Originally Posted by
Heston
That approach has got more small businesses into difficulties than almost any other.
Yes. Who remembers the phone company whose business model was selling to people who couldn't get BT phones, because they'd got disconnected for failing to pay their bills?
Guess what? - they got lots of customers, and then went bust, because their customers didn't pay their bills.
Originally Posted by
Heston
I can tell you that the worst drain on a small business's resources is the prospective customer who doesn't really have any intention to buy but is just being a "tourist". In fact the very worst are those who get you to design a solution for them, write up a proposal and cost it for them - they then take it to your competitor and get them to do the work for a cheaper price.
I went for a job interview once ... and got used (during the interview) as a free consultant, and it turned out they didn't really have a job anyway.
So a few years later the same company invite me for interview again. My response to the agent: "that's £500 cash in advance for attending the interview, deductible against my first month's salary when I've got the job".