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Business

Say You Will

Members of the ISP-Wireless list are reporting that some business customers are demanding a contingency plan in case they go out of business, and some share methods for dealing with these difficult customer demands.

[November 26, 2001]

On the ISP-Wireless list in November, RC queried,

"A new factory wants to use my fixed wireless service, but they want a contingency plan in case I go out of business. Has anyone got a good answer for this?"

A number of respondents remembered having been asked this before, and advised talking around the issue:

[CO recalled] "My typical answer is 'What guarantee do you have that any vendor you deal with will not go out of business?' So many DSL companies have gone under that there are never any guarantees. You have to offer so many benefits in the way of quality of service and cost that the risk factor is more than compensated for. I've never been in a situation where you couldn't work around that question."

[GY agreed] "Just be a good businessman: explain to him your past track record and your conservative financial future plans. You're not a dot-com; you're a provider."

[JD added] "Offer to sell them the equipment and transfer the tower leases if you go out of business. Then you're not stuck with those tower leases, and you get some cash for your hardware!"

RB noted that there is one simple answer:

"Many businesses get a dialup account as a backup."

Others suggested that the question itself is ridiculous:

[TW laughed] "You could tell them that since your business is dependent upon your customers' remaining in business, perhaps there could be a reciprocal agreement to provide a contingency plan for you in these trying economic times!"

[JM agreed] "Anyone, anywhere, at anytime could go belly up. It's the chance you take doing business."

—End