To re-engage a client

Talk to the lawyers and ask them what you need to do to get their work again. Don't mention the other surveyor. Tell them that you have always given them your best service. If that doesn't work, then they obviously aren't interested in what you've been giving them.

Man, oh, man. That's a tough one.

My gut reaction would be to approach your best contacts there and work some magic without drawing any kind of attention to the other surveyor or his work. Put it simply. Why am I not meeting your needs??? How do I/we fix this as soon as possilbe??? I have invested in you at the expense of other potential clients and this is putting me in an awkward position. Do you really want me to treat you like a standard client rather than as a preferred client as I have done for X years??? Tell me now if I need to start accepting other jobs instead of focusing on yours.

Thanks for your interest. I think you're on the right track.

Definitely do not go flashing the other surveyor's work. First not ethical second the lawyers are only interested in the provided product accomplishing the necessary outcome.

Definitely make an appointment with one or both the partners for an after work beer at bar and simply say that you have realized that their source of work had dried up. It just may be that the para legal is auto feeding the survey work out to her contact with out the partners knowledge.

Suggest you ask if there is any way (in I assume a small town) that they could share out the survey work so you can all eat and given that you believe that you had always delivered a good product.

They just may not realize that the lack of their survey work is hurting you.

It sure is a trap in small business to have too many eggs in one basket, but sometimes that is the nature of how the jobs roll in.

RADU

Do you still have that good social relationship with them outside of work? I have this feeling that they may be experiencing a downturn in their business and that may in turn be causing them to seek out a surveyor who works for less than you do or they may just be trying to get their survey work done for less - period. If so, it may be that they will continue to use the other surveyor for the easy surveys and only give you the rush jobs or difficult jobs. I can't imagine that a firm of attorneys would change their long lasting relationship with a surveyor simply because a paralegal preferred to use a different surveyor - are you certain that this is their real reason for switching or simply the one that they came up with? Lastly, don't discount the possibility that the other surveyor may be giving them really cut rate deals or even giving them kickbacks for giving him work - it does happen more often than you might want to think. I would arrange a meeting with the one attorney who you think might have the most clout with the firm and who you are closest in friendship with. Tell him/her how important that their survey orders were for you and how a large part of your success was dependent on their firm and then ask what it would take to get their business back. They know the quality and timeliness of your work already, so you need to ask them what extra you need to bring to the table. Just be ready to hear what they might tell you if they decide to be honest with you. Lastly, get busy finding other firms or clients who can make up for the loss of their work supply. They may come back eventually, but you will be stronger if you don't have to wait on them. Just remember that nothing lasts forever and things do and will change.Good luck!

A while back, a surveyor asked for similar advice when his contact at a law firm went on extended leave. Although his contact wasn't one of the attorneys at the firm, she was a paralegal and controlled much of the ordering for real estate closings.

I suggested he keep in touch with his contact and continue to provide the best work product he could to his remaining clients...

In musical chairs, sometimes it seems like the music will never end.

Good luck, JB.

Have you tried talking to your surveying colleague?
Let him know what's happening to your business. He might be in a position to back off a bit, or give you some other leads.
Honest and up-front should work best, and you'll sleep better at night.

> Have you tried talking to your surveying colleague?
> Let him know what's happening to your business. He might be in a position to back off a bit, or give you some other leads.
> Honest and up-front should work best, and you'll sleep better at night.

Quite honestly, that's ridiculous. There is no way in the world that I would tell a client that had contacted me for work, "I'm sorry, but Jim Bob Surveyor doesn't want me working for you."

I feel for you, JB.

Can you ask for a compromise? Maybe half the work for now? More than likely, this will turn back in your favor.

In the interim, use this time as an opportunity to diversify and make new relationships.

Maybe this will be a blessing rather than a curse.

JB

You are one of the guys here that I admire and I value your input and insight.

Your situation is not uncommon, as all business relationships are never stagnant. I'm certain that you will evaluate this, look at it from all perspectives and ultimatly make the correct dissision on how to move forward to re-engage this client.

Having said that, I'll offer a little input.

I would try to open a dialog with the decision makers at the law firm and inquire as to why the fall off of work. Was it something you did? Did you upset a client? Did you miss a deadline? Is it cost, delivery, presentation of work?

Let them know that you value their relationship (not that they don't know this already, but emphasize it) and that you are aware that work that would have normally gone to you has been routed to another vendor. The decision makers need to know that you know this.

