Real-Life Decision Making
One of the very first lessons that you learn when you go into business for yourself is that you need to keep detailed records of every move that you make in your business. And since you have started your feng shui business, you've been very careful to keep all of your invoices and other paperwork very well maintained.
In fact, you have a full day set aside to do nothing but maintain your records and write reports for the residential clients that you visit. Since commercial clients are different from residential clients, you don't have to write reports for them.
Instead, you write up quotes or bid on the services that you will provide and then you move forward based on the client's reaction to that quote. And you don't worry about it since you have the client sign off on the quote before you do any work.
That's why this morning's telephone call from your most recent commercial client didn't worry you. When you met with the client early in the planning stages, you made arrangements for him to order a set of blinds for his main office only.
The blinds are a special name brand, and are rarely accepted as a special order purchase. However, since this client wanted a specific type and color of blinds, and wanted them to be mechanized, the blinds company allowed an exception.
The cost of these special blinds is $12,000 for that single office. Your client understood before you placed the order that the blinds were only for his main office, and he agreed to the cost.
Then this morning he called. He didn't want to pay for the blinds. He said he didn't remember agreeing to the cost for one set of blinds and that he would neither pay for them nor accept them.
You didn't panic until you pulled his file and found that on your copy of the quote, there was no signature under the blinds. You find yourself faced with a tough decision.
This client happens to be a very influential person in your community. Should you demand that he accept and pay for the blinds that he ordered? Or should you call the blind manufacturer and try to cancel the order, knowing that if you do they will never allow you to special order blinds again?
If you can't prove that your client did agree to the price and you demand that he make good on his blind order, you could alienate him. And everyone knows that bad word-of-mouth advertising travels faster than good word-of-mouth advertising.
What do you do?