Intentional Loss
December 3, 2009 § 4 Comments
When a prospective client of yours has a very small requirement/project for you, when it just means a few thousand rupees in profit (<5k) as opposed to the time, effort and money you invest in clinching that deal, when the prospect is very keen about quality and wants you to provide a “free” feel/experience of the product/service, when the client stays 40 kms away, when the client *might* be able to put you onto some other small requirement/project…
Would you trivialize his requirement and feel that it is not worth the effort when compared to the returns and use your time more productively? Or would you see this as an opportunity to increase your client base and get one more person to know about your company and take on the project even if the few thousands you make may even out?
What would YOU do?
I chose the former. What do you think?
Everything that keeps me awake and yet dreaming. and planning. and implementing. 
good question, depends on where your organisation is. if it is an organisation like Tata it wouldnt make sense, but if its a small and a growing organisation this experience might be useful on the long run. wether ur the Tatas or the young organisation is ur decision.
@ mondams : Regardless of size, I think the call I was looking to make was in terms of the usefulness of time spent, to see if I could have spent the same time doing something more to make my growing company grow faster. But if you’re talking in terms of size, yes, any business/project is one step forward.
I see it like this. More than the profit I make, if any business is welcome, I will definitely take it. Especially when the client talks about future business. Once I have a foot in the door, negotiations can open up and then its about how I can position myself about his requirements and how well I handle the situation.
@ Zwogg : We do business for profit. Profit is possible if your customers are happy and they love you. Because they will recommend you. And a foot at their door definitely helps.
But if there is no window for the future, which I did not see in this case, I would rather use my time more effectively instead of chasing behind a few thousands. I valued my time more than a few thousands.