Following up?

[Electra_Glide]

Here's the situation:

I have been doing the excavation work for one of the local remodelling contractors for about the last year and a half. Mostly digging footings and crawl-spaces for house additions. Haven't gotten a call from him since late last summer. Followed-up with him in April about possibilities for new work and I got the "we'll call you if we need you" type reply.

I didn't think anything of it, but yesterday I found out that he's doing work next door to a job I'm getting ready to start. It's a small addition, and it obviosly needed some excavation work (based on the large pile of dirt sitting there).

He never mentioned any issues with my work or my price in the past, but obviously he's using somebody else now, and didn't call me for this particular job. Is it worth a follow-up discussion with him to see why he switched, or do I just forget about it and move on? It really bothers me to lose an existing customer.

Joe

[digger242j]

I'd certainly have a talk with him, for several reasons...

You do want to know what the reason is for him using somebody besides you. Was your price too high, the quality of your work lacking, or does the other guy happen to be his brother-in-law? Whatever the answer is, it should help you to learn something about how your customers are looking at you, or point out somewhere you need to improve.

Talking to him will let him know you're still interested in doing his work. The other guy might get too busy, or maybe he's pricing himself too low and won't be around next year. If you make it clear that you don't have any hard feelings, you could get another shot with him. Even getting part of his work would be better than none of it. (Unless of course, you do have hard feelings...)

And, if anything he has to say to you makes him uncomfortable, talking to you might be annoying to him. That's not excatly the best revenge, but hey, it's something. :)

[wrenchbender]

I see this in my line of work all the time. Some of the ones that leave and get others to do thier work should do just that. If for no other reason than to see the quality they were getting at a decent rate when I was doing the work. I ain't the cheapest guy in town but I don't get dealer rates either. All this and I still go and talk to them and simply ask why they left. I have never left after talking to someone with a bad feeling about it. Some I'm glad are gone others are welcome to come back but I try to talk to all of them. Just remember don't cut your own throat trying to keep a customer or to keep one happy. You know what it takes to make a decent profit and if you cut into that to much people will work you and your equipment into the ground and possibly bankrupt. Good luck

[Squizzy246B]

You can talk to him if you really think your not just wasting more time. He's made a choice. If you did a good job at a fair price he knows where you are....and they often come running back begging for your help after they have been burnt by some cheap skate.....thats when my price goes up 20%.

Its been my experience that you would be wasting your time with a guy that has dropped you for $5/hour. The last thing you want to do is lower yourself for people like that who don't deserve it.

I have one builder here who I rang up once....he said my $550.00 bill for a cleanup was a bit high. So I asked him what he thought it should be and he said about $250.00. I laughed at him cause his first load to the tip was like $240.00....I don't do clean ups for less than $880.00 now. I don't need bottom feeders.