Do we really drop customers this quickly?

['putertutor]

It has become a frequent thing to see posts advising a tech to drop a client. Caught one too many virus? Drop 'em. Made a few dumb (frankly) mistakes? Dump 'em. Calls more than twice with "How do I change my picture on the screen?" Let the next guy have 'em.

I know that dropping a client is by far the exception rather than the rule (how could you be in business otherwise?), but I am curious, how many here have actually done so. I know for me, I fight hard to win every client I have and fight even harder to keep them. That's the nature of running a business. And I also know that there are a small number of individuals out there who take it as an unspoken rule that once you touch their machine and they have paid (or even before those things happen) they have the right to all sorts of free service and advice. But most of the clients we service are not this way.

Personally I get annoyed at some of the clients I have and how they sometimes expect free lifetime service for a single issue. But I also know that every customer means more business. Dropping the 'annoying' customer who asks a lot of questions or is seen as a time-waster seems like an awfully foolhardy business decision. Personally I prefer to manage these people, tweak their expectations, and if possible, turn them into a believer in my services. This is not to say that I haven't dropped a customer, just that I don't believe I would ever pull that trigger as quickly as some here have recommended.

So what is the actual line you draw on dropping a customer. Do you have that quantified in any way?

 

[compnet]

I agree.. Pretty much until you start yelling or threatening in my store, or refuse to pay, I'll still take your money..

I still can't believe the number of people that were recommending dropping this guy:

http://www.technibble.com/forums/showthread.php?t=40734

 

[Boston Pro Comp Serv LLC]

I choose not to take customers more than I drop them. When you can just tell that the customer is a never happy one, I don't take them. That keeps from having to drop a whole bunch of them.

 

[bertie40]

Putting up with the occasional jackass goes with the territory.

I grimace sometimes when I receive a text or call from one of the "great uninformed" or a known customer to aspires, one day, to rise to Neanderthal status.

I still go though. I have bills to pay.

I remember one business customer, a director, who didn't know what a keyboard "space bar" was.

That was one of those short visits that felt like an eternity.

 

[angry_geek]

I agree.. Pretty much until you start yelling or threatening in my store, or refuse to pay, I'll still take your money..

I still can't believe the number of people that were recommending dropping this guy:

http://www.technibble.com/forums/showthread.php?t=40734

I still can't believe how many people continue wasting their time with leeches. I don't drop many customers. However, at $75/hour minimum, I'm not going to tolerate too many people that want free advice or otherwise waste my time. Why don't you try calling your doctor's office several times a month without setting an appointment? Or your mechanic asking him to walk you through an oil change? At some point, you have to ask yourself how much someone has cost you.

 

[TenYardFight]

I will say the OP makes a very good point. I'm glad someone else noticed these posts. I agree with angrygeek that some people are just costing you money... We all have different ways of dealing with these people.

1) We should schedule a service call.

2.) You should bring it into the shop

3.) Help them, then send them a bill

Number 3 of my favorite. You'd be surprised how many of these customers I have turned into paying clients

 

[compnet]

I still can't believe how many people continue wasting their time with leeches. I don't drop many customers. However, at $75/hour minimum, I'm not going to tolerate too many people that want free advice or otherwise waste my time. Why don't you try calling your doctor's office several times a month without setting an appointment? Or your mechanic asking him to walk you through an oil change? At some point, you have to ask yourself how much someone has cost you.

Waste my time?? Maybe a little, but I still make enough money to be profitable.

The mechanic point is kind of funny. I do most of the work on my own car, change the oil, brakes, changed the water pump, changed out the shocks, struts and springs. I take it to the mechanic for stuff like coolant flushes, transmission flushes, or to replace the oil sensor that I broke tightening the accessory belt after I changed my water pump.. Point of the story is I constantly ask my mechanic what he thinks of parts I have no intention of buying through him, and he's happy to oblige.. He provides a SERVICE, he's not auto zone selling parts.. Maybe some of you should focus on that, you're not best buy. If someone wants to get my opinion on a part, I'll let them know, and send them down to best buy if they think my crap is too expensive. Like I said in that thread, "oh darn, I didn't make 10 dollars"

 

[Mr.PCFixer]

I make it a point to help with small issues when a new customer calls. It is really the best way to win a new client. If they want a full on how do i do this i tell them "politely" they will need to schedule an appointment. That will get the people who want it all free off my phone. And the people who need help get my service and full attention.

