Over many years of working, running a business, and talking with business people I have developed a different approach. Most people will tell you the customer is always right. And that is often true, so you should listen to them. But, they are also rude, arrogant, misinformed, obnoxious, and wrong. One business I dealt with had a button on their cash register labeled ET. I asked the boss about that button and he explained that it added 10% to any sale. He called it Entertainment Tax. It was reserved for those customers who were difficult. I love that. When I ran my own service business I was often asked by new customers for a First Timer discount. Usually phrased as – In the interest of future business. My response was always, yes, definitely. I’ll take 10% of this bill off the next one, in the interest of future business. Most customers are great people and appreciate the service you supply. Some will drive you to distraction, won’t pay on time, and generally make your life difficult. I learnt to fire them. I worked out that I didn’t need everybody to be a customer. I wanted good people as customers. So, I sacked the bad ones, and ramped up the service to the good ones. You can do the same online. It’s your list, and they stay at your pleasure. I’m putting together a collection of observations like this to help you navigate business more smoothly. Some you’ll like, some you won’t. These are my observations, not rules, just guidelines that I’ve found helpful. At some point these observations will be collected into a book I’m calling Field Notes. Look for that. Regards, |
