Building a Business Plan by Building Quality Relationships
Posted By Dwight on November 11, 2009
I have been a member of Builder 20-a group of top homebuilders from around the country for 11 years, and every time we meet I learn something new. Often it’s about the industry; one of our objectives is to review best practices and share the latest advances in design and construction.
But sometimes I learn something new about myself.
Last month I hosted the group here on Lake Sammamish, and we spent the first day in a workshop called the “20 minute business plan.” The first step was to identify what personal values are important to us, and then build a plan around those values.
The moderator handed us a list of 77 characteristics that included things like commitment, accountability, honesty and growth. Each of us was supposed to circle our top ten values.
I circled 39. I mean, how could I not circle attributes like “internal harmony,” “ethical practice” and “ecological awareness”? Those are important to me, but I had to limit it to ten and then rank the top five. So here they are:
- Quality relationships
- Personal development
- Excellence/competence
- Nature
- Financial gain
What surprised me was that I value quality relationships over everything else.
This made me stop and think, and suddenly I realized that when my clients are happy, I’m happy. It drives what I do. I want to build a house that makes their life better. I enjoy collaborating with customers and discovering how they are going to use their home, and then building a place that meets their needs, desires and budget.
In the earliest stages of construction I like to imagine my customer, sitting in his or her new kitchen, enjoying a cup of coffee. I try to picture what they see, and how I can create a beautiful frame for their view of the world.
I want the homes I build for my clients to be comfortable, durable and beautiful.
Comfort is paramount-it is the definition of “home.”
A beautiful home is a source of pleasure and pride-a place that lifts the spirits and defines their world from the inside out.
A durable home adds lasting value to their lives.
Whenever I meet these criteria, I have a happy customer.
And that is what I value most.
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