It's not always about the money.

I came across a post in my newsfeed from someone I was very close with before and it was about his clients being stingy. The Facebook status and our comments are as follows:

ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF THE ABOVE:

Common lines from "stingy" clients:

1. There are many other events to come within the family, I'll refer you.
2. Our event is just simple.
3. The event will is just for a few hours.
4. Program (in the event) will just be short.
5. Aren't you a singing host? You won't be singing; you'll just be hosting.
6. The church isn't so far from the venue.
7. A relative of mine is also good (at hosting) but we chose you.
8. We will arrange transportation for you and include you in the buffet.
9. Bring someone with you if you like.
10. There are not much guest, just us.

If you're confused what this is about. Well, let me just clear things up first. My old friend is an event host and through his post, he meant that these are the common lines his clients say to ask discount for his service.

I strongly believe that posting such is quite unprofessional so I told him:

ENGLISH TRANSLATION:

Me: You shouldn't be posting things like this because it's quite unprofessional to talk about your clients (even though you just copied this from someone else).

Him: Big NO! This is reality no one can deny, see how many fellow suppliers relate to this.

Me: What would you feel if you were a client to somebody and tells his friends you're ungenerous and this and that?

Him: *Bato bato sa langit, tamaan wag magalit. A true service should be paid properly.
*in English, throwing stones to the air. In Filipino, the continuation says, “if anyone gets hit, don’t be angry.” It’s a very Filipino way of dealing with things. Instead of giving our criticisms directly, we “throw it into the air” and expect people to know how to deal with it.

Me: Well, fine, I just suggested. The point is, there's a thin line between reality and professionalism. Even though a client is close-fisted or whatsoever, they are still a customer and they are your cash cows. You should not say things against them especially on social media.

Him: I can say whatever I want.

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Those were our conversation and it quite disappointed me that he replied that way. I knew him for being humble and sweet but now that he's one of the famous event hosts in his area, I feel like he's a totally different person now.

I posted this here just so I could remind the others to remain humble... to keep their foot on the ground. It is I think the common problem of people nowadays. When they rise, they often get arrogant. They are more focused on the money rather than a good impression.

I know that we are not living in this world to impress people but let's face it, in business, good impression is really important especially if your job involves meeting or dealing with people. As a customer, you wouldn't want to work with people who would say things against your back, right?

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Let me ask you. Do you agree with me?

Or do you find his attitude towards his customers reasonable?

Share your answers below.