Recently I interviewed Mike Duffany, a very successful builder from the town where I lived for twenty-six years. I wanted his take on the whole people end of the world of construction.

Mike and I were competitors for years, but along the way we talked about various aspects of running our businesses and we shared information. He does a real good job and has a strong reputation. He usually works in the upper end of the market.

The interview went on for quite a while. He said that paying attention to the human relations aspect of the business is crucial. He admitted that it took him a while to realize that he had to attend to this realm as well with his customers as he did with his employees, but he got it.

He agreed that customers who feel trust and comfort in their builder make for smoother, happier jobs. And employees who feel valued make for a better business. As Mike said, as a builder he is represented by the guys he has working for him. Mike makes a point to take very good care of people who work with him.

When we were near ending our talk I asked him for one or two main points he would say as words of advice.

Right away he said to attend to the details and be clear about them!

This fit right into what I wrote recently in a posting about questions and assumptions. Mike said to nail down as many details as possible as quickly as possible, especially since many things have to be ordered ahead of time. How to get there is to keep asking questions and in a sense giving out homework for the customers to make choices that are not yet made.

I have certainly found this to be true myself, even to the point of going over architect’s specs with the customers just to double check. One wealthy customer told me that the architect was not listening to her regarding certain things, and she didn’t really like what he had chosen. I said to her, “With all due respect to you and the architect, this is YOUR house. I want you to be pleased.”

In short, attending to the details in a timely fashion is an important contributor to smooth jobs, good customer relations and a solid reputation.

Does anyone have more to add about this?