My almost four year old, Aharon, has an issue with boundaries, from infancy. This naturally makes life with him interesting to say the least. A typical conversation will go like this:
"Aharon, please take off your clothes and get into the bath"
total silence
"Aharon, please take off your clothes and get into the bath"
total silence
I go looking for him - find him and repeat.
He says "NO"
Trying to mediate I say "OK, finish playing and then get into the bath"
"NO, I don wan"
If I force the issue by taking him by force - i.e. removing his clothes and sticking him in the bath, and then washing him down as the police would hose down the rioters, I would normally get a tantrum. Since the tantrums are even worse than the non-compliance, I admit to having let him get away with stuff that I would never tolerate in my other kids.
However, lately, in a fit of self-confident parenting, I dole out the tantrum producing discipline fully prepared to take on the tantrum in all its glory. When the tantrum begins, I say, repeatedly, like Chinese water torture, 'this crying is not acceptable to me, you are a good boy, and neither of us benefit from it. I will continue doing what I think is right, I am the Ima, you are a little boy, and you have to listen to me". Remarkably the tantrums have been, if not abating, at least not running their usual 45 minute course. We get the 10 minute version instead, which usually ends in a kiss and cuddle.
OK, so go tie that story to business.
Customers, like children need to be kept inline. (A special note to all my customers - please take this in the humor its meant - of course I don't think you are like children!) Its a fine line you have to walk between 'the customer is always right' which I really mostly believe to letting the customer simply treat you like a rag. I find that customers respect me more when I stand up occasionally either for what I have recommended or for unacceptable behavior.
For example, I recently had a customer that needed a business plan within 3 weeks. Very URGENT. We noted in our contract that our ability to provide the business plan within the imposed time limit was also tied to when we receive materials and comments from the customer. When after the 3 weeks the bp was not ready because they had delayed in getting us pretty much everything, we had a rude email to the effect that we should not expect payment...Since I knew these were going to be problematic clients, I had kept a log of every email/conversation we'd had, and was able to prove that in fact there was no way we could've complied with the 3 week deadline due to the client's deliquency. They immediately backed down, our relationship improved, they received the bp a week later and we have had more work from them since.
Ever have a customer repeatedly (as in more than twice) asks for something that was not in the original proposal and thus is in effect not being paid for. Its like my kids in a toy store, "I want this, and this and this". If I bought them everything they wanted, I would a. not have any money left over for food and b. not have room in my house. More importantly, they won't value the toys you do buy at very decent intervals.
The same with customers. If you continue to do things for free, they will stop respecting you, and when you finally do ask for payment, they won't understand why. Best to educate them from the start, in the form of your proposal to them, that they can expect to pay for any additional work, at such and such a rate. It will make them work more efficiently on the project and you will have to time to take on other clients.
"Aharon, please take off your clothes and get into the bath"
total silence
"Aharon, please take off your clothes and get into the bath"
total silence
I go looking for him - find him and repeat.
He says "NO"
Trying to mediate I say "OK, finish playing and then get into the bath"
"NO, I don wan"
If I force the issue by taking him by force - i.e. removing his clothes and sticking him in the bath, and then washing him down as the police would hose down the rioters, I would normally get a tantrum. Since the tantrums are even worse than the non-compliance, I admit to having let him get away with stuff that I would never tolerate in my other kids.
However, lately, in a fit of self-confident parenting, I dole out the tantrum producing discipline fully prepared to take on the tantrum in all its glory. When the tantrum begins, I say, repeatedly, like Chinese water torture, 'this crying is not acceptable to me, you are a good boy, and neither of us benefit from it. I will continue doing what I think is right, I am the Ima, you are a little boy, and you have to listen to me". Remarkably the tantrums have been, if not abating, at least not running their usual 45 minute course. We get the 10 minute version instead, which usually ends in a kiss and cuddle.
OK, so go tie that story to business.
Customers, like children need to be kept inline. (A special note to all my customers - please take this in the humor its meant - of course I don't think you are like children!) Its a fine line you have to walk between 'the customer is always right' which I really mostly believe to letting the customer simply treat you like a rag. I find that customers respect me more when I stand up occasionally either for what I have recommended or for unacceptable behavior.
For example, I recently had a customer that needed a business plan within 3 weeks. Very URGENT. We noted in our contract that our ability to provide the business plan within the imposed time limit was also tied to when we receive materials and comments from the customer. When after the 3 weeks the bp was not ready because they had delayed in getting us pretty much everything, we had a rude email to the effect that we should not expect payment...Since I knew these were going to be problematic clients, I had kept a log of every email/conversation we'd had, and was able to prove that in fact there was no way we could've complied with the 3 week deadline due to the client's deliquency. They immediately backed down, our relationship improved, they received the bp a week later and we have had more work from them since.
Ever have a customer repeatedly (as in more than twice) asks for something that was not in the original proposal and thus is in effect not being paid for. Its like my kids in a toy store, "I want this, and this and this". If I bought them everything they wanted, I would a. not have any money left over for food and b. not have room in my house. More importantly, they won't value the toys you do buy at very decent intervals.
The same with customers. If you continue to do things for free, they will stop respecting you, and when you finally do ask for payment, they won't understand why. Best to educate them from the start, in the form of your proposal to them, that they can expect to pay for any additional work, at such and such a rate. It will make them work more efficiently on the project and you will have to time to take on other clients.
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