 

[16k_zx81]

It has become a frequent thing to see posts advising a tech to drop a client. Caught one too many virus? Drop 'em. Made a few dumb (frankly) mistakes? Dump 'em. Calls more than twice with "How do I change my picture on the screen?" Let the next guy have 'em.

I don't believe I would ever pull that trigger as quickly as some here have recommended.

So what is the actual line you draw on dropping a customer. Do you have that quantified in any way?

I think you may be overstating the readyness of the recommendations.

Perhaps this is because its something people suggest, but bear in mind that theres a context here - someone has been troubled enough by a customer to post on a public Forum asking for help to deal with a problem the customer is causing. In other words, the impetus to post usually indicates there's a significant issue there to start with.

But in reply to your question, Yes, I have 'fired' customers, and for me, there are two parts to the equation,

1. am I losing sleep / distracted at home / troubled for some number of days and distracted by the issues the customer is causing?

- and this of course implies that there is no straightforward solution other than 'firing' the customer, otherwise condition (1) would not be an issue

2. Does this person/company have potential for ongoing revenue generation and how much is this going to cost me.

To date in the last 5 years I have dumped 2 customers.

Customer 1, an old guy with bucketloads of cash, who would get me out to his place about once every two weeks with some kind of issue. This was fine for about 2 years and then he started getting doddery and forgetful, and started accusing me of messing up his machine and wanting 'repairs' for free. In actual fact he was losing the plot and doing some really weird stuff with it, causing his own problems.

Obviously nowhere to go with this as his condition was degenerative, and he was becoming abusive. I exited gracefully, suggesting that I was not able to help with a particular issue, and that he should seek a 'second opinion'

Customer 2, long story and not practical to go into here, but this customer had some very rigid and difficult rules they required me to work within and kept monopolising my time to the extent that their requirements were impinging on service quality for other customers.

In both instances I have absolutely NO regrets about sacking these customers and would do so again in a heartbeat if the situation recurred.

One of the reasons I am self-employed is because of the quality of life/lifestyle possibilities it offers. Life is too short to deal with - for want of a better word - 'idiots', and while sometimes this can be fun, and a challenge (yes I do enjoy difficult customers sometimes), I am always mindful of the fact that I get to choose who I do and do not work for

Sometimes just knowing this is enough to carry me through a difficult day. I dont have to act on it, and usually I would rather not, but if I need to I can just say 'no' and move on.

God I love this job

 

[NYJimbo]

I know for me, I fight hard to win every client I have and fight even harder to keep them.......... But I also know that every customer means more business.

When you start to get more customers than you can handle (and I can handle a lot of them) you will also start dropping the ones you don't want to waste time with.

BTW- Every "customer" does not automatically mean more money.

 

['putertutor]

I still can't believe how many people continue wasting their time with leeches. I don't drop many customers. However, at $75/hour minimum, I'm not going to tolerate too many people that want free advice or otherwise waste my time. Why don't you try calling your doctor's office several times a month without setting an appointment? Or your mechanic asking him to walk you through an oil change? At some point, you have to ask yourself how much someone has cost you.

This is exactly my point. Why would you automatically drop those customers? A doctor or mechanic would do just that - set an appointment. I have a great mechanic who will let me pick his brain from time to time, but also sometimes just says, "I'd have to look at it. Bring it in this week." You must have people lined up around the block to simply walk away from someone so easily.

3.) Help them, then send them a bill

Number 3 of my favorite. You'd be surprised how many of these customers I have turned into paying clients

The first of just a few times that I did this was with a friend. I had been fixing stuff for free or beer $ before I officially hung up my shingle. I continued to grandfather him into this arrangement for almost 6 months before I decided I had to limit freebies to immediate family. My hands were almost shaking when I put that bill in the mail. A week later I got a check and a note. The check was for more than the bill. The note said, "The 'tip' is for previous services rendered. Don't ever forget to get paid."

 

[16k_zx81]

When you start to get more customers than you can handle (and I can handle a lot of them) you will also start dropping the ones you don't want to waste time with.

BTW- Every "customer" does not automatically mean more money.

^That. Right there.

.......................

 

['putertutor]

I think you may be overstating the readyness of the recommendations.

Perhaps this is because its something people suggest, but bear in mind that theres a context here - someone has been troubled enough by a customer to post on a public Forum asking for help to deal with a problem the customer is causing. In other words, the impetus to post usually indicates there's a significant issue there to start with.

