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mzmee 
Elite Member
Joined: Jan 08 2005
Location: Minding mine
Status: Offline
Points: 39088
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 Topic: This is Business, Nothing Personal
Posted: Jan 18 2013 at 9:54am |
To the business owners, managers or anyone that has access/interaction to regular customers or clients:
Have you come across a situation where a regular customer tried to get chummy for the sole purpose of receiving a "hook-up"? And when you had to lay policies down or simply state you're unable to make exceptions they all of a sudden became standoff-ish?
How did you handle it?
How do you handle clients that have an ulterior motive?
Can you sense it right away?
I'm on a few folk's bad side because I enforce my policies and refuse to make exceptions because of what they perceive to be a "friendship".
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ThoughtCouture
Elite Member
Joined: Jun 08 2006
Location: southside holla
Status: Offline
Points: 249494
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Posted: Jan 18 2013 at 10:02am |
i am always leery of people trying to become new "friends" especially if i sense any sort of conflict of interest there. i usually don't allow it and will go with the i'm not taking apps for new friends right now mindset...lol
but if such a poser has snuck past me...i will usually just distance myself as well. yet, when around them i will still be very much myself and very cordial, of course.
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tasty0619
Elite Member
Joined: Jun 19 2007
Status: Offline
Points: 25246
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Posted: Jan 18 2013 at 10:07am |
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I wouldn't care too much as long as the business side continues as usual. I don't want a faux friendship with a user.
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goodm3
Elite Member
Joined: Aug 01 2006
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 37647
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Posted: Jan 18 2013 at 10:10am |
It depends....
1. Does this person have a business? Could you benefit from bartering?
2. Are they a talker? Meaning is this someone that knows everybody? Word of Mouth is very powerful, and being friends with someone like that could be to your biggest advantage (and cheapest form of advertising). If this is case, I would definitely give them a little discount because they would bring more business my way. Im thinking something similar to a loyalty rewards program.
3. If they are just a leech....yeah cut them off. You are a business and that means you need to make a profit from your business.
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ThoughtCouture
Elite Member
Joined: Jun 08 2006
Location: southside holla
Status: Offline
Points: 249494
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Posted: Jan 18 2013 at 10:14am |
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good points goodm3...but i would still prefer folks be upfront about their intentions. don't try and be sneaky and pass off a "business agreement" as a friendship. that would rub me the wrong way for sure...
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BeatriceBean
Elite Member
Joined: Jun 18 2009
Status: Offline
Points: 75704
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Posted: Jan 18 2013 at 10:21am |
 goodm3 wrote:
It depends....
1. Does this person have a business? Could you benefit from bartering?
2. Are they a talker? Meaning is this someone that knows everybody? Word of Mouth is very powerful, and being friends with someone like that could be to your biggest advantage (and cheapest form of advertising). If this is case, I would definitely give them a little discount because they would bring more business my way. Im thinking something similar to a loyalty rewards program.
3. If they are just a leech....yeah cut them off. You are a business and that means you need to make a profit from your business. |
The TRUTH!
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mzmee
Elite Member
Joined: Jan 08 2005
Location: Minding mine
Status: Offline
Points: 39088
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Posted: Jan 18 2013 at 10:24am |
ThoughtCouture wrote:
i am always leery of people trying to become new "friends" especially if i sense any sort of conflict of interest there. i usually don't allow it and will go with the i'm not taking apps for new friends right now mindset...lol
but if such a poser has snuck past me...i will usually just distance myself as well. yet, when around them i will still be very much myself and very cordial, of course. |
I'm leery of new friends as well. My husband sometimes think I'm crazy when I say I can sense someone is on some bs. Since I've had my business I've been 100% correct. I had to correct a client with this newfound friend label and correct it to "daycare parent".
What I hate is when they ask me for special priviledges and I say no they ask "What's wrong? Everything alright?"
This ish irks me. Ususally when they arrive it's small talk, nothing too deep. Now that they see I stand by my policy and wont bend after favors have been asked they don't talk or I have to pry a good morning out of them.
I can't do business like this.
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goodm3
Elite Member
Joined: Aug 01 2006
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 37647
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Posted: Jan 18 2013 at 10:48am |
ThoughtCouture wrote:
good points goodm3...but i would still prefer folks be upfront about their intentions. don't try and be sneaky and pass off a "business agreement" as a friendship. that would rub me the wrong way for sure... |
it doesn't have to be sneaky... but before I posted I didn't know OP had a daycare business. Those type of businesses are (for the most part) built on word of mouth. So keeping parents happy and talking about you to other parents in a positive light is always something to think about.
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Rumbera
Elite Member
Joined: Aug 16 2008
Location: Cuba
Status: Offline
Points: 197031
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Posted: Jan 18 2013 at 10:49am |
I never get close to client. + What goodm3 wrote
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Rumbera
Elite Member
Joined: Aug 16 2008
Location: Cuba
Status: Offline
Points: 197031
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Posted: Jan 18 2013 at 10:58am |
SamoneLenior wrote:
Rumbera wrote:
I never get close to client. + What goodm3 wrote |
so how do keep them coming back?
like work, being nice and doing a good job aren't always enough
I'm not a business owner but I do know as a customer when an owner throws something my way without me asking for it or for example, gets to know my family and asks how they are doing, etc... I do want to do business with them more
again, not telling mz what to do just putting that out there
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I get to know all of my clients. I'll ask them about their families and listen to their problems etc. But, to me that is not getting close to a client that is making them feel welcome and that I care. There are times that I genuinely care and other times it's just business.
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