Home
>
Small Business
>
(P)Refer to Grow Your Business

(P)Refer to Grow Your Business

(Although this article is geared towards small business owners, the information is just as applicable to a similar personal situation, only the action is slightly different.)

Here is the scenario. You have begun your day at work. Your day is planned ahead, with the big challenges first. You want to finish these up, get them out of the way and take a little time off this afternoon for yourself. You deserve and need it to stay your best for your family, yourself and your customers.

Just as you get into your first task of the morning, the phone rings. "I need help right now!" It's Joe Blow, your most troublesome customer (friend).

For the last six months, Joe has been coming to you with his problems (never challenges or opportunities) expecting you to drop everything and help him. From the very beginning you realized it was probably a mistake to have taken Joe on as a customer. No matter how much you charge Joe for your services, Joe will never be satisfied, and you will never make a profit.

Joe, and customers like him, seem to have an innate ability to attract problems as honey does bees. Of course he blames everyone else, waits until the last minute, and calls you to bail him out.

What do you do?

Don't. By fulfilling Joe's needs for instant gratification, and allowing him to create a habit of calling you instead of installing disciplines of his own you are hurting not only him, but you as well.

Don't bail him out. Be honest with him, and yourself. Refer him to someone who can help him if necessary. Try this: "Joe, although I appreciate your business, in my opinion my company is not serving you in the manner you require, and this is not a good fit for both of us. With your permission, I am going to refer you to a company that I believe will be a much better match for your needs."

You should have a list of at least 100 people of every profession to whom you refer business and expect them to return the favor. You haven't done that? Refer Joe to an organizational, or business coach. Refer him to a competitor. Let them have him. You get rid of him and saddle them at the same time! Seriously though, you need to keep your priorities in line and in focus. Customers like Joe, no matter how well they pay, are seldom profitable when you factor in time, actual costs and energy consumed.

Focus on the customers or clients you want to attract, and make sure you have room in your business when they do show up. They always do.

Your Coach and online friend,

Miami

Helping others find their path - and stay on it.
www.creativemasterminds.com

Quotation of the Week

Be careful the environment you choose for it will shape you; be careful the friends you choose for you will become like them.

W. Clement Stone

About The Author

Miami Phillips is an ANSIR Certified Personal Coach and the founder of Creative MasterMinds who believes personal growth is an essential ingredient to being happy and contributing to this world. While his main focus is affordable personal and business coaching, he also offers motivational teleclasses, ebooks, reading recommendations and much more. To find out more visit his site at www.creativemasterminds.com or send him an email at www.creativemasterminds.com

expert residential cleaners Park Ridge ..

In The News:

The Omoway Omo X features a modular design, obstacle detection and emergency braking, and can drive itself to charging stations, signaling the future of smart urban mobility.

PillTrek, a tiny wireless smart capsule created by Caltech, provides real-time gut health data by detecting electrolytes, metabolites, glucose, hormones, pH levels and temperature.

Learn to spot fake bank text messages with five warning signs of Chase phishing scams, including suspicious links and urgent deadlines designed to steal your account information.

Robot coyotes built on motorized cars reaching 20 mph are being deployed at military airfields as an innovative solution to wildlife threats to aircraft safety.

Explore Google Drive's strengths and weaknesses as a backup solution, including its encryption security, privacy concerns and comparison to dedicated backup tools.

As environmental challenges grow, underwater habitats gain momentum with DEEP's Vanguard, supporting short missions and Sentinel designed for 28-day stays at depth.

The new Urban Eyes safety vest features dual cameras, reflective panels and a wireless remote to deter harassers and provide peace of mind for outdoor workouts.

The $200 billion data broker industry tracks your personal details across websites, posing privacy risks that can be mitigated through data removal services.

UCC Holding has teamed up with COBOD to create desert-inspired, 3D-printed schools in Qatar, featuring dune-like wavy walls impossible with conventional construction.

Darkling beetles equipped with microchip backpacks can be guided through disaster areas using electrical signals, offering a biological solution for search and rescue.

Scammers use number porting to take control of outdated landlines still connected to financial accounts, bypassing two-factor authentication to steal funds while avoiding detection.

Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey developed Bitchat, a privacy-focused messaging app that works offline via Bluetooth without requiring email, phone numbers or personal data.

Google is making a push to ensure its AI, Gemini, is tightly integrated with Android systems by granting it access to core apps like WhatsApp, Messages, and Phone.

A new green energy system is set to change how we capture clean power, and it all starts with the ocean. French startup Seaturns has designed technology that taps into the natural motion of the sea.

Cybersecurity researchers are warning that hackers have started exploiting flaws in chatbots to carry out AI phishing attacks.

Google has just made it easier than ever to regain control of your inbox with Gmail's new Manage Subscriptions tool.

Despite the benefits, residential power saver programs come with several potential drawbacks and concerns that have been raised by both customers and experts.

The Blackdot AI tattoo machine is quiet. It's steady. And according to early users, it hurts a lot less.

Attackers have started to exploit the very signals that users assume will keep them safe when it comes to add-ons to improve productivity or entertainment.

Located on Cerro Pachón in Chile, the world's most powerful digital camera is set to transform how we see the universe.

The innovative DQ Tower stands 28 feet tall with 420 square feet of living space, featuring floor-to-ceiling windows and premium amenities in a prefabricated design.

A new mmWave imaging system allows warehouse robots to scan and create 3D models of objects inside sealed containers, potentially revolutionizing shipping processes.

Family fraud endangers seniors when relatives exploit their trust, but removing personal data online and monitoring identity can prevent financial harm to aging parents.

A study analyzing 500,000 customer service interactions shows chatbots struggle with complex issues while human agents excel at matching customer communication styles.

Aigen's Element robot uses solar power and AI to provide farmers with a sustainable alternative to herbicides, working efficiently in cotton and soy fields.

(P)Refer to Grow Your Business

Small Business