Quality is the best business plan.

This week I want to talk about dealing with people in the business world. We all know and use different people and companies for different services. Your tax adviser, you accountant, your lawyer, your cleaning service, your realtor, your bank, your mortgage lender, your gym, your lawn service, your financial planner, and of course your insurance agent or company. The list could go on and on listing all of the people you might use regularly or occasionally to help you with decisions in your life.

Sometimes these decisions are very important. Other times they're minor and can be corrected easily by finding someone new.

For example, you hire a cleaning company to clean your offices. You find that they do a very poor job. You may talk to them about it and if the service doesn't improve, you replace them. No harm, No foul.

However, there are occasions where someone's advice could be detrimental to your life. Most of the time when you go to someone for a service, it's because you assume and trust that they know more than you do and that they'll put your best interest first. Unfortunately that isn't always the case.

So, how do figure out who you can trust and who you can't? It's very difficult because as I said before, these are people who know more than you do about their profession, that's why you need to employ them. I believe there are several things you can do to make sure you're dealing with quality people.

1. Ask for referrals from people in your life that you already know and trust. But make sure they really trust who they're referring you to. Ask them what their specific experience has been. Do they deal with that person on a regular basis or did they work with them 5 years ago? Do they know of them, or do they work with them personally? A referral isn't always based on personal experience, so keep that in mind and find one that is.
2. Research the subject you need help with. You're trusting that the person you're hiring is telling you the truth and is knowledgeable about what they're telling you. However, that isn't always the case. Sometimes there are just too many rules and details and they guess at an answer without researching it. Other times, they might just be too lazy to do what needs to be done. Make sure you confirm that the information they're giving you is accurate.
3. Do your research on the person and/or company you're planning to do business with. Look up any information you can find about them beyond their website. Look for reviews. Check out their LinkedIn profile, their Twitter, their Facebook page. You might find reviews, comments from others, and see how much effort they're actually putting into their business. 
4. Trust your gut feeling about someone. Sometimes you just "know" without knowing why, that the person your talking to isn't the right person for you.

I know first hand how difficult it is. I gave someone some advice this week about their personal insurance policies with another company, based on the fact that I know insurance like the back of my hand and when I don't know something, I read the policy, I call the underwriter, I call the claims adjuster, I figure it out before I give advice. When they contacted their company to make the changes I advised, their agent told them that they didn't need to make the changes. They gave them blatantly wrong advice which left them exposed for a claim without coverage.

It infuriates me that there are people out there practicing business when they have no idea what they're doing. And there are companies who hire these people and then bury their head in the sand and ignore that their staff is untrained. Fortunately for my friend, he knows me and was given good advice. What worries me is how many other people out there aren't getting good advice. For now, I will work at making people more aware of the frauds and fakes out there. 

In summary, please beware when you put your trust in someone's hands. Get a second opinion. Research what they've told you. Confirm that you're doing what is in the best interest of you and your family. 

And finally, remember find a business that worries more about quality than quantity!  

** I would love some feedback on two things.

1. What do you do in your business to ensure you're delivering quality service to your customers?

2. What do you do personally to ensure you're receiving quality service?

MW

Copyright 2016