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Discuss the possibility of a Strategic Alliance with contractor who called you. They may be strong on some areas where your company is weak, vice versa. Could possibly benifit you both?

We have competetion that we call or they call us occasionally for certain things, neither gives away the farm but it appears to work well for both.

Yes, I own my own business, and that's a lousy way to get a lousy customer. Customers like this will stab you in the back just as quick as they did your competition. I've found that there's basically no customer loyalty. I've had some customers who've been with me from the start, and I've had them go to the competition to save $200. Some of these customers I will no longer service because of that. The others, which are larger accounts, I swallow my pride, and each call I get from them, I tack on my "disloyalty fee"
It's better to find a contractor that you can work with, than to steal one of his disloyal customers who will slit your throat the first time you're $50 too high or 1/2 hour late.

I find I agree we both sides.
If a customer is not loyal to begin with to the competition who calls me to cover for them. What I'm I stealing that would'nt be taken from him anyway? Maybe the Customers are not happy with the service there getting.
I guess I'm going to have to be professional yet agressive. And the first time the competition fails to show they will call me again or vice versa.

Do any of you own your own business?

Don speaks the truth

A trustworthy fellow contractor is worth much more than a "flipper" customer.

Recently, had a new manager for a local vending machine company ask me if I did side work. Told him I owned the company, and all work was billed thru the company.

Little did he know, from that day on, a special "stupid a** remark charge" was added to that, and any future invoice.

I hate employees who steal work from their company, and the customers who enable them.

Part 2

The rest of the story. This contractor who called me to cover for him, was injured on the job and will be out for a while. I just started my own business and have little experiance in residential. My hopes where to work with this man like a subcontractor. not take customers but I have the acces to his 25yrs experiance and a better check then a regular job, And his customers wont call anyone else, they wont have to.
But he doe not seem interested, I'm sure he has been burned before.

I did refuse to give the customer a card, and told them They woulld need to call, The other Man.



one day I will be a Tech.

wow...Dice does have a conscience

I'm definately with Don. In time, that stuff comes back to you.

Originally posted by Don Sleeth
My 2 cents - It is probably much more to your benefit to build a good long term relationship with a fellow contractor than to worry about a customer who will switch at the drop of a hat.

I'm with Don ....

My 2 cents - It is probably much more to your benefit to build a good long term relationship with a fellow contractor than to worry about a customer who will switch at the drop of a hat.

Originally posted by hvacmd2002
Depends, but probably not. Another small outfit and I cover for each other for days off and vacations. I've been on calls for him where the customer wants a card from me "just in case." I absolutely will not service this customer, or give out my card. It's just unethical.....

As a one man show, I do that too. I have two others here in town who like me need to rely on somebody for backup. While we in fact compete for work by definition, I do not consider these guys my competition. We have an unwritten agreement not to mess with each other's customers....and it works quite well.

If one of us steals a customer away from the other, then that is cutthroat. I don't ever expect that to happen. As a matter of fact, I recently gave away a good account with 18 RTU's to one of them because of all the shaky-ladder-climbing work involved.

Depends, but probably not. Another small outfit and I cover for each other for days off and vacations. I've been on calls for him where the customer wants a card from me "just in case." I absolutely will not service this customer, or give out my card. It's just unethical.

If it's someone the competition wants to get rid of or no longer service, that's another matter entirely

If the call came in out the blue, I would be very skeptical about why the competition was calling me and "giving" me the job.

This "customer" is probably a deadbeat they is trying to unload on you.

The customer is always right!

Take...wrong word...perhaps given...
or maybe you just "earned" a new customer.

Sure, If they cant handle the work- too bad

Allright what do you think of this?
If the competition calls you to make a service call for them, and the customer wants your card and would like to do business with you. Do you take that person's customer from them.