Have you ever been in a situation where you have to prove to client that you are not like the others?  That in fact you chose this career because you want to make a difference in the practices of your profession?  Although, I do not currently sell real estate, I remember running into customers who would just lump me into the "mold" of other Realtors and assumed that I was like all the others.  I am also finding this in my current profession of construction.  This past weekend, I met with a homeowner who had been "burned" my two previous contractors and she was left with a laundry list of items that were not working (but of course she had to pay for them).  So obviously she had a bad taste about contractors and thought I was like all of the others. 

I had a great meeting with her on Saturday morning and signed her up for several projects and felt very confident that I demonstrated to her that I and many other contractors are not all bad...but only a few.  I was planning to start on Monday when she called me on Sunday morning wanting to stop the work.   She said that she was not ready and the prices were too high etc...etc....  But after talking to her in detail...(and I mean in detail), I found out that she was just frightened that I would turn out to be like the other contractors who promised everything but did not deliver.  So after much discussion and verbal promises of completion, the projects were back on schedule for the next day and my client's mind was more at ease than before.  So on Monday, it was my goal to prove to her that my firm is different from others and that unfortunately only a few are needed to spoil a profession.  As the day progressed I saw my client's mind and body relax as she finally realized that I was different from other contractors.  She felt very comfortable that she even added some additional work for that day and also added future projects.  So at the day's end, I reflected and wondered how could I make customers like this feel more comfortable at first?  Should I provide them with a written guarantee of completed service?  Should I have a customer pledge that illustrates what I will do for my customers'?   

So how do you break the mold and stand out from the crowd? What do you do or provide to clients that show them that you will complete what you promised?  Thank you!