As we get to know our sellers’ stories, they often share what they’ve learned along the way. Some of their advice is so sage that we’re going to start sharing it on this blog as part of our new weekly series, Wise Words. For this week’s edition, we spoke to Jim Brock of Boston Home Inspectors, whom you may recognize from our new TV commercials.
Here’s what he had to say:
“You have to be consistent. That’s what will get people to trust you and your brand. Whether I’m showing up at 4:30 p.m. on Friday or 9:00 a.m. on Monday for an inspection, you’re going to get the exact same Jim. This is about quality and delivering with excellence on every inspection.”
“I like working for myself because I have a pulse on what’s really going on out there. I’ve worked for companies in the past and haven’t found that to be true in some cases. Being my own boss, I can be much more responsive to my customers’ needs and agile with the business model to change with market dynamics.”
“If you don’t know something, say “I don’t know.” You can always get back to people with an answer. The customer is not dumb. Once you try to b.s. your way around an answer, you lose instant credibility.”
“In 19 years, I’ve never had a sick day. It’s not in my vocabulary.”
“Technology is a tool that I use in my business in order to be much more responsive to the customer and efficient during the entire inspection process. This is about not wasting the customer’s time and using today’s technology that most customers are already familiar with.”
“You need to be accessible. Customers rely on my business to make what in many cases will be the largest purchase decision of their lives. If someone calls me at 9:00 p.m. at night, I’ll answer the phone and talk to them. My goal is to give them all the information and data they need to make an informed decision.”
“I approach every inspection as if it were one of my kids buying the house. That’s how I try to treat all my customers. I want to deliver the same positive customer experience each and every time.”
“Customers appreciate the clean and simple approach. I try to bring full transparency to the sometimes mysterious home inspection process.”
“When you get a complaint, you have to step up to the plate. That’s where people often falter. They’ll ignore someone, and you can’t do that. The customer is the boss, and you have to respect that. People respect you more when you address their concerns head on.”
“There are half a dozen ways to nail a picture on a wall. But some ways are better than others.”
