Why you should Train your homeowner.

I heard an interesting term this week that started me thinking:

DESIGN CONTROL.

Design control is extremely important in what we do because the design impacts the overall finish and performance of whatever we are building.

As tilers, we’ve all worked for builders or designers.

The main problem I’ve noticed working for these folks is that when I show up to start tiling, often, what they want doesn’t work IN PRACTICE.

That 50% offset with a cupped tile, that marble in the shower floor that we know won’t work out…that fake cementitious stone on the back wall of the shower…

That piece of crap MOSAIC TILE, those terrible plumbing fixtures installed incorrectly, that TILE BULLNOSE, terrible framing, lack of flatness, every variety of F UPs that screws over the tile installer and makes us lose time and money ----all the AVOIDABLE events and practices that make us CRAZY…

As a tiler, you know what I’m talking about.

We show up and “everything is ready” …we know, based on our experience ---that these are HORRIBLE finishes in a bathroom and they’ll have bad results.

I used to think to myself…”Did no one ADVISE these homeowners as to the best, most functional, lowest maintenance, best looking option? Where did these people get this bad idea? Should I go upstairs and find the homeowner and talk them out of this? Should I walk off the job? Should I call the builder? Why did no one talk to me? Are these people QUALIFIED to run a project?”

Here’s the problem:

THE PERSON BEST SUITED TO ADVISE THE HOMEOWNER, DID NOT HAVE “DESIGN CONTROL.”

This is why we work for ourselves ----and as tilers, we’ve formed our own remodeling business that handles all aspects of the bathroom remodel or tile work generally.

Because WE are best suited to advise these homeowners.

Not the designer girl who thinks it “looks pretty” Not the “yes man” middleman builder guy. Not the $15 dollar an hour guy at Home Depot…not HGTV----US. The people with the training, the people who are installing the material, the people who have the homeowners’ best interest in mind.

When MIKE HOLMES FROM THAT “BUILD IT RIGHT” show does work for people, do you think they QUESTION HIM or try to ruthlessly cut down his fees? OF COURSE NOT! He’s the expert and probably someone they already TRUST.

We’re not selling tile; we’re selling an overall finished product. We want our finished product to LOOK GREAT, TO FUNCTION as it should with LOW MAINTENANCE and to also last a LONG, LONG TIME.

We’re not looking for a CHECK, we’re looking to serve our people and protect their interests---that they might not know they even have.

I’ve found over the years that becoming the EXPERT and TRAINING our homeowner FROM THE START---is the best way to have DESIGN CONTROL.

WHY DO WE TRAIN OUR CUSTOMERS???

·         We want them to be on board with our work habits. When do we work? When do we show up and leave.

·         How do we expect to be paid and when?

·         What does our tile work look like and what makes it better and therefore, worth more money?

·         We want them to know how the project is going to progress. We want them bought into OUR process.

·         We can train them to believe that what is BEHIND the TILE is TRULY most IMPORTANT!

Training your customer for design control is also MOST PROFITABLE.

I’ve lost tons of money and had lots of down time because I’ve had to switch material on the fly, or I’ve had to change plans because most builders and homeowners DON’T KNOW ANY BETTER.

That’s what we’re trying to avoid----- with CONTENT.

We’re making CONTENT so that we are the first MENTAL INPUT a homeowner sees.

One evening, the husband and wife decide they want to remodel their bathroom. They start GOOGLING.

What happens---they stumble on YOUR CONTENT. Your worldview, your building practices, your product and service are THE FIRST THING THEY SEE.

At that point, you are their FIRST INFLUENCE. YOU ARE AN INFLUENCER.

They read your blog…they see how you do things; they watch your EDUCATIONAL MATERIAL and learn WHY you do things…

Okay, they get offline, and they start shopping for tile…That salesperson at the tile store doesn’t have the SAME INFLUENCE they would otherwise, if they hadn’t seen your content.

They now have a trusted expert in their corner. Simply because they stumbled upon your content early on in their “design process”.

Americans naturally trust the SCREENS in their life. THAT’S why we make content. That’s why even with a small audience, real content has a great deal of POWER over a person’s mentality.

Now, imagine your content is locally SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZED and that homeowner who was Googling can call you and talk to you…you’re the guy from the YouTube or IG video…and they’re ACTUALLY TALKING TO YOU….Imagine the INFLUENCE you now have.

Wow, decisions are made easier…the distrust is gone…They know WHO and WHAT they’re going to get.

I’m sick and tired of people who KNOW what’s going on, being the LAST person consulted---the LEAST trusted.

Nothing worse than dealing with a homeowner WHO THINK they know how things go because they’ve already been TRAINED--- by someone else.

The “yes man” is training the customer to be a pain in the butt.

YOU, YOU, YOU want to train your homeowner FIRST AND FOREMOST. You want to be the FIRST person they see…the one who makes the most sense…the one who points out PROBLEMS THEY DIDN’T know they HAD.

We do this by becoming a small scale (or large if you’re good enough) internet influencer. A CONTENT CREATOR. Instead of a content CONSUMER.

The people who care about HOW things are built…the CURIOUS ONES pay more and are EASIER TO WORK WITH.

They value your input and allow you to build YOUR consistent finished product. There’s no convincing, they trust you to do the right thing.

Be TOP of mind, Be FIRST to influence---don’t be the tiler that depends on the builder who knows JACK DIDDLY ---to train your customer. Don’t depend on others to train your customer.

WE need to be the first to INFLUENCE and ADVISE our customers.

STEP UP TO THE PLATE and do it YOURSELF. Do it BETTER than the DESIGNER AND THE BUILDER and TAKE THEIR CUT OF THE MONEY--- OFF THE TABLE.

THIS is why EDUCATIONAL, online, contractor content is so IMPORTANT ---we get to INFLUENCE FIRST and we EARN THE RIGHT TO DESIGN CONTROL, which makes us more money and makes our lives easier!  ADDED BONUS: THE HOMEOWNER IS WAY MORE HAPPY TOO.