Update on CCSVI

My mother is back from LA and her CCSVI procedure. The surgery had an immediate impact on her vision, the “MS Fog” lifted and her flexibility seemed better. Balance and other internal issues remain unchanged. The surgeon suggested that the full impact of the procedure wouldn’t be felt for a few months. So, we are monitoring her symptoms with fingers crossed.

The clinic my mother used is performing thirty CCSVI procedures per week (seventy five percent of the patients are Canadian). Our hotel had at least eight CCSVI patients.  Unbelievable!

We learned a lot about CCSVI and I wanted to share in hopes of clearing up some confusion:

• CCSVI (Chronic cerebro-spinal venous insufficiency or constricted veins) is believed to be a disease separate from MS.
• The CCSVI procedure helps symptoms directly associated with CCSVI not necessarily MS. Many CCSVI and MS symptoms are similar. CCSVI may be part of the reason why MS develops? There seems to be a bit of “chicken or egg” debate brewing.
• The CCSVI procedure is a vein angioplasty. Balloons are inserted via catheter into the constricted veins, inflated to stretch the vein, and then “deflated” and removed.
• At our clinic, stints are used in only three percent of patients.
• The idea is that the inflated veins promote better blood flow and therefore relieve some CCSVI symptoms.
• Prior to the surgery you must have an MRI specifically an MRV (which follows a very strict protocol) to review the health of your veins. In my mum’s case her jugular veins were completely collapsed on one side. You should receive a DVD of your MRV along with a DVD of your surgery showing the improvement in blood flow.
• The procedure is not perfected by any means. Veins are like elastics, they have memory, once stretched they want to revert back to their original form. To that end, many patients experience a re-occurrence of their symptoms, as their veins revert a few weeks after the procedure. The ultimate “cure” may be vein valve replacement.
• Advancement’s are happening with every procedure. Surgeons have now learned that inflating the balloons to the extent of tearing the inner lining of vein helps reduce the chance of the veins re-collapsing.
• The MRV cost twenty five hundred dollars and the CCSVI surgery costs eighty five hundred dollars.
• There have been many miraculous stories associated with CCSVI along with many disappointed patients.

I can offer no scientific data on CCSVI. My family is learning as we go just like the rest of you. Hope the information helps and good luck to anyone who is considering the procedure.

Can’t Please Them All, Doesn’t Mean You Shouldn’t Try!

Here was an unsolicited email response to our latest “Start and Finish” guarantee radio spot:

Good morning

After hearing another one of your radio ads on the Peak (I think) I thought I would write in and give you an unsolicited opinion.

First of all, let me say that it’s good to see that the BBB doesn’t have any complaints filed against you in the past 36 months, and also your high rating.  That automatically puts you ahead of about 75% of the painters out there.

As far as your radio ads go, they make me laugh when I hear them.  I think your intent is good, but your offer falls short for a couple of reasons.

A refund offer of 5% is nothing.  5% is not even a decent discount for a large job when negotiating the price.  So, to offer a 5% discount if the job isn’t finished on time is like McDonalds giving you a free apple pie if you order $20 worth of food.  It’s something, but it’s essentially nothing.  The reason it doesn’t mean anything to me, and makes me snicker, is because in almost every single instance of hiring a contractor (be it for commercial or residential purposes), the result has been the same- a HUGE inconvenience caused by jobs that are not done properly or completed on time.  Everyone I know has gone through exactly the same thing.  We recently had some contractors finishing a retail store for us, and the owner of this company showed up at our office within 30 minutes of the job being finished demanding to be paid.  We told him that as soon as we could inspect the work on the following day, we would be happy to pay him.  The next morning at 8AM he was on the phone to us, yelling and screaming, saying we were going to rip him off and not pay.  Do you know why that was?  Because upon inspection, there was a lot of the work that needed to be redone as it was done poorly.  Had we have paid him up front, or before checking the work, we would never have seen him again.  Unless it was a family friend that was hired, I have never had an experience, or known of an experience with someone using a contractor that turned out well.  Turned out well meaning the work was done properly, and on time.

Tell me, what good does a 5% refund do if you are dealing with a contactor that buggers off for days (or weeks or even months!!) at a time, leaving your home or business in a state of chaos?  I have known people that have lived in situations like that.  A job that should have taken literally a week took almost 6 months.

So, while I appreciate the sincerity of your ads, in a world where you may be the exception to the rule, your 5% back offer falls flat.

If you really are true to your word- as I suspect you may be- why not just say something like:

At Wolfgang Commercial Painters, when we give a client our word, we keep it.  Your job will be finished on time, and on spec. Period.  If it’s not, we will correct it IMMEDIATELY. 

As I said, an unsolicited opinion.

