I just had my last meeting with a dealer as their customer. I have to thank them for giving me material for this message. If you want to guarantee that you will lose your customer, here's a list of how to do it:
- Nickel and dime them. Charge for every breath they take.
- Refuse to work and play with others--meaning that you are difficult for your customer's other suppliers and service providers to work with.
- Demand payment before you provide your promised services.
- Argue over small issues with the client and demand to get your way.
- Wait until your customer is so fed up with you that there is virtually no chance to salvage the relationship.
The above is exactly what the dealer did. BTW, the dealer is knowledgeable and they did do some good work. But they will never do business here again. And they will lose out on referrals as well. But they did receive their last payment in full, including payment for work that we felt they did not not do as promised. Hopefully, they will take that money and invest it well. They will need to.
Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
www,labov.com
Posts
I'm so sorry you had this bad experience with a company, <a href="http://www.labov.com/" title="Barry LaBov blog>Barry LaBov</a>! I can definitely relate in being a customer dissatisfied with a company's services. It is completely true that negotiation, compromise, communication, and being able to just get along with other individuals and companies is integral to a company's success. If a company is serious about succeeding, it would do well to adopt these practices. I hope this company does! Thanks for sharing this experience with readers on the <strong>Barry LaBov blog</strong>!
ReplyDeleteTracy, thanks. It's something we all have to watch out for in our companies. LaBov & Beyond, my company is not immune to it. It serves as a cautionary tale.
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