Over the years, I have given friends breaks on what I charge major corporations the full price for. Why? Because they were my friends (or so I assumed, the older you get the more careful you are about using the word “friends”). In the long run, I have realized this has NEVER worked to my advantage but always mostly to theirs. I absolutely always make sure I respect my friends and associates in business and even exchanges are rare so unless I absolutely need it, I don’t ask for friends to use their businesses to help me and NEVER for free, at least at this point. I have decided that it’s best that I don’t mix my business with my friendships and I don’t think that you should either.
Always consider what you do and why you do it. You must at all times have the utmost respect for your business and your clients. It’s OK go give discounts but just realize that it’s like telling a lie. Telling a lie to your best clients UNLESS you make it fair to everyone involved. In other words, if you are giving a discount to a client with less budget, make sure you are being fair to your biggest clients in the process. For those who pay less, offer less and those who pay more… give more but NEVER anything for free. Here are the reasons why… (click NEXT for next segment)
Friends IMMEDIATELY take Advantage of Your Relationship
You can’t get mad at friends for seeing how knowing you can help them accomplish their goals but the question is how does it make YOU feel extending yourself and your business? THAT’s what you should pay the most attention to and focus on. They don’t look at it like this but YOU must, they will be stealing money out of your pocket. (click NEXT for next segment)
