Can you help me? Can you fix it?” Bill McGovern heard these questions almost every week in his septic tank pumping business.
While pumping tanks, he regularly uncovered needed repairs that generate the questions from customers. For years, he referred customers to an installer friend, Donald Thompson. But then he decided he couldn’t ignore an obvious growth opportunity. And Thompson, a skilled installer, saw that the infrastructure McGovern had would let him move to the next level. So, together, they formed McGovern & Co. Excavating Inc.
Located in Kennett Square, Pa., about 40 miles west of Philadelphia and 15 miles north of Wilmington, Del., the company serves parts of Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland. Founded in 1987, the company employs 10 people and operates from the same office and with the same administrative support team as McGovern’s pumping business, Wm. P. McGovern Inc.
A matter of trust
Then and now, pumping customers seek McGovern’s expertise when they have onsite system problems. And homebuyers and builders now look to McGovern Excavating to install new systems. “Our customers trust our judgment, and they tell their friends and neighbors,” McGovern says. This trust evolves from positive, collaborative relationships, often nurtured over an open septic tank while discussing solutions to a problem, or at a predevelopment planning meeting in the office or in the field.
Rapport building begins during the first customer contact. The tone and tenor of a conversation with the office staff lets customers know they are dealing with the right company. Sometimes the staff has to help customers understand what service they are seeking, and sometimes customers know what they need before they call. “Whatever the situation, we take care of customers’ needs,” says Randy Dietterick, general manager.
As McGovern, Thompson and Dietterick see the need or opportunity, they educate the customer. This willingness to give knowledge away solidifies the customer connection and builds trust. “A customer’s trust generates far more business than a full-page Yellow Pages ad,” says McGovern. Sixty to 65 percent of the installation and repair business comes directly from pumping contracts. The balance comes by word-of-mouth from former customers.
