Commercial Integrator October 2022 - 25

COVER STORY
protect integration companies in the event
of jobsite trips where the integrator can't
get in. Integrators should also review their
protective language frequently - perhaps
every month - to assess whether novel situations
might compel language revisions.
" It's very critical, I think, that anybody in this
business is monitoring [things] very closely, "
Habben advised. " It's an ever-changing
situation. "
Maintaining Strong
Client Relationships
" Our customers are what keeps the
lights on, " Habben observed. " They're
what keeps the door open. " That's why,
foremost above all, integration business
owners must cultivate and protect
strong client relationships. According to
Hennings, most customers " get it " that
we're living in a period with high product
demand and low component supply; even
so, it's imperative for integrators to keep
communication open and honest. " Build
into that quote document some language
on the proposal side, " he suggested.
" [Like,] 'these are the things we're experiencing.'
Make sure the customer is aware
of it. " In fact, Hennings fl oated the idea of
putting a bucket of " contingency funds " in
your quote - some padding to preclude
having to return to the client and retroactively
increase their cost. Amplifying that
point, Habben added, " Trying to build that
number on the frontend, so we don't have
to have those uncomfortable conversations
is, I think, better practice. "
But for NSCA-affi liated integrators like
Habben and Hennings - business leaders
whose stock-in-trade centers on long-term,
trust-based relationships - having frank
conversations with customers might be easier
than imagined. The key is to understand
the discussion as one element of strategically
planning which projects your fi rm is
going to run with.
For Hennings, that means " ...consciously
having that right conversation. Being upfront
about what it's going to cost with this
fi nite resource pool - both on the product
side and people. We can't get to every
job this year. So, which ones can we do, at
the budget customers are wanting to do
it in, and [how can we] allocate resources
accordingly? "
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OCTOBER 2022 Commercial Integrator 25
Adhering to Core Values
Part of serving your customer well, Wilson
said, is rejecting vendors' advice to " bury "
surcharges and price increases in labor
costs. " My advice is, don't listen to that, "
he added. " Listen to your own code of
ethics and your business best practices -
your core values. Listen to that, rather than
people just trying to make an easy sale. "
Equally important, Wilson implored, is
not to be one of those integrators sitting at
a project-kickoff meeting, secretly knowing
your fi rm isn't going to profi t from that
job. Instead, fi nd clients who recognize
the art and science of AV integration and
who value your fi rm's expertise. Find
customers who seek a long-term relationship,
rather than a simple, one-time
design-and-installation gig. " Our mindset
as solution providers, " Wilson concluded,
" is really to focus on what happens aſt er
that. " CI
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Commercial Integrator October 2022

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