morals vs business

[huggytree]

I have a competitor who is going through personal problems (wife kicked him out)....i have a list of his customers

i started working for one of them 6 months ago (before his issues).....another one called me last week (on their own)

should i target the rest of his customers?....and by target i mean call them a few times

anyone who comes to ME on their own i take....

my son goes to school with his daughter(class of 10 kids).

the competitor likes to tell the builders that 'he's not making enough profit from them'.....wonder why they are leaving eh? who wants to hear that!

should i take advantage of the situation or leave him alone?

[billbenson]

I would look at it like you look at other customers "shopping the market" You tend to hate them, but in this case they may be good customers. Lets say his name is John. Ethically, if they aren't going to use John and call you, then take the business. I would not call his customers. To me ethically that's a stretch. I would not say anything negative about him or his work. If pushed I might say that he has some tough personal issues right now, but he's a good plumber (assuming you think he is a good plumber).

[Steve B]

Do unto others.

[SteveM]

All's fair in love and war. Being an independent, the large chain stores are always trying to run us small guys out of business, and I'll steal anyone from them I can get my hands on.

You don't need to mention anything about your competition - you are merely giving customers other options.

[lucas.bowser]

Would you normally target those customers if he wasn't going through a difficult time?

If the answer is no, then why would you want to target them now?

If the answer is yes, then I say go for it. His life circumstances shouldn't keep you from competing for business you would normally seek.

The real question is, why do you have a list of his customers? Public info? Intel from someone in his shop? If you know who his customers are because everyone in your business knows who his customers are, it's one thing. If you know them because someone took the list and gave it to you, it's something completely different.

[KristineS]

Would you normally target those customers if he wasn't going through a difficult time?

If the answer is no, then why would you want to target them now?

If the answer is yes, then I say go for it. His life circumstances shouldn't keep you from competing for business you would normally seek.


I like Lucas' answer to this question. If this is just targeting someone because you think they may be vulnerable and not doing their best work due to a personal situation, then I think you're in an ethical gray area at least. If, in the course of your normal business, you would have been prospecting among this guy's customers anyway, then you're not doing anything you wouldn't have done anyway and personal circumstances are irrelevant.

[huggytree]

i have a list of every contractor and who they use for a plumber....its a data base of 400 companies....so i know who everyone uses for a plumber

i target EVERY contractor a few times a year....so ive called his customers before

i was considering putting extra effort into it because i 'assume' he could be vulnerable right now...i have no idea really if his personal life has effected his business

i never mention any company by name....so i wouldnt be trashing him to his customers....thats not ethical and would backfire



do onto others rule means i leave it all alone....which is most likely what i will do.......i have a meeting with one of them tomorrow and i will see what they say about their current plumber...they most likely dont know that I KNOW who their plumber is......if they say his work is falling apart i will most likely start calling his customers at the end of the week....if they are going to leave him they may as well come to me!

thanks for the thoughts...it helps a bit

[billbenson]

You are doing one thing that's smart. Collecting a database of information on your customers and competition. Information like that is always valuable to have.

[huggytree]

looks like i got the new customer from him....interview went very well and he's already been dumped due to leaks/issues.........they will probably be one of my top builders if not #1...probably good for $100,000+ a year in business

Bill....im methodical about everything having to do with getting new customers...i even keep notes on my personal impressions when i meet the builders in person at association meetings....every dealing i have with every potential customer i keep notes on....ive delt with so many i am starting to forget the neg's on some of them from years ago....i go home, look at my database and it reminds me that 'yea they were a slow payer, i dont want to work for them again'...or 'they used me for competitive bids over and over and never gave me any work'....

[DeniseTaylor]

Oooh. Don't be tempted to take the easy route. Nothing good comes from being unethical.

However, you are free to promote your business on a broad level and you should always do that.

But to use a proprietary list is not right and may be illegal. It depends on where you got the list, etc.

You should service clients and give them the best you can. Just be mindful of how you go about it. You'll feel better about yourself for drawing the proper lines and using good sportsmanship. That will never backfire.

[huggytree]

his oldest son just got kicked out of the school and went into a mental hospital....sounds like the Cleaver family............it very much sounds like the family will not be going to the same school or church next year....so the personal thing doesnt matter quite as much

he also just took his advertisement out of the church bulletin (i assume because he's not happy they kicked his son out)

I am slow this week....so im writing every potential customer and sending out fliers.....his customers will be among the group of 300-400

im sure i will run into this guy and his crew (if he survives) in the future...

[billbenson]

Oooh. Don't be tempted to take the easy route. Nothing good comes from being unethical.

However, you are free to promote your business on a broad level and you should always do that.

But to use a proprietary list is not right and may be illegal. It depends on where you got the list, etc.

You should service clients and give them the best you can. Just be mindful of how you go about it. You'll feel better about yourself for drawing the proper lines and using good sportsmanship. That will never backfire.

I think Huggy collected competitive information including that list over time. I see absolutely nothing wrong with collecting competitive information and using it in your marketing. I get offers from Amazon and others all the time based on past buying habits.

[lucas.bowser]

I think Huggy collected competitive information including that list over time. I see absolutely nothing wrong with collecting competitive information and using it in your marketing. I get offers from Amazon and others all the time based on past buying habits.

That was pretty clear in his response to me. And I agree, nothing wrong with what he's doing. It's just smart business.