Comments on: Fire your worst customers http://whitneyhess.com/blog/2010/02/21/fire-your-worst-customers/ Improving the human experience one day at a time Sun, 05 Sep 2010 02:40:31 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Harry van der Veen http://whitneyhess.com/blog/2010/02/21/fire-your-worst-customers/comment-page-1/#comment-4807 Harry van der Veen Sat, 27 Feb 2010 11:27:04 +0000 http://whitneyhess.com/blog/?p=3238#comment-4807 Great, fully agree. There will always be requests from prospects/clients that want to have a product yesterday, cheaper and with more features. Of course companies should be open for challenges, but some challenges are simply having a very negative effect on the team that has to execute a specific project/deliver a specific product (especially if the client is a difficult to work with). Better indeed not to waste your time on the companies that say that they can get a solution cheaper somewhere else, but instead focus on your clients that love your product and your services as they are (including the pricing, delivery time frame and feature specifications) Great, fully agree. There will always be requests from prospects/clients that want to have a product yesterday, cheaper and with more features. Of course companies should be open for challenges, but some challenges are simply having a very negative effect on the team that has to execute a specific project/deliver a specific product (especially if the client is a difficult to work with). Better indeed not to waste your time on the companies that say that they can get a solution cheaper somewhere else, but instead focus on your clients that love your product and your services as they are (including the pricing, delivery time frame and feature specifications)

]]> By: Rizwan Iqbal http://whitneyhess.com/blog/2010/02/21/fire-your-worst-customers/comment-page-1/#comment-4797 Rizwan Iqbal Thu, 25 Feb 2010 09:49:22 +0000 http://whitneyhess.com/blog/?p=3238#comment-4797 I had a friend who told me about this when I was with my last company. We were running a free job-board and a paid HR business, both with over a 100 companies registered and all the time we were fixing problems for free users on the job board. It was difficult for us to start charging them, now I think it makes sense to let a few angry customers go, because who stays back; as you said, are the ones who really value your service. I had a friend who told me about this when I was with my last company. We were running a free job-board and a paid HR business, both with over a 100 companies registered and all the time we were fixing problems for free users on the job board. It was difficult for us to start charging them, now I think it makes sense to let a few angry customers go, because who stays back; as you said, are the ones who really value your service.

]]> By: James Chandler http://whitneyhess.com/blog/2010/02/21/fire-your-worst-customers/comment-page-1/#comment-4789 James Chandler Mon, 22 Feb 2010 17:03:20 +0000 http://whitneyhess.com/blog/?p=3238#comment-4789 Whitney --<br><br>A good local example is that of Michael Landrum, proprietor of Rays: The Steaks and Rays: Hell Burger in Arlington, VA. The WashPost did a profile on him recently that included this tidbit:<br><br>"Anyone who Landrum decides has been rude to his staff is asked to leave. So is anyone who uses profanity or threatens an employee, a la "You haven't heard the last of this!" The number of guest evictions tends to reach a high after one of his restaurants receives a review, Landrum said. Last spring, after Ray's: The Steaks moved to a larger location and was re-reviewed by critics, Landrum kicked out as many as three customers a week."<br><br>It's so unusual, in part because when Michael does this to rude customers, it gets reported via friends or the Internet as Michael or his staff being a jerk. It doesn't hurt his business, though -- the restaurants are packed even during the down economy. I'm positive this is in part because he treats his staff well and they are therefore loyal and do a wonderful job. Whitney –

A good local example is that of Michael Landrum, proprietor of Rays: The Steaks and Rays: Hell Burger in Arlington, VA. The WashPost did a profile on him recently that included this tidbit:

“Anyone who Landrum decides has been rude to his staff is asked to leave. So is anyone who uses profanity or threatens an employee, a la “You haven't heard the last of this!” The number of guest evictions tends to reach a high after one of his restaurants receives a review, Landrum said. Last spring, after Ray's: The Steaks moved to a larger location and was re-reviewed by critics, Landrum kicked out as many as three customers a week.”

It's so unusual, in part because when Michael does this to rude customers, it gets reported via friends or the Internet as Michael or his staff being a jerk. It doesn't hurt his business, though — the restaurants are packed even during the down economy. I'm positive this is in part because he treats his staff well and they are therefore loyal and do a wonderful job.

]]> By: Adam Neary http://whitneyhess.com/blog/2010/02/21/fire-your-worst-customers/comment-page-1/#comment-4784 Adam Neary Mon, 22 Feb 2010 13:50:22 +0000 http://whitneyhess.com/blog/?p=3238#comment-4784 :-) In entrepreneur-speak, it sounds like a real pain point. I'm on it! :-) In entrepreneur-speak, it sounds like a real pain point. I'm on it!

