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MarketsOpinionsDrilling Business InsightsWater WellsPorky's Hole Thoughts

For Water Well Drilling Contractors, Reputation Sells

By Howard "Porky" Cutter MGWC
Porky's Hole Thoughts
quality work and square dealing

Columnist Porky Cutter says people will try to undercut your price, but you can keep the advantage if you offer a reputation for quality work and square dealing.

Porky's Hole Thoughts
quality work and square dealing
October 1, 2015

In my travels I find that many businesses today are owned by a person or persons that know nothing about the business they own. Some own several businesses and in many cases these people attempt to micromanage a business that they know nothing about. Many times, not knowing the company’s business, their decisions and poor management cost them much more than they think that they are saving.

These owners hire qualified people to manage their company, then micromanage the employee and do not allow them do what they were contracted to do. Often, these same companies require a CDL-licensed driver to operate illegally, compromising their professional license. If that person loses their CDL license, they also lose future jobs in their profession.

These actions alone can result in a business earning a poor reputation, losing business and, eventually, reselling at a reduced price or just failing and closing down.

NOTE: Keep in mind that if a great employee is working for a low wage or forced to do what they weren’t hired to do, that employee is always looking for a better employer.

I find that small self-owner businesses are gradually becoming extinct due to the costs of up-to-date equipment, state regulations, licensing and fuel, as well as the limited availability of qualified personnel. In many cases, eager and willing applicants can’t qualify for a commercial driver’s license, which is necessary to operate a drilling machine or a support truck. Therefore, almost all employees must have a CDL license.

Our industry, for the most part, is changing from a reputable business to one where whoever is the cheapest gets the work. Most people don’t understand that a water well and water system isn’t just a hole in the ground. The old saying, “You get what you pay for,” still stands. A qualified and trusted contractor usually installs the best well and water system for their customer. Sell your professionalism to your customer. Don’t give your customer to your competition. A stellar reputation SELLS forever.

It was once the practice that when you wanted a driller you looked in the phonebook. Since the Internet, that is no longer the case. Today, people use the Internet or social networks (e-marketing). Other than “word of mouth,” if a business doesn’t have a website people move to a company that has one. My thought is that if you’re not getting phone calls you need to get a website. We still receive phonebooks every year, but we seldom open them. We just exchange it in place of the old one and use the old one as a block propping up something or to place under the grandchild at the dinner table (highchair).

Most professional employees don’t know how to look for a job because they have never had to. We probably know the best available prospective employees looking for jobs as business or branch managers, drill managers and drillers in all locations. If you are looking for a qualified employee contact me at National Driller.

KEYWORDS: water well drilling well drilling

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Howard "Porky" Cutter, MGWC, is a regular contributor to The Driller. For more Porky columns, visit www.thedriller.com/porky.

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Columnist Porky Cutter says people will try to undercut your price, but you can keep the advantage if you offer a reputation for quality work and square dealing.

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