When a Customer Says… “All You Gotta Do”

As a skilled professional or contractor, how many times have you heard those words on a job?

The customer, with best of intentions, looks intently over your shoulder as you are trying to obtain the best diagnosis possible. They take their finger, lean into your work area and state… “all you gotta do”!

I am laughing as I write this article as over the past 40+ years I have encountered this same interaction so many times. In my younger “smart aleck” days, I would probably mumble or at least have the thought… “ya, well if it was so easy, why did you call me”?

The years have gone by and the older and, hopefully, more mature version of me has now started seeing things a little differently.

First off, let us look at the this logically as what it is… a work-related service issue.

– The customer has a problem and needs this problem to go away… preferably as soon as possible.

– The customer has called you because, for whatever reason, they cannot resolve the problem themselves.

– The customer may not have the parts readily available (or even know what parts they need) … as you do.

– The customer may not have the physical ability to crawl into or around the workspace (as they once did) and now must submit to another. That is where we come in… the skilled professional.

Secondly, let us look at this from the customer’s point of view.

– Maybe this customer really does have a very good handle on this situation. Remember, they have been dealing with this problem, possibly for a long time and for several reasons as stated above, and they need you?

– The customer may have already had this problem occur, had it diagnosed and for whatever reason they are back at square one.

– Financially the customer may be struggling and suffering with a problem that they could not afford (till now) to get resolved.

– The customer may have been, “back in the day,” just the same as you… a skilled professional.

A couple of months back I was called to a residential job. As I walked around the basement, I could not help but notice how well the plumbing and HVAC system looked. The workmanship, the layout… all the same way that I would have done it… in my own home.

I met the woman of the house who explained to me that her husband, a retired tradesman, had personally designed and installed the mechanicals within.

“Nice job” I thought to myself. I asked if I could talk to him and get his perspective on the problem at hand.

She quietly explained that he was resting in the sunroom and that we could go upstairs and talk with him. She also expressed to me that her husband was diagnosed with Parkinsons Disease several years ago, and his walk, stance and his speech were a struggle for him. Being hard of hearing myself I knew I needed to be extra attentive to what this man had to say.

As we sat in the sunroom, he very quietly, as Parkinson’s Disease was already stealing his throat muscles, explained how he built his system. His explanation gave me tremendous insight into what the problem was and why I was called there. The minutes flew by and soon enough I was able to “cut to the quick,” resolve the problem at hand and had them up and running, good as new.

I walked away from that job with a very different viewpoint on when a customer tells me…“all you gotta do.”

Here was a man that had designed and built his mechanical system and knew it better than I.

Here was a man that could have taught me a thing or two… if he were able.

The Bible tells us in Proverbs 1:5… “let the wise listen and add to their learning.”

I want to be that man; I wish for wisdom and learning.

Bill Rozga has over 45 years of experience in the plumbing industry. Bill followed his early interest in plumbing by attending the SE Wisconsin Trade School in Milwaukee. At age 24 he became the youngest Master Plumber on record. In 1981 he founded Rozga Plumbing Corporation, serving SE Wisconsin for over 40 years. Bill joined Grandy & Associates in 2020 to teach our Plumbing classes.