In basketball, football, and baseball, among other sports – at the high school, college, or even the professional level – much is made about having home field advantage where the team just seem to play better. They are comfortable with the setting, and the fans are quite supportive.
When other teams come into that stadium or arena, the hometown fans make it rough for them to hear their signals and to feel comfortable playing – unless they manage to silence the crowd with an outstanding performance that effectively takes the crowd out of the mix. This essentially makes it a neutral environment or even one that favors the visitors – for as long as the home team is being outplayed by the visitors.
Another great thing about a home field advantage is that players and coaches know about special places where the ball behaves a little differently because of lighting or footing – or when breezes, air currents, or even temperature differences can enhance a play. Sometimes, the ball will take a funny bounce off certain places on the turf or court. The home team knows this, but the visiting team is surprised by it or not ready when it happens.
In remodeling – for aging in place solutions or just making general improvements – the customer necessarily has the home court or home field advantage. No matter how much we would like for that not to be true, it is a fact of life. We are bringing our services into their home – whether it’s finishing a basement, doing an addition, or remodeling the kitchen, bath, or other living space.
That being said, expect that our projects will be micromanaged or overseen by the client. If the project is more than a day in duration, expect that we will be met with a list of questions the second morning (and additional ones depending on how long it takes until we are finished).
They will want to know why we are doing something a certain way, why we didn’t do it another way, why we used a particular brand or process, why it’s taking so long, if we can do something else for them while we’re there, and other such concerns or questions that they have.
So. let’s be prepared to be the visiting team. This doesn’t make it bad. It just means that the customer has the ability to add a very watchful eye to the process and that they are quite familiar with the space that is being transformed. This also means that they will be a great testimonial when they see the attention to detail we have used and the way we have engaged their questions and concerns. We will be laying the foundation for long-term referrals and recommendations.
Let’s get used to be the visiting team and make it work for us. Also, let’s make sure that we – and all of the subcontractors we use – keep everything neat, tidy, and clean as we move through the renovation process. Respecting our customer’s home will cause the job will go much more smoothly.
