Unedited
10/17/11
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Familiarity Breeds Contempt

When a customer does business with a store for many years contemptuous behaviors between the buyer and seller may arise. If the buyer, for example is an electrical contractor, an unwelcome relationship with the supplier may evolve in which the counter-people and management begin to act to the financial disadvantage of the contractor. This type of behavior is called FBC. A contractor is constantly under pressure from their client-base to perform well and competently. Failure to act professionally and competently can drive a contractor out of business. On the other hand, a counter person does not experience the same high level of professional expectation. The disparity of discipline and training leads to what are called counter-games. The contractor demands good service; the supplier does not want to be held accountable for bad service. Every time the supplier and customer engage in a buying session the emotional tension that arise out of FBC are reinforced and perpetuated in a way that resembles what is called class-struggle. The more competent party, thus, must put up with the incompetency and prejudices’ of the other person. This situation is not mutually exclusive to the buyer as counter-people many times are forced to deal with an uneducated and incompetent public. The point to be made is that the struggle goes on until the buyer finds another supplier whose personnel are willing to do their job in a professional manner.

FBC leads to a loss of business income on the part of the supplier that could have been avoided had management done their job and held their staff to professional standards. But, management is unwilling many times to step into the conflict because finding a good counter person is difficult. Counter people knowing they are valuable, thus, are free to play games with the buying public plausibly denying any capability with clever and well-rehearsed excuses. FBC evolves when the staff of a business becomes emotionally involved with the buying public violating the foundational principle of business that says "do business in a business like way."

• Professional Boundaries
• Counter Games
• IP