Quit Bragging
photo credit: Gossip Girl ou GG
Could bragging about your booming business to your customers be actually hurting you more? Cath Lawson wrote an article on how your customers may not like your bragging as much as you think they do. When your doing bad in an area of your own life, the last thing you want to hear is everyone around you bragging about how great they are doing.
Your customers may be more opt to spend money other places when all they ever hear is you bragging about how great you are doing. Your bragging could end up causing them to think “well they don’t need my business, i’ll go to someone who isn’t doing as well and REALLY needs my business.”
Maybe you’re so financially savvy that you’re not even struggling at all. Don’t let people know that. Skint is the new black. Folk who aren’t suffering at all know it’s fashionable right now to be frugal. And even if you’re no fashionista yourself, you’re bound to have customers who are, so make sure you come up with some novel ideas that will appeal to their new slimline budget.
What are your thoughts on this concept of bragging to customers?
T. Knittle on April 28th, 2009 9:54 pm
I agree. I don’t think bragging is ever a good thing in business or otherwise. I usually find myself rolling my eyes when I hear someone bragging. I don’t think a business owner bragging about themselves does anything to sell their product or services. We all worry that by saying business is slow we are somehow saying that we are not good at what we do. Humble is better. It is better to have your clients build you up then to build yourself up.
Rhys on April 28th, 2009 10:49 pm
The funny thing is, successful business owners are probably especially inclined to brag now, because it’s more rare to be a successful. And I agree, it could end up hurting them. They may think that it’s their products or business sense keeping them afloat, but something as seemingly minor as customer resentment could turn it all around. You don’t want to get on the wrong side of “the power of small.”
Kenneth Chadwick on April 29th, 2009 1:04 am
It’s difficult to brag when you are a pest controller, it’s not exactly a job with a high kudos value, if you roll up in a brand new van your customers say you’re charging too much. Always best to talk about your customers not yourself, ask how they are getting on, if they say they’ve just won a lucrative contract then maybe it’s time to pitch for more work.
Ken Chadwick Harrier Pest Prevention.
home based business on April 29th, 2009 5:46 am
People seem attracted to the underdog especially when the underdog is doing a comparable job. I think it makes sense to maintain the position of underdog until the position of best value and top of the are in view.
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