The picky customer

Customer’s sometimes fire contractors.  Well guess what?  Sometimes contractors fire customers too! A customer can be completely overbearing.  They will stand over your shoulder and tell you how to do your job.  They will pick your work apart. They will demean you.  They will complain about the smallest, most insignificant things.  It’s like a game of strength and resolve.  How much can you endure before you throw in the towel.  If feels like their goal is to cut into your profit margin as much as they can.  We have had to back out of a job a few times over the past six years.  Just cut your losses and walk away.  Especially if nothing good can come of it.  You won’t be able to resolve all jobs.  If you are a perfectionist this will stick with you.  These are learning moments. As time goes by you will get better at assessing your customers when you are providing them with an estimate.

We had a customer that has a list of at least a dozen things that they didn’t like.  One was a drop of paint on the backside of a door hinge that no one would ever see.  I was able to scratch off the dried paint with my fingernail.  Things like this will happen and you just have to power through it.

Some customers are so picky that it will just blow your mind away. You won't see it coming either. There really isn't a lot you can do about it. Just grin and bear it and get on to the next job. Now if this customer ends up becoming a repeat customer you better make sure you write your estimates high enough to account for the extra hours that will be necessary to please this customer.