People crazy

I haven't been blogging the last 2 days because I've been really busy with work. I just need to get off my chest how disappointing people can be. My company works with a lot of universities and companies that don't have a lot of funding. Since they're poor, they feel that we should give them our product for next to nothing. Usually we are softies and give a deep discount and this really needs to change because its hurting us, but I digress...

Recently a potential customer was really squeezing us to get what he wanted (something for close to nothing) and over the course of several emails and phone calls, he finally got what he wanted for the price he wanted. I email him to let him know that we will agree to his terms, and congratulate him on his sales skills, and that I could learn a thing or two from him. Let me repeat that I emailed him to tell him we will give exactly what he wants for the price he wants.

I figured we'd get an order for a puny amount of money and move on with this since it had already taken so much of our time. Instead I get ripped a new asshole for comparing him to a sales person(!) and not realizing that this is in our best interest to work with his monster company(!) and if this isn't making a profit for us then why are we doing it anyway(?!), and so on and so forth. We wanted to help him despite not turning a profit. This offended him. How dare I.

I'm not accustomed to getting chewed out. I'm generally a mild mannered, easy going, reasonable, apologetic type of person that usually gets cheated but doesn't cheat. I haven't been chewed out since my psycho ex-business partner, but we won't go there. Whatever, I'd rather be me than someone who takes advantage of people and doesn't help them when they're down.

But I also want to stay in business.

When it comes to business, we need to draw the line. Businesses don't survive because they're "nice guys". As it turns out, we also get chewed out if we agree to give something away for close to nothing. So what's the point?

In hind sight, I shouldn't have called him a "salesman", I should have commended his "negotiating skills". For whatever reason "salesman" is very offensive to him and I think set him off in a very blown-up and unreasonable way. He was way more of a salesman, er.... I mean, negotiator than I was, and way more aggressive. That's how he got what he wanted and bravo to him. I really could learn a thing or two.

But seriously dude, in the end when you get what you want, just shut the fuck up and be happy.
sheeeet.