It is somewhat ironic that one of the more sought after and pricey stones available, a diamond, is also the one that many of us purchase on the front end of marriage at a stage of life where resources and bank accounts are typically limited. But in that the search for just the right diamond, most of us also scramble to understand (if we are even aware of) the 4C’s (Cut, Clarity, Color and Carat), prioritizing which will be most important to our purchase on limited funds. When it comes to stucco repair work (and life), there are 4C’s that are even more important and worth getting a balanced amount of.
Communication:
The element of surprise is never welcomed when it comes to home repairs. Much, if not most, of the repair work we see and do on stucco homes is hidden behind seemingly solid surfaces. Visible cracks, which understandably alarm people, are often not the real problem. The level of communication required from stucco inspectors to us and, ultimately, to the owner becomes critical. There are many unknowns and unfortunate discoveries that can only be made once the repair work begins. The expectation setting and ongoing dialog become the trust-building framework from which potentially important but difficult conversations and decisions must happen and be made. We are no different than any other B to C business in that we value and appreciate 5-star reviews, but it is interesting that it is often the intentional communication we provide is often cited as the reason for receiving such high marks.
Competency:
Plain and simple, at the end of the day, the quality of the work we do matters and is the best reflection others have of us and the organizations we represent. There is something to Malcolm Gladwell’s thesis that it takes 10,000 hours of intensive training, practice, and effort on a specific task to be able to claim mastery. Leadership expert Dr. Henry Cloud, in his book Trust, refers to this idea of ability as the third of the five essentials he argues comprise trust. Someone’s willingness to go all in on trust will always be dependent on the other person/group delivering on their claim of being good at something. Stucco provides a unique and customized look to the exterior of home, but with it comes with a high level of commitment to its upkeep via those firms that specialize both in inspecting it and doing any necessary repairs and ongoing preventative maintenance. The only thing worse than ignoring a potential or real problem (which isn’t advised) is moving forward with someone who lacks the Malcolm Gladwell level of expertise to fix it the correct way.
Consistency: We should all want to be accused of being dependable – that aspirational but achievable quality that cannot be claimed after just one or even a few successful outcomes. Only after enough of those results have happened with the kind of predictability that people simply count on, do we get to claim our dependability merit badge. When thinking about the world of stucco repairs on homes, our daily efforts and energy center around the idea of consistency, or delivery of a service and effort that can be counted on.
Confidence: Just reading that word probably elicits a wide range of emotions based on our experiences with various situations and people throughout our lives. It is a little bit like goldilocks. When there is an overabundance of it (competency run amuck), it translates into off-putting arrogance. When someone has too little of it, it’s unsettling. However, when confidence operates in its sweet spot between those first two, it induces a reassuring, sigh of relief moment in its recipient. We get the privilege of seeing this play out on a weekly, if not daily basis, when helping coach and walk people through stucco repairs. We find that people simply need from us empathy (we care and understand) and knowledge (we’ve seen this before and can walk you through it), and those two ingredients when fused together create a level of confidence that allows for the needed work to be clearly explained and then executed.
It is not surprising that when a diamond scores high in all four of the “C’s”, the price quickly escalates to reflect that rare foursome of qualities. And a diamond retains its value because those characteristics remain unchanged for the life of the diamond. Unfortunately, in life, with people and groups, the elevated levels of all four of those C’s noted above are never set and must constantly be fostered, evolved, and grown to ensure the desired effect. But when achieved, its value is arguably more coveted because of the level of attention and care required to both reach and maintain these levels of quality. Stucco repair is only considered a “niche” until it is your home that requires not just the needed skill to repair it but a company with the 4C’s that can help you safely navigate your home back to a better place.