Have a great weekend,

Our Sales Representative, George, responded immediately:

We appreciate your feedback and it will be considered.  I would like to have you as our customer from now on so that your hassles may be minimized. Please read through our information package and call me so that I can learn about what you do and some of your potential needs.

Sincerely,

George

You never know, one day, because of George, our frustrated consumer may hire Wolfgang and give us a chance to prove our sincerity. Either way, I am glad that George is on our team!

Burger Fridays

We try to have fun at Wolfgang and I think this one speaks volumes. From our Operations Team:

We are at an epic moment in Wolfgang's history! Using the brain trust of Wolfgang Commercial Painters, we are embarking on the most aggressive research to-date. If done right, we may influence every man, woman and child in the Lower Mainland. As only the Wolfgang team can, we will resolve to discover, beyond a reasonable doubt "who makes the best burger in the Lower Mainland".

Greg

Researcher - Wolfgang Burger Division 

Check out our Burger blog at http://wolfgangburgerfridays.blogspot.com/. If you have a burger joint that we should check out, let us know.

Be Different or Be Dead

In business, if you are not different, if you don’t stand, out you will not grow. If you are not growing, you are dying. A little dramatic, but it’s true.

Consumers love different: Apple, FIDO, Zappos, Whole Foods, and Clearly Contacts to name a few. Why do people open up their wallets for different? Unique brands stand out amongst the clutter.  Unique offerings make the purchasing decision easier for consumers. Different compels people to buy.

Vancouver companies Provident Security and Nurses Next Door and yes, Wolfgang Commercial Painters, do a good job of standing out.  Provident offers a “Five Minute” alarm response guarantee. Brilliant! Nurse Next Door’s employees drive from customer to customer in pink/floral wrapped vehicles. Nice!

Wolfgang is proud to be to be different and we work hard to “stand out” in many areas. Instead of paper notices for our customers we set up Job Blogs to keep people informed. Choosing a color for a paint project is difficult so we offer professional color consultation on all our jobs. Painters traditionally wear white, not ours. White uniforms get messy fast, so our painters wear blue t-shirts and brown pants matching our logo.

Perhaps the best example of our quest to be different is our “Start and Finish” guarantee.  Renovation projects tend to drag on too long, in turn, upsetting the customer. We guarantee to start and finish when promised or you get five percent back.  Risky, challenging, different and our customers love it!

Of course you can’t simply be different and prosper. Your service or product needs to be consistently good, if not great. Those who are brave enough to stand out and deliver on their promise, grow, those who don’t fade away.

“No, We Don’t Subcontract”, Liar!

Franchisee, licensed applicator, contract employee, certified contractors . . . just another term for Subcontractor.

I can’t tell you how many tender meetings I have attended where the painting companies dance around the question “Do you Subcontract your work?” Here’s the truth, every major non-union painting company, in Vancouver, including Wolfgang, utilizes subcontractors.

Why do major firms contract out their work? Commercial Painting is seasonal. Eighty five percent of the revenue is produced in an eight-month period. A subcontractor business model allows for a quick ramp up and greater capacity.  The best painters like to work for themselves in order to maximize their earnings. So, when we sub contract we get the best tradesmen in the city on our team. When we subcontract our work we fix our largest cost, labor. In business when you fix your largest expenditure you lower risk.

Why do smaller paint companies (two – ten employees) choose to contract their work from larger firms? Again, it’s simple. The most talented painters in the city, the most operationally excellent tradesmen, like to focus on producing work. So they build relationships with a few larger shops and eliminate the need for costly marketing, sales and admin.

Customers benefit from the subcontractor model because they get the most skilled painters producing their job and fixed labor means no cost overruns.

Sounds good right? Many customers don’t think so.

End users get nervous because they equate sub-contracting with the old ”dump and run” It may be true sometimes but if you are dealing with a professional firm it is not the case.

At Wolfgang every one of our projects, small or large, is overseen by one of our project managers. Every project ends with a Quality inspection with the customer, project manager and sub contractor in attendance. Deficiencies are noted and corrected in a timely fashion.

Our sub-contractors go through an interview and screening process just as an employed painter would.

Our contractors attend Wolfgang University where they learn our values, best practices, systems, and customer service standards. Wolfgang U is rigorous and on going. If the attendees don’t maintain an 80% GPA throughout the courses, they don’t work for us. If they pass and maintain their GPA, they become one of Wolfgang’s certified contractors.

It’s interesting to note that since Wolfgang began subcontracting three years ago our quality survey scores have improved from 4.4 to 4.6 out of 5 and our “would recommend” score moved from 92% - 96%.

So hopefully, a little information, will help our customers become more comfortable with the term subcontractor.