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Hiring new employees is not something many of you had to concern yourselves with for the last couple of years. Most of you have been busier with the nasty task of laying off people for whom there was not enough work.

Through 30 years of consulting, I have witnessed many changes, but the basic premises of running a successful contracting business remain the same. One of those foundations is maintaining effective office-field communications. 

This is the last in a series of three installments designed to help you manage the customer experience. I offer you some ideas to make the client experience more enriching after the sale has been finalized, when the work actually takes place. 

During a time in which trade shows have been reporting declining attendance and less than stellar results for exhibitors, the 2010 International Roofing Expo (IRE) somewhat bucked the trend in that the trade-show attendance was basically flat from the prior year and seminar attendance was actually up. 

Everyone has heard the slogan, “The customer is always right.” And everyone who runs a business knows that it’s not true.

As consultants, the last year has brought on a lot of work with companies who needed a lot of change. Here’s a glimpse of some of the problems we encounter in mature companies. The following profile is of a fictional company I’ll call Omega Contracting. 

Roofing Contractor safety columnist Chip Macdonald of Best Safety, LLC, first raised the point at the beginning of this ever-lengthening recession. Dollars spent on anything not considered indispensable would be cut first, and for some that includes the safety program.

I recently completed a seminar for roofing contractors and one of the group’s favorite topics was to complain about lowball competition. The comments and questions flew in. 

This article is the second in a series of three I am offering you on “Managing the Customer Experience.” Last month I offered ideas to help you assess the situation, a critical foundation to a solid business relationship.

Roofing contractors are continually asked to provide technical decisions by building owners. The most frequently asked question - particularly in these tough economic times - is whether the roof needs to be replaced or if repairs can be made to extend the service life.