Should you reject potential clients when you are desperate for sales?

I know this sounds warped. But I think about it all the time.

And chances are, you will meet people you do not appreciate while working aggressively to get sales.

You start thinking that you have a problem.

Why is my gut-belly telling me to run for the hills when I am financially desperate to take this guy's money?

No. I am here to tell you this.

You are not the problem.

I've Been Burnt Multiple Times

Simple advice.

If you have an ideal client profile to pursue — Chances are, you have a reason for it. Stick to it. Never deviate. The cost of deviation could crush you psychologically and commercially.

Why do I say that?

I have been through it.

In fact, multiple times.

I recently parted ways with a big-name cheapskate client. This client, or technically speaking, the counterpart I was working with, was one of the best dudes I met as a client.

The problem?

His bosses. His colleagues.

The negotiations were tough right from the get-go. My counterpart, Jim, was direct. He told me what he was looking for, the budget he had on hand, and what we could do.

I respected his candidness. I reciprocated.

I did so because I wanted him onboard. Clients were unbelievably difficult to secure this year, and good brand names would be a great story to tell other prospects.

Hey, I have this company with me! It says something!

I went as far as helping him to purchase interactive televisions at a distributor price.

(I am in a software business, so working with telly distributors is the first time.)

Soon, I discovered that his procurement director is a pain in the ass. This guy loved bone-cutting discounts. He would skin you alive for maximum savings.

In fact, the conversation got so bad that the telly distributor walked away from the deal. Ludicrous was the last word I heard from my new business partner. It was the first warning sign.

And then, the attention turned to me.

• "Can I have a higher discount? I am investing in you. Who knows when you will go bust?"
• "Why can't we have a free trial? Isn't that the industry practice?"
• "This is genuinely too expensive. I need it to go cheaper."

At first, I was cordial.

I tried all ways to stay calm and composed.

I spent hours and hours trying to explain to this son-of-a-b***h that not all companies do a free trial.

It must have been the fifth meeting when I decided to drop the bomb.

I emailed my counterpart (who wanted the deal), explained the situation, and politely expressed my regret for a no-deal.

• That I have spent too much time on you.
• That this deal size is not worth the amount of time I have put in and will have to put in.

Sensing that I was not crying wolf, Jim jumped in. He spoke to the procurement guy and settled everything behind the scenes. I received a purchase order in 3 days.

"I want to use your software and also work with you. Sorry for what happened. Things will get better."

I was genuinely surprised. Slightly touched, maybe.

Nice clients do exist, after all.

Or so I thought.

The Arduous Journey Barely Started

For context, this is a 3-month pilot initiative.

In these 3 months, we aligned on,

• Our scope of work: Holistic KPI management from shopfloor to plant to regional HQ.
• Our target audience: 3 assembly lines producing different products.

This is doable for a 3-month pilot.

The goal was to finish the 3 months with a validated proof of concept, that the software is what they needed, and that we are a good vendor/consultant fit.

We finished all 18 workshops and 20 consultation sessions and mapped all agreed KPIs into the software in 2.5 months. All in all, we achieved our targets. I was proud. Jim was pleased.

Swiftly after, a mountain of resistance followed.

I presented what we have done and achieved to the client's senior management. I expected feedback.

Instead, I received pushback.

"Hey Jim, can you explain what exactly have we achieved after spending $9,000? I don't understand."

"I hate to say this, Jim, but this is not why I committed my team to join your workshop. I wanted them to chip in and support product integration. Where is it?"

I've been through this a million times in the boardroom. I know, deep within me, that this pilot will end where it started.

I remembered thinking how stupid I was to ignore the initial signs of an overzealous counterpart and that aggressive son-of-a-b***h who wants everything for free. Argh… facepalm! I had no one to blame except my goodwill.

• I should not have given them a 20% discount.
• I should have charged them a 20% premium for wasting my time in their corporate circus.

That said, I must give Jim credit. He did not fold. He took things as they came.

The final nail in the coffin came when that son-of-a-b***h procurement director decided to air his vocals.

"I told you this initiative is too costly. We should have gotten it at $0. We are investing our brand name and time in this."

I found this comment disgusting. Fortunately for me, Jim shared the same sentiment. He called off the meeting 5 minutes later.

I could breathe again.

Jim came over when I was packing my bags. He apologized for what happened. I smiled.

In truth, I don't blame him for what happened.

He did what he could.

I blame me.

I blame myself for ignoring my gut belly. This big-name cheapskate client is not the first one I've encountered. And yet, each time, I caved because,

• I hypnotized myself into believing that big-name clients cannot be cheapskate f-o-r-e-v-e-r. Well. They can be.
• I genuinely believed setting the bar low to onboard clients with budget issues would convince them to allocate a higher budget to my product next year. Sorry. It never happened.
• I thought building relationships with clients was the way to go. Trust is the currency of the workplace, right? Nope. Everyone has their own interests in mind. You might not be one of their considerations.

The Close

I parted ways with Jim after 3 months.

It was painful. I worked really, really hard to sign this client and grow my presence on their premises. The last day on-site felt like a heart-wrenching breakup.

All is not lost.

This is a priceless lesson worth remembering as I continue to grow my 1-person business.

This experience allowed me to identify, screen, and part ways with clients on the cheap when I met them for the first time.

"Hey Aldric, I love your stuff. Let's start with a free trial."

Guess what I will say?

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