Issue w selling needs and options review

[David Sisson]

I recently was referred to a project – interior kitchen remodel of a very rough home in a rough neighborhood . Not very interested in the project and figured a NOR would make them go away-it’s intended to help weed our cheap clients-which I figured these folks to be. However, they have agreed to the NOR but refused to send a check before I visit. Normally, I’d just tell them to hand me the check when I show up-but it’s got me thinking that I haven’t done a good job of selling and/or setting a tone of dominance before starting.

Thoughts? On the one hand if love for this project to go away. On the other, I’d like to learn from this.

[Michael Yousef]

If you are not interested in the job and have made it quite clear to the prospect that the process involves the cheque to be paid up front. stick to your procedure, the ones i bend the rules for are the ones that screw me.

[Jill Cropp]

I don’t see a problem with accepting a check @ the meeting if that is somer hung yout set up in the beginning. Seems like the problem would come from billing after you leave their house.

[Richard Petrie]

Many professions require payment in advance particularly for small jobs, if that is your policy then stick to your guns – see what happens. The more rules you have in place early the more they will respect you because the assumption is you must be good. A brain surgeon tells you what to do because he knows more about the topic than you do. Same with you – you are the expert and the leader when it comes to the process. They are the boss when it comes to ‘go’ or ‘no go’

[David Businelli]

If your gut is telling to to pass this one up then do it – I have ignored my gut in the past on projects like this and I’ve kicked myself for it. Run away – it will make room for the next one.

 

[Darryl Mackenzie]

I agree 100% with David Businelli. Don’t second guess yourself. Ii have many bad experiences of not listening to my intuition. Let it go and ‘make room for the next one’. You want to learn from this you said. There are lessons to be learned like “how to stick to your guns” as Richard Petrie & Michael Yousef suggest.

[Bruce Mitchinson]

I think that the gut feeling is important, however, you have developed a system to tackle these up front issues, and first and foremost, you need to be faithful to your system. I can understand the pressure on you to fall back to the old ways, this comes up all the time for me too, and it is difficult not to cave in. I am pretty sure that you don’t want to turn this one into a learning experience, and I am certain that you don’t have the time for this either. Take a line out of Disney’s ‘Frozen’ and ‘let it go’.

 

[Erick Mikiten]

I pair requesting the check with a one-page agreement. It makes the process more official, and a signed agreement makes people more confident about sending a check ahead of time. And remember that you can also say something like that you’re extremely busy, and you’re only doing NOR’s for people who commit ahead of time with a check.

 

[John Hrivnak]

Erick – love it – I need to get check before I go – thus far I require check at time of site visit. Willing to share your agreement for that service?

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