When you are first approached by a customer looking for you to do some work for them (or they walk into your shop or restaurant), you assume they are all likely buyers. But if you’ve worked for yourself for any time at all, you’ll know that there are going to be some where you’ll be happy never to do business again!
We’re talking about the time-wasters, the hagglers, the bad-payers, the ‘never happy no matter what you do’ people.
What you should be conscious of is spotting the signs early. If there’s always an excuse as to why they can’t make a decision or why they need more detail, if they haggle on price but still don’t go ahead, if they take hours of your time on the phone, or coming into your showroom again and again…
You get the picture. Don’t be desperate for their business. If you cool off and don’t pander to their every whim, they’ll soon realise you aren’t playing their game!