You Can Quote Me On That

A company out of Virginia asked for help developing a safety program, since that is one of the things we do best, we gave them a call. We are more than capable of not only determining what is needed at any given company in order to comply with OSHA standards, but also exceeding industry specific best practices. We expressed what was needed to comply with current standards and  they wanted to go above and beyond to give their safety program a personal touch.

This is one of my favorite parts of my job, exceeding compliance. For some some companies it meas designing a monthly newsletter, handing out colored glossy topic cards, or rewriting Material Safety Data Sheets to make them easier to decipher. It is an opportunity to personalize their training and environment to ensure it is conducive to safer work practices, and a more enjoyable safety experience.

This company offered random thoughts and  undetermined ideas that spun around us like a whirlwind. I felt like Dorothy in the midst of the storm, with no definitive direction. They requested that we spend the next undetermined amount of time helping them meet undetermined goals.  How do you quote that?

We need to understand the goals of a company in order to make a plan and fairly evaluate the resources need to reach those goals before we issue a quote.

Never wanting to turn down anyone who who is genuinely interested in improving their safety culture, I was concerned. There have been times when we simply could not fit ourselves into the time constraints of a random company needing training, but to turn down a company for lack of clear goals was a new experience for me.

 I suggested that we just quote them a reasonable annual salary and offer to help them with whatever they need for the next twelve months. At the time, I thought it was an amazing opportunity to be paid (up front) to travel my own yellow brick road back and forth to Virginia and give my professional opinion on all the new and creative ideas. I was excited about getting my nose out of the black and white law book and putting it to use with some colorful new clients.

Our more seasoned safety specialist was able to give me some perspective. He explained that without clear goals, there is no way to determine anything about the project and committing to be at the disposal of this company for the next year, even if they agreed to the quote, could jeopardize the time we have set aside for our current clients.

I know the obvious answer here is to charge them enough to justify anything they may throw at us or put us through in the next year. We should factor in any inconvenience we may encounter, quote enough to justify any client loss, and be thankful we are living the American dream. The truth is, for Safety Source, it's not about the American dream or how much money we can make.

It's about how many people we can influence to become safer people, how many positive ripples spread the idea of educating yourself and eachother. It's about encouraging others to become their best selves and being compensated only for the positive changes we can make in your work environment and in the minds of our students. It's about creating in ourselves a resource for others, a relationship others can trust in when they need some specialized direction. I have that with my clients and I could never justify removing the resource that is "Safety Source," for anything in the world. Our success is not found in money, it is in relationships and the trust others have in us to always do what is best for them.

Although we work nation wide, are impeccably trained, and are among the top safety specialist anywhere, we are not a big name firm with a quota and a business loan. We are a dad and a daughter who see the value in every person we help, whether they own a multi-million dollar company or run the forklift.

We didn't quote the Virginia job, although we knew they would pay whatever we asked for in the annual contract. I won't be off to the Emerald City on my broomstick, because as Dad said when we made the final decision, "When I finally get home, I want to know I earned what I was paid."

Why carry the stress of knowing you quoted someone unfairly, and you don't deserve your wage, into your home? Your home is your place of refuge, to be protected and enjoyed.

 "There's no place like home," and you can quote me on that.