PRESIDENT’S LETTER Chris Walker If you’re reading this, you are already ahead of the game. Why? Because as a professional in your trade, you belong to one of the nation’s largest independent indus- try trade associations dedicated to training and professional develop- ment. I am presuming that you are receiving this because you care, you want to learn more, and you want to be better at what you do. Everything the NTCA does is meant to provide some benefit to our members, partners and dedicated professionals engaged in the instal- lation of tile and allied products. It takes time and dedication to be an experienced craftsperson. You only get better by being dedicated to improving the services you pro- vide. When you deliver with a high degree of professionalism, it will be evident by your results that you are a trained and skilled craftsper- son. Your expertise has value and did not occur accidentally. It took several years of dedication, effort and no doubt some pain. There is at least one thing that consistently separates successful craftspeople or companies from those who are unsuccessful: the ability to explain to a customer why their installations have value above the tile – and why the qual- ity of the installation below the tile may be even more important. Your skills suit the needs of the project. Delivering that message in a cred- ible way requires experience and expertise, which has been gained through sacrifice and commitment. You should get paid for that! Clients who only want to talk about how cheaply you can per- form the work are not clients you want to keep. They will never acknowledge the value of your commitment and experience. You may occasionally need to take a job or two from clients like these. In that case, they are serving your purpose and are a means to an end. Even in those circumstances you still need to deliver your best product. That may be the reference you need to turn the next corner or lead you to discover your new best client. You just never know. The reward and accomplishment come when you get to a level of experience which you can confi- dently present to a buyer, design- Professional craftspeople, are made, not born! 18 TileLetter | January 2019