Four types of clients: Which one are you?

I was chatting not too long ago with an acquaintance who is a flooring contractor, known heretofore as "Flooring Guy."

So Flooring Guy had some recent client experiences that compelled him to explain to me the four types of clients he encounters:

1. First of all, there are what Flooring Guy calls the rats.These folks are cheap, miserable and borderline immoral when it comes to getting more than their dollars justify. Whatever is done for them, Flooring Guy said, they are unhappy because they have decided to be unhappy. There's no winning with people like that, and contractors run a risk of being ripped off by them.

2. Second are the regular folks who work hard for their money and are frugally trying to get a good deal but do not cross over the morality line to do it. They do their research and get their job done and have reasonable expectations about the quality they are paying for. Most clients are of this type.

3. The third and fourth type of clients, according to Flooring Guy, are "rich people" who have buckets of money to pour into their homes. And that's a good thing for the trades.

However, one of these rich types is miserable because they have decided to be miserable and are unhappy with most of what happens. These are the people who will get down on their knees with a flashlight shining underneath a cabinet and point out a slight imperfection where the sun never shines. And of course they want it redone. Now. You kind of wonder if that shift between ages 2 and 3, where most of us start accepting a few things about life, never occurred.

4. The last type, Flooring Guy says, are the rich people who are both demanding in their standards (with the money to back it up) and also very appreciative of the work done for them, and respectful of the people who do it. They will not accept bad work, but if there is a slight imperfection deep under a recess that no living human being will ever see, they are jiggy with it. They are happy, Flooring Guys says, because they have decided to be. And here's the kicker: These happy folks tend to get the best work done.

What do you think? Is Flooring Guy on the mark? Did he leave anyone out?

Photo courtesy of iStockPhoto

Comments

[Carl Heldmann]

What's the difference between 1 and 3?
Carl

[Kathy Price-Robinson]

Carl, as far as I can tell, Type 1 customers are super cheap and trying to get more than their money's worth. They might plot and plan excuses to withhold the final payment. Type 3 people, on the other hand, are not trying to get more than their money's worth or put the subcontractor out of business. They have the money to back up their demands, but are chronically unhappy, dissatisfied and unappreciative. And neither are respectful.

[Carl Heldmann]

Kathy, actually, I was being funny. I know Type 3's, that are "cheap, miserable and borderline immoral when it comes to getting more than their dollars justify. Whatever is done for them they are unhappy because they have decided to be unhappy. There's no winning with people like that, and contractors run a risk of being ripped off by them."
That's why they are rich (unless they inherited) !
Carl
PS. I see you cleaned #1 up a little bit.
PPS. I think I'll list the 4 types of Subcontractors I've encountered on my blog soon.

[Kathy Price-Robinson]

Carl, yes, please list the four types of subcontractors on your blog. Then can I reprint it here?

[Carl Heldmann]

Sure. I'll try to work it in in the next day or two.
You can reprint anything of mine you find, anytime.
Carl