Is Commoditized A Word? (I Used It In A Sentence)

Our society has a commodity mindset.  We have for years attempted to take every product and/or service to its lowest common denominator – price.  Just think, at one time there were different brands of 2×4 lumber, different brands of electricity, different brands of silicone computer chips. At some time each of those brands meant something.  They all offered something unique and different to their customers.  But over time something happened.  Each industry developed a standard to define each product in order to be more efficient.  These standards meant that each company began to produce to that lowest level of quality, thereby stripping the innovation and service from the industry. Everything became equal.

When you go shopping and you are looking for the lowest price you are effectively saying that the item is a commodity.  In other words you place no value on the company or the service behind the product.  Can a service be defined as a commodity?  I guess it could be.  If a minimum level could be defined, then sure.  But as human beings we all have a different way of interacting.  We all have different values, ethics, experiences that make us unique.  So with that in mind, can your service experience every really be commoditized (there it is)?

Who do you want to have coffee with in the morning?

Where am I going with all this?  It is a general assumption to many people that remodeling is a product – not a service.  Therefore, it is often viewed as a commodity in many minds.  But I must disagree.  Remodeling is a service that just happens to create a product.  Our first and foremost job is to service our clients.  Yes, our end goal is to build a beautiful product but we must bring service to the client each day along the way.

During a remodeling project, you must interact with someone on a very daily and intimate level.  They will be in your home for weeks.  They will be responsible for the health and safety of your family, your pets.  They will be responsible for the security of your belongings.  They will have control over your home and its completion.  They will have control over the financial outcome of the project.  Suddenly remodeling is looking less and less like a commodity.