How not to do business!
Read this on Pat Phelan’s Blog.
The very basics of business, in fact life, state that NOONE cares what you want in life. They’re all to busy thinking about what they want. If you want someone to do something for you – you’ve gotta give them the WIIFM (Whats-In-It-For-Me) factor. Instead this guy sent a ‘Here’s what i want or else!’ type e-mail that has me and i’d say quite a few others laughing at him.
If i was still teaching in UCD (University College Dublin) i’d be taking this into my class as a text book example of shooting yourself in the foot!
One of the other very basics of life is that of INTEGRITY. That if you agree with a proposal that asks you to do something in exchange for the WIIFM… AND you understand it up front, then you should actually…do…what…you…agreed…to do….?
Now why is that concept so foreign?
Yes, read Pat’s blog, read my response, decide for yourself – Which is the more powerful principle in your life: WIIFY (What’s In It For You) or integrity – to follow through on that to which you agreed.
And what a sad commentary it is on society in general if it has to be an either or. I prefer it to be BOTH. And I live with it as both. Perhaps that is why there is such a mis-understanding regarding this matter.
Lou Altman
Ofcourse you can have both Ian, the point is you sent an angry / threatening e-mail – which inticed the exact opposite response to that which it was intended! You wanted help, you got scorn. It reflected badly not only on you but on your business. Integrity isn’t the argument – ATTITUDE is! Even if you think your worth 20M, you still have to be courtous.
You had no idea why Pat hadn’t got around to GIVING HIS TIME TO HELP YOU as he agreed to do. There could (touch wood) have been a death in the family or a more pressing issue – would you still have felt you were more of a priority in this case? Or how about the actual eventuality… your service didn’t work for him and he was waiting for the system to work.
Point is he gave feedback when he had a chance, which frankly i wouldnt have done after such bullying tactics.
I think backing down now might be prudent. When i type your company name into google Pat’s blog with your insult comes up number 4… the more fuel you put on the fire the more likely you are to scare off potential users.
I mean this in a constructive way, you should pick up a copy of Dale Carnegie’s book – how to win friends and influence people. It’d be of great help to you i’d image… Well it was for me.
Kind Regards,
Ronan
I find it fascinating that the MOST scorn/commentary is from people who are uninvolved in the process. You and the others posting on Pat’s site STILL have only PART of the story and are responding to one item in a vacuum.
Numerous people who ARE involved in the process and ARE using MMV have provided me with excellent feedback and most find it to be very good with some future and current functionality suggestions.
I will pick up Carnagie’s book – Thank You. I recommend T.Harv Eker’s Secrets of the Millionaire Mind to you.
Lou
Cool, just order that online there.
Fill me in here Lou, what part of the story am i missing?
As Moshe and Pat said i dont think you get what’s making people react the way we are. You could have simply ‘worded’ the E-mail differently in such a way as to encourage Pat to write a positive blog posting about you and the business.
Here’s what i would have wrote in your shoes and in brackets why.
Hi Pat,
(Personalised, only takes a second and people react better than when you state your too busy to write to them personally, but you expect them to write to you)
My Mobile Vault was launched about a month ago and i appreciate that you took the time to try our service. (everyone likes gratitude). I am very keen to find out if the service met your expectations? Did you find value and simplicity in the service and website? (Don’t just assume he did).
Were hoping to charge in the near future for new customers, however i’d like to offer to extend your free account indefinately. (very tactfully getting your point across about the possibility of loosing the account if they don’t meet your prior agreement). So if there any improvements you suggest would be gratefully recieved. I’ll be offering a dinner for 2 at a local restruant, as a small token of gratitude, for the most helpful suggestion (WIIFM – it’ll double your responses and it far cheaper than paying for focus groups or loosing customers over similar tastes).
I know how presious your time is (everyone’s time is precious) and if you would be so kind as to write even a few words it would be massively appreciated.
Kind Regards,
….
Ian do you think / understand that this type of E-mail would have got a better response?