town required to mail checks.
> You handle it all from the computer.
> 
> ...


I only have 1 client who pays via direct deposit. All others mail a check to me.

There's no charge for the bill pay service but there have been a couple issues with this bank. I took my business away from Chase because they found every way in the book to charge me for stuff THEY decided needed to be charged for and went to USB.

They have lost 2 batches of checks in the past 7 months, they hold anything over $5,000 for 10 days, and I've had a few checks returned to me for better addresses because they missed something.

When I asked them when they plan to stop treating my account as if it was brand new, they told me it will always be this way. This was 3 weeks ago so I told them I'm going shopping for a new bank. Just need to find the time to get out there and start talking to branch managers. 

I really miss Arizona First Savings. They were the absolute best and never made a mistake. Unfortunately, the FDIC took them over and they had to close their doors. 

Linda


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## Guest (Oct 25, 2011)

My first TO the head of the regional met me at the property, inspected it, and cut me a check to establish a good relationship. Completed many TO and wints for them since then and they pay within 30 days and are honest with me on prices/status of checks/etc. 

They also had a guy train me to do wints and they covered the cost of an air compressor and I will get them back for it for the next check on wints. After I was trained, they sent me six wint orders in a ~15 mile radius at $100 each. Completed those and have more orders coming my way.


The regional I do most of my work for has earned my respect and I don't mind going out of my way for them. I make sure I do every job to the best of my ability and on time. I remember Fremont telling me to focus on college and get out ASAP, but everything seems to be going well so far. (knock on wood)


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## Guest (Oct 25, 2011)

I hope all works out. Time will tell (+/- 2 years) is the norm. We live in an "instant gratification" mentality but liability is determined at the "speed of business"....ie slow.


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## APlusPPGroup (Apr 14, 2012)

I've been doing this for a little over 4 years, the last 2 working nationally. There are pluses and minuses to doing it either way. 

I, personally, don't like supervising crews. I've done it for too many years in too many industries, from vault personnel to coin collectors, from installers to technicians, from junior accounting & office staff to warehouse personnel & equipment operators............ and just about everything you can imagine in-between.

I'd much rather work with independent contractors. MOST of the time, there is more respect between business owners than there is with people you manage for another company.

Linda


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## APlusPPGroup (Apr 14, 2012)

For the record, though, I do enjoy the business. And the inner rewards are more gratifying than not.

I'm just in a funk right now trying to find new resources to locate reliable vendors to cover the work orders I received from my top client in an area we don't already cover. 

They do this to me because they know I'll look high and low for coverage, even if it takes me hours of searching.:blink:

Linda


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## HollandPPC (Sep 22, 2012)

ARpreservation said:


> Who are they? They pay in 7 days....amazing! Are they national?


Berghorst is a regional company in Holland MI. I don't think very highly of them.


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## Guest (Oct 25, 2011)

a1propertyclean said:


> For the record, though, I do enjoy the business. And the inner rewards are more gratifying than not.
> 
> I'm just in a funk right now trying to find new resources to locate reliable vendors to cover the work orders I received from my top client in an area we don't already cover.
> 
> ...


tradesecret on where to find good ones. Call. I think u have my number?


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## Guest (Oct 25, 2011)

Yeah I'll be up late...like normal


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## APlusPPGroup (Apr 14, 2012)

lol. Was down for the night but restless and bored. I'll call you in just a few minutes. Thanks, Brent. 

Linda


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## thanohano44 (Aug 5, 2012)

a1propertyclean said:


> Okay, I gotta ask this question of the vendors.
> 
> Is everyone so burnt out by being taken by the nationals that they've given up on the good clients?
> 
> ...


I feel your pain Linda. We have employed, subbed and trained many friends and family with PP work. They're all gung ho to start. I went out on a limb to help get them work and then they ignore calls, emails etc. then we hear thru 3rd parties that I was running them hard, overbearing....when in reality they were missing photos, forms and late. It's a mess. 

What I think it is, is that most people have an employee mentality. You know, 40 hours and thats it for them this week. Also, many of them try it as a part time deal till they find something else. Their mindset is what's the real issue. 

I also know that if a sub is not receiving much work, they will put your work to the side or make it a low priority job. Which is a sad reality. I have yet to find a way to keep those people motivated to do my work consistently. I've done everything. Call them to see how they're doing and let them known I'm working on getting more work for them. I've flown in when they couldn't do the work and do it myself. I've even bought tools and fronted the cost of the jobs.


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## thanohano44 (Aug 5, 2012)

thanohano44 said:


> I feel your pain Linda. We have employed, subbed and trained many friends and family with PP work. They're all gung ho to start. I went out on a limb to help get them work and then they ignore calls, emails etc. then we hear thru 3rd parties that I was running them hard, overbearing....when in reality they were missing photos, forms and late. It's a mess.
> 
> What I think it is, is that most people have an employee mentality. You know, 40 hours and thats it for them this week. Also, many of them try it as a part time deal till they find something else. Their mindset is what's the real issue.
> 
> I also know that if a sub is not receiving much work, they will put your work to the side or make it a low priority job. Which is a sad reality. I have yet to find a way to keep those people motivated to do my work consistently. I've done everything. Call them to see how they're doing and let them known I'm working on getting more work for them. I've flown in when they couldn't do the work and do it myself. I've even bought tools and fronted the cost of the jobs.


I also think I need to start charging a training fee so they take this serious.


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## JenkinsHB (Apr 11, 2012)

HollandPPC said:


> Berghorst is a regional company in Holland MI. I don't think very highly of them.


It's not Berghorst.


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## HollandPPC (Sep 22, 2012)

JenkinsHB said:


> It's not Berghorst.


What are you talking about ehh?


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## Guest (Oct 26, 2011)

Having clients buy pizza on Friday, or doughnuts, and paying when I present the bill ( I have good luck with this as I make it perfectly clear I want it when I'm done). Generally, clients who appreciate our work and quality. 

Just today we finished up a screen porch repair, the elderly couple were so glad and pleased that after paying me, they gave each of my men a cash tip, after asking me if it was okay. I told her it was not necessary but I'm sure they would appreciate it.


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## Guest (Oct 26, 2011)

Just finished a small 3 day rental rehab for local funeral home owner. Paid in full and said since I discounted our work he would discount me


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## Guest (Oct 26, 2011)

FremontREO said:


> Just finished a small 3 day rental rehab for local funeral home owner. Paid in full and said since I discounted our work he would discount me


I take it he's looking for a LOOOONNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGG term tenant....:laughing:


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