In Search of Perfection

For example, there’s the “spot” on the counter that stands out, such as that silver streak or white mineral in the middle of the Absolute Black that the customer views with disdain? I like to point out that both Marilyn Monroe’s and Cindy Crawford’s mothers pointed out their daughters’ moles as a negative when they were young, but those beauty marks turned out making them unique – and regarded as beautiful – in the long run.

And the travertine with holes? I point out that the reason they bought it in the first place was because of its worn, historic look. (We’ll ignore that it was cheaper than the compact limestone.) And, it’s common that the stone will have holes.

Our company is well known for repairing travertine, so we get asked many questions on how long repairs will last after we’re done. While I can’t guarantee the stone (perfection is an illusion and anything natural is a wild card), we do guarantee the fill. It’s no different than the plastic surgeon guaranteeing your new nose, but not being responsible for a skin condition on your calf.

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One committee (nothing like multiple critics on the same job) asked me why they should restore their travertine instead of just replacing it with porcelain (which they viewed as low- maintenance). While I won’t bad-mouth the man-made product (which isn’t as perfect as it appeared in cost-comparisons, especially for that situation), all I could do was focus on the reasons they chose stone in the first place.

I then told them that I have a girlfriend who’s younger than I am. And then I asked them what stopped me from “trading up” to one that’s even younger? My answer: Sooner or later you have to realize that you have a good thing and that your alternate choices will have problems too. You just don’t see them until they move in.

The other predicament I’ve seen with perfection will involve employees and/or owners who spend too much time on the little things that won’t matter. “Now hold on there, Big Tom,” I’m hearing more than a few of you say, “you promote your company as the biggest and best in the world, and now you have a problem with perfection?”

Sure, in that perspective, you could call me a hypocrite. Before you break out the pitchforks and torches, let me explain: Yes, we’re renowned worldwide for quality, but quality and perfection are two very different things.

My specific complaint in this search for perfection involves the workers wasting valuable man-hours on their knees trying to remove minor imperfections (a derivative of perfection) that aren’t visible to the naked eye from 4’ off the ground, when they could be focusing their time and talent on the points of issue that the customer is more-concerned with (and will focus on) in main traffic areas.

Spending too much time on these issues that customers don’t acknowledge or care about can prove frustrating for them, because their home or business is occupied by your crew and making a mess sweating the insignificant details. They want you to fix their problem -not yours.

And, it’s your problem because you’re focused on it as your ideal of perfection – not your customers’. The secret of Great Northern Stone being so great is that we focus on the customer’s needs, not ours. And to the customer, that makes us perfect.

Until next time, keep your stick on the ice, and I’ll see you at StonExpo next January in Las Vegas.

Tom McNall is founder and owner of Great Northern Stone Care, a Huron Park, Ontario-based stone-cleaning and -restoration company servicing all of southern Ontario. Tom offers corporate and private consultations, serves as a trainer for the Marble Institute of America, and is also on the organization’s board of directors. McNall can be reached at stone_rx@earthlink.net.

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