18 BUSINESS AND TRAINING
It ’ s not about price , it ’ s about service !
By
Rory Macnamara
For too long our industry has complained about competing with a competitor ’ s price .
The word ‘ competitor ’ is used loosely and indicates , invariably , that it is an unqualified person doing plumbing work that a qualified plumber must compete with . Maybe so , maybe not !
Nonetheless , while competition is necessary for a healthy business environment there are other , perhaps more important , factors that come into play and by working on them , price then is governed by these other factors .
Service springs to mind immediately . Providing a reliable and timeous service with regular follow through and follow up starts making such a plumber a ‘ GO-TO PLUMBER ’ without tagging a price along .
‘ Service ’ covers two essential aspects like : 1 . Listening to the customer and appreciating their concerns .
( intangible ) 2 . Offering quality products with SANS / Agrément SA certification
( tangible )
The intangible aspect is where the real focus is as this is an individual offering to provide a service like repairs and maintenance or in the construction side where the individual is in discussion with another . No one owns each other but instead they develop a relationship built on knowledge , confidence and acceptance . The tangible aspect is the delivery of the products to complete the task .
Therefore , the service encompasses qualifications , experience , knowledge and the ability to deliver what was offered in the intangible space by providing quality product — the tangible space .
These might seem to be just words but ask anyone who does not reply on price only or sells on price only and who has been in business for some time , they will tell you it is SERVICE and RELATIONSHIPS .
Plumbing Africa has spoken about preventive maintenance and a check list that garners interest with customers . These help to project oneself in the mind of the customer , so it becomes , “ Call Plumber So-and-So , they have been showing professionalism and interest in ME , the customer .”
Hard work , jolly right it is , but the medium to long term benefits far outweigh the hard work as one will end up laughing at the unqualified person as well as those selling non-compliant junk to your customer . PA
© Plumbing Africa
“... the medium to long term benefits far outweigh the hard work ..”
www . plumbingafrica . co . za @ plumbingonline @ plumbingonline @ PlumbingAfricaOnline March 2023 Volume 29 I Number 1