Leveraging service-business relationships to create recurring referrals

By Jesse McCandless

Forty or so miles west of the Yosemite’s Sierra Nevada ridgeline, nestled among an aromatic mix of Incense Cedars and Yellow Pines, is a deceivingly large community in the town of Groveland. Most homes here exist within the gates of Pine Mountain Lake. It’s a safe community; our neighbors consist of mostly retirees and weekenders and we all sit behind a number of gates controlling the access to our oasis.

My surprise then was not unfounded when I came home to find the outer of our

dual-paned front picture window shattered. On the ground lay large shards of glass; others hung like guillotines by little more than a thin bead of silicone.

More confusing still, we couldn’t find whatever object had done the shattering. Surely if it were an angry competitor or former employee they’d have left a note, or at least used a painter’s tool to do the damage (I can imagine a rock-solid pint of Wood Dough, dug from the deepest parts of a rusty toolbox and flung in a fit of rage).

My imagination aside and following some investigation, we found the real culprit had been a hawk. His absence at the scene of the crime and our sightings of him since have put to rest any doubts I had about the hardness of a bird’s head.

Understanding customers

As we started calling around to glass companies to explore our options, we found ourselves experiencing the same frustrations and roadblocks we’ve heard from our painting customers. Quite a few didn’t call back even after a “double-tap,” and most that did couldn’t give any definitive estimate of when an estimator could look at our window, much less send a technician to do the work of replacing it.

After some searching we found two companies that seemed to align with our expectations. They were both friendly and responsive on the phone and were willing to “ballpark” an estimated cost over the phone based on my measurements. One stood out over the other, though, as they offered an alternative to a $2,500+ full replacement in the form of replacing only the damaged pane for a very reasonable $635.

It was a no-brainer. We paid the deposit on the phone to get on the schedule knowing they’d need to confirm the work in person first, with a commitment on their end to keep any price adjustment minimal unless the scope was considerably different than described.

From start to finish they made the process easy. A quick consultation, a reasonable lead time, an easy payment portal, and delightful service at every turn: just the type of business I like to work with.

In a few short weeks our window was completely fixed, all evidence of its destruction taken with them. I left them a well-earned review on Google, quickly received a personal response from the owner, and we went back to our normal routines with one exception: the dogs can no longer sun bathe in the picture window. 

Finding allies

Whenever I have the privilege of working with a company that so effortlessly exceeds my expectations, I ask myself the same question: How can I use my business to make their business more successful?

I ask this question knowing what one of my earliest mentors knew better than most: “A rising tide lifts all ships.” Even more simply put: We succeed together. How could I make this glass company (that is significantly larger than my business) more successful by working with me? Only the prideful miss the obvious answer: Just ask. 

Being a well-established and larger business with a few layers of management, I wasn’t sure how or who exactly to contact to find this answer, so I took a shot in the dark. I knew the owner’s name and I knew the business’s email, so I guessed the address format and hoped for the best.

It worked. A few days later I received a brief email back from the owner inviting me to join them the following Monday morning for a tour of their facility, and to discuss what this relationship could look like.

Walking around the facility it was clear to me that this was more than just a window company: It was a deeply cared-for, multi-generational family business with leadership that wouldn’t accept any less than their obviously high standards. It goes without saying that I was giddy: I had found what I hoped my business might look like in 20 or 30 years.

After the tour we sat down and discussed what we might be able to do for them and quickly found some paint-related pain points. When they replace exterior windows (a “retrofit” job) they also replace the trim around those windows. Being the stand-up company they are, they offer a meaningful warranty on this trim work but with one stipulation: It must be painted within 30 days of its installation.

Filling their gap

Most painting contractors will know, especially in California, that finding someone to do a good job at a reasonable price on such a short timeline is a difficult task. Many customers end up not getting the work done within the warranty window for exactly that reason. The owner didn’t want to employ painters to do it themselves for the same reason I don’t want to employ window installers: We make more money and create happier customers doing what we do best.

Our company became a solution to their problem in the form of a simple commitment: a guarantee that if they refer the work to us we’ll prioritize their customer’s window trim painting with a guaranteed finish within their 30-day window.

Since this agreement about six months ago, we’ve received leads from them with a combined estimated-value of no less than $125,000 and no less than $45,000 in closed business thanks to the relationship.

Closing $45,000 in window trim projects may seem like a lot of small jobs, but it’s not Exactly.

Many people spending $25,000+ to retrofit all new windows on their homes are mid-remodel: it’s not exactly something that people do out of the blue. Even those that aren’t are usually also not hurting for some amount of disposable income.

Our “in” as the guys to paint the window trims has put us first in line to propose to the customer a full exterior repaint. When looking at their window jobs to price them, we’ll just give

them an exterior proposal as an add-on. They already wanted to make the house nicer, they’re already spending money to make that happen with windows and here we are, referred warmly by a company they already trust, ready to bring their vision to fruition. It’s an easy sale.

It goes without saying that these types of relationships aren’t limited to window companies. I’ve explored similar agreements and relationships with house cleaners, window cleaners, roofers, plumbers and electricians.

If you see someone doing good work, you may be able to do good work together. You don’t always have to wait on Google to deliver leads: sometimes they fly right into your window.