Big Hearts win Big Clients
Have two interesting stories to share. Both taught some invaluable business lessons in quite an unusual way. I'm not saying that they will work the same way for you, but I hoped there will be an interesting read at least.
The first one includes my kids who can be quite passionate when it comes to the things they love. This was the reason we found ourselves driving around the city in search for all remaining titles of some video game series I completely forgot how is called. Either way, we couldn't find some of the first titles online because they weren't available anymore. So, we had to go through the alternative channels, meaning to check out small stores that sell used copies. So, I was driving around desperately trying to find a small store in the part of the town I think I've never been. Finally, I decided to make a call and ask for directions from the store itself. It turned out that the owner himself was on the phone, also driving. I just got some useful instructions I can rely on when I lost this guy. The phone was dead. Soon enough, I got a text message that he was pulled over by the cops. He was driving and talking on the phone at the same time. So, he's going to have some quality time with the police, that's for sure. I felt guilty and responsible in a way. He texted me a new number of one of his employees with an apology. Yet, I was the one to offer an apology. Right?
The next thing we know, we are in the store. The kids had their fun. I was still restless. So, I texted again. I offered to pay one half of the traffic ticket. This guy was trying to convince me that everything was OK. Yet, I tried to imagine myself in his position. Who likes to be pulled off by the police and think about the potential traffic ticket that is never a joke regarding the amount you have to pay. I expected from this guy to be nervous. I was even afraid that he would say something like, hey man, leave me alone, you and your stupid games, I'm in trouble now. He didn't lose his spirits even for a moment. He made jokes about it. So, I had no other choice than to order and buy two more games, which was something my kids strongly appreciated. To top it all the owner of this store called his employees and asked that an additional discount is to be approved especially for us. You know what, this guy did the right moves in the difficult moment to buy our loyalty. You can rest assured that this is going to be the only store we are going to buy the games from now on.
We came back home in high spirits. So, I decided to do some additional work. I planned to find a WordPress guy to fix some plugins on my website. I decided to look for an affordable freelancer with enough experience to handle my problems quickly and efficiently. So, I got quite a few bids in less than an hour. One guy stood out from the crowd among these bids. So, we used the messaging system on Upwork to make sure we are the perfect match. I was almost to reach my final decision, but there was this thing with the new fee on Upwork. 20% is something you simply can't ignore. I was quite honest about it. This freelancer wasn't thrilled either. But, what could we do about it? I had some second thoughts about searching a proper freelancer this way. This freelancer was obviously experienced in negotiating the projects he wants to win. So, he offered that we should split the fee. He got me. After all, I'm the client. I will pay the fee. That wasn't the only surprise this freelancer had for me. He decided to change his bid and offer a new better price. I had to do something in return. So, I said. OK, you will fix my plugins and you will take care of the website. You will jump in from time to time. I'm tired of it. For this price, I can take care of other things.
So, here I'm still buying games for my kids in that store with an owner who can't live without his phone and his car, and I'm still working with a freelancer who has found a way to overcome the trouble of fees. I'm not a big client, but these guys have a big heart and they bought for an indefinite period of time. What I learned from them, I try to apply in my own work. I try to win big clients with a big heart. You have to give something to get something in return. Right? Can you say for yourself that you have a big heart to win big clients? Can this principle survive in the world of modern online business?
The first one includes my kids who can be quite passionate when it comes to the things they love. This was the reason we found ourselves driving around the city in search for all remaining titles of some video game series I completely forgot how is called. Either way, we couldn't find some of the first titles online because they weren't available anymore. So, we had to go through the alternative channels, meaning to check out small stores that sell used copies. So, I was driving around desperately trying to find a small store in the part of the town I think I've never been. Finally, I decided to make a call and ask for directions from the store itself. It turned out that the owner himself was on the phone, also driving. I just got some useful instructions I can rely on when I lost this guy. The phone was dead. Soon enough, I got a text message that he was pulled over by the cops. He was driving and talking on the phone at the same time. So, he's going to have some quality time with the police, that's for sure. I felt guilty and responsible in a way. He texted me a new number of one of his employees with an apology. Yet, I was the one to offer an apology. Right?
The next thing we know, we are in the store. The kids had their fun. I was still restless. So, I texted again. I offered to pay one half of the traffic ticket. This guy was trying to convince me that everything was OK. Yet, I tried to imagine myself in his position. Who likes to be pulled off by the police and think about the potential traffic ticket that is never a joke regarding the amount you have to pay. I expected from this guy to be nervous. I was even afraid that he would say something like, hey man, leave me alone, you and your stupid games, I'm in trouble now. He didn't lose his spirits even for a moment. He made jokes about it. So, I had no other choice than to order and buy two more games, which was something my kids strongly appreciated. To top it all the owner of this store called his employees and asked that an additional discount is to be approved especially for us. You know what, this guy did the right moves in the difficult moment to buy our loyalty. You can rest assured that this is going to be the only store we are going to buy the games from now on.
We came back home in high spirits. So, I decided to do some additional work. I planned to find a WordPress guy to fix some plugins on my website. I decided to look for an affordable freelancer with enough experience to handle my problems quickly and efficiently. So, I got quite a few bids in less than an hour. One guy stood out from the crowd among these bids. So, we used the messaging system on Upwork to make sure we are the perfect match. I was almost to reach my final decision, but there was this thing with the new fee on Upwork. 20% is something you simply can't ignore. I was quite honest about it. This freelancer wasn't thrilled either. But, what could we do about it? I had some second thoughts about searching a proper freelancer this way. This freelancer was obviously experienced in negotiating the projects he wants to win. So, he offered that we should split the fee. He got me. After all, I'm the client. I will pay the fee. That wasn't the only surprise this freelancer had for me. He decided to change his bid and offer a new better price. I had to do something in return. So, I said. OK, you will fix my plugins and you will take care of the website. You will jump in from time to time. I'm tired of it. For this price, I can take care of other things.
So, here I'm still buying games for my kids in that store with an owner who can't live without his phone and his car, and I'm still working with a freelancer who has found a way to overcome the trouble of fees. I'm not a big client, but these guys have a big heart and they bought for an indefinite period of time. What I learned from them, I try to apply in my own work. I try to win big clients with a big heart. You have to give something to get something in return. Right? Can you say for yourself that you have a big heart to win big clients? Can this principle survive in the world of modern online business?