dealing with customers

[Mike]

This is just one advantage of doing auto/marine/ and a lot of the other work.  Designers or color matchers don't enter the picture nor does the shop owner run to their houses for free.


Doyle

me and all I kn of marine shop do have to travel to the house/ boat to give a price. I try to add the time doing so into the price of the job, bt when you don't get the job you wasted your time anyway .

sometimes you got to cut a customer free and maybe wrong it feels good too

[gene]

sometimes you got to cut a customer free and maybe wrong it feels good too

I do seek to have "win/win" relationships with my customers. Almost always I'm able to achieve this.

I've met a few folks over the years who have to have a win/lose relationship. They need to win as much as they need you to lose. Even in the most trivial of interactions. Fortunately in my very small slice of the universe they are few and far between.

gene

[Rich]

The talk about lowering prices reminds me of a post I started back a few years ago, you can see it here- http://www.upholster.com/upholstery-forum/index.php?topic=4457.0

The author gave examples of how changing prices to fit customer's needs, time of day, year etc. can benefit both the business and the customer. Many businesses do this all the time and I don't see anything wrong or suicidal for an upholstery shop to lower prices in slow seasons. A boat owner for instance can be given an incentive to bring their boat in earlier in the season for a discount. But the discount has to have a time limit, so when busy season kicks in, the shop is not pushing profitable work out of the way doing work at pre-season prices. It would have to be spelled out in advance, something like "This special price will be honored up until X date." I think it's important that any reduction in price be presented as a discount and for a specific reason, The regular price has to be stated so the customer knows they are getting a price break and is not led to believe that this is the regular price they can get any time they choose to come back.
Rich

[brmax]

Rich good idea, It sounds good to show regular bid and then give the discount the "ad" treatment during that certain period. The bigger distinction on paper does go a long way, good tip.

I'm in tune with the 30 day estimate and then a sign up, this "signup" is when the material deposit is made, only with this procedure would the client get on the schedule! I hope this is not to harsh but clear.

I think many here have done something in seasonal promotions, weather it is actually a structural business move or geared more for the customers in a specific way.
I would be curious to hear a bit more with tried experiences.

Floyd

[Mojo]

We used to do a July special to move more business into the shop during the off season. I dropped that practice this year and we are still busy.

In regards to customers, I will drop one like a hot potato if they are nasty to me or my wife. I will not tolerate rude behavior in a person in public nor in our business. I will starve to death rather then be blackmailed by a customer " I will tell my friends - or - I will post on the forums ". Screw em. At that point I give them my competitors phone number and tell them to piss off.

99 % of our customers are great to work with but we typically get one or two a year who are a royal PITA. I have found that if they are a pain before they order, they will be a time consuming pain after the sale.

Chris

[Rich]

I have found that if they are a pain before they order, they will be a time consuming pain after the sale.

Chris

Etch that one in stone, I've found it to be true just about all of the time. They are simply not worth the effort.
Rich

[sofadoc]

I have found that if they are a pain before they order, they will be a time consuming pain after the sale.

Chris

Etch that one in stone, I've found it to be true just about all of the time. They are simply not worth the effort.
Rich

I had one that asked me a million questions about how I was going to load her furniture on my truck. I told her thanks but no thanks.

And my favorite story is about the woman who agonized over every last detail before finally selecting a fabric. Then as she started to walk out of my shop, she noticed a loose thread glistening in the sunlight on her chair that I hadn't even stripped down yet. She turned around, came back in, and bent over her chair to bite the loose thread off. Her friend asked "Why are you doing that? He's going to take all that off anyway".

She said "Yeah, I know..........but I wouldn't be able to sleep tonight thinking about that loose thread."

I immediately re-loaded her chair back into her car and sent her on her way.

[byhammerandhand]

[gene]

So if you're a hard to please...

I'm pleased that they used the contraction for 'you' and 'are' instead of the posessive form of 'you'.

I'm displeased that they have either failed to insert an object of the indefinite article 'a', or they just don't speak no good English.

gene

[Rich]

So if you're a hard to please...

I'm pleased that they used the contraction for 'you' and 'are' instead of the possive form of 'you'.

I'm displeased that they have either failed to insert an object of the indefinite article 'a', or they just don't speak no good English.

gene

Say what?
Rich

[gene]

Say what?

Keith posted a picture of a note that addressed the issue of pleasing customers. I replied with a very funny comment regarding what about that note was pleasing to me and what about that note was displeasing to me.

If you failed to get my humor, Rich, you're just like most other folks.

:)

gene

[SteveA]

I just barely made it out of HS and that was 44 years ago.  I to wanted to say to Gene, " run that by me again ?"
My comprehension is - well never mind  !   Rich nor I wanted to encourage you but I think Virginia might take a turn at interpretation ?

SA

[sofadoc]

What Gene is saying (and correctly I might add), is that it should've read:

So if you're a hard to please customer, please just turn around and go somewhere else.

Or it would've been more acceptable if it had read:

So if you're a "Hard to please", please just...........

[byhammerandhand]

I took it to mean the noun (object) was implied.  

In the grand theme of thing's [sic] that don't [sic] bother myself [sic] like [sic] other things do.

It is said [passive voice which [sic] should be avoided] that when someone tried to correct Winston Churchill about ending a sentence in a preposition, his response was, "That is the type of arrant pedantry up with which I shall not put."

[Virgs Sew n Sew]

Steve, don't want to be a grammar/punctuation cop.  ; )

I thought the grammar was not well done but the older I get, the worse my grammar gets.  I need a refresher with good ole' Mr. Krall.  Ugh I detested that man but he taught me to diagram a sentence back in the day.

Seriously, I thought that the note was funny.

Translation: if you are a PITA customer, we don't want your business.

I thought Gene's remarks were both clever and funny.  Sorry if anyone was offended by them as I don't think that was his intent.

Think the fireworks are over for the night.  WHo hoo.  Hope that my dogs will now go out and pee so that I can get my much needed beauty sleep.

Virginia