Are great business people fundamentally unreliable?
Discussion
I realise the thread title might seem a little like an oxymoron as to be successful one would hope you have to deliver on promises, but based on personal experience I'm starting to believe otherwise.
I'm currently slowing going through the motions of setting up a business. I'm in a fortunate position to be able to pick and choose who I work with as a number of people want a slice of the pie, and via networking I have established relationships with a number of "entrepreneurs" and businessmen at the top of their game, eg self made men who have done very well.
One of my core principles is "do what you say", eg if you say "I'll call you tomorrow to arrange a meeting" actually make that call, or if you have a 12pm meeting, turn up at 12pm.
It doesn't seem to matter if I'm doing a favour for someone, paying someone, trying to GIVE BUSINESS to someone, I'd say 80% of the people I've dealt with have recently have been just unreliable and it's really starting to grate. I'd understand if I was asking for favours, but the majority of the time I'm doing the favours!
I can only assume they're so busy with their "businesses" they don't have the mental capacity to keep everything in mind, and aren't organised enough to employee a PA.
Are you doomed to dealing with unreliable tossers when trying to run your own business?
I'm currently slowing going through the motions of setting up a business. I'm in a fortunate position to be able to pick and choose who I work with as a number of people want a slice of the pie, and via networking I have established relationships with a number of "entrepreneurs" and businessmen at the top of their game, eg self made men who have done very well.
One of my core principles is "do what you say", eg if you say "I'll call you tomorrow to arrange a meeting" actually make that call, or if you have a 12pm meeting, turn up at 12pm.
It doesn't seem to matter if I'm doing a favour for someone, paying someone, trying to GIVE BUSINESS to someone, I'd say 80% of the people I've dealt with have recently have been just unreliable and it's really starting to grate. I'd understand if I was asking for favours, but the majority of the time I'm doing the favours!
I can only assume they're so busy with their "businesses" they don't have the mental capacity to keep everything in mind, and aren't organised enough to employee a PA.
Are you doomed to dealing with unreliable tossers when trying to run your own business?
I've recently set up a business and it has happened constantly to me. It seriously annoys me.
The web design company I'm using is appalling.
They say, "let me call you back in 2 mins", then never do. Say "I'll send it over to you this afternoon", never do...
Then there are a number of other companies I've dealt with who have been just as bad.
Glad I'm not the only one who gets it!
The web design company I'm using is appalling.
They say, "let me call you back in 2 mins", then never do. Say "I'll send it over to you this afternoon", never do...
Then there are a number of other companies I've dealt with who have been just as bad.
Glad I'm not the only one who gets it!
A handshake is a binding agreement in my eye's and if I say my company will do something then it WILL do it. my customers are generally people exactly like yourself who can't be arsed or do not have the time to do a job 5 times and still not get what they expected. As a result my price levels and higher than the industry norm and my customers are happy to pay it in the knowledge that the true cost (including their time) is generally less from me than my competitors.
Its good old fashioned business sense, give the customer want he wants and he will pay for it. Don't give him want he wants and your artificially low margin will also suffer the corrective costs.
If all companies did what they say they do then my own would be very much less profitable!
leave them to it, pick your suppliers from those who do deliver,and concentrate on delivering your promises and you won't go to far wrong.
Its good old fashioned business sense, give the customer want he wants and he will pay for it. Don't give him want he wants and your artificially low margin will also suffer the corrective costs.
If all companies did what they say they do then my own would be very much less profitable!
leave them to it, pick your suppliers from those who do deliver,and concentrate on delivering your promises and you won't go to far wrong.
3200gt said:
A handshake is a binding agreement in my eye's and if I say my company will do something then it WILL do it. my customers are generally people exactly like yourself who can't be arsed or do not have the time to do a job 5 times and still not get what they expected. As a result my price levels and higher than the industry norm and my customers are happy to pay it in the knowledge that the true cost (including their time) is generally less from me than my competitors.
Its good old fashioned business sense, give the customer want he wants and he will pay for it. Don't give him want he wants and your artificially low margin will also suffer the corrective costs.
If all companies did what they say they do then my own would be very much less profitable!
leave them to it, pick your suppliers from those who do deliver,and concentrate on delivering your promises and you won't go to far wrong.
For 22 years I've run my company with the same ethic, and I've still got my first ever customer in a increasingly tough (now price driven) trade.It's not rocket science, but my God it's a long forgotten art.Its good old fashioned business sense, give the customer want he wants and he will pay for it. Don't give him want he wants and your artificially low margin will also suffer the corrective costs.