]]> By: Whitney Hess http://whitneyhess.com/blog/2010/02/21/fire-your-worst-customers/comment-page-1/#comment-4783 Whitney Hess Mon, 22 Feb 2010 13:48:11 +0000 http://whitneyhess.com/blog/?p=3238#comment-4783 Walking away from money is always hard, no? But I think we focus far too much on revenue and not on profit. For many of us, profit is hard to calculate. We're in the service business, and unlike with hard goods, there are no wholesale and resale values. Our value is the price we put on ourselves, both in dollars and time. Most people are too lazy to track what they put in, and too scared to calculate what they're really getting out. That's what I'm advocating for. Walking away from money is always hard, no? But I think we focus far too much on revenue and not on profit. For many of us, profit is hard to calculate. We're in the service business, and unlike with hard goods, there are no wholesale and resale values. Our value is the price we put on ourselves, both in dollars and time. Most people are too lazy to track what they put in, and too scared to calculate what they're really getting out. That's what I'm advocating for.

]]> By: Adam Neary http://whitneyhess.com/blog/2010/02/21/fire-your-worst-customers/comment-page-1/#comment-4781 Adam Neary Mon, 22 Feb 2010 12:26:20 +0000 http://whitneyhess.com/blog/?p=3238#comment-4781 Whitney--this is a huge challenge that every company faces (large and small), and the toughest moment is walking away from a cash-paying customer or project when hearing, "yes" sounds so good!<br><br>...or, in other circumstances, when salespeople are incentivized by revenue and not profit! Tough challenge indeed. Whitney–this is a huge challenge that every company faces (large and small), and the toughest moment is walking away from a cash-paying customer or project when hearing, “yes” sounds so good!

…or, in other circumstances, when salespeople are incentivized by revenue and not profit! Tough challenge indeed.

]]> By: Who's Up For A Challenge? http://whitneyhess.com/blog/2010/02/21/fire-your-worst-customers/comment-page-1/#comment-4780 Who's Up For A Challenge? Mon, 22 Feb 2010 06:15:22 +0000 http://whitneyhess.com/blog/?p=3238#comment-4780 [...] [...]

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]]> By: uberVU - social comments http://whitneyhess.com/blog/2010/02/21/fire-your-worst-customers/comment-page-1/#comment-4778 uberVU - social comments Mon, 22 Feb 2010 03:06:33 +0000 http://whitneyhess.com/blog/?p=3238#comment-4778 <strong>Social comments and analytics for this post...</strong> This post was mentioned on Twitter by whitneyhess: New blog post: Fire your worst customers http://bit.ly/8YALOs...

Social comments and analytics for this post…

This post was mentioned on Twitter by whitneyhess: New blog post: Fire your worst customers http://bit.ly/8YALOs...

]]> By: Steve Portigal http://whitneyhess.com/blog/2010/02/21/fire-your-worst-customers/comment-page-1/#comment-4779 Steve Portigal Mon, 22 Feb 2010 02:57:05 +0000 http://whitneyhess.com/blog/?p=3238#comment-4779 An old boss of mine used to say "Can we satisfy this client?" It usually came up after more-than-one mini-crisis, and it forced us to take a slightly dispassionate look at what was going on. Was there a mismatch of expectations? Were we not delivering? Were there issues on their end that made success - as we wanted to define it - unachievable? Now, this boss was never satisfied with our performance or the outcome, but would also never give up, so he served as a negative example - what not to do - but I did find this particular statement - can we satisfy this client - to be a good one and even recently brought it up to help us through a difficult period with a client (short version: while they thought at one point that we were as reliable as dirt and we thought they were as unreasonable as dirt, it ended up in a group hug and we're all moving forward with more good stuff together) An old boss of mine used to say “Can we satisfy this client?” It usually came up after more-than-one mini-crisis, and it forced us to take a slightly dispassionate look at what was going on. Was there a mismatch of expectations? Were we not delivering? Were there issues on their end that made success – as we wanted to define it – unachievable? Now, this boss was never satisfied with our performance or the outcome, but would also never give up, so he served as a negative example – what not to do – but I did find this particular statement – can we satisfy this client – to be a good one and even recently brought it up to help us through a difficult period with a client (short version: while they thought at one point that we were as reliable as dirt and we thought they were as unreasonable as dirt, it ended up in a group hug and we're all moving forward with more good stuff together)

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