One of the issues that we all face these days is reputation management. In other words, how do I know that people or companies I meet online or offline are kosher and worth dealing with?
Clearly, this isn't a new problem. While I haven't been ripped off many times in my career, it has happened occasionally.
Here are some reasons why this might happen:
1. Ideas above their station
You approach someone, in good faith, at Company X with a proposal. They respond very enthusiastically (or certainly, encouragingly) and off you go to happily develop the concept.
It turns out months later, that they never had the authority to make it happen or approve such an idea. In fact, they haven't talked to anyone who has that authority.
Like the Man from Del Monte, they just like to say "yes".
2. Crooks
This doesn't happen often, but several times me or colleagues have been approached by crooks - usually struck-off solicitors actually. In both instances, they've been representing themselves as solicitors and a quick check with The Law Society unmasks them.
There have been other times though when people quite shamelessly pinch ideas. Some companies have a culture that encourages this behaviour, others just have rogue employees doing this kind of thing.
3. Amoral
Some people just don't share your value system. They just don't realise that they've done something wrong in a generally accepted business sense. This includes partners who try to cut you out of a deal. Or people who make up an imagined problem with a project and refuse to pay your legitimate invoices.
These are just a few of the scenarios and in my experience, sadly, it is much more prevalent in small companies rather than big ones.
Anyway, you can clearly save lots of time, money and heartache if you can avoid doing business with these people and in some instances, companies.
A few years ago, I had an idea (doubtless inspired by some forgotten bad experience). It was the height of the dotcom boom and I could see that reputation management was clearly an important issue. I won't pretend that I'd thought the issues through, but lets call the basic concept "Here comes the Judge".
Article comments