Don’t delay, call today
There are people who like to talk. Salesmen love to talk, teachers are particularly good at it (usually) and everyone’s got a friend that just won’t stop talking once you get them on the phone. But you wouldn’t say that your typical cabinetmaker has a specific desire to stand on a box and tell the world what they think.
It’s a terrible generalisation, but for many I have met, one of the great benefits of being holed up in a workshop for weeks on end is precisely the fact that you don’t have to endlessly interact with the outside world. While letting the world get on with its own bother, cabinetmakers have their own rhythm and are, by and large, at their most productive when left alone.
Now I like my own company as much as the next person, but come on, how dull would life be if the only thoughts and opinions you ever got were your own! Imagine how tedious it would get if there was no interaction with your clients, your suppliers, collaborators and workshop colleagues.
It’s all about communication
More often than not, client breakdowns happen through poor or insufficient communication. OK, there are a few blockheads who should never call themselves makers, but they don’t last long. On the contrary, there are a tremendous number of fantastic carpenters, joiners and cabinetmakers all of whom are capable of making products ideally suited to their clients’ needs.
So we don’t deliberately suddenly make things badly, and yet things go wrong.
Good communication, keeping everyone informed, asking the stupid questions, getting back to people when you say you would, putting in an email something discussed on the phone… All these go a long way to keeping clients (and students, and tutors, suppliers, friends, family, the guy who keeps trying to get you to change your mobile provider) happy.
Don’t delay, call today. If there’s someone who is waiting on your call, make their day.
Until next time,
Lakshmi