True Business- real life for small businesses

Hi there!

I’m trying to make this blog as much about my personal business experiences as about the advice I both give and receive as I navigate the world of business. And sometimes that means being critical. I’m not going to name any names, but the following is absolutely true, and if the person responsible should happen to read this, well, they can hang their head in shame.

In background, you need to know this. My business is a media production agency; we produce articles, marketing literature, podcasts, videos, e-learning tools etc. for our clients. Along with my wonderful staff, we bring in specialist freelancers for specific jobs. Writing about pharmaceuticals, for example, is a highly skilled speciality, and we’d get the best person we can in to help. Similarly, sometimes we take on large jobs which require a whole team to meet a deadline. Again, we dig out help from the large freelance community.

So… For a particular project, I required a team of 8 writers. I put the word out in all our usual places – my plan being that we might get 20 or so applications, 15 might be interested after reading the brief; and after doing a short test job, 8 would be chosen to work on the project ongoing.

I should also say that it is my policy to pay people for working on test jobs. They have invested their time and should be rewarded for it. The only cost of applying on this job was the effort of producing a CV and some examples of previous work, plus the effort of signing a non-disclosure agreement, to protect the intellectual assets of my client.

I invited applications by email, and indeed received plenty.

One, though, caught my eye. It is the subject of today’s blog.

Almost all applications included a CV of some sort, and at least a couple of lines saying hello. This one, however, was just the subject line: “What are the rates?”. Nothing else – just a signature with the chap’s name. If this idiot had thought from my perspective for just one single moment, he would have realised that:

1. That’s extremely rude
2. It’s bonkers to talk money without knowing anything about the project
3. He’s in a competitive pitch, so it would make sense to demonstrate his quality first, and think about money later
4. And in any case, I cannot discuss the project in detail before the legal cover of a non-disclosure agreement was completed

Never mind: I was so amused that I kept him on the list; and sent him the non-disclosure document along with everyone else.

I got an email back – again just one line: “Before I sign anything, what is the expected rate of pay?”

Not surprisingly, I have not graced this man with any further correspondence. I have got my eight writers, and (unlike most applicants) will not be keeping this man’s details on file. Not for anything. Ever.

The lessons here are very simple. Firstly, try not to be rude. There’s a credit crunch on for crying out loud- a little courtesy wouldn’t do any harm. Secondly, when selling, spend just a few minutes to think from the client’s perspective! What are their concerns? What do they need? It’s every client’s right, privilege and duty to be irritating and want things done ‘their way’. If they could do everything themselves, they wouldn’t be paying their hard-earned cash for us to do a job for them.

This chap is the worst example of customer service I have seen in a long time. Don’t be drawn into playing these games – you’ve earned your money, and with it the right to lay down the law as to how you wish to work with suppliers. And civility makes a jolly good starting point.

Filed under: marketing, people skills, sales, service | Tagged: business, customer service, employees, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, freelance, freelancing, outsourcing, run a business, sales, service, staff, start a business