What would you do...
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@JaredBusch the point of that was not to discuss how terrible the quote process is, but to show that it wasn't personal, just incompetence, and being unemotional now and approaching it as any consulting is what should be done.
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@Pete-S said in What would you do...:
@DustinB3403 said in What would you do...:
@Pete-S said in What would you do...:
Except that the customer only received the overall solution but without specific details.
So perfect, you made a proposal, the client took that proposal with limited details and got idk 30% off of it with some other people.
Your only options at this point are A) Offer consultation rates B ) Don't deal with the customer.
I'd choose option A with a signed contract from the customer for an hourly rate consultation fee for this project.
There is also option C. Tell the customer that they have our quote and that we would be glad help them with a full solution (but not the consultation).
True, but that's a bit of an "FU" to them. Will they do that? Not likely. Is it smart? Yes, but emotionally someone won't do that and since they did the bid process, you know that getting the job done or saving money aren't reasons that they are doing things. So it's only likely to make things worse. It's technically an option, but it's kind of a walking away option.
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@DustinB3403 said in What would you do...:
@Pete-S said in What would you do...:
There is also option C. Tell the customer that they have our quote and that we would be glad help them with a full solution (but not the consultation).
That actually isn't an option, because the client has already engaged another entity to do the work. Of which it would likely be very costly to the customer to change vendors.
This is essentially telling the customer that you don't want to work with them and that you're firing them.
That's how it would feel to me.
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@bnrstnr said in What would you do...:
It more sounds like, to me anyway, that the potential customer took his proposal to some other guys and they said, "yeah, we can do that for less"
But without details. So only kind of.
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@WLS-ITGuy said in What would you do...:
@DustinB3403 said in What would you do...:
What @WLS-ITGuy is saying and @bnrstnr is now suggesting is that the customer has already fired him. When they haven't. They simply picked another vendor who possibly proposed the same solution.
It may be that the customer wants @Pete-S to consult on the project but not have the entire project because his proposal was way more expensive.
A lost bid is not a termination.
No, I am saying I would have fired the customer. I gave my bid/proposal, you went with vendor B, I'm not fixing the shit they can't do, even if I am getting paid. That's the price they pay for going with cut rate vendors.
That's basically all of IT. If I wasn't willing to fix what other people broke, there would be no business.
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@scottalanmiller said in What would you do...:
@WLS-ITGuy said in What would you do...:
@DustinB3403 said in What would you do...:
What @WLS-ITGuy is saying and @bnrstnr is now suggesting is that the customer has already fired him. When they haven't. They simply picked another vendor who possibly proposed the same solution.
It may be that the customer wants @Pete-S to consult on the project but not have the entire project because his proposal was way more expensive.
A lost bid is not a termination.
No, I am saying I would have fired the customer. I gave my bid/proposal, you went with vendor B, I'm not fixing the shit they can't do, even if I am getting paid. That's the price they pay for going with cut rate vendors.
That's basically all of IT. If I wasn't willing to fix what other people broke, there would be no business.
True. I meant more so, I wasn't going to come in and fix it based on my original proposal, even though I didn't clearly state that.
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@DustinB3403 said in What would you do...:
Paging @JaredBusch and @scottalanmiller
What would you two do, would you consult the competition or fire the customer?
I think we'd consult. I don't see a reason to fire. A reason to call them dumbasses, but not to fire. But we don't know all fo the quote details. But assuming a "normal" quote situation.
What I would NOT do is offer them any quotes in the future.
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@Pete-S said in What would you do...:
@DustinB3403 @bnrstnr @WLS-ITGuy
Guys, you all have good points.The problem with consulting is that you in the eyes of the customer might become responsible that everything works.
So? Bad customers are bad customers. If the alternative is firing them, there is no risk.
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@WLS-ITGuy said in What would you do...:
@JaredBusch said in What would you do...:
@WLS-ITGuy said in What would you do...:
@JaredBusch said in What would you do...:
@WLS-ITGuy said in What would you do...:
@DustinB3403 said in What would you do...:
@WLS-ITGuy said in What would you do...:
@DustinB3403 said in What would you do...:
@WLS-ITGuy said in What would you do...:
@DustinB3403 said in What would you do...:
What @WLS-ITGuy is saying and @bnrstnr is now suggesting is that the customer has already fired him. When they haven't. They simply picked another vendor who possibly proposed the same solution.
It may be that the customer wants @Pete-S to consult on the project but not have the entire project because his proposal was way more expensive.
A lost bid is not a termination.
No, I am saying I would have fired the customer. I gave my bid/proposal, you went with vendor B, I'm not fixing the shit they can't do, even if I am getting paid. That's the price they pay for going with cut rate vendors.
That's fine, that is an option I listed above. If you wish to fire the end customer, make no bones about it. That is perfectly fine.
But if you want/need the money you have only 1 other option.
I'm not sure I need/want the money that bad to get into that mess. Unless you rewrite a proposal that clearly states that it is not a block amount of time anymore for the job because you don't know what they screwed up and how much you have to undo to get it working the right way from the beginning.
Absolutely, yeah a set block of time would be putting the @Pete-S on retainer. He would need to be an outside consultant paid for every minute worked (likely in 15 minute intervals).
I'd say billed on the 5s
Stop being a jackass just because a client picked someone other than you.
If it were my company I wouldn't take the client after this so I can be however the fuck I want to be.
:crying_face: :crying_face: :crying_face: :crying_face: :crying_face: :crying_face: :crying_face: :crying_face: :crying_face: :crying_face: :crying_face: :crying_face:
This is also the reason I got out of MSP/break fix and work in house now. I don't have to deal with this at all.
But in house calls MSPs, vendors, etc. That's the same as you losing the quote.
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@bnrstnr said in What would you do...:
We are in manufacturing, if we propose a custom machine to somebody and they take our proposal to another OEM then turn around and ask us to consult our competitors, they can get bent. We would easily tell them "sorry they couldn't do it, our original offer still stands"
Yes, but IT and machine engineering are totally different. One is all consulting, one is product. In this case, they didn't get the flat rate consulting but are now being offered the more lucrative hourly.
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@WLS-ITGuy said in What would you do...:
@scottalanmiller said in What would you do...:
@WLS-ITGuy said in What would you do...:
@DustinB3403 said in What would you do...:
What @WLS-ITGuy is saying and @bnrstnr is now suggesting is that the customer has already fired him. When they haven't. They simply picked another vendor who possibly proposed the same solution.
It may be that the customer wants @Pete-S to consult on the project but not have the entire project because his proposal was way more expensive.
A lost bid is not a termination.
No, I am saying I would have fired the customer. I gave my bid/proposal, you went with vendor B, I'm not fixing the shit they can't do, even if I am getting paid. That's the price they pay for going with cut rate vendors.
That's basically all of IT. If I wasn't willing to fix what other people broke, there would be no business.
True. I meant more so, I wasn't going to come in and fix it based on my original proposal, even though I didn't clearly state that.
Original proposal is only relevant in a green field. If the field changed, the proposal is void. So doesn't play in.
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@bnrstnr @DustinB3403 @JaredBusch @scottalanmiller @WLS-ITGuy
Thanks everyone for your replies. I have been struggling with this and now, thanks to you, I have better picture of my options, and it's pros and cons. If there was an "upvote all posts"-button under topic tools I'd use it!
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@Pete-S said in What would you do...:
If there was an "upvote all posts"-button under topic tools I'd use it!
It would only be like 60 clicks. . . .
