21 Business Rules for Surveyors

Something I was sent recently that I thought I would share. I don't know who to credit unfortunately.

BUSINESS RULES FOR SURVEYORS

Twenty-One Common Sense Observations

Theorem 1: If your customers are not complaining, you're not charging enough.
Corollaries:
When making an estimate, watch closely for signs that your customer thinks its good deal.
If they don't squirm enough on a regular basis, you need to raise your rates.

Theorem 2: If you have so much work, you can't get it done as soon as your customers would like, you're not charging enough.
Corollaries:
In the long run, you will only prosper if you are able to get the work done on time.
Regulate your workload by establishing prices high enough to discourage some customers.

Theorem 3: If you're not making money, you're not charging enough.
Corollaries:
The single most important reason that surveyors don't make money is that they're afraid to
charge enough for their services.
If you charge enough, you will make money.

Theorem 4: If your rates are the same as everyone's you're not charging enough.
Corollaries:
Surveyors generally don't have the grit to charge enough.
The "competition" probably set their rates based on yours or someone like you..

Theorem 5: If your rates are the same as everyone's, you're making a big mistake.
Corollaries:
There is no rational reason to base your rates on what others do.
Rates should be based on two things: value and cost.

Theorem 6: If you don't have much work, it's not because you charge too much.
Corollaries:
Never in the history of surveying business has a surveyor priced his or her company out of the market. If you don't have much work, it's probably because you can't deliver.

Theorem 7:
Don't worry about the firm down the street - make them worry about you.
Corollaries:
Being a leader is better than being a follower.
If your rates are higher than their rates, they will eventually ratchet their rates upward.

Theorem 8:
Bad situations don't get better by themselves, and they won't go away.
Corollaries:
Take care of a problem immediately.
Problems just get worse with time if they are not solved.

Theorem 9:
The sooner you fix a problem, the better off you will be.
Corollaries:
If you can solve a problem, the quicker the solution, the better the result.
You can't fix a problem soon enough.

Theorem 10:
Call them before they call you.
Corollaries:
Someone calling with a problem deserves a solution.
You wouldn't tell your kids to avoid a problem they would rather avoid.
You only have a chance to solve a problem once.

Theorem 11:
When you offend someone in a business situation, you offend 250 other people as well.
Corollaries:
You can't afford to offend people in a business situation.
People talk to other people, and they might be talking about you in ways you would rather
they didn't.

Theorem 12:
When a surveyor gets hired, someone has to not trust someone - either you work and hope you
will get paid or you get paid and the client hopes you will work.
Corollaries:
Surveyors are more trustworthy than clients are.
It's better to not trust a client than have the client not trust you.
Get paid then work.
Don't work and hope you'll get paid.

Theorem 13:
Receivables may not be receivable at all.
Corollaries:
It's best to avoid having receivables.
When receivables get older than 120 days, they start to stink.

Theorem 14:
You don't need or want all the jobs.
Corollaries:
There are good jobs and bad jobs and you want the good jobs.
You don't need the bad jobs.
Let others do the bad jobs - it's in your good interest.
Bad jobs and bad clients go together and you don't need either one.

Theorem 15:
For clients, delivery is the most important part of a survey.
Corollaries:
After you negotiate a price, all that is left is for you to do the work.
If you can't deliver, you fail.

Theorem 16:
If you do what you contract to do, you deserve to be paid a fair fee.
Corollaries:
You do not determine fair fees - they are determined by value.
If you don't deliver, you don't deserve to be paid.

Theorem 17:
If you promise to do something DO IT!!
Corollaries:
Nothing will expose you as a fraud quicker than not doing what you said you would do.
"DOING IT" requires self-discipline. If you don't have it, get it.

Theorem 18:
Hourly rates with an estimate seldom make money.
Corollaries:
Usually the best you can hope for is to get the full amount of the estimate.
Under any circumstance, whether you are over or under the estimate, the client will benefit,
not the surveyor.

Theorem 19:
Lump sum fees are the only way a surveyor has a chance to make an extraordinary profit.
Corollaries:
It's OK to make a profit.
It just might be that the value of a survey far exceeds the cost.

Theorem 20:
Being busy is just doing a lot of work.
Corollaries:
There is no correlation between being busy and doing a lot of work.
Making money is unrelated to doing a lot of work.

Theorem 21:
Competition is a state of mind.
Corollaries:
If you worry about competition, you waste energy.
Set the standard in every respect, and you won't have to worry about competition.