As far as bringing up deficiencies of the other guy, doing so could be off putting and unbecoming. If there is a comparison to be made, emphasize your strengths and qualities, the obvious differences should hit home.

Your situation does hit home with me and a client that I had 10 years ago. Work orders seemed to slow down over a couple months, then ultimately stopped. Each time when I made contact with the client, they assured me all was well and there was nothing wrong. After many months of no work, I made an appointment with the head manager. My approach was open, honest and straight forward, basically asking 'what happened and why'? - His response was it was about price. He did not give a flip about quality, accuracy, presentation or even an occasional missed deadline. It was solely about price. He then held up two pieces of paper and said to me, if I can get a sheet of paper for $5 less, then that's the paper I'm buying. -- Long story short, I lost the client, and they (mortgage banker) went out of business 9 months later.

Your situation is different, as your client is an attorney who should understand quality and accuracy and the value of long term relationships. Unfortunately, if the situation is about nepotism you will have a long row to hoe.

Keep after it, the absolute worst thing you can do is to ignore it.

Based upon your writings on this board in the past, I'm certain that you will handle the problem in a very tactful and business like manner, that has been well thought out, based upon rational and sensible evaluations of the facts, not based upon emotion.

Thanks for letting us know of your situation, and please keep us informed.

Tommy Young's first response and 6th PM above just about cover it.

Once you find out where everyone stands, then you'll be able to think about your next move.

But, it's clear by your conversation with the one partner that they KNOW work has been re-routed.....the simple reality is that if there's a friendship or familial relationship with this returning employee, there may not be anything you can do about it.

Keep in mind that the days of quality work being evaluated as opposed to "quick and cheap" are long gone....even to close associates and long-time clients, in most cases your survey is now just a piece of paper to be collected and marked off on a checklist.

If it's a matter of fees, well, then you have a tough decision to make.

After another sleepless night, here's where I'm at:

I am going to set up a meeting outside the office with at least the two partners. If I can get them to bring the paralegal, so much the better.

I will not mention any other surveyor they may be using or hand them one of his plats for comparison.
I do have an example of a hand-drawn plat from a surveyor who I know they don't use. He "surveys" with a museum-piece transit and a 200' cloth tape stuck in the ground with a screwdriver. I am NOT making that up. His plat was given to me by a builder for a new house layout. I will have to re-survey the lot, at the owner's expense, because this map is so poor I will not move forward with it. That guy will probably be turned into the board after I get a look at the lot.

I am only using his plat as an example of the alternative to my product, not the technical aspects of the survey. I want to highlight the value I bring to the table in the name of serving their clients. One thing I want to touch on is the fact that the hand-drawn plat has very little value in any future improvements the buyer might want to make. My digital file can easily be incorporated with design/grade/build contractors. We're talking the biplane/F-16 or record album/CD as far as the tech advantage of my product. There is a place for those old technologies, I don't think this is it.

I have a number of bullet points like that and I could go on but I'm sure you all are getting the gist. I will compete like hell, using my product, service, experience our relationship, and lastly price if need be.

I cannot compete against the whims of an office worker who's allegiance lies with a surveyor and not the end user.

I appreciate your counsel, and I feel better knowing y'all are out there. It feels good to be taking action, but the nights are a real bitch.

Thanks again,
JB

I just got a call back from the atty. It's beers tomorrow after work.
The door is cracked, I just have to step through and hit a homer.
Feeling a little better.

Good luck.

The cost thing is bothering me a bit. I would think that your bill would be passed through directly to the ultimate client. A few bucks one way or the other should be irrelevant.

It's your call but the show-and-tell idea with the hand-drawn plat would not be something I would do. At least you're not using the paralegal's guy as a bad example but I think the fact that they are meeting you for the beer summit is a good sign that they are willing to hear you out.

I would be real straightforward and just tell them that the loss of their business has been rough on you and ask if there was anything other than the paralegal's preference that caused them to stop sending you their work. Don't be afraid to brag a little about the pride you take in a quality product and how you think your services have been an asset to their firm.

Good luck. I'll bet they start sending you some jobs right away after your meeting.

Order a round of Natty Lites....that oughta show them you are cost conscious.:-|

I wouldn't beg. Once they know that you're having a hard time without them, they'll start putting the screws to you.

You can't use a screwdriver to hold a cloth tape in place? Just kidding, good luck and think positive...:-)