The Honest Business

This article is excerpted from an article of the same name that ran in the Feb. 1, 2016 issue of Restoration and Remediation by Tom Cline

“Every day we read or hear about a person or a business that has been caught trying to get ahead by applying less-than-honest tactics. One of the latest stories revolves around Volkswagen, whose diesel car engines were rigged to alter their characteristics during fuel emission tests. As a result, the cars were declared much more fuel-efficient and eco-friendly than they actually are.

While your reaction to such a story may be, “Did they really think they could get away with that?” the more important question is, “Why did the company feel that being dishonest was acceptable?”…. Today’s consumers are armed with more information, more customer feedback, and more testing data than ever before, giving us the best chance of sniffing out a scam or misleading claim. But why should we have to?

…For every aspect of your business—from your sales and marketing strategy, to interactions with customers, to how you treat and evaluate your employees and how you deal with suppliers and subcontractors—honesty really is the best policy. But not just situational honesty. Rather, a mindset of proactive honesty. 

….As the business owner, you reveal your commitment to honesty when you pay your company’s bills and your employees on time, when you file taxes, and when you make commitments to your customers.  Honest business practices inspire both your staff and customers with respect for your mission. What we’re talking about here goes well beyond not lying to your customers or your employees; it’s being actively honest. It’s owning a mistake when you mess up and admitting when you are wrong. It requires acknowledging the state of your business to your employees and only selling to your customers what you can deliver effectively.

Honest business practices also require the ability to make tough decisions. While we can all agree that we want all of our employees to be honest all of the time, your commitment to honesty will be tested by the behavior of your people. Are you willing to terminate a high-performing, long-term employee who fails to be honest with you? How serious an issue must be involved before you are willing to take that step? In a recent discussion with a client regarding just such a situation, the owner said, “If [the employee] is dishonest with me regarding this relatively minor issue and, when confronted, refuses to admit the lie, I will forever have the question in my mind about whether he is being totally honest with me. I cannot accept that in my business.” This commitment to integrity will pay huge dividends in the long run regarding the culture that exists within the organization and the character of the employees the organization is able to attract and retain. The alternative is a slippery slope where acceptance of minor less-than-complete-truths can lead to a pattern of fudging that threatens the credibility of the owner and the business.

Expecting complete honesty from yourself and all of your employees all of the time is a recipe for a brand that is highly valued, a workplace that quality employees seek out, and a culture that thrives on teamwork and commitment. Having an honest business means you are dedicated to providing an honest service by an honest company in an honest way. No shortcuts.”

Want to Read the original article? Click Here

The above article really resonated with me. It’s so very unfortunate that in the world we live in we have to be “On guard” for the next person or company looking to take advantage of us. It still rankles me that I spent $8500 on a new roof only to discover that is was poorly installed. I once had a car accident and the body shop did such a poor job fixing my car that the panels did not line up. When I complained they “fixed” it so that now the car leaked when it rained. Literally to the point that I would hear sloshing in the car when stopping and going as the water shifted this way and that. Your average person cannot afford these types of huge repair bills more then once (and insurance companies are only going to pay out once as well) so the company you hire has to be the company with the integrity, equipment and knowledge to do the job.

How do you know you are working with a reputable company? You can hire the company you have heard the most about, that does the most advertising. Sadly I have not found that to be a guarantee of quality work. I think the most reliable way is to look at what previous customer have said.

So what have our customers said about True Clean Restoration?

“Technicians very pleasant and worked well together, Cody very nice and explained what would need to be done well, very professional”                                                                                                 Susan Koch

“Cody and Team were very helpful with restoration services. They were prompt, very knowledgeable and professional. They were on time and always called ahead before coming. We sincerely thank Cody and Team for their work. Good Job!”                                                                                                           Kishore Talagadadeevi

“Cody is excellent and has complete knowledge of what he is doing. He is punctual, kind, humble and proficient. I highly recommend him.”                                                                                             Cynthia Okpalike

As you can see, I am very lucky to work with a great company like True Clean with fantastic technicians such as Project Manager Cody Otto.   Customers who contact True Clean can rest assured that their job will be handled with great care. Having to call a restoration company because your home has flooded or been in a fire is likely to be one of the most stressful times in a homeowners life. I feel confident that our team here at True Clean will honor the trust our customers have placed in us.                                                                 Project Manager Cody Otto

Happy “Almost Spring” from True Clean!