The Worst Businessman in the World

I just had to post about this, I think I must be either the worst or the top 100,000 businessman in the world. I have had two client interviews today for my technology company. One of them was a fellow Realtor and another was just a guy wanting to be a millionaire doing something he loved. So I have a couple of documents and a price sheet that I give to people who are prospective clients and I have lost more clients because of that document than anything else and they love me for it.

My Realtor friend that wanted a website and then 9 more websites came to me today and said Chris I need this done now. So out come my documents, and I knew she was coming so I went and did some research and found her an alternative company to use. So I go through my presentation and we discuss everything and at the end of I say, well Friend of Mine, what do you think, and I get the blank stare. Then I say that is what I thought which is why I found someone else who is better going to fit your needs at 1/16 of my costs. Yeah I have a friend for life, and I am out $3500, plus referral business, plus maintenance and hosting, which all in all equates to about $10,000 a year.

My client this morning, I had to practice tough love, and I basically told him that it would be better to keep his hobby as a hobby than try to run it as an internet business. I would have made a lot more money, but he would have been bankrupt in a year and I would not have been happy about it.

So why do I sabotage myself, I guess you could call altruism, but it is mostly because it will never be a Win-Win situation. I will make a little money they will spend time spinning their wheels and every month that they have to write me a check they resent me a little more, and really if you can't create a Win-Win situation for everyone neither of you are going to prosper. Which ties nicely into the customer service side of being a Realtor. Always create a Win-Win even if it costs you the instant gratification of a paycheck, it will be alot better for you in the long run.

-cem

Chris Mitchell
http://www.CallNashvilleHome.com