Sunday, May 19, 2019

Questions You Need to Ask Before You Do Business with any Business!


We All Do It.
We find a "deal" on something we want or need. But before taking that final step and buying it, we are online checking for reviews, comparing prices, and generally finding out what others have to say about the shiny new thing that caught our eye.

Only after finding the information we need and checking that it truly is a good deal do we finally feel comfortable putting our hard earned money on the line. 

So why should we do anything differently if we are thinking of doing business with a business? 
Whether we ourselves own a business and are contemplating taking on a partner or we are looking for someone to work on or in our home, doing our homework first makes good sense!
The key is to know what to look for when we do our due diligence. Recognizing the questions to ask, and why, and also knowing how to verify the answers we get to those questions, will help!

Going into business with or hiring any company comes with a set of risks. The company could have dealt with clients poorly in the past. They may not live up to their promises or do shoddy work. 

Before you know it, you have wasted your time and money by hiring or working with someone that falls way short of your expectations.

So before signing on the dotted line, do your homework!

What You Should Know about a Company Before You Hire Them!  “Tweet This”
It all starts with checking business references and developing new ones.
Any business should be able and willing to provide a list of other companies or individuals that they have done business with. They can be current clients or ones they have worked with in the past. It should be an immediate red flag if they can't, or are unwilling, to give you a list ~ and we suggest walking away now if that is the case.

When you get that list of references, there are a few things you should check. First, make sure each of their references includes the full name of the person or company they worked with and current contact information. You may even want to take note of what kind of work they did / do for them.

Then it is time to contact each of these references and ask the following:
  • Are you a current or past client?
  • When did you last do business with them?
  • How would you rate their quality of service?
  • Did you have any customer service issues or complaints about their work or have you heard of them having any?
  • Would you consider them trustworthy and reliable?
  • Was their billing accurate and timely?
  • Would you consider the service they provided worth the price you paid?
  • What were the positives and negatives in dealing with this company?
  • Would you do business with this company again and recommend them to others?
  • Can you provide the name of another person or business who has done business with this company? This is a developed reference not provided by the company. 
For each question be sure to request examples, not just a yes or no response.

But you can’t stop there! Next you need to double check these answers by doing the following:
Better Business Bureau and your state Business Licensing Agency
Contacting the BBB is an easy first step in vetting a company. By simply typing in the company name on the BBB site, you can see if they are registered, if any complaints have been filed against them, and, if so, how these complaints were handled. Your state licensing agency will help you determine if the company is registered in your state and is running a legitimate business.

Civil Courts
“Civil Court Record Checks are also a valuable tool in vetting anyone you are considering doing business with, either on a professional or personal level, such as home contractors, in home caregivers, etc.”

Knowing if the business you are considering using has a history of contract disputes, personal injury cases, or has sued others or been sued themselves is invaluable. Find out more in “Civil Court Record Checks ~ The Forgotten Screening Tool”!

Criminal Courts
Checking for any records listed in the criminal court system will help you discover whether the company has had any criminal complaints filed against them or against any of their employees while they were on the job. Examples of things you could find would be charges for theft, assault, etc.

Online Reviews 
“Google” the company and the owner’s name. Check out what people are saying about them online. We caution you to take these reviews with a grain of salt. Most companies will have some negative reviews. Unless they are corroborated with other sources, or show a clear pattern, a couple bad reviews alone may not be reason enough not to work with them.

Asking these questions and checking these sources is a good practice whether you are a business thinking of partnering or outsourcing any of your work or an individual hiring someone for any reason! The answers will really help you get a clearer picture of the kind of company you are thinking of doing business with!

That is why You “Trust, but Verify”!
“While (a business) may appear to have a good reputation, and the company people you have had contact with seem above board, following the “trust but verify” rule makes sense. 

Simply trusting that they will bring value to your company or that their products or services will meet your needs is just not wise or good business. That is why you need to take the steps necessary to verify that your trust is not misplaced! Learn more in “Why You need to Trust but Verify!

Doing the work and checking these companies out will give you peace of mind that you have made a good decision. And that is better for you, your business, and your family!

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Need Help Checking out a Business or In-Home Worker? Contact Us! We can answer your questions and help you get the information you need!

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