Fairness And Openness

Düsseldorf painter Jörg Schmitz focuses on private customers - and on special services. The Schmitz company in Düsseldorf is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. It was founded in 1956 by the father, who essentially led her as the sole master. For health reasons, he handed the company over to his son Jörg in 1989. At that time he was 26 years old = " and had just finished his business administration in the craft. He started his father's company in 1979 as an apprentice, had worked there as a journeyman and had made his master at the age of 21. Today Jörg Schmitz runs a company with six journeyman and three trainees, his wife Irene manages the office. She masters the computer programs, writes the bills and is the friendly telephone voice,which ensures constant availability. Workshop and office are separate, the office in the Hellerhofer private house, the workshop in the neighboring district of Urdenbach. In the morning Jörg Schmitz is the first in the workshop. Most employees go directly to the construction sites. He is always on site at the start of work, supervises the construction sites during the day, and the inevitable office work takes place in the evenings and weekends. Focus on private customers When expanding the company, Jörg Schmitz remained true to his father's philosophy. He relied entirely on private customers, who still make up around 85 percent of the customer base. The private customer business has its own special rules and can only be operated successfully if the company is fully geared to their needs. It starts with working hours. Anyone who works in large companiesis used to having to start work on time and to finish work just as punctually. Some new journeies at Jörg Schmitz had to adjust. The start of work is smooth. If the customer wants to have breakfast in peace before the painters come, it only starts at 9 a.m. With corresponding consequences for the end of the working day. You have to spend time to get ready. And for this Jörg Schmitz needs flexible employees with the same spouses. How do you motivate employees? The team is stable, the longest-serving journeyman has been with us for 16 years. The pressure is often greater than in large companies. The employees are virtually under constant supervision. Either the customer is there or the boss looks after the right thing. What do people think about Schmitz? It's the nice customersthe demanding work and the good atmosphere that hold the team together. What is the climate like? Praise and recognition, openness to each other and a certain flexibility of boss and colleagues when it comes to personal matters. Schmitz is proud that he always had enough work to keep his team busy even in the winter months. That counts for the employees. You cultivate the good climate consciously and see yourself once or twice a year in your free time and with the wife, also to thank you for your understanding. New business by recommendation New customers come almost exclusively by recommendation. Why is the Schmitz company recommended? Above all because of the friendliness of the employees and their willingness to work. "Can't do it - there isn't" is the motto here. But also because of the reliability and cleanliness with which the work is done, and because the boss always has an open ear for his customers. "The customer no longer wants to be king today," says Jörg Schmitz, "who wants people to respond to him, be punctual and deliver quality and, if the worst comes to the worst, quickly repair it free of charge." Some customers have been with us for 50 years. Schmitz is passed on in the families and in the streets. The master is proud of that. Sometimes it is enough to leave your car on a street and there is a piece of paper under the windshield wiper: "Call us!" Well-known appearance This works because the company's cars are known throughout the city due to their clear corporate design. Jörg Schmitz is particularly impressed by the appearanceeven if many colleagues are still smiling about it. The easily recognizable company logo can be found on the clothing of the employees, on the vehicles, on the scaffolding, on signs in the stairwells and of course on the business printed matter. Especially in private customer business, the external appearance of the journeyman and apprentices is a confidence-building measure. That is why the uniform work clothes are provided by the company, they are washed by the employee at home. Awareness is very important for Schmitz. Once he accepted an order at scarce prices only on the condition that he was allowed to put his advertising on the scaffolding. Then his scaffolding signs hung in the middle of Düsseldorf city center for eight weeks. So the order still paid off. Cooperation with others The company has been cooperating with other craftsmen for three years. Electricians, carpenters, plumbers and tilers are represented there. That brings every additional customer, you understand each other and help each other. This makes things go faster on the construction site, and this is precisely where the customer benefits. Schmitz could not imagine a firmer form of cooperation. His own identity and the feeling of being his own master are very important to him and come first. Facade protection letter Jörg Schmitz has been part of the "Herbol facade protection letter" from the very beginning. As a licensed partner, he participated in qualifications and seminars and can use the system today. "A good thing," says Jörg Schmitz,“Expertise is becoming more and more important and you really could learn something there. And the whole thing also has a bonus for the customer in terms of warranty.”Schmitz, for example, has repaired a flood-prone property near the Rhine, where it was impossible to give a five-year warranty. But the customer was immediately ready to accept the annual inspections, after all it is an advantage if the property remains in good condition. Jörg Schmitz finds the openness and honesty that are part of the company philosophy in the facade protection letter. And things are on point. “The facade protection letter and the offers that you make on this basis simply signal greater professionalism. And that is a huge plus, especially for commercial customers such as architects and property managers. "says Schmitz. That is not his customer focus, but he also wants to make progress here. Overall, he is happy with what he has achieved. And it is still fun for everyone - the boss and the employees. Helmut Becker