Our Quality is a Given...so, Why Won’t You Buy?
- Vision TDM
- Sep 1
- 3 min read
Updated: Sep 4
Why is it when people think of quality it is always about the end result and not about the process? If you painted a wall that hadn’t been prepared properly…all holes filled and carefully sanded…what on earth do you think your wall would look like once the paint has dried?
Exactly!
Recently, I’ve been working with a major contractor on a new bid and one of the questions asked how they intended ‘…to control the quality of the works…’ Now, this seems quite a simple thing but the project is for a new £150m ($250m) retail centre and involves many subcontractors and the tenant’s fit out contractors.
When I opened the discussion the quality manager started by saying that all good intentions would soon go out of the window because their subcontractors never did what they were asked and the fit out contractor’s work was nothing to do with them…even though they were responsible for the building until full completion! He said, “things will get squeezed and corners will most likely be cut but we’ll make it work like we always do.”
I listened carefully and then said;
If you spoke like that about health & safety it wouldn’t be acceptable to your clients or anyone else so why would you think it is acceptable in respect of quality?
So, if you put yourself in the shoes of your client and heard this discussion would you really choose this contractor? I know I don’t need to answer that but the point is that you need to understand what is important to your clients and then find the solutions to meet it. And that should be thinking ahead…well ahead…to really understand their objectives so you can propose a solution that prevents issues ever becoming a problem.
Today, we’re talking about quality but of course it could be any topic of importance to your client because if they don’t think you understand them then you’re just like everyone else.
I recall a little while ago, advising a firm of lawyers about a bid that they had lost. My review didn’t make happy reading for them and I had to give the results to the senior partners who were not the most receptive. The managing partner obviously didn’t want to listen to what I had to say and after a while cut me short and the conversation went like this:
Managing Partner (MP): “…well that’s all well and good, but the quality of our service is a given...”
Me: “Oh, that’s interesting, please tell me what you think quality is.”
After a brief description of his version of quality I gave him mine…which just to be difficult, was the complete opposite! The light switched on in his eyes as he realised that not everyone thinks the same and that his client’s version of quality could be very different to his own.
When you fail to address what your client needs in the way they want you risk not making that immediate connection…and when you do that the list or services that you want to sell to your clients quickly becomes a list of things they just don’t want to buy!
Top Tip
Don’t accept that you can’t change things for the better…think like your client thinks and work out what is important to them so you can make sure your solutions fit perfectly.
📩 Book a free discovery session today and learn how to put value for money at the heart of your next winning bid. 👉 www.visiontdm.co.uk
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