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“Don’t get down in the mud with the pigs.

Written by: Bob Janet

Article Overview: You will both get dirty and the pigs love it.

“Don’t get down in the mud with the pigs.

I was struggling with a decision I needed to make. I could drop my prices far below what I was comfortable with and retain the local school district’s electronics business, or maintain my margins by doing without the sales of numerous televisions and VCRs. Fortunately for me, my friend Don Selig came to visit that day. Upon hearing of my dilemma and going over all my options, he said, “Bob, there will always be competition that cuts the price. They will come but they will go, because they will not be able to stay in business.

I call them “the pigs.” “Don’t get down in the mud with the pigs. You will both get dirty and the pigs love it.”

I took Don's advice and placed my bid at the fee I needed to maintain my margins. I did not get the bid. But 3 weeks later I began getting telephone calls from the teachers in the school district who had become accustom to our same day service for their television and VCR's which they each had in their class rooms and used as teaching aids. I know the teachers were very competent and did not need the televisions and VCR's to teach the children. Some said the equipment was a luxury. A luxury once had becomes a necessary.

They were telephoning me to get their equipment fixed. I told them we no longer had the contact for repairing the equipment, that a competitor had under bid us and evidently did it by cutting the quality of service they needed. I suggested they contact the school district and tell them they wanted us back. They did just that and in a few week we were back servicing the school district and at our fees. The fees that allowed me to maintain the profits I desired.

Not getting down in the mud with the pigs has not always worked for me. There was a trucking company in my town I really wanted to do business with. The owner had delegated the buying of truck tires to his shop Forman. And no matter how sweet I made the deal the Forman would not purchase my tires. After a year of trying I finally asked him straight out, "Why will you not buy my tires, we have the best tire for the money, the best warranty and even you agree the best service? He replied, "I only buy from those who take care of me personally." He wanted a kick back. Wanted me to give him money. Talk about a pig in the mud! I walked away from the sale.

I keep track of the bids and I did not receive and found over the years that most of the businesses that beat me out for them never prospered. Some went out of business. Many, many times I since I never gave up marketing to them, showing them the benefits they would received form us far out weighted the difference in price, I ended up with the business at my fees and selling prices.

“Don’t get down in the mud with the pigs. You will both get dirty and the pigs love it.”

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Article Tags: aids, competitor, dilemma, friend don, local school district, margins, mud, pigs, profits, quality of service, selig, shop forman, teaching aids, telephone calls, televisions, tires, truck tires, trucking company, vcr, vcrs



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