I am in the process of getting quotes for a new fence for our backyard. I invited one local business and one major home improvements store, Home Depot, to my home to place bids.
Mike's Fencing was about to come out the day after I contacted them, were on time and pleasant to have at my home. They left a bid without too many questions and I felt very comfortable with them and their product options. They also called to follow up on their proposal.
Scheduled a week later (presumably because they're sooo busy) was the contractor for Home Depot. This guy was late, although he called. I found this guy very pushy and too much a salesman...which is a lot considering I've been in sales myself for over 10 years. He asked to see the other quotes which I felt was rude. He also said he was obligated to show me the Home Depot product but that it was not of high quality. He went on to push his own line of products. He also made a point to tell me how busy they were and were having to schedule at least 3-4 weeks out. It's important to note that I have a deadline that needs to be met for this project. He asked me for specific dates, which is good, but I went to get my own calendar and he tried to get me to come back to look at his. I have my own calendar and appointments that I need to be mindful of, I found it presumptious of him to think that his calendar would suffice.
What is most concerning is that he was using the Home Depot brand to sell himself and his services while at the same time disparaging the Home Depot product. He also used the fact that he was with Home Depot as a reason not to buy from a local business. This also alientated me because I have spent my career helping local businesses compete in local markets via their advertising choices.
So I have some advice for the large retailers out there:
1) Be careful which contractors you choose to work with, they may not be working for you at all
2) Disuade those contractors from using your brand status as a reason for someone not to go local, it is desperate and tacky
I think I'll be going with the local business, Mike's Fencing for this project.
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