Soapbox Saturday: We are a stone company---not a bank.

We have not done this in awhile because we like to positive but sometime you have to just go against what your mother tells you. I am typing this with white knuckles because I know that it may put some of you off but I think it is important to point out what is right here and stand up to what has become the norm and should not be.

Let me share a story. We have a great contractor here who is a lot of fun. He has a business card that reads the following....
I SPECIALIZE IN QUALITY, PRICE AND SPEED. (But you can only choose 2 of the 3 for your job.)
I hope you are laughing, I am too but only for a minute because there is truth to this funny little saying. Rarely do people get the best of 2 worlds let alone 3 worlds.


Let me tell you how it relates to a stone company like us and it may relate to you as well. If it does then chime in! Can I get an AMEN or something?? Nearly every job we do, whether it be with a contractor, architect or a homeowner direct they ask for a QUALITY JOB, for the BEST PRICE, and as FAST AS POSSIBLE! We have just become accustom to that request so it does not phase us anymore. For the most part it works out and we meet all three requirements. In the years past we assessed a rush fee to the jobs that we moved through quicker than normal. We have backed off that now and only ask in return that a client pay their bill immediately after the work is complete. I believe it is a good compromise. It is a fair trade and easy to accomplish.


Well guess what? Time and time again it is not. When the job is complete and the client is happy with the work, all of the sudden they forget how to answer phones, reply to emails and to keep promises. Sometime I worry if I should file a missing persons report on some clients because they are completely MIA. Now, I know things happen, loans are tight, draws are restrictive and other bills may restrict payments. There are situation where it can’t be done. But for the most part people in TRUE extenuation circumstances will often call or tell you what has happened that is limiting their paying the balance. It is the people who tell you one thing and do another.


It has got to stop. It is not the American way of doing business but some of us think it is just the norm. If I buy shoes, or dinner, or groceries, or a TV or almost anything else I must pay for the item up front or when I leave. Can you imagine if I walk into Nordstrom’s and buy a bunch of items and then say, I need you to tailor those pants and that shirt by tomorrow and I will bring you a check when feel like I it. It just does not work like that, so why it that what the norm is in our industry? People, please be honest, courteous and above all put personal integrity first.


It is the key to being happy in business and your personal life.

New Feature! Soapbox Saturday.

I know snarky blogs have their place.  I'm not going to say I don't read them, I do.  They are funny & usually have a good point.  They have their place in this crazy blogging world. 
It's just that's not what I wanted for this blog. 
I wanted this blog to be a source of information and inspiration. 

But.....
the other day BJ and I were having a little bit of a rantfest about the differences between stone shops like ours and guys who fabricate in the homeowner's driveway.  B.J. asked me if I had read Paramount Granite's blog post titled "Is Granite Just Granite" from June 3rd.  I hadn't yet, so he told me about it and we continued on our rant.  I told B.J. that I would like to talk about things like this and rant about other things here on the blog, but I explained that I didn't want to turn this blog into a snarky and/or mean blog. 
This is when B.J. came up with a brilliant idea. 
An idea he decided to call "Soapbox Saturday".

So, what is Soapbox Saturday you ask? 
It is our day to rant.  Plain and simple.
We may not post Soapbox Saturday every Saturday....or we may have so much to complain about that we can hardly wait to post about it until Saturday. 
We guarantee one thing though.  It will happen on Saturday and only Saturday.  I promise on Sunday things will return to normal, we just need one day to rant.  So if you are looking for my original intention of "information and inspiration" please don't read on Saturdays.

A little defense for us though, I think that Soapbox Saturday will actually give you some information most of the time.  If you think 'granite is just granite' you may have something to learn.....even if it is written a little snarkily.  :)
 
So stay tuned.  Soapbox Saturday will premier next Saturday.
We hope you join us and understand our need for an occasional, scheduled, rant.