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Most potential clients are already other peoples customers, so I would have no problem responding to an enquiry – nor would anyone else I would think - that’s business . If I knew the contractor personally, I would mention it tho and then make a decision.
The other scenarios you mention are altogether more sinister and belong to a world that isn’t for me.
Wondering why you posted this Gary? It is certainly something an ex employee could do. I once had a self employed groundworker take a couple of recomendations from one of our jobs he was working on. It was his last job for me.
Give me your full client list Gary and I will let you know :-)
But seriously if for an example, say a new employee came to me with a contact list of all his ex employers clients then NO I wouldn't immediately and directly target them with this new found information.
However I think we all know where the commercial work is, its more of a question on finding the right person to speak to and I can see this would then be an advantage to some and I know a few who would use it to their advantage!
I guess end of the day we are all in business and hopefully we have morals and principles, I for one wouldn't have a major problem using the said information just to apply to get on the approved contractors list and the opportunity to quote at the end on the existing contract but not to try and push the contractor out early etc.
As you know, its a fairly close knit community around our way and we all mostly know directly or indirectly who does what and at tender time we are normally up against each other on various sites anyway. Now if I personally knew the current contractor and taking other things into considerations then I might just quote high rather than competitively but end of the day, I do need to put food on the table.
This raises the question how do you keep your client contact list safe but more importantly highlights why you should have an excellent relationship with your client to stop such underhand tactics!
I would never deliberately go after a competitors clients and I certainly wouldn't want them by underhand means! In my previous 'life' in Financial Services an ex employee tried to do this and landed themselves in a heap of trouble due a clause in their contract banning client contact for a fixed period.
I've never knowingly taken a client off a competitor; but I'm sure I have accidentally if that makes sense. But as Colin says; that's just business.
I am questioning whether it would be acceptable for a business, organisation, association, person etc leveraging information they have obtained or data they have access to, to entice someone away from their existing professional relationship for financial rewards, spite or otherwise.
I hasten to add I'm not implying it is something's I am about to do or have done, more that i have come across this recently and can see it currently happening....
My personal values are too high to engage in devious practices and I think it reflects badly on the people that do.....
I just wonder where that 'line' is.....
on the face of it no, but it's a bit of a grey area - if i was an employee moving to another company or going self employed then i would probably invite my customers to come with me - but to target another persons business is at the very least bad karma.
however, i saw the work done for a pensioner living next door to someone i was working for today - massively over priced in one area and bodged in another - i did a little job for her today and left my card. got no qualms about squeezing out the guys who have been working for her up to now.
Jens' point is interesting, my wife used to work for an insurance broker, she told me of one of her colleagues who went to work for another broker, the first thing her friends. new employer asked her to do, was make to a list of her clients from her previous employer, so they could contact them. To her credit the lady left her new job straight away.
I think it is a given in the financial services industry, that clients will move with an employee whom they have a good relationship, my wife knew of one man in an area who worked for the same insurance company as she did, his customers knew his name but couldn't tell you the name of the company they were insured with, as far as they were concerned they were insured by him.
I would advertise and prospect to potential clients knowing they have another contractor on board, but I wouldn't try to undercut, to slander or push out the other contractor. All I would do is offer x, y, z to the client and leave it to them.
I have leafleted doors a couple of years back while a gardener worked in the garden. It's up to the client who they want to use and if their current service is poor and they haven't changed yet due to apathy I'd like to be standing waiting to take the work.
It's certainly disingenuous to build a new business on the back of someone else's hard work if the methods being used are not transparent.
What is hard to take is when the new business owner uses every opportunity to knock one's personal and business integrity at every turn. I see it happening all the time.
If someone brings a new business model to the table and they think they can offer their (yet to be found) new clients something different then there's nothing wrong in that.
In 2003 I had a whole construction team hand their notice in on the same day (we were just one week from the end of a large job). It was part of the catalyst for me deciding to change direction.
All three gave different reasons for leaving but it was no coincidence. They created their own design and build company. It didn't last a year.
There is a saying about being careful not to tread on people who help you on the way up;)
Phil
I think the experience you had in 2003 is repeated across the country in firms large and small many times during the year, getting staff who are dedicated to the firm/person that pays their wages mortgages and puts food on the table for their families is being eroded year on year.
Integrity in employees is not what it used to be. I managed to keep my teams for 15 years without a move to my competitors...can you see that commitment happening today? would be the exception rather than the rule I think.
There is also another saying and no pun intended...promise "The grass is not always greener"
This is a good wake up call for all. It reminds us to never become complacent in the business world.
It is a shame that we are now in a society where individual integrity as a whole appears to be on the decline.
Society becomes a rat race. The rat race will eventually become Anarchy. (demonstrated by the London riots)
What a pity it is a dog eat dog world out there. Imagine how the business to business and client relationship would benefit if we all could appreciate the long term goals.
Employees leaving employ-ors to create a new company could be quite a positive thing.(they may have identified a market niche which in the long run may mean you re-absorb them or their new client niche providing further networking revenue). This is harmony and very rarely happens.
When a disgruntled employee simply drops everything to walk out the door this is a different matter.
When an employee downloads your data base of costings and your full client list. Espionage .
It is a shame that we look to whom we work for and think "This is easy, I can set my own company up and become an over night success."
As Trevor correctly states "The grass is not always greener"
And remember another saying...
"Do not burn your bridges"