rant: clients

I hear ya. I think I'd have blown them off after the second time. You have more patience for sure. js

Thanks all for letting me vent!

I just emailed him essentially what you suggest...sorry bud..take two asprin, save up enough dough to pay my non-negotiable labor rate and call me whenever...

I don't get that mentality...Doc, I need an emergency appendectomy...I'll pay you 39.95.

It happens in every business. Customer comes into my music store with an instrument in need of $200 worth of repairs, walks up to the counter and says, "I have a $35 repair job for you." I replied, "I'm really backlogged on repair work now, let me take your name and number and I'll give you a call when I can get to it." "But I need it right away". I gave him the name of a competitor who can get it for him immediately but charges $300 for a $200 job and does shoddy work.

Bob

Well, that strategy worked at the used car lot...

Speaking of customers that make you wonder, here's another sort...

I did an install last week for a guy who had dozens of guns, rifles, shotguns and handguns laying around the house, leaning in corners, next to doors, by the bed, and on just about every end table... all of them loaded. And, he showed me the two shot derringer he keeps in his pocket "at all times."

I like guns... I like to shoot guns... I own several guns... but I have no desire to have a loaded 12 guage leaning up against the wall next to my back door.

Oh yeah, he also told me he keeps a gun under the driver seat of every car he owns (3 - one really cool Corvette with the heads up display) so that if it is stolen the police will actually look for it.

You can always tell when a client says...you can do this anytime you're in the area...that they don't want to pay, I guess the thinking is let my neighbor pay for service and I'll get a free ride.

Clients place little or no value on our service because we are the only business that gives systems and service away...at least that's what they remember from the TV commercials.

Speaking of TV commercials...has anyone seen the Brinks ad? I thought subliminal advertising was illegal. This thing is *maybe* 1/2 SECOND long it's just a flash on the screen with their logo and phone number. The first time I saw it I thought it was my cable going out but now I've seen it at least 4 times.

I should charge him a trip charge since he's so far away, but I'd given him pricing when he wanted to get hooked up on monitoring...so I'm not gonna change the rate now...yah i'm a nice guy. Odds are he won't call again until his next vacation trip anyway.

His wife was very nice on the fone so I don't want to be totally mean.- but he's a jerk.

I had a guy like that once. He wanted all sorts of physical security work (locks, bars etc) which involved a lot of custom steel work, but wouldn't pay a price that was anywhere near reasonable. So after lots of discussion, he finally said..."well, how about you come back and do it at that rate when you have some spare time because business is slow"...Yah right ! I'll do that for sure....right after hell freezes over....:))

Where do these guys come from..!!!!

RHC

Some folks aren't worth the hassle... give these clients the phone number of an unlikeable competitor's alarm company in your area.

1/2 second is too long for subliminal stuff, and although I cannot reveal my source it turns out Brinks DOES own your cable service

Sounds like he's shopping around, when he thinks he has found someone cheaper he cancels the appointment with you... To his surprise, the lower bidder pulls a "No Show" because better paying jobs needed to get done in a timely manner...

Solution is simple: Sorry Mr. Butthead, I'm booked solid for the next four weeks, I might be able to squeeze you in after hours for emergency service (at after hours rates), or Sunday at weekend/holiday rates... :-)) Regards, Russ

This is the kind of customer you call back and apologize to... For giving him the wrong pricing for the area he's in. The actual cost for the service is "xxx + $100.00", and the cost for the battery is "xxx + $30". Your original price will seem to be "a deal" and he'll no doubt try to hold you to it. COD!!

This goes by so fast if you blink you'd miss it. There'd not even be time to read the phone number.

It's not a subliminal ad. It's one of those "free" per inquiry ads that so many channels have and the local cable company is inserting their own ad in place of that one. When the tone signal comes down automatic equipment does a 'hot' switch and sometimes you see either the first fraction of a second of the ad or the last couple of seconds as the ad ends and the equipment switches back.

Those per inquiry ads run by Brinks and ADT are run for free and the channels get paid "per inquiry" if there are any. So, if another sponsor comes along and is willing to pay the paid ads get inserted on top of (or actually in place of) the per inquiry ads.

It's the same way it works with most of the infomercials - the stations run them for free or for a small accounting fee and insert their own 'contact copy' and then wait for the stupid morons to call in and buy stuff and lots of morons do call in and buy stuff - which makes the stations a lot more money than if they charged a flat rate to run the infomercial.

That dumb Bowflex is a perfect example: the original one cost anywhere from $7800. - $9600. and paid a $525. commission so the stations (or channels) got $1. if you "inquired" and $10. if you agreed to take the video but they got $525. everytime somebody bought one of the darn things. Nautalus was practically kaput and they started running ads for that Bowflex and everybody made tons of money cause they hace sold thousands of them.

On the other hand, I doubt that anyone is getting rich off those Brinks and ADT ads because the product offered is so cheap the commissions will be very small and you would need a whole lot of volume to make any real money.

I don't know about the Brinks commissions, but as a former in-house ADT commercial rep, I do know that the Resi folks get at least $200-300 per sale on an average system- in house, of course. Dealers probably pay less. The Resi systems cost em about $1k or more upfront, which they make up over the life of the contract. Break-even used to be over 24 months, now they've gotten it down to 18 or less.

I've said this before but it bears repeating. As a matter of fact there are times that I often have to repeat it to myself. It does help me make decisions on who to deal with and who not to ....... though.

It's better to not have a customer than to have one who doesn't pay.

The time you wasted with this guy after the first attempt could have been better spent working for someone who DOES pay .....

Or Spent on: Doing an estimate for a new client. Paying your bills. Looking for new products. Picking up parts for the next job. Calling a customer who's had a recent problem. Taking the van for an oil change. Cleaning out the van.

All of which are productive, enhance your income, give you a sense of accomplisment and DON'T tend to piss you off.

I have to say however, that there WERE times when I HAD to take this kind of conduct, when I was first starting out. I'd guess that's (kinda) understandable. But at this point, there's just too much work there, from people who are MORE than willing to pay, and to wait for me to give them what they want. Obviously, getting work by good strong referrals in essential. However, it is exactly that, that you will strengthen by doing business with only those people who value what you do. The guy that wants you to do it cheap, is the guy you'll NEVER get a referral from.

(From the annals of Jim the Philosopher of the Alarm trade :-)

just answer "chinese kitchen, what yaou want to eat todai sir??"

or do the right thing and tell him price went up ..

Holy crap! That guy is your customer too??? The guy who is one of our customers claimed to be in the CIA, black ops in vietnam, etc. And guns everywhere... freaky

Yep...but this guy kinda sucked me in.

yeah they use to do that to me which was why i was broke all the time, now ... i tell them like it is, and now im making moe dollars :-)