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Heyyyy, is There a Hidden Camera Around Here?

by 1960Texan
6 replies
I had an experience yesterday that I thought I'd share with my fellow offline Warriors.

I'm working on a campaign for one of my clients, and need to get several thousand brochures printed for them. I've already gotten two very attractive bids, and wanted a third. I was running a few errands and stopped in to speak with one of the local printers. The young guy behind the counter asked if he could help me, and I told him I was getting bids and then spelled out exactly what I needed:

  1. Number of copies
  2. Weight of the paper
  3. Size of the paper
  4. 4 Color printing
After incorrectly reciting my order back to me three times, he insisted that he couldn't give me a bid until I sent the file to him. When I asked why he needed the file, he refused to answer.

Just as I was getting ready to walk out the manager (or perhaps owner) stepped in and took over. Again, I gave her the information I gave the young guy. Again, she asked for the file.

"Look," I said, "You're not getting the file unless I decide to do business with you. The only way I can determine if I'm going to be doing business with you is if you give me a bid. Then, and only then, do we proceed."
Her response?

"What's your budget?"

I laughed in her face. I mean, I literally laughed in her face, and said,

"No. I'm not playing that game. I already have two bids, I just want a third." At this point I already knew there was no way in hell that I'd ever do business with these people, but I wanted to see how it played out.

I stared at her for a few seconds before she finally opened the drawer that was right in front of her, scanned a sheet of paper, and quoted me a price that was $200 more than the closest bid and for a heavier weight of paper than I requested. When I reminded her of the correct weight, she responded by telling me that she didn't like using that particular weight, and would only do the job with the paper that she picked.

Basically, they did everything wrong. They did everything wrong and yet they are still in business.

I love having experiences like these. One of the best things about being self-employed is that you can choose who you do business with. Of the other two bids that I received (both local) one of them is going to become my client. They're both interested in my services, and as I work exclusively with one business per category, I'm deciding which of the two will be the most rewarding to work with.

My first order of business? I'm going to absolutely crush (using purely white-hat, ethical methods) the idiot that gave me such a hard time when I was trying to get a third bid. I always do a great job for my clients, but now one of their competitors just made it personal.

Will
#camera #heyyyy #hidden
  • Profile picture of the author iAmNameLess
    Good story, and you're right, the experience is great! Although, I wouldn't recommend making anything personal. You're in business, and you can't make things personal.
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    • Profile picture of the author 1960Texan
      Originally Posted by iAmNameLess View Post

      Good story, and you're right, the experience is great! Although, I wouldn't recommend making anything personal. You're in business, and you can't make things personal.
      I agree with you in principal...it's business, and when we're told not to take things personally, I translate that to mean that we shouldn't make business decisions from an emotional standpoint.

      On the other hand, I'm old enough to remember when good customer service was a given, and bad customer service was a one-way ticket to a "going out of business sale." This is when I take it personally. Every client that I work with either already gives great customer service, or I spend some time helping them tweak their process so that they're at least giving better customer service than they were when I first started working with them.

      We vote with our dollars. It used to be that we were voting for the best product with the best service. Now it seems that the majority of us are strictly voting for convenience, and have given up on the notion that we can have a great all-around experience when we spend our hard-earned dollars.

      Will
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  • Profile picture of the author John Durham
    Its good to see that people can do everything wrong and still be in business. How much better for us?
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    • Profile picture of the author chrissyb
      Isn't it the most unprofessional, insecure question in the world - 'what's your budget?'

      However...Did you have a rough draft they could see...? Were they insisting on the actual raw file the PSD, .INDD .AI?

      May I ask why you were reluctant to give them a file to look at (if you didn't)? Normally I would make suggestions about the file before we'd even quoted or expressed an interest - it would be part of the service. Depends on the job, perhaps they had pre-press concerns? Colour reproduction etc.

      I would have said 'okay so what are we looking at...?'. Customers bring files in that I'd consider way off being ready for a 4 colour print run, perhaps they were looking for special treatments etc.

      I can understand some companies retaining an identity and therefore rejecting certain jobs. Perhaps those days have passed. but companies still want to maintain a certain quality level...

      I know you were only asking for a quote, but i can't remember a time when we've quoted, without some concept of the job itself...Especially if the art work is pre-prepared...
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      • Profile picture of the author 1960Texan
        Originally Posted by chrissyb View Post

        However...Did you have a rough draft they could see...? Were they insisting on the actual raw file the PSD, .INDD .AI?

        May I ask why you were reluctant to give them a file to look at (if you didn't)?
        Had the rough draft and made it clear to them that the file could be sent in their preferred format. Wasn't prepared to send them the file yet because it's still a work in progress. Ultimately, it was their unwillingness to answer a simple question (or at least do me the courtesy of explaining why they couldn't answer a simple question) that turned me off on using their services. After all, I've already received two other bids from their competitors.

        Will
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      • Profile picture of the author iAmNameLess
        Originally Posted by chrissyb View Post

        Isn't it the most unprofessional, insecure question in the world - 'what's your budget?'
        Not really... sometimes it is necessary. We offer SEO campaigns and it entirely depends on their budget. We start off at $1,000 a month, so if they have a $3,000 budget per month, they don't necessarily have to go with that in SEO, but it will be a 1K monthly fee no matter what. They can have a lot more accomplished, faster if they had a higher budget.

        I don't think the person in this example did it right though... I always ask what the budget available is, after mentioning it is $1,000 a month for our lowest plan, and after having some conversation first. Nobody has been put off, and 1960texan wouldn't have either if it was done correctly and in the right situation. Of course, he had specifics, he already knew what he wanted so it isn't a matter of what is your budget, LOL.
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