The Value of Trusted Associations
You can tell a lot about someone by his or her associates, and that’s as true for businesses as it is for individuals. Every successful business understands the value of ongoing trust-based relationships with other industry professionals.
The rewards that come from partnerships between highly professional companies go to everyone—builder, design professionals, trade partners, and customers—in ways that are obvious and also not so obvious.
First, the obvious. A builder who has a trusted cadre of great trade subcontractors—and who treats them well—earns the best value and the finest customer service those subcontractors have to offer. Customers enjoy fair pricing and timely work. Builders are really no different than homeowners in this respect: once they find a plumbing or landscaping company that consistently gets things done right and on time, without the need for micromanagement, they use that company again and again. It’s smart business.
Less obvious but equally important payoffs have to do with continual improvement. A trusted trade partner won’t be afraid to tell the builder if something can be done better or more efficiently. In fact, good builders schedule meetings with their trade partners at the end of big jobs for the specific purpose of sharing feedback. Over time, everyone becomes more professional and efficient, and customers reap the benefit of well-managed projects.
The best builders also go beyond their market. For instance, most professional builders belong to a trade association that keeps them up to date on trends in design, construction, best practices, and business management. Some participate in the local chapter of a large organization like the National Association of Homebuilders, trading expertise and knowledge with other local builders. Some join groups with companies from noncompeting markets who work together to help one another strengthen and grow their businesses. By sharing what works and what doesn’t, each member company becomes more successful and better able to serve its customers.
Membership in a trade group is a good sign. That’s because these groups don’t attract builders out to make a quick buck. Rather, the willingness to pay (often steep) membership fees and to participate in the organization’s activities is the mark of a company that’s serious about continual improvement, adhering to professional standards, and even helping to develop them. It’s a company that wants to improve the industry as a whole for the benefit of everyone. These are pros who treat homebuilding like the profession it is, and who take great pride in that fact.
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