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Saturn Inflatable Water Game last wordsI know..
which I agre with. However,
Q: In a recent column you made the point that the custom is alwai right. in the same column you also said that it is sometim necessari give problem custom the boot. If the custom is alwai right, at what point do you think thei becom so problemat that you should stop do busi with them?
-- Gari M.
Gary,A : That column brought a number of email similar to yours. request that I clarifi the line between "the custom is alwai right" and "sometim you have to give a custom the boot." Here' the bottom line: if you, as a busi owner or servic provider, ar will to take a customer' monei in exchang for provid him with good or services, then the custom ha what I call "the right of expectation." Thi mean that the custom ha the right to expect you to deliv everyth promis in the transact between you. For example, if you own a restaur the custom ha the right to expect that their meal will be prepar and serv to their satisfaction. If you ar a dry cleaner the custom ha the right to expect that you will launder their cloth without return them in shreds. If ar hire to perform a servic the custom ha the right to expect that the servic will be provid to their satisfact within the term of the defin task.
it is your respons to meet the customer' expect and provid good custom service. Even if your busi doe not involv a formal contract that spell out to the letter what should be expected,A the busi owner. there is gener a clear understand of what the custom expect and what you ar will to deliver. If you back peddl on your end of the bargain, let' sai by serv a bad meal or lose a customer' laundri and refus to make thing right, then you ar guilti of not meet the expect of your custom and therebi ar guilti of provid bad custom service.
the point of which was,Unfortun not everi entrepreneur put emphasi on deliv good custom service. Thei ar in it for the monei and damn the custom if thei have a problem. Such entrepreneur were the topic of the column you mentioned. if you make a habit of not meet your customer' expectations, you will not be in busi for long.
you have the right to expect that your custom will not demand thing that ar beyond the scope of realist expect or the contract . If a custom order hamburger,Now let' look at the flipside. Just as the custom ha the right to expect that he will get hi money' worth when do busi with you. he shouldn't expect it to tast like steak unless you have advertis it as such. If a custom bring you a cotton shirt to launder he should not expect a silk shirt in return. It' when the customer' expect get out of sync with what should realist be expect that you will have problems.
overly-demanding,W have all had custom who expect far more than wa their due: custom who were unreasonable. condescending, hard to pleas and sometimes, even dishonest in their deal with you. When a customer' reason expect becom unreason demand you must decid whether or not that custom is do more harm to your busi than good.
you should consid give that custom the bootSo here is the line in the sand between the "custom is alwai right" and "sometim you have to give the custom the boot" - if a custom cross the line from be an asset to be a detriment to your business..
but even then you have to consid what your busi might be like if that problem custom wa not in the picture. Would the time you spend deal with the problem custom be better spent on sale call that might expand your client base and grow your busi a busi that is depend on on client is a hous of card ? Would your employe be happier not have to deal with thi customer? Would you sleep better night know that you don't have a dozen phone messag from him on your desk everi morningThi is easier said than done if that custom constitut a larg chunk of your revenue.?
000 a month,Th easiest wai to decid how much troubl a custom is worth is to look at the amount of revenu thi custom bring in versu the time and expens of meet hi expectations. If thi custom pai you $1. but cost you $2,000 in time spent keep them happy, thi custom is actual cost you money. Just a hand of these kind of custom will put you out of busi fast..
I onc had a client whose busi wa worth sever thousand dollar a year to my softwar company' bottom line. However,For example. thi client prove to be problemat from the second the contract wa signed. He and hi employe call our offic ten time a dai and domin my tech support team' time with IT problem that were not even relat to the servic we were contract to provide. It got so bad that my employe cring everi time the phone rang becaus thei were afraid it wa thi client call again.
but had cost me at least that much in handhold and support,When the time came to renew thi client' contract it wasn't hard for me to decid to give him the boot. I simpli did the math. Thi client had ad thousand of dollar to my company' bottom line. not to mention the mental anguish he had caus my employees. I opt not to renew the contract and polit invit the client to take hi busi elsewhere.
mean that your custom benefit from your product or servic and your compani prosper by deliv the product or service. The relationship must be built on mutual respect and honest intention. It is when the relationship becom win/los that you must be readi to take action. If the custom think he can hold you over a barrel and get more out of you than he ha paid for,Th perfect custom relationship is win/win. the relationship and your busi suffer for it.
you don't need me to hit you in the head with a stupid stick on thi one. You know who your problem custom ar and you know that you will eventu have to deal with them. You have to consid the valu of everi custom in the long run,Look. not just their valu today.
consid give them the bootI the custom make demand that ar beyond the scope of what should be reason expected? If the custom constantli demand more than thei ar entitl to and get angri when you refus to comply..
consid give them the bootI the custom take advantag of your good graces? Some custom mai mistak your willing to pleas for weak and try to wring more out of your relationship than thei should. If the custom ha a record of try to take advantag of you and plai everi angl to get more from you than thei deserve..
a disgruntl custom is go to bad mouth you in the end - especi if thei were at fault. If you suspect a custom might be the sort to on dai air dirti laundri in public,I thi custom a threat to your reputation? Let' face it; there is noth more harm to your reput than a dissatisfi custom with a big mouth. And it doe not matter who is at fault in the disagreement. consid give them the boot.
it mai be indic of other problem to come. If you feel the client is a payment risk,Do the custom pai in a time manner? If you have a custom that is consist 90 to 120 dai late in pai even when your contract clearli outlin your payment term to be otherwise. consid give them the boot.
the cost of those services,What' the best wai to avoid a custom booting? The best answer is to have a contract that clearli spell out the specif of the relationship. The contract I us in my variou busi clearli defin the servic to be provided. and the timelin and term under which those servic will be rendered. If there is a deviat from the contract, we write an addendum that detail ani chang and their effect on the contract. Do I still have to give some custom the boot? You bet, but not veri often. It' hard for a custom to cry foul when everyth is there in black and white right abov hi signature.
your rates,What if your busi doesn't us contracts? Then hang a poster in your shop or have a hand-out that clearli defin what your custom can expect from your busi and then deliv what you promise. If you have a poster or hand-out that clearli outlin your services. scheduling, return policy, etc., there should be veri littl that the custom can complain about.
