Great expections
We all have protocols. Whether it’s a construction method or payment schedule, for example, these protocols are communicated to our customers in the hope that we will have a smooth, trouble free relationship through the course of a project.
We all have protocols. Whether it’s a construction method or payment schedule, for example, these protocols are communicated to our customers in the hope that we will have a smooth, trouble free relationship through the course of a project.
But every now and then, for one reason or another, a customer or a vendor may ask us to vary from our normal procedures. The instinct is often to try to accommodate the request. We want to have happy customers or good relationships with our suppliers. So, we make exceptions.
The problem is this: With almost certainty, the exception will become the expectation.
For that reason, I never make exceptions without considering the idea that this will become the new standard. This customer will absolutely expect this same accommodation in the future. And you will probably be hearing things like, “Hey, you did this for Joe. Why not for me?”
As with many other things in life, ‘think twice;’ is a wise bit of advice.
David DeCristoforo possesses an extensive resume as designer/maker of fine furniture, high-end cabinetry and architectural woodwork. His experience in professional woodworking spans a period of 35 years. For the past 20 years David DeCristoforo Design has been located in Woodland, California. During this time David's shop has ranged in scope from a "full on" cabinet production shop with as many as 15 employees to a small fine furniture and custom millwork shop, working with his son, David RBJ, a highly skilled maker in his own right.