When is a job really finished? This episode explores the gray area between completed work and customer satisfaction through Steve's personal experience as both contractor and homeowner in a landscaping project gone sideways.
The conversation centers around a classic scenario: contractor completes work per original scope, homeowner calls four months later wanting additional work done. Steve built a retaining wall but explicitly excluded soil reclamation from his scope now the homeowner wants that dirt moved and expects it as part of the original job.
This real-world example illustrates the challenging decisions contractors face daily. Do you stick to your contract terms and risk damaging relationships, or absorb additional costs to maintain customer satisfaction? The answer depends entirely on the business value of that relationship.
Steve's situation becomes more complex because he's both the contractor and lives with the homeowner creating the ultimate conflict between business principles and domestic harmony. His insistence on contract terms versus relationship management mirrors struggles many small contractors face with demanding customers.
The episode emphasizes practical decision making over rigid adherence to contracts. When dealing with unreasonable customers who provide no referral value, standing firm makes sense. But when relationships and future opportunities are at stake, strategic flexibility often proves more profitable than being technically correct.
Highlights:
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