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Original thread:
Post 19 made on Wednesday January 16, 2019 at 13:52
Ernie Gilman
Yes, That Ernie!
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December 2001
30,104
On January 16, 2019 at 12:40, sirroundsound said...
If I read the OP correctly, you were already the company of choice for this client.

PA (personal assistant for those of you not reading before this post) was introduced to me when I was already working for a person who hired her to be his PA (no, not his MA. His PA.) Then, when another client of hers needed A/V (is that clear?), she called me.

The PA likely had you on a list and called when service / upgrade was needed.

She had a list of one, but yes.

You would have been called by the client, if the PA never existed, so why should you be expected to give away 10%.

I would not have been called by the client because the client was just moving into town and didn't know anyone here. As far as I know, the GC and Interior Decorator were brought on by her, too.

I would let her know you would be happy to just present the billing to her, and what she does with it (mark it up?) is up to her.

I would not be happy to do this as it will introduce a delay in payment. It's an intriguing idea, though.

She said she does this with other contractors she brings in to work on her clients homes, implying she has other clients.

She has stated other client and named them. You'd recognize their names.

Maybe, if she can enlighten you on just how many other clients she has and what they could be worth to you, it might be worth working something out with her.

BRILLIANT point of view! She has not had a single other A/V need that I'm aware of in the last five years.

A previous company I worked for did something a little different with a couple of people that would bring us business. We used a point system. Every $10,000 worth of work generated X number of points. The points could eventually be redeemed for tech toys like a new TV, or some other electronic device they might have on their wish list.

Good idea. With this scheme, other than this client, she would not have even earned an electric yo-yo.
One person did not really want anything new in tech, so the company paid for airfare to Europe, which is what they really wanted. I think the boss just used up some airmiles for that, so it did not really cost any out of pocket cash to keep someone happy.
There might be ways to deal with this, just might have to be creative.

Thanks, everyone, for all the ideas.
A major thing that she has overlooked is that she really doesn't want paperwork on all this, but if I'm going to pay her something, I'll be demanding an invoice from her for every payment. I'll also be requiring that the client knows about this.


That brings up another can of worms: does the client know that she's doing this with other people she has "brought on board"? As a moral issue, do I have a responsibility to tell the client? To rephrase slightly, when you see a client perhaps being cheated, do you tell the client?
A good answer is easier with a clear question giving the make and model of everything.
"The biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place." -- G. “Bernie” Shaw


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