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From Dental to Design
How to Leverage Empathy and Meticulous Systems to Build Unbreakable Client Trust and Win High-Margin Projects.
SEO Assets & Podcast Hooks
SEO Assets for the Episode
SEO Title
  • From Dental to Design-Build: A Builder's Guide to Client Trust
Meta Description
  • Learn how Chris Hains turned her dental background into a trust-based system for winning profitable remodeling projects. Listen now on Beyond the Bid.
Podcast Intro Hooks
  • Hook 1: Ever thought about where the best system for building client trust in construction comes from? For our next guest, it wasn't a job site... it was a dental chair.
  • Hook 2: What most don't know is that the skills to run a profitable remodeling business aren't always learned on the tools. Our next guest proves that understanding human motivation is the key to mastering your margins.
6 Key Questions
01
From Dental to Design-Build
What was the pivotal moment that led you to transition from a successful dental career to pursue your childhood passion for design and construction?
02
Integrating Design and Build
Many designers struggle with the handover to builders. What business pain drove you to integrate and form a design-build firm, making this systemic shift?
03
Translating Trust from Dental to Design
How did your dental hygienist background, particularly in understanding patient motivation, surprisingly translate into building trust with clients in their homes?
04
Precision in Bidding
Builders often lose profit on inaccurate bids. Describe your system for building detailed scopes, "down to the hinges," and how it prevents profit leaks.
05
Beyond Client Satisfaction
Your lead flow is primarily word-of-mouth. What's one non-obvious thing you do during a project that transforms a happy client into a raving, referral-generating fan?
06
First Step to Building Trust
For builders who recognize the need to build deeper client trust but don't know where to begin, what is the most actionable first step they can take after this episode?
Show Notes
Full Show Description
Find Chris and her work at: https://www.forgeandessence.com/
Do you ever feel like you're in a battle for trust with your clients before the first hammer even swings? You spend weeks on a bid only to have them question every line item, constantly battling the stereotype of the untrustworthy contractor. This constant friction doesn't just kill your margins; it kills your motivation.
In this episode, I sit down with Chris Hains, the founder of Forge and Essence Design Build. Chris took one of the most unconventional paths to construction I've ever seen—transitioning from a career as a dental hygienist to running a thriving design-build firm. She breaks down how the skills she learned building patient comfort and understanding human motivation became her ultimate playbook for the construction world.
What makes Chris’s perspective so powerful is that she came from an industry where trust and meticulous process are everything. She didn’t just learn construction; she applied a clinical, empathy-driven system to it. She proves that your greatest competitive advantage might not be your building skill, but your ability to listen and lead clients with confidence.
🎙️ In this episode, we break down:
  • The business decision to pivot from a design firm to a design-build model to stop revenue leaks.
  • How skills from a dental career—understanding motivation and providing comfort—directly translate to higher-margin construction projects.
  • The system for building hyper-detailed, accurate bids that eliminate surprises and create unshakable client trust from day one.
  • Actionable advice for building a word-of-mouth marketing engine fueled by a remarkable client experience.
This episode is for any builder or remodeler who is tired of competing on price and wants to learn the secrets of building a business based on deep client trust and operational excellence.
Learn more about Chris and Forge and Essence Design Build here: https://www.forgeandessence.com/
What's the most unconventional skill you've used to win a project? Drop a comment below with your #1 takeaway from this episode!
Problems Addressed in this Episode:
  • Problem: Why designers lose money when clients take their plans to other contractors. Solution: Vertically integrate into a design-build model to control the entire project, capture more value, and ensure quality from start to finish. (Answers: How can I stop clients from shopping my designs around?)
  • Problem: How inaccurate bids with hidden costs destroy profit margins and client trust. Solution: Implement a meticulous estimating system that prices out every detail upfront, from window sills to door hinges, to prevent surprises and build confidence. (Answers: What's a better way to estimate jobs to protect my profit?)
  • Problem: Clients are often defensive and skeptical of contractors, making it hard to build rapport. Solution: Focus on deep listening instead of pushing your own ideas. Understand their core inspiration and motivations to build a collaborative, trust-based relationship. (Answers: How can I get clients to trust me and my process?)
  • Problem: How do I get more high-quality referrals and reviews without being pushy? Solution: Create such a seamless and positive client experience that they offer reviews unsolicited. When the project is done, don't be afraid to just directly and politely ask. (Answers: What's the best way to get more word-of-mouth leads?)
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Interested in building systems for your construction business? Let's chat: https://gofirstconsulting.com/remodeling-business-strategy
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