How a Greedy Mistake Cost Me an Electrical Goldmine | 67

How one greedy invoice cost me thousands in lost referrals — and how electricians can avoid burning bridges with both clients and mates. 

Learn why short-term thinking kills long-term success and how protecting relationships is the smartest marketing move for any electrician serious about building a profitable business.

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Transcript

Hand me the Stanley knife with the fresh blade. I'm gonna cut off my nose to spite my face. Welcome to Simplified Sparking Marketing.

Today, I'm going to talk about the breakdown of relationships with clients — and also with peers. I was doing a job today for an existing client who I'd class as an A+ client. He's the kind of client that, no matter what you quote, you know he’ll go ahead with the job. I probably don't even need to quote for him, but as I’ve said in previous podcasts, always quote before you start the work — because if you don’t, it can backfire badly.

A few years ago, I did a small job for this guy — repairing maybe one or two garden lights. That little job turned into putting up a pendant, adding PowerPoints, and before long, when he moved to an apartment in Redfern, it turned into a big project: full sweep of downlights, PowerPoints, slimline dimmers, switchboard upgrade — the works. That turned into more ceiling fans, and then referrals to his neighbour and to his son-in-law, a buyer’s agent.

The buyer’s agent started sending me more and more work — mainly fitting ceiling fans in a big complex in Summer Hill. I was flying.

Then I made one of the biggest mistakes of my business career. I had an employee at the time — and to be fair, he was absolutely shit. I had to leave short notice for a family emergency overseas, and I left this guy to cover a few jobs — including one for the buyer’s agent. His task was simple: install LED strips in two shaving cabinets. Easy job — power nearby, nothing complicated.

It ended up taking him an entire day to install one strip. He struggled, frustrated the client, and left a terrible impression. To make it worse, I got greedy — I still invoiced the client for the job, without checking the quality or completion properly. That one invoice destroyed the relationship. I never heard from the buyer’s agent again. That one greedy decision cost me thousands in future work.

What I'm hoping with this podcast is to help you avoid making the same mistake. Always reflect before you send an invoice. Think about the lifetime value of that client. It's often better to cop a little hit in the short term and protect the long-term relationship.

Today’s job really reminded me of this lesson. I was doing work for the same client’s daughter — again a full electrical sweep. And even before quoting her job, I fixed a towel rail for her dad free of charge — no invoice. Because relationships matter. That $300 invoice could have cost me $5,000 worth of work.

The same principle applies with your mates who are contractors. Recently a client handed me a quote from a good friend of mine and asked if I could quote it too. I immediately rang my mate, checked in, and then told the client to go with him. No stepping on toes. No greed. Long-term relationships and respect first.

At the start of this podcast, I mentioned the phrase "biting off your nose to spite your face." Here’s where it comes from: In medieval times, nuns who were under threat of assault would sometimes disfigure themselves — cutting off their noses — to make themselves undesirable. Hurting themselves just to spite someone else.

Moral of the story: Don’t hurt yourself or your business by being greedy over small wins. Protect your relationships, and the big wins will come.

All the links you need are in the description. Please rate and review the podcast — it’s greatly appreciated. See you next time.