much passion for their project as we did? How could this be more important to us than it was to them? At that moment, I knew we would not be doing the project – a $2 million-plus project gone. A year of pre-construction budgets and work. Probably a solid month of estimat- ing, pricing exercises and scope of work clarifications. In those moments you have to remember that there will always be someone willing to do a job for less than you will. Remember last month’s message was, “You should get paid for that!” Our chair- man says, “There is always some- one willing to accept a standard less than what you are willing to accept.” This does not that mean you need to lower your standard. It may require you to continually monitor and re-evaluate your business and identify new ways to show your value. It may require you to target certain clients, projects or instal- lations that showcase your exper- tise or commitment. Don’t give up. Keep doing the work that meets your standard of excellence. Sometimes your standard will exceed what the client thinks they need. That’s okay, you are the expert. Don’t be afraid to lose a job that will ultimately cost you because you competed only by a price established by someone willing to do less, for less. You bet it makes it harder. But keeping to your level of commitment will always eventually bring you the type of projects you are looking for. You may just need to keep standing on your soap box! Chris Walker NTCA President Vice President, David Allen Company Chairman - ANSI A-108 Chairman US TAG ISO T-189 Board of Directors ABC-VA Voting Member TCNA Handbook Voting Member NTCA Reference Manual chriswalker@davidallen.com PRESIDENT'S LETTER ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– The VOICE of the TILE CONTRACTOR The NTCA Reference Manual was developed to identify recurring challenges to successful installations of tile and stone,recognize potential problems,and to gain consensus from industry experts on offering solutions. Now available for purchase in print or digital down- load.www.tile-assn.com 20 TileLetter | February 2019