Greetings Cougar,
This may not be what you are looking for, but having done extensive work for Comcast, and maintaining prime contracts with ClearCablevision, MichiganBell, and selling a couple systems to Bresnan with my partners, who sold many more to them and I think they used to qualify as friends of William Bresnan. This was during the last half of the eighties, up to ninety-three. Here are my suggestions, consider you objective, and if it is to aquire this relationship to the Customer, be upfront with the men working for you , tell them your loyalty lies with taking your company to this level, they are not your primary concern, there may be lay-offs in the future. Commit yourself to being there for Bresnan, and Comcast even if this means you may end up a one or two man operation with you in Wesco's and hooks, again...whatever it takes. I would keep a close eye on any work being done by these Customers and as long as there are no new faces in OSP construction you can probably assume they have been truthful with you about 'the wait'. Be ready to hang in there and when the work does come available you should be home. Once you are in, it is all on you. It may take awhile to get there, but I think before summer is over we are going to see every one is busy again, MSO's, not just the Contractors.
While courting Contractors all of the Customers can make us feel special, when the crunch is on, or the jobs have shut down do not take a silent phone as a personal statement against you. I think Customers expect us to wait and that our level of confidence in our own abilities will determine our conduct and that is not to appear too needy, like a jilted lover, but to respectfully stay in touch, calling in when they ask you to check back, and no more. It is hard to remember our 'friends' have the same priority as you should have concerning taking your company to the top, remain very frugal, remain versatile and liquifiable, ready to downsize, streamline, and do the job yourself during the meager available work periods. Getting your hands dirty on their project really speaks volumes of our determination and comittment, we don't need to try and appear like we have mega troops in the field. To those who have reached the place we are striving for, it is easy for them to know exactly where we are just by speaking to us. They have been there, usually and it is futile to try and fool them. If they have been paying attention in their own personal endeavors there is nothing new under the sun. They usually know more about the probabilities of our companies succeeding then we ourselves will be ready, or willing to look at. We just need to convince them our personal attention to their satis'fact'ion is a matter of 'fact' and not 'fiction'. I think you must be doing something correct by what you have already accomplished, just hang in there. Usually, it does them no good service to 'give you the run around'. The Customers I have been fortunate enough to do business with have no problem telling someone to, "Hit the road, toad."...or, "Don't call us we'll call you." Don't let your anxieties attempt to read between the lines. Hopefully, you have been honest with them, have the notion you can expect the same from them. Second guessing their words are really a terrible insult to anyone who values Truth. I wish you the best, I hope I have helped. Feel free to contact me via e-mail, or landline for further conversation. We can keep it at the 'Bar' if you like. Makes no difference to me. Keep on keep'n on, Bro'!
Petergunn.
