A note from Hugh
We say we’re in a relationship business. Then the day gets busy, a quote goes out, and the next conversation is about price.
In my conversation with Ed Wallace, we came back to something every leader in the trades can use: understand the person before you offer the solution. What are they trying to get done? What’s getting in their way? What have the last three people failed to ask?
That’s the work for this week. Slow down one conversation long enough to hear something you didn’t know.
Hugh Hornsby
Blue Collar Smart
01 / The real problem
When every conversation starts with a quote, customers have very little to compare except the number at the bottom. We can get so focused on getting the order that we skip understanding the person placing it.
02 / What experience taught
The highest quote won the job.
Ed told a story about his wife choosing a contractor for their kitchen remodel. She chose the highest-priced option. That contractor asked how she cooked, where she wanted her spices, and how the kitchen needed to work. He listened before he designed. Ed says they later hired him for three more jobs.
- 01
Know the person, not just the account.Ed’s relational GPS is goals, passions, and struggles. Find out what matters to the person across the table before you decide what they need.
- 02
Ask the next question.A useful answer is a starting point. Follow it with “Tell me more.” Give people room to explain the problem in their own words.
- 03
Make the relationship practical.Pick five actual people and give each a specific next step. A list of accounts is not a relationship plan.
The conversation
Ed Wallace
Author of The Relationship Engine
Ed joins Hugh to talk about credibility, integrity, and authenticity, and how leaders can turn those principles into daily habits. The conversation brings relationship building down to the branch counter, the kitchen table, and the next customer visit.
Listen to the full conversation 03 / Your Yellow Pad challenge
Five names. One useful conversation.
Take out a yellow pad. Write down five people whose relationship matters to your business. Next to each name, write one goal, passion, or struggle you know about. Leave a blank where you’re guessing.
Choose one blank. Before the week is out, have a conversation to understand it. Ask a question. Listen. Write down the next action you can actually follow through on.
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