This place is a tip! Get that skanky dog out my way! I got work to do.

Imagine you spoke like that to a customer.

Do you think they would recommend you to friends and family or even have you back to do more work - however of a good job you done.

The heart of any business is customers. They are the people who pay you and recommend your services to other people.

So you need to keep them sweet.

In this podcast you're going to find out just how to treat your customers in a way that will in turn build a good relationship for future work and get them to recommend you to everyone.

Along with a story where a customer got a bit too friendly that ended in tears.

Tool box talk for electricians, helping electricians reduce stress - gain back time and earn more money.

Good morning to everyone listening, Ben Poulter here, your host of tool box talk for electricians.

I can confidently say that the way I am with customers has helped my business grow over the years and earn a lot more money.

Customers who do become friends overtime, but friends who make you a cuppa tea when you do work for them.

Not every customer buys you a christmas present, although it has happened in the past.

I have asked some of my customers why they have used me over the years for this podcast.

A common answer was that I turn up when I say im going to. On time and ready to do the job that day.

Many tradesmen will turn up with it in the back of their mind that they need to get this job knocked out quickly, because they have another job to do.

As an electrician it doesn't always go to plan.

If you change a board over to a new RCD protected circuit, that circuit may have a fault you need to find.

There is no chance of you saying “sorry I need to come back next week to get the lighting working”.

You need to get everything back up and running as that's the only way your going to get paid.

I know tradesmen who have half finished jobs all over for one reason or another.

Waiting for materials

Not enough time

I need a hand with this part

Any excuse to leave the job because there is something more important to do, maybe another job they left last week unfinished and the customer is on their back.

Make a point of doing your best to complete the job in the time you allocated.

It may happen that a curtain decorative switch will need to be ordered - but you can put a normal white one on to get it working and safe.

Leaving a cable taped up or in wago is a bodge, especially if you're leaving it for a week or 2. Anything could happen -

Kids and their inquisitive mind and prod it, a crazy do could even chew it

“This happened to me with a house rabbit, lucky the cable want live, it would have killed it”

So turn up on time, on the day you said and do your best to get that job done.

Customers houses are their homes. They live there and invite tradesmen in to make it better, or fix a problem.

I admit - some places are disgusting. I wouldn't let my dog live there.

But you don't say that to the customer.

It the place is a tip, they must know this, a lot of the time they apologise for it too.

I will never say it stinks here, you need to tidy up - its not my house, they can live how they want.

There was a property where I rewired the whole lighting circuit. It failed a test due to rats.

They did have people in to clear up some of the mess and get rid of the rats before I did my job.

The house was still full of empty boxes and newspaper from 30 years ago - but the rats were gone.

A few months later I was asked to go back, the lights had tripped once again.

The rats were back, along with the mess that had built up.

I had to explain to the customer it would be easy to rewire the lights again, but it will just keep happening.

We could wire the circuits in steel conduit to stop the rats from chewing the cable, but it's not ideal.

The rats need to be gone really.

I isolated the lighting circuit and gave them a torch.

That was a few years ago, I never know what happened to that property. I'm assuming because I didn't want to waste the customers money, they found someone else who would take it.

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What's one thing electricians are known for? Leaving a mess behind!

I'm not sure where it came from, maybe on site - There's a labour on site, they should do the clearing up!

But in a domestic property, having a hover is going to score you points with any customer.

Especially if it looks cleaner then when you first got there - that happened a few times.

Leaving a job clean and tidy goes a long way in the customer's eyes. Of course you don't fill the chases, that's a plasterer's job.

But putting a bit of PVA on the chases to stop the dust is a little trick I do after a rewire.

I actually like making things tidy, it makes my wonky sockets look better.

Customers, kids! Especially the young ones - they want to know why you're there, what you're doing and what you're doing it for!

You need to get rid of the kids to crack on with the job for one reason, but another reason I tell the customers is that I don't want them to think they can try what I'm doing.

Unscrewing a socket, taking the switch off.

Kids see someone do something and want to copy, so I politely explain this to the customer and also tell them I have sharp tools in my kit, I don't really want the little one hurting themselves.

This goes for your over friendly dog too, I was on my knees to a socket once and the dog tried to hump me.

It's not my dog so I didn't want to shout at it, I didn't know how it would react.

I laughed about it with the customer and asked if they could keep it out the way.

Funny enough I have a lot of customers who remember me because of my dog. He comes with me to work every day and sits in the van, he has since he was a puppy and pooed on the driver's seat.

I will say he's a good looking springer who is really friendly, well I think he thinks he is human.

But customers mention my dog and have to come out to the van to say hello or even give him a treat.

I swear he gets treated better than I do in some places.

One lady made me take him in the house with me, she sat on the sofa cuddled up eating biscuits with him.

I do however try to keep things professional.

There was a board change for a landlord, they lived in the house too.

The landlord said “my tenant thinks your sexy”

Me straight away thought that they were after discount - “thank you” I said.

Then got the job done. After sending the invoice I got a message asking if I would be ok with cash.

OK if I have to I said, so went round the next evening to pick it up.

Turns out the landlord's tenant was pretty sexy too.

With a pocket full of cash I said get your coat, we're going for a drink.

The night went well and I woke up the next morning and had lost all the cash - I know I didn't spend it all, I'm a lightweight.

We were doing shots but not enough to spend everything.

Don't go out with a pocket full of cash was the lesson I learnt there.

Every customer is different, some you may have never met so you need to build up the trust.

Others you just get along with right away and you can tell them to get the kettle on.

It's judging the customer and how you need to act around them that's the skill.

It's a skill you master over time.

Being a good judge of character, that's what it's all about.

Some customers I have to put my posh voice on and explain in detail what i'm doing and why.

This reassures the customer you know what you're doing.

These customers will turn into long term customers and get to know you, then realise you're not that polite after all.

But you are when you need to be.

Something else used to do a lot for customers is a good amount of paperwork.

Certs, pat test, part P.

Customers love a piece of paper to show the work they have just had done.

So whether it's a minor work certificate, Pat test results or emergency lighting report on a HMO - I give them a certificate to show what I did.

Of course this comes with recommendations too for extra work.

I have a full download of all the certificates. If you would like a copy, I will leave a link in the show notes.

Remember a happy customer makes a happy tradesman

Until next time.