Fire A Customer Today
Having just read a post about firing customers from Seth Godin, I had to chime in with a quick post myself.
I’m glad someone else finally said it. I’ve believed it for a long, long time. I’ve also practiced it and will continue to do so.
In our business, firing customers is the only way to saty fiscally alive and mentally sound.
Years ago, the first time I ever fired one, it made me feel so empowered, it was almost surreal…and I have no idea what tha means. I read it once and wanted to use it someday.
If you feel like you HAVE to sell to EVERY human or sub-human who comes to your door, you’re gonna suffer. Find a way to sell to who you enjoy selling to and you’ll last longer, make more money and enjoy the rest of your days.
Here’s a tip that will make your employees love you all the more and work harder for you :
A downtrodden employee will cost you far more than any customer will enrich you. A motivated employee, who feels like they are worthy of your confidence will make you more than any customer will ever spend.
I had just read an email from Perry Marshall talking about this same thing the other day. Maybe he’ll let me reproduce it here or give us a place to share it. I’ll let you know.
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5 Responses to “Fire A Customer Today”
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GREAT post! You are absolutely right. One of the principles I’ve always taught is that you should never put up with an abusive customer. Some customers will cost you more than they’re worth in time, energy, money and emotional resources. A great reminder!
Thanks for stopping by Tom.
You’re absolutely right !
Thanks Mike, for the ideas that link to staying alive financially…. You are right… Today I ran with this notion as it links to the brain…so it was fun to see another angle in your ideas here…
Dear Mike; I couldn’t agree with you more here. As a matter of fact, a “dead-beat” customer, who mentally abuses your employees, can cost you more money than you ever dreamed possible and sometimes even more than that!!! I know from personal experience.
Here is the problem though. Some fired customers simply will NOT take “NO” for an answer!!! Believe me, it’s no fun to come to work each morning and/or wake up for work each morning (if you work at home), only to have the same identical person calling you, day after day, and verbally harrassing you!!! When you finally contact the police, they tell you that it is a civil matter and that they basically have much more important things to tend with. And, while in reality, that may be the truth, where does that leave us?
Well, I can tell you from my own personal experiences, that if the problem is due to the word; “money” and that the customer feels that they are owed it for some purpose, you may be better off simply paying them what they feel they are owed, rather than continually receiving harrassing phone calls day after day, as long as the amount doesn’t exceed a large outflow of cash. Believe me, the money you will continue to lose each day from a problem customer from things; such as toll free phone bills, loss of productivity from employees and yourself, etc., will probably far exceed what the customer is asking for. Sometimes, although we may feel as though we are in the right, we simply have to move on, forget about it, and spend our time more wisely, which shall only amount to increased productivity over the long run.
Thanks for adding to the conversation Bruce.
I hope all’s better for you now.