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I recently received a call from an old customer who seriously damaged my business. They are big and I made a lot of money doing work for them, but they are so demanding with constantly changing schedules, no end of travel, super-duper pressure situations, beyond belief deadline demands, not to mention political problem that cause no end of grief, and most importantly, they require attention to the point that I could hardly keep any other customers. Then they strung me along for months, in fact nearly a year, when the well ran dry.
Some companies are like this. I was very suprised to learn that many suppliers refrain from doing business with a few of the most notable companies in Oregon. One would think that landing customer X means you've hit the big money. But customer X knows that everyone wants their business so they drive the competition to a level that's hardly worth the effort; if that. I've even seen large companies drive long time partners - for nearly 100 years in one case - out of business, all for a quick buck.
So, anyway, its fun writing a quote when you really don't want the business. What you do is make the quote so high that you can't lose. For example, in this case, some days I'd be making almost $200 per hour.
I hope they call back! And you know, they might.
Some companies are like this. I was very suprised to learn that many suppliers refrain from doing business with a few of the most notable companies in Oregon. One would think that landing customer X means you've hit the big money. But customer X knows that everyone wants their business so they drive the competition to a level that's hardly worth the effort; if that. I've even seen large companies drive long time partners - for nearly 100 years in one case - out of business, all for a quick buck.
So, anyway, its fun writing a quote when you really don't want the business. What you do is make the quote so high that you can't lose. For example, in this case, some days I'd be making almost $200 per hour.
I hope they call back! And you know, they might.
... Its always scary to not be busy. But what happens is that the line between work and home disappears. This is why I had to set up an office outside of the house. Otherwise the business is always right in my face and I never stop thinking about it. In fact, even while in the office, PF has been great for this. It gives me a chance to take mental breaks and think about something else for awhile.
