Do we really drop customers this quickly?

[jft135]

Well I'm the only one so I nip it in the bud right there, it was an awesome tip. My business partner has a client that emails him about things all the time. Told him about your idea, doesn't contact as much now and knows it's not free. Even got her on a plan now.

Email is a totally different story for me. I am more than happy to sit down and spend half an hour a few times a week answering emails if it keeps the customers off the phone. I have ADHD and phone calls really mess me up, so being able to answer emails on my own turf helps immensely. Besides, I've found that the more needy clients are too lazy and impatient to communicate by email. Now there is the possibility of excessive emails, but I have yet to run into it often. When I do, I just take forever to respond.

 

[nightkingdoms]

Well this client in particular calls and emails. I worked on her computer once - just once - and she calls the number from caller ID, then my business partner and emails us both, just about every other day. lol

 

[jft135]

Well this client in particular calls and emails. I worked on her computer once - just once - and she calls the number from caller ID, then my business partner and emails us both, just about every other day. lol

That does count as excessive. One of my pet peeves is people who call my cell, then when I don't pick up immediately call the office line. Not customers (they NEVER get my cell) but certain people I know.

 

[arb1]

Dual cell phones (1 for work plus 1 for biz) and an answering service on top of this seems to mitigate annoying phone calls. The answering service sends me an email message as soon as they get the call.

 

[nightkingdoms]

The phone number I call clients with is a Google Voice number. If I get persistent calls (not a call back) I block them so calls go out but they get a disconnected message when they try to call in.

If they're my client (or his), they can call the business lines for support where they will get handled. I'm not someone's personal support line. lol

 

[ComputerCorner]

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.

While I will agree that not every customer = money, I do think that every customer is an opportunity at growing your business.

At our shop, all of our pricing is such that we are capable of a little wiggle room. If customers make a reasonable offer, we're willing to accept it. Not only does this give us a sale, it gives that customer extreme satisfaction because they feel they got a really good deal in their favor. The reality is that we're still making the amount that we need in order to grow.

Why turn a customer away when it is in your ability to meet their needs? No, I'm not saying you have to give in to their every demand, but if you work with them, it's better for everyone.

A customer walking out the door dissatisfied is a customer that can go and tell all of their friends not to visit your shop. Why allow for such an opportunity when it is easily avoided?

 

[NYJimbo]

While I will agree that not every customer = money, I do think that every customer is an opportunity at growing your business.

At our shop, all of our pricing is such that we are capable of a little wiggle room. If customers make a reasonable offer, we're willing to accept it. Not only does this give us a sale, it gives that customer extreme satisfaction because they feel they got a really good deal in their favor. The reality is that we're still making the amount that we need in order to grow.

Why turn a customer away when it is in your ability to meet their needs? No, I'm not saying you have to give in to their every demand, but if you work with them, it's better for everyone.

A customer walking out the door dissatisfied is a customer that can go and tell all of their friends not to visit your shop. Why allow for such an opportunity when it is easily avoided?

This all goes back to the question of where you draw the line. I say if a customer appears to be too much trouble, for whatever reason, I don't take them on.

I can't worry about every customer who walks out the door "dissatisfied". If the customer walks out because I did a bad job thats one thing, but if the customer walks out because I did not or could not take on the job then I just move on to the next customer. If a customer wants to tell everyone not to come to me because I didnt want to take on their work thats something I will live with. The options are take on a customer I do not want to OR take on the customer because I am afraid they might bad mouth me. I prefer to let the customer go do what they want and I dont worry about it. I'm flooded with work so its working out well so far.

 

[PCX]

This all goes back to the question of where you draw the line. I say if a customer appears to be too much trouble, for whatever reason, I don't take them on.

I can't worry about every customer who walks out the door "dissatisfied". If the customer walks out because I did a bad job thats one thing, but if the customer walks out because I did not or could not take on the job then I just move on to the next customer. If a customer wants to tell everyone not to come to me because I didnt want to take on their work thats something I will live with. The options are take on a customer I do not want to OR take on the customer because I am afraid they might bad mouth me. I prefer to let the customer go do what they want and I dont worry about it. I'm flooded with work so its working out well so far.

100% agree with Jim.


Also, I have said it before, but I will say it again. People are associated with people like themselves. So if we turn away customers because they are cheap or because they are potential problem customers, then chances are, those who they complain too, are also cheap or also problem customers. This is not always the case, but you are who are hang out with as your mom probably told you.

Regardless of this, you should not be growing your business on cheap customers or bad customers. You should be growing your business --as best as possible anyways-- on good quality customers who understand that you get what you pay for and are willing to pay what you are worth. These are the same customer who are probably associate with people like themselves, meaning they will refer people like themsleves or in the least can influence others to understand that while you may pay more, you get more.

 

['putertutor]

While I will agree that not every customer = money, I do think that every customer is an opportunity at growing your business.

A customer walking out the door dissatisfied is a customer that can go and tell all of their friends not to visit your shop. Why allow for such an opportunity when it is easily avoided?

Absolutely. What computer corner has said is 100% accurate. What is important as well is the realisation that this philosophy doesn't mean you are going to take every customer that walks through the door. But I will accept a small amount of inconvenience, price haggling, and ignorance as a consequence of just having a business and growing that business.

 

[JKON IT Services]

Never drop a customer just because they are ignorant or hard to please.

As long as they pay your rate then there is no need to.

Now if they are being too difficult then raise your rate.

 

[mbrock5532]

One of my clients...

I had a client whom I had done work for for quite awhile. It was owned by two young guys who seemed to be really on the ball.

Because they had been referred to me by another client, I put up with them longer than I should have.

They want immediate service, no matter what day or time. It was a food treat store, so they were open seven days a week and always wanted me to come in really early so my work wouldn't interfere with their stores being open.

Billing always took forever to collect and they constantly claimed they didn't receive my emails or voicemails.

The last straw was when their computer in the back office went down. I ran over on a weekend and troubleshot the system and it had a fried motherboard. Because of time, they asked if I had a system they could borrow until I got a new one built. I set one up and got it installed pronto for them.

Months went by and I could never get hold of them. Finally, six months later they finally call me and tell me I can come and pick up the system I had been bugging them about for months. I asked them what about building a new system and they informed me they had bought a new one from a store and had one of their new employees who was "good with computers" set it up. Then, they called me and wanted me to give them free phone support on resolving some issues with the setup.

I wouldn't give them the free support, telling them I couldn't be expected to fix problems that I had no idea how they were created!

Well, it's been awhile, and I still haven't gotten paid for the emergency work, and I didn't arrange a rental fee as I never expected them to have it so long!

There are many things I did wrong here that are my fault. I should have started following up sooner, after a month I should have told them I needed to replace the machine or start charging them rent, etc., etc. My fiance was having health issues that were keeping us running, so I let it slip to the back burner.

I no longer consider them a client and have told them to find someone else. They actually asked me to recommend someone!!!!!