#Very finicky free#

I got an e-mail from her two hours later suggesting that she visit on Friday. The job had potential, though, so I figured I would do my best to put her at ease We were both a little put off by her attitude. Don and I discussed it, and he said she had seemedĪggressive from the beginning, brushing him off and insisting on talking only to me. The Web site seems to convince them that we are legit. People usually are happy to discuss their own project and don’t have many questions about That was very different from our usual client call. She said she’d think about it and hung up. “You’re in North Jersey and we’re just outside of Philadelphia, so why don’t you come down and take a look at our shop and the work we have on hand, and make I was wondering why, if she didn’t think our work was going to be any good, she bothered to call. I could only get the most basic information from her regarding the specifics of her own job. In the world of custom fabrication, people get what they pay for, with the occasional deviation from the norm, for better and for worse.īack to the client: she asked me some fairly technical questions about how we made things, which indicated some knowledge on her part of what happens on a shop floor, but she projected a tone of distrust with my answers. I get out in the world now and then and look at other people’s products. I believe our work is as good as any of my competitors.” Which, as far as I have seen, is true. When you walk into a restaurant, do you ask the hostess, “Does your food taste good or is it going to make me vomit?” What could I possibly say except, “Yes, “I went to visit their factory,” she continued, “and I was very disappointed with their work. decent craftsmanship but no better than the jobs require. I have seen some of its work and it looks O.K. It has both custom and productionĭivisions. It’s a company that is larger and older than we are and builds a wider range of furniture items. The name comes up often when we are working with New York clients.

Up the phone and had a conversation with a client who started out by asking me if I were familiar with Company A, which is one of my competitors. In fact it hasn’t happened in recent memory. “She’s a client, but she only wants to speak to you.” We exchanged raised eyebrows - that is very unusual. He listened for a few minutes, during which I turned back to my e-mail, and then he said to the caller, “Yes, he’s here,” and put her on hold. I was paying half attention, in case it was for me. He answered: “Paul DownsĬabinetmakers, Don speaking, can I help you?” I happened to be in the middle of writing an e-mail that day, so I let it ring and Don picked up.

#Very finicky free#

I sit within a couple ofįeet of my other two salesmen, Don and Nathan, and whoever is free grabs the call. Our phones are set up so that they all ring whenever a call comes in. We got a call from a potential client a week ago Monday, which isn’t unusual. The struggles of a business trying to survive.