If all companies did what they say they do then my own would be very much less profitable!
leave them to it, pick your suppliers from those who do deliver,and concentrate on delivering your promises and you won't go to far wrong.
jon- said:
3200gt, sjc, I'm glad it's worked out for you. With a small amount of luck, and a massive amount of hard work I'm sure it will for me too.
It's a huge confidence boost when you realise people with dire business practices still manage to do well.
In years gone by, it always seemed to be the bigger companies that simply couldn't grasp it.However,it's now prevalent in small companies/ one man bands as as well! Customer service is the easiest thing to get right, and the easiest to get wrong. From the manner of your original thread, you won't have any worries,as in any trade thre's always room for one more good one!It's a huge confidence boost when you realise people with dire business practices still manage to do well.
It baffles me no end how some companies or one man bands don't understand that without customers they won't have a business very long. Why waste time and effort continually trying to find new customers when well looked after existing customers are easier administrively to maintain, come back repeatedly and pay you better margins?
If all companies listened to their sales people they would soon get the message, unfortunately, these days, most companies are run by people who don't come within a hundred miles of their customers and only look at columns of numbers.
If all companies listened to their sales people they would soon get the message, unfortunately, these days, most companies are run by people who don't come within a hundred miles of their customers and only look at columns of numbers.
3200gt said:
Why waste time and effort continually trying to find new customers when well looked after existing customers are easier administrively to maintain, come back repeatedly and pay you better margins?
Exactly. Whenever I try to contact my web designer project manager I always get told by his PA that he's at a pitch so will ring back later. Then of course he doesn't. Does my head in! 10JH said:
3200gt said:
Why waste time and effort continually trying to find new customers when well looked after existing customers are easier administrively to maintain, come back repeatedly and pay you better margins?
Exactly. Whenever I try to contact my web designer project manager I always get told by his PA that he's at a pitch so will ring back later. Then of course he doesn't. Does my head in! Andrew[MG] said:
10JH said:
3200gt said:
Why waste time and effort continually trying to find new customers when well looked after existing customers are easier administrively to maintain, come back repeatedly and pay you better margins?
Exactly. Whenever I try to contact my web designer project manager I always get told by his PA that he's at a pitch so will ring back later. Then of course he doesn't. Does my head in! 
3200gt said:
It baffles me no end how some companies or one man bands don't understand that without customers they won't have a business very long. Why waste time and effort continually trying to find new customers when well looked after existing customers are easier administrively to maintain, come back repeatedly and pay you better margins?
.
Beacuse youve hit the nail on the head there. Most want to sell goods/services and then never see you again. Far easier to do that than to maintain a working relationship/rapport with a returning customer, something which, as mentioned, we dont seem that good at in this country. Bizzare. It could be that a lot of people in business are arrogant c**ks, or seem to be, they maybe had a few good easy years during the boom, and now dont really have the aforementioned skills. How some apparently successful firms in this country make a living is beyond me, maybe some wont survive a recession. .
Business basics have definitely gone out of the window. But I think they have gone along with the geeral degradation in all manner of prsonal standards/responsibility in society.
I always do/deliver what I say I will. People look at me oddly (could be any number of reasons for that
) when I make that point and, of course, never thak me for being as good as my word. Even when the whole point of hiring me was to ensure that something got done.
And I can't not do that. I suffer (and that's not too strong a word) from pride. And whether it's being on time for a meeting or completing a multi-million pound deal/project on time/budget, I would be wishing for the proverbial hole to open up if I didn't do as I promised.
I always do/deliver what I say I will. People look at me oddly (could be any number of reasons for that
) when I make that point and, of course, never thak me for being as good as my word. Even when the whole point of hiring me was to ensure that something got done.And I can't not do that. I suffer (and that's not too strong a word) from pride. And whether it's being on time for a meeting or completing a multi-million pound deal/project on time/budget, I would be wishing for the proverbial hole to open up if I didn't do as I promised.
Simpo Two said:
I bet the Germans, Japs and Chinese are better at it. It's all part of the English malaise.
That sounds about right, I've worked on a few construction contracts in the middle east, Ireland Germany and plenty in the UK they all seem to go pretty well, well until you get a job thats based in London. Good god out of nowhere sub committes pop up, meetings are scheduled then cancelled and the paperwork goes through the roof its a nightmareGassing Station | Business | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff