Relational Service

Relational Leadership goes beyond how you treat your staff. It becomes the sum total of your "people focus" which includes your customers.

Today I encountered a genuine relational leader, his name is Frank - no relation! He and a partner own First State Garage Door and he came to my home to resolve a problem I was having with my 20 year old Hechinger opener. When I made the appointment, the call culminated with my saying I would like to fix the opener if I could; if not, I would pay for him to install a new one.

Let me tell you a couple of things about Frank. He is very personable and knowledgable about the operations of garage doors. He uses reliable equipment and charges a fair price for his work. He is respectful of your time. By that I mean he answers his phone, calls back, and shows up when he says he is going to. He tries to educate you about your problem and even is willing to give you hints about how you may fix your problem on your own. He views his business as a long term affair and you as both a potential current customer and a future customer.

When he arrived at my house, I told him I took his advise about fixing the settings and that did not seem to work. He responded that he would try. A few minutes later the door was responding the the remote. After my excitement simmered down a bit and I had thanked him several times, I asked how much I owed him - his answer was "nothing". He didn't do much of anything (except fix the machine!) and it was on his way to another job anyway. He would appreciate my calling him, when the Hechinger finally does make it final upward or downward motion.

Let's examine what he could have done without issue from me. He could have said, if I did what he said to do, then it just had to be replaced. He could have checked it out and said that it was not repairable. He could have said he could repair it and charged $100 or more for the house call. He could have made an augument that the machine was 20 years old and it was time for a new one anyway. What he did was fix it in about a minute's time and would not accept money now but asked me for a promise of money later.

This is a man who understands people and business. He is building a business based on Fidelity, Appreciation and Value. He understands the importance of good will and reputation. He understands that building your business on a strong base will help it through the strong winds that repeated attack the small business owner.

If you need Frank's services contact call him at 302-832-9122 or 877-572-2166 or visit his website at www.firststategaragedoor.com. You will be glad you did!