Chapter 3

3

I turned off the lights in two of my branch offices. I wasn't shutting down―I was focusing my energy to win this war.

My first step was reaching out to every core client I had lost. I didn't just call them; I visited them in person.

I brought two things to every meeting. One was a full quality comparison report, and the other was a list of service failures from Mina’s company.

Mr. Harrison was a major wholesaler for baby products. He was my first big client when I started four years ago.

Back then, my showroom wasn't even finished. He spent thirty minutes in my warehouse and signed a yearly contract on the spot.

In four years, we did over ten million dollars in business without a single quality issue. He was my oldest and most demanding client.

“Mr. Harrison, she quoted you twenty percent lower than me. But look at this,” I said, flipping to the third page of the report.

“Her raw material standards are different. She’s using grade-three materials. You’ll save money now, but your return rates will skyrocket. Once you factor in those costs, you’ll lose way more than that twenty percent.”

“Also, look at her service record. These are real complaints I gathered. Look at her average response time and how many issues actually get resolved.”

Mr. Harrison stared at the data for a long time. Finally, he sighed. “Sienna, I owe you an apology. I let the price blind me.”

Mr. Harrison was the first to return. Then came the second, and the third.

In less than two weeks, four of the seven hijacked clients were back. The other three didn't come back immediately, but only because they needed to clear out the inventory they bought from Mina first.

I stabilized the team too. One manager left, but I sat the other one down in my office for three hours.

She ended up crying. She didn't leave. I didn't keep her using emotions or guilt.

I showed her a document regarding the cash flow and client churn rate at Mina’s company. The numbers didn't lie.

“She’s burning money just to steal market share,” I told her. “Her cash flow won't last past next quarter. If you stay there, that thirty percent raise will be paid with loans. Within three months, she’ll either cut your pay or fire you. You choose.”

She chose to stay with me. Dealing with the rumors was even easier.

I went to the industry association and pulled my company’s satisfaction ratings and complaint records from the last three years. I posted them directly into the group chat.

I didn't argue. I didn't scream. I just posted the data. “Here are my actual service stats. To the anonymous person saying my service is trash―feel free to show your own data. Or do you only know how to hide in the shadows?”

The chat went dead silent.