Hope you have seen creatures like this before... (4 Viewers)

[prabha_friend]

Sorry. If am taking the nighttime for sharing my personal problems over here. I really, really don't know what's running on his mind.

Day1: Went to a Saloon for a Haircut + Shaving. While handing me the remaining balance for my tendered amount, I observed him entering data in a physical plain paper notebook despite of having a Desktop PC near him. Upon curiosity, I asked him why are you not using this PC and also introduced myself as a Software Developer and my services. He asked me about my prices, then got my number and told me that he will call me back and gave his business card to me. He told me that he will send the excel templates he is keeping his accounts currently.

Day2: No call from him. No Excel sheet came from him.

Day3: I called him back.

Day4: Today. He called me in the very Morning itself (8 AM) and asked the status of the software. I told him that I need the get the requirements clearly first. He replied that he will call me again today to tell me when to visit his saloon again to discuss further. But no call yet.

the only thing that I don't like in people generally is not keeping their words.
I am able to sense that he is doing something with me but not able to grasp. what could be that?

 

[prabha_friend]

Only one thing is for sure. Whatever He is doing He is doing it Deliberately...

 

[Pat Hartman]

Don't waste your time waiting to hear from him but do find a new saloon.

 

[The_Doc_Man]

When I started work it was for a small company that specialized in computerized control systems for the oil and gas industry. What folks don't realize is that many people have their own small wells that feed into larger systems that feed into still larger systems (and so on). We catered to those "middle men" who gathered crude oil or refined it and put it into pipelines. Our marketing people predicted the percentage of companies that would respond to our business offers. Once we learned the right percentage to estimate our responses, the business performance could be predicted and our cash flow could be predicted.

What you need, prabha_friend, is to pay attention to your percentages and understand that not all offers will be taken. You have to learn to accept that this old saying is PAINFULLY true: "You win some, you lose some." The trick is always to not allow yourself to worry about the individual business opportunities - just worry about the positive responses. You will ALWAYS get negative responses including folks who don't care about your business but want to be polite so they give a non-committal answer. You need to develop a thick skin like an armadillo. You will eventually recognize the odds for each type of business you offer, and you will succeed or fail based on those percentages.

 

[Isaac]

I've had zero luck in talking people into wanting my services - usually they have to already be convinced they need something 'more', and then I try to find those people.

 

[MarkK]

the only thing that I don't like in people generally is not keeping their words

A question to ask yourself: do you want your system in that guy's shop? Who are you in the matter? What are your values, your commitments?
• If you want your system in that guy's shop, write a system, deploy it, and support it.
• You have an interested potential customer. You have the skills.

Alternatively, you can form a narrative in your own mind that he doesn't keep his word, but with that same evidence you could also form a narrative that he is busy, or he is disorganized, or he hates talking on the phone, or he is anxious about exposing his ignorance and fear of computers. So many narratives you could form, none of them true, all of them speculative.

If the narrative you form is that he doesn't keep his word...
• the payoffs are...
-- you don't have to risk anything
-- you can feel good about yourself, because you keep your word
• the cost is...
-- the opportunity passes.

Choose wisely,

 

[prabha_friend]

A question to ask yourself: do you want your system in that guy's shop? Who are you in the matter? What are your values, your commitments?
• If you want your system in that guy's shop, write a system, deploy it, and support it.
• You have an interested potential customer. You have the skills.

Alternatively, you can form a narrative in your own mind that he doesn't keep his word, but with that same evidence you could also form a narrative that he is busy, or he is disorganized, or he hates talking on the phone, or he is anxious about exposing his ignorance and fear of computers. So many narratives you could form, none of them true, all of them speculative.

If the narrative you form is that he doesn't keep his word...
• the payoffs are...
-- you don't have to risk anything
-- you can feel good about yourself, because you keep your word
• the cost is...
-- the opportunity passes.

Choose wisely,

Thanks Pat, Uncle Doc and Issac for your replies. But Markk, The only thing that I am feeling about that person is that "some people don't want to give something good to other people that 'easily' " He wants me to "convince" him to get that project from him. He wants me to call him one another or three times before giving that project to me. He wants to me visit his shop one or two times before giving that project. Some people made the market like this... The problem is that I am not used to this kind of treatment yet. The Question is: What should I say when he calls me today Morning?

 

[Isaac]

Thanks Pat, Uncle Doc and Issac for your replies. But Markk, The only thing that I am feeling about that person is that "some people don't want to give something good to other people that 'easily' " He wants me to "convince" him to get that project from him. He wants me to call him one another or three times before giving that project to me. He wants to me visit his shop one or two times before giving that project. Some people made the market like this... The problem is that I am not used to this kind of treatment yet. The Question is: What should I say when he calls me today Morning?

Sounds like a bad deal.
I would answer the phone
Hello, Spanky's diaper service, you mess em we press em,, how can I help you?
Once he realizes it's the wrong number that will be the end of this little saga.

I got rid of someone I didn't want to talk to the other day in that exact manner

 

[prabha_friend]

Hello, Spanky's diaper service, you mess em we press em,, how can I help you?
Ha.. Ha..

 

[Cotswold]

Small companies react quickly, or not at all. More often not at all. If he doesn't need it then then forget it.
If next month/year he has the need you'll receive a call. If he can find your number.
In the days of posting flyers, you could expect 3 to 5 responses from each 100. A response isn't a sale.
Maybe get some pens printed with your details on it and hand them out to these people if you want their business?
What benefit do you have if you wrote something bespoke just for him?
But if he is a one-man-band with a small turnover, how profitable will he be?
Plus, he will be very price sensitive and may be a bad payer. On the plus side he'd pay in cash!
Don't forget he can download a simple cash sales system for $10 or $20, so where is the profit in writing a bespoke system? He may already have one and simply enters some of the sales into it each night. But didn't like to put you off. People are like that.
It is also very likely that he doesn't want anything on a PC because he isn't paying any tax.
Probably running two or three books anyway because the one in use now isn't even numbered. So no traceability if he tears a pages or two out.
Overall a waste of time I'd say. Difficult at the start = difficult for ever. Think leppard and spots.
Spend your time finding and keeping good reliable customers.
<added> One thing I will add. Try not to deal with customers, buying or selling. If there is a disagreement, you both lose a client.