When You Know You Were Too Cheap

Today I have been busy with a prospective client quoting to supply their company with packaging materials. They are a decent sized company and use enough packaging material to peak ones interest. This company was set up by two brothers from Italy almost 80 years ago and have been very successful.

I have researched the prospective company as much as possible, but I do not know the textile industry and how big a textile mill is plus they manufacture. The online photograph gives an idea of size and gives a rough idea of how big a client they could be.

Last night I sat down and emailed the two buyers involved and this morning had a response. They wanted to receive a quote first before we had a meeting so to be sure I was not wasting their time. They asked for the price to be per kilogram and not per roll which is kind of rare these days and gave me a good fuzzy feeling. Most companies are quoted per roll and why they have no idea what they are buying and have no clue what each roll should weigh leaving them open to short supply.

My gut tells me they have been short supplied and screwed over in the past and have learned their lesson which is very good news for me as I can supply and compete on a level playing field. No one is getting a back hand here so this is music to my ears and kind of know already they will be a client within the next month.

I quoted this morning per kg as requested and had a response within less than 5 minutes and immediately thought they are very keen and I have come in too cheap. This price is our standard price so this is fine really, but deep down know they are paying much more and the price difference is large. The eagerness tells me so much and these people should definitely not play poker. Just imagine what these people are like in real life if you can tell so much from an email and their response times. It is funny how much information one can tell from a simple email through peoples actions. These two people are on the ball and take their work seriously and why they are in these positions. This is another reason why this company has been around for so long when you compare it to the staff of other companies who give you the impression they do not care.

The company asked for two different samples and wanted to know if they could have 3 of each and that they would purchase them. How can you charge for samples because you want their business and could be another test to see how you run your business. Obviously I offered the samples free of charge which they gladly accepted and will be delivering those next week and meeting up with them.

This negotiation gets me through the door to see what else they use and require which is the part I am looking forward to the most. Word of mouth is also another key factor as they will know of other people who use my products and one client can become two or three very easily.

I just wish all business deals could be this easy as they should be and not the nonsense I am fighting each week. If everyone was straight up and not crooked I would be printing money instead of taking weeks and months at a time to negotiate deals that may or may not happen. This is a company that is operating as it should without corrupt staff and the results will show at how quickly this transaction will take place. The director who I was first in contact with this company informed me if I find anything irregular to please let him know as finding savings should be paramount for every employee. They say do not count your chickens before they hatch which is wise so let us say I am quietly confident of having a positive outcome.

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