Heyyyy, is There a Hidden Camera Around Here?
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:
- Number of copies
- Weight of the paper
- Size of the paper
- 4 Color printing
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
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