ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area What's Your Secret? It's safe with me....

OK Guys it's time to share that money making secret that sets you appart from your competition. Whether it's a wiring method or a sales tactic, it's time to share with your fellow 'lectricians.

One of my best techniques that keeps me busy is the ability to fish wires in houses without cutting drywall. Just yesterday I had to get a wire between 2 recessed cans 12 feet appart, going against the joist. This house had crown molding, so I put my entire arm in the can hole and took a claw hammer and carefully beat a hole in the drywall ceiling behind the molding, repeating at the other can. Then I took a fish tape and worked it down the molding, attached a wire and pulled it through the crown molding. This process took 2 hours for me and a helper, so patience is needed, but I can demand a premium price and my customers were ammazed and very happy that they don't have to hire a painter to repair the ceiling.

OK, your turn!

Me, I try to be 100% code compliant... Unfortunately, that one thing does set me apart from the rest of the Sparky's here...

However, it's harder to market that "tactic" than I thought... No one really seems to care anything about code. The bottom line says it all.

I offer a personalized service. I work for many outofstatersecondhomeowner types. They lovee-mail, e-catalogs,etc.
I e-mail prints to them......
( little do they know the software says 8-12 yr old range....)

not always Virg.....

Just my wonderful personality The customers trust me and seldom question.

Although I'm not in the same industry my secret is/can be universal:

I am a professional shrew with a generous dose of negotiator and advocate thrown in.

I help whomever enlists (translated: pays) me and my services to get things done.

I attempt to:
- make start up easier (research & do legwork to make preparing proposals easier)
- prepare documentation (packages for customer, compliance docs for regulations, monthly reports, etc)
- keep people updated (monthly reports, phone calls, meeting coordinator, email queen)
- prod folks who seem to be unaware or inattentive to what they're supposed to be doing & when or where
- make managers look good by giving them nice pieces of paper to look at and hand out (it keeps them from dabbling)
- assist with problem resolution
- assist with administrative wrap-up on projects
- assist with (dabble in) process improvement

Sparky66wv, everyone in this trade has devised their own way of being effeicient and
code compliant in everyday, or uncommon task. However I do agree there are more hacks out there than true craftsmen. But you seem to be saying you are the only one here that is caught up in code installations. I appologize if I misinterpreted your post.

Roger

I mean here in Greenbrier County, WV, not as compared to the professionalism here on
ECN.

I'll have a new thread in the violations photos section that illustrates my frustration.

I apologize if indeed, you are from Greenbrier County, WV and do code compliant work.

I've yet to run across any 100% code compliant work that either myself, my partner, or my mentor did not do. And sometimes we were only at 99% or so.



[This message has been edited by sparky66wv (edited 06-06-2002).]

Of course you had the 1" or more to be compliant, or a plate under that crown mold.
Do you care to tell us how your install meets Code?

Sparky66wv, I did truly misinterpret your post. You are right that if you are trying to sell a code compliant job and Joe Idiot is telling the customer that he can do it cheaper, the naive customer will always take the Idiot over you. This is where inspections help everyone from customer to contractor. (I know you didn't need me to tell you this)

Roger

electure, I can't say that this installation is 100% code compliant, however the code does allow execeptions for inaccessible work. the closest example I can find is:
(1999) 336-18 Exception No. 1: For concealed work in finished builings or finished panels for (or) prefabricated buildings where such supporting is impracticable, it shall be permissible to fish cable between access points.

Yes, that referrence is for support, not protection, but it shows the variances alowed for fishing wires. I've had installations such as the one I described above inspected many times by some tough inspectors and never been questioned about the method. On new installations you would be hard pressed to find even a minor violation in work performed by my company, I know the inspectors can't. The only red tag we've gotten in the last 2 years was because we ran a phone jack without pulling a separate low voltage permit, in other words the county wanted the $50 for the permit.