When to say Yes and when to Pass on the Job

As much as some of us want to be the yes man, one of the first lessons learned by any successful business is you can’t always be the yes man.  Timing is everything; rushing into too many projects at once can lead to burn out, a bad reputation, and interfere with your home life.  Here is a few questions to ask yourself before saying yes to the next project inquiry:

·         What is the project like? Are there nice runs of walls where money can be made or does the project consist of a lot of small intricate details that are going to cost you time?  Is the project in an area that you are highly skilled in and comfortable or will you have to experiment a little and do some further research? While it is always a good idea to continue to expand your skillset sometimes by the time the total time you’ve spent on a project, including research and learning, is added up you may figure you just gave your time away for next to nothing!

·         Is the pricing right for both you and the customer, or are you cutting a deal to fill a gap in work or possibly in hopes of gaining future jobs? While the industry can be feast or famine you definitely don’t want to give work away for free.  Some customers look for these types of deals with no intention of ever returning so it’s not always the best idea to try and gain more customers this way either.

·         What is the client or general contractors’ reputation?  Are they good payers or do they have a reputation for having to be hunted down for payments? Another thing to take into consideration if having to choose between multiple different customers is the work they currently have in the pipeline.  It may be a better choice to say yes to the contractor with 4 upcoming projects vs the customer who only has jobs here and there.

·         What is the cost and size of the project? What are the costs associated with the project and have you taken into consideration inflation and that materials may go up in price during the job?  This is also where knowing an exact quantity can be beneficial as prices are changing everyday – saving your customers unexpected cost shock is also a positive.  Also take into consideration is the project size going to lead to your whole team being on this project? Are you going to be able to market and accept other projects? If not is the income worth it being your only project until it is completed?

While customer satisfaction is always a top priority sometimes it is necessary to say no to a client or potential client.  Make sure to weigh the pros and cons of all jobs, not just the money you could potentially make, when fishing for your next project!