I’ve been asked by Business First to write a colum on selecting customers. I thought about posting this in the business section but wanted to try & get as much input as possible. Being the conformist I am, I was thinking about switching it to how NOT to select a customer. I turn to you, the Breaktime enclave of knowledge, for assistance.
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Don' select one out of desperation.
The weather was hot, a-nearly 90 degrees.
The man standin' next to me, his head was exploding,
Well, I was prayin' the pieces wouldn't fall on me.
Good answer! Never, never, never! I know from experience ;^)
If you have a functioning sixth sense, trust it.
Restated, sometimes you'll meet with someone, and you just get the wrong vibe. Maybe you can't even put your finger on the specifics. Something in your gut says run away. Now.
I've never had that happen, took the job anyway, and been glad.
Don't take anything just because its work. I've seen specialty trades get slow, and reach. Landscaper trying to do a basement. Specialty trades are typically good at their trade. Not necessarily everyone elses.
Don't offer price breaks, discounts, or any bargaining tools on cost unless you are willing to have those tools used as weapons against you. Human nature. If I can get you to move 10%, why not 15? Then the wheels start turning. How much "extra" profit are you making on me anyway? Can o worms.
Know the difference between a commodity and a service. Sell one.
Real trucks dont have sparkplugs
I just spoke to a friend whose renovation project had become a horrible mess. He had reached a settlement with the original contractor whom he fired for good cause and was asking for an opinion on a painting sub he was considering.
We got to talking about how you can find a good person to hire or work for. They are really very similar questions. He commented that I must work for many people who are exceptionally difficult to work for or who are poor payers. I told him no, that we generally have very cooperative customers who are glad to pay their final bills. We can usually tell at the first meeting if we want to work for the people or find a way to back out of the job.
I don't know what it is specifically that raises the bs antennae, but I do know that the feeling usually comes through loud and clear. One definite sign is when the people hammer away at the budget, not just giving you an overall number but giving you information about other contractors' prices, the cost of past work, deals on materials, prospective or already purchased. Of course, we all like to save money and get a good deal, but I have found that a preoccupation with the bottom line is an indication of problems for me.
The other thing is even more subjective but is probably even more important. Do we trust the customer? Does he trust us? These questions are very closely related. It may be hard to know if the customer is trustworthy but if he is not willing to extend his trust to us, we have to ask whether he is judging us by his own motives. We may have a hard time getting a good read on his background but we have been in business in a small town for over 25 years. If he doesn't trust us after asking around town, it can only be that he won't trust anyone. We have no desire to work under those circumstances.
Good luck in your research. It is a subject that all small businesses need to learn more about.