Yes, I understand there is a context and history to all the "rant/drop them" posts. But my point is that some of the posts suggesting a customer be 'fired' are pulling that trigger a bit quickly in my mind. 2 customers in 5 years sounds like a real number. But many of the threads and posts (not yours, just the general tone of all of them) here make it sound like we should be dropping clients if they sneeze wrong.

BTW- Every "customer" does not automatically mean more money.

You are right. Every customer is not automatically money in the till. But they are potential money in the till. Even if they aren't the first time, they will be the second time. If not, there is something wrong with my business plan and way I am operating, not with the customer.

When you start to get more customers than you can handle (and I can handle a lot of them) you will also start dropping the ones you don't want to waste time with.

Or you grow.

 

[angry_geek]

I don't "automatically drop" anyone. There is a proper analysis first. If the customer is costing me more than what I'm making, they are at risk of being dropped.

 

[NYJimbo]

You are right. Every customer is not automatically money in the till. But they are potential money in the till. Even if they aren't the first time, they will be the second time. If not, there is something wrong with my business plan and way I am operating, not with the customer.

Or you grow.

I got to laugh at the idea that you think the next time they show up you will make money.

If you are not making money with your business plan on certain repeat customers your problem might be you are keeping certain repeat customers.

Sounds like you are trying to defend your opinion and not accepting the fact that others with much more experience than you might be right.

 

[nlinecomputers]

When you start to get more customers than you can handle (and I can handle a lot of them) you will also start dropping the ones you don't want to waste time with.

BTW- Every "customer" does not automatically mean more money.

Exactly. The person with the external drive is an obvious example of that. They were obviously trying to get the tech to match a lower price. Which takes away his profit. Or he sticks to his guns and the prospect shops someplace else. Either way you are not making money with that customer. But if you send him away then you might sell the drive to someone else and make the profit you expect. And turning down that one transaction isn't firing the customer. He may very well return. Or if he did buy something cheap you might have a future data recovery call.

 

['putertutor]

NYJimbo:
I am not going to argue with the point that there are some (a very small minority) of customers that are not worth my time. That is a given. But, I think that the idea put forth in many of the posts, that customers be dropped for what is normal behavior (calling for simple questions, asking for a price match, etc) is wrong headed. (BTW I will concede that there are others here with more tech experience than me, but I have nearly 20 years experience running, marketing, and managing successful businesses).

When a customer asks me for a better price or to match another shop, it is my option to match that price or not. I don't have to 'drop' them just because they ask for a better price. Nor do I assume that single question means they are a poor customer. If I do match the price (which I don't often do), I only do so if I feel that is a customer I want. This is called a loss leader and is a proven way to get new customers. When done properly, the lost $ should be considered marketing costs. 'Done properly' means the client understands this is not a normal price nor a normal process. It is a sale price.

Like I said, I don't lose money on repeat customers, but on occasion, I will lose, or more often, not make as much money on first timers as a way to grow the business. Losing money on repeat customers means there is something wrong with my business, not the customer.

I have no problem telling people "No." What this post is about, is the cavalier manner in which many here seem to be saying they would never have anything to do with a customer again, based seemingly little.

 

[NYJimbo]

Losing money on repeat customers means there is something wrong with my business, not the customer.

Great. The next time I no longer want one of my "special" repeat customers I will send them to you so you can make buckets of money off them.

 

['putertutor]

Context, Jimbo, Context. Try to keep context in mind when you post. It does little good to post a snippet and pretend that it represents the op's message.

Reply if you like, but I'm done with our little, somewhat tangential section of this thread. Clearly you and I will not agree on this point.

 

[NYJimbo]

Context, Jimbo, Context. Try to keep context in mind when you post. It does little good to post a snippet and pretend that it represents the op's message.

Reply if you like, but I'm done with our little, somewhat tangential section of this thread. Clearly you and I will not agree on this point.

I'm not trying to take things out of context, I am just removing the unecessary stuff so we can focus on the main points. You are trying to school everyone on how to keep customers they don't want because you think that if were doing our jobs right we would magically start making money off of them. In one post you agree that dumping a problem customer is a good idea but then you say something like if we tried to do better or worked the customer we could turn things around. I'm not sure if the purpose of your thread was really to ask questions or to preach.