We love them, don’t we?
Even the term makes you feel warm and snuggly, it gives vibes of a bargain, money saved, and an ‘all-round good deal’.
But wait
Let’s look a little deeper, shall we?
Because ‘mates rates’, to some people, look a little different.
To some people, it can imply a different service.
Maybe a little extra ‘something’, free, gratis, and for nothing.
And it may also attract a very un-British spot of hopefully queue jumping.
It can also look a little like a ‘time to pay’ agreement.
‘I’ll pay you next week mate, I’m a bit short…’. That sort of thing.
Now don’t get me wrong, this hasn’t happened to me. Not by a long chalk.
But I’ve heard horror stories, and this has happened to friends in different industries.
And it’s just not on.
It’s disrespectful.
It’s rude.
It can destroy friendships.
If you’ve asked your mate to do something, whether that be to fix your car, lay a floor, or do some IT work for you, you’ve already valued their skills and workmanship enough to trust that they’ll do a good job.
Why?
So why on earth would you pay them a penny less than the going rate or the industry standard?
Why would you ask them to postpone other hard-won clients and expect a speedy turnaround just because you enjoy a friendship bond?
Or, worse still, assume that they’ll give up their weekend in order for you to enjoy yours?
Sit down and think about it.
It’s pretty unfair, isn’t it?
It just doesn't work
This, amongst other reasons, is why many business owners don’t work with friends.
It just doesn’t work.
In fact, only last week, a close friend told me that she’d engaged an accountant and hadn’t approached me because it felt too ‘icky’.
And that’s just how it should be.
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