Was I blunt enough?

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ptonsparky

ptonsparky

Tom
Location
NE (9.06 miles @5.9 Degrees from Winged Horses)
Occupation
EC - retired
Customer that is driving me nuts with requests for estimates, change and reprice, what can we do about this, how much. About a two weeks ago they found a "work around" so they could manage to work when a faulty high bin limit shut things down. One of my past small PLC projects. They lucked at the solution or worked really hard finding a way. I want to give them a legal safe option and close the loop hole. We have been in the discussion stage for all of this week. Today I told them to make the decision. "S__t or get off the pot!"

Was I too blunt?

About right?

Or

Such a whimp, I should be embarrassed.
 
Definitely better ways to approach it than what you said. One way to help a customer decide is to invoice them for all your time. Don't be shy on the invoice, the higher the price, the quicker they'll make up their mind.
 
I had a customer's wife walking arround the demo section of her remodel in flip flops. I said to her: "Geinie, walking around here in flip flops is very brave, and by brave I mean stupid"


The words had already left my mouth when I realized she's not my apprentice. I did apologize and she was very gracious and they have given me much work since. I suspect that it helped that I was quite red in the face once I realized what I had said.
 
five.five-six said:
I had a customer's wife walking arround the demo section of her remodel in flip flops. I said to her: "Geinie, walking around here in flip flops is very brave, and by brave I mean stupid"


The words had already left my mouth when I realized she's not my apprentice. I did apologize and she was very gracious and they have given me much work since. I suspect that it helped that I was quite red in the face once I realized what I had said.
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she probably realized you were right and mostly concerned for her safety.
 
chris1971 said:
Definitely better ways to approach it than what you said. One way to help a customer decide is to invoice them for all your time. Don't be shy on the invoice, the higher the price, the quicker they'll make up their mind.
Click to expand...


No PO# from these guys = no $$ and I have had to revise that somewhat. They were slow on issuing POs after work was done so now no one leaves the shop until my job # and their PO # are exchanged.

I had no intentions of saying what I did.

I have a friend who was working on new pool for a customer. Early summer, newly filled. He walked into the back yard as she came out of the pool in her bikini. The water was obviously chilly yet. After his blurted comment of "My, doesn't that water just take your breasts away?" he turned around and walked back out the gate.
 
ptonsparky said:
No PO# from these guys = no $$ and I have had to revise that somewhat. They were slow on issuing POs after work was done so now no one leaves the shop until my job # and their PO # are exchanged.

I had no intentions of saying what I did.

I have a friend who was working on new pool for a customer. Early summer, newly filled. He walked into the back yard as she came out of the pool in her bikini. The water was obviously chilly yet. After his blurted comment of "My, doesn't that water just take your breasts away?" he turned around and walked back out the gate.
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Women in bikini's generally are looking for some attention in some way, she probably wasn't as offended as he was embarrassed.
 
kwired said:
Women in bikini's generally are looking for some attention in some way, she probably wasn't as offended as he was embarrassed.
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My experience (limited as it is) is that if you're embarrassed, the woman is amused. If you're not embarrassed, the woman is outraged. Acting flustered is the safest course of action.
 
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