Southwest Industrial Electric is an industry-leading electrical solutions provider based in Los Angeles, CA. In this episode, CEO Kristin Larson, and COO Elizabeth Rochefort, share the mindset and strategies that have helped their business cultivate long-lasting customer relationships. 

Great Customer Relationships

Kristin and Elizabeth highlight how the customer relationship is prioritized and given intentional focus. This is a value that is ingrained in their sales team from the moment a new employee begins their job. They understand that creating great relationships and return customers is a key part of their role in the company. 

From working hard to meet concerns, budget restraints, and schedule changes, Southwest is willing to do what it takes to continue the relationship. 

“The big thing that Southwest really focuses on is that we kind of operate like we are part of the customer’s team... Even though we’re a totally different company and different entity, we operate like we are a branch of your company. If you need something done, we’re going to make it happen... And that’s kind of the philosophy we’ve always taken. So, with these customers that we’ve had for forever, they all know that they can call us at any time and we’re going to from our scheduling, to our electricians, to our invoices, to everything, we’re going to make sure that we can service them with what they need.” - Elizabeth

Kristin and Elizabeth both credit clear communication as a core principle in creating great relationships, from big jobs to little residential jobs. 

• Receptionists are always on call and ready to connect the customer with the right person, answer questions, and solve problems.
• Schedulers call customers the day before the job to let them know what the schedule looks like and what to expect. 
• Electricians are trained to clearly communicate what they are working on, keep their space clean, and let the customer know when the job is finished and any necessary updates. 

Longevity Is a Choice

Kristin and Elizabeth both share that this mindset of longevity has always been what drives the business, ever since the company was founded 40 years ago. This mindset guides all of their business decisions and is reflected in how they treat their employees and customers. Being a part of something that is continuing to thrive and grow makes everyone feel important, valued, and recognized, which results in return customers and happy employees. 

Identifying Your Ideal Customer

Southwest works in both the residential and commercial and industrial space. 

Identifying the ideal customer for their business model has been a formative piece of their success. However, even if a business doesn’t check all of the boxes of their ideal customer, they still treat them with the same care and expertise with the hopes that the relationship will be fruitful and long-lasting. This approach has helped them balance their customer base and tackle the challenge of quality vs. quantity while working toward growth. 

In-House Approach to Public Relations

The electrical contracting world often isn’t regarded as highly in social circles as many other roles like being an actor or a fashion designer. 

“I just sort of always felt like there was this idea of it that was just not necessarily good. It wasn’t like ‘Oh wow, cool, you do that?’ …so we also really want to spread the word and get good PR out there for the electrical contracting industry as well as contractors in general, sort of set the example, and get more people doing the same thing because we love what we do, we think it’s super interesting to be able to provide a service that so many people can’t operate without this service. We’re working for people in the aerospace industry where they’re building rocket ships... we’re doing projects to expand distribution companies that service the world. That’s really fun!” - Kristin

Kristin and Elizabeth are passionate about increasing awareness and respect around the trades and their essential expertise. At Southwest, they treat their installations and their work as art, they get involved in community events to help others and increase their visibility, and use their social media and YouTube accounts to share their work and showcase who they are. Through these intentional connections with their community, they hope other contractors will be inspired by their example and join them in highlighting the amazing opportunities in this field of work.

Customer testimonials are another important part of Southwest’s PR strategy. Kristin makes it a priority to share their testimonials in their monthly newsletters to customers, on social media, and with their staff to keep everyone encouraged. 

Advice

1. Focus on helping people. If that’s what’s driving your actions, that will come through to the people you’re working with and they will appreciate that. 
2. When your employees are happy and feel invested in, that will show in their work, impact your customers, and help your business grow.