It seems that some things in business just never change. Like those people we affectionately call time wasters.
I was prompted to write this, after being emailed today by a reader, who had wasted a lot of time dealing with a time waster. This guy claimed to be interested in using her as a freelance designer for a large project. She later found out, after meeting his colleague at a networking event, that the person she had been dealing with, was simply pumping her for free advice, for a project he was going to do in-house, for his boss! The reader explained that she has only been in business for 6 months, and “feels like a fool” to use her own words, for falling for this trick.
As businesspeople, it’s important for us to learn how to spot the time wasters as soon as we can, BUT without missing the people who are genuinely interested in our products or services.
I wrote a post about time wasters, that gives a few tips.
In my experience, I find that the longer you are in business, the better you become at spotting time wasters. Do you find that too? I’d like to know.
Sometimes, it’s possible to spot patterns of behaviour, that immediately alert you to time wasters. In my own business, for instance, I’ve discovered that whenever someone tells me via a social network, that they are going to get in touch to find out about working with me, they never do. After all, if someone’s interested in speaking with me, it’s easier for them just to call or email me. Interestingly, 100% of my clients simply got in touch with me, without any public pre-announcements.
Here’s where I would really appreciate your help!
It would be extremely useful if you would share any of YOUR tips for spotting or dealing with time wasters. If you have anything you would like to share, please leave a comment and maybe help someone avoid the kind of frustration, that lady in the email experienced.
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