Grrrrrrr! I own my own business. A potential client whom I had sent information about what I do called and invited me to make a presentation.
During said presentation I gave him all sorts of ideas of things I could do for them.
Today when I called to follow up he said that he really liked what I said I could do, but he is going to give the company they have been dealing with for the past 17 years the opportunity to do the things I said that I could do for him. If they can’t do it he will call on me. His exact words were: “Now I feel that I can dictate to him what I want him to do.”
So in other words, he had me over so he could find out what the competition could do, what they charge, etc., etc.
Instead of saying what I’d really like to say. (I am a professional after all!) I said, “I understand, but of course, you will keep my fee structure, etc. confidential. Also, I don’t want a competitor to think that I am trying to steal his business.”
I am so pissed off! I have done competitive analysis’ in the past, but never to the point where I would have them come out and do an entire presentation. That is such low-class behavior. It is one thing to call and ask for someone’s prices, but another to actually make them cart an entire dog-and-pony show over to your corporate offices.
Just my 2 cents from personal sales management experience.
Not sure what type of business you are in but I’d recommend keeping fees and other confidential information out of an open presenation. You can always follow up with those in a proposal clearly marked confidential. I would try to keep presentation information more general - your business profile, types of services offered, etc.
Not matter what you do, there’s always going to be weasels lurking around wanting to take advantage of you. Doesn’t mean they are impossible to do business with, you just have to do it in a guarded manner.
Perhaps I used the term “presentation” too loosely. I met with the two top officers in the company. Thank goodness I didn’t give them anything in writing except basic information on my company, background, a partial listing of past/present clients and a few letters from satisfied customers.
Everything else was oral…my fee structure, ideas, etc. Plus, even if they know what my ideas are…no one else could implement them like me! (False bravado…but I’m trying to look on the bright side.)
I know there are weasels everywhere…but it really hurts when they bite!
Waaaaaah! Mommy! Okay, back to being a professional…
Don’t be too downhearted. You made a good impression and if the other company doesn’t acquiesce, they’ll come back. They’ve gone with the familiar; this is human nature.
Another (jaded) business owner here. Yeah, it happens. It’s not classy or nice or anything, but it’s SOP in many industries, I’m afraid.
It’s almost impossible to keep your fees/prices completely confidential. Once you supply them, your clients (or potential clients) are free to pass them on to your competitors in order to get a better deal. It’s usually done more discreetly though, I’m mildly surprised that these people actually told you the truth.
On the up side, it helps keep competition healthy. On the down side…well, you know what the down side is.
There’s not much you can do about it but this practice may work to your advantage one day, when someone passes you information about your competitors fees/services. You can, of course, choose not to play that game but it is done regularly with barely a blink.
I wouldn’t suggest doubling your rates, though, if they do come back to you. Unless of course, you choose to do this as a way of telling these people that you really don’t want their business.
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That is such low-class behavior. It is one thing to call and ask for someone’s prices, but another to actually make them cart an entire dog-and-pony show over to your corporate offices.
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Are you kidding me? I work for a small consulting engineering firm. Do you have any idea how many proposals we make to get one contract? It’s about 10, or 12, to 1. And that’s right around the industry standard. And I’m sure that we put a hell of a lot more effort into making our proposals than you did with your “oral” show. It’s not uncommon for our proposals to run to a couple hundred pages of documents: work samples, schedules, statements of qualifications, references, financial data, etc. Frankly, if we were gonna contract service, or labor (and we frequently do outsource some things), and the proposer showed up with nothing but an oral presentation, I don’t think we’d give 'em a second thought, let alone a second chance, which is something you might get outta this.
You need a much thicker skin, and a more realistic outlook, if you wish to own a business where you have to present and sell your services. And I dunno what you mean by “carting over entire dog-and-pony show.” You said it was an oral presentation. Doesn’t sound like a whole lotta trouble just jumping in the car and driving over.
This will get you nothing but laughed at. And you’ll never be given the chance to set foot in that guy’s place of business again to make a pitch.
If we got the job or contract or even just the order every time we bid, I’d probably be long retired by now. You just have to write it off as the cost of doing business, my friend. Sometimes it involves more work than other times. Sometimes you get lucky with a single phone call. Those are the vagaries of business.
There is no question that being in business requires an extremely tough skin. May I give you more piece of unsolicited advice? (As if you could stop me, heh) Never, ever do anything that could be perceived as trying to take revenge on potential clients for not getting their business. Or for anything else. No matter WHAT they do. This will be perceived as cry-babying of the highest order and every industry tends to be very small-town about it’s members. IOW, it will get around and you’ll be thought of as whiny and small-time. Your reputation will make a lot of difference between being a go-to person for your clients, or someone to be used and abused. There are businesses out there that have a certain kind of corporate mentality. For some of them, perceived whiners make an irresistible target.
Business is like politics, if you do something dirty, you’d better have some plausible deniability. Even if people know or suspect what really went on, you will be more respected for getting in your licks and getting away with it than you will for trying to be some sort of martyr, or trying to be better than everyone else. It really is a jungle out there.
You may already know all this but the best of luck to you anyhow.
Disclaimer: Of course, I’m not condoning or advising dirty-trickery in any way, shape or form.
Good for you. I didn’t mean to come off so harshly before. It’s just that I’ve done very little “real work” these past several weeks; I’ve been spending the bulk of my time on proposals (and, heh, evaluating software proposals and demos). And weeks on end of little but that kind of thing, your post just struck a raw nerve. Anyway, I really do wish you success - unless, of course you are one of my competitors :-p
You might wanna keep these guys on your list of prospective clients, though, and contact them from time-to-time. Now that you’ve been face-to-face with 'em, and assuming they were happy with what you showed 'em (which apparently they are, if they took your ideas to their current supplier), it can’t hurt to keep putting your name in front of them. You’ve got some good initial exposure; now it’s time to make that work for you. Who knows, maybe the your competitor will either turn down work in the future, or drop the ball. And then you can be there to pick it. These guys, despite that you felt treated shoddily by them, appear to have some loyalty to their suppliers; that’s exactly the kind of client that’s desireable and it’s worth some effort courting that type.
I suggest that to keep your name in front of 'em, making contact once a quarter is probably sufficient. But use only one, or two, e-mails each year at most - it’s extremely easy to ignore/delete those things. Make your contacts by telephone, or regular mail, your primary avenue(s) and save your good stuff for those times. If you use mail, you can also take advantage of that by sending along brochures, or work samples, and your business card. When you call them, a good pre-text might be the old dodge, “I’m in the area on xxx day, and I’d like to take the opportunity to stop by for a few minutes and discuss any current or future needs you might have.”
(I never thought I’d have an Uncle Beer. I had an Uncle Happy though, when I was a kid. He always asked me to bring him a beer, a glass and a salt shaker when he came to visit.)
It made me feel really good to blow off some steam. Just calling the guy an ass-wipe was enough to cheer me up.