It would be nice if everything in our home business world was out in the open—all of our interactions and relationships were exactly as they appear to be. Unfortunately, that just is not the case. In fact, we do have to be wary of relationships and situations in which we are going to be held accountable in ways we do not want to; we have to be on the lookout for situations where there are definitely “strings attached.”
It is not uncommon for there to be reciprocal working relationships in the business world. For example, you may get a great discount from one of your vendors or suppliers and in return, you offer to do some pro bono work for them. As long as everything is on the up-and-up and you know what is going to be expected (and you agree to it), this can be a win-win way to do business. When things surprise us or come back to haunt us after the fact, however, that can be disconcerting.
If you suspect that there may be strings attached when working with a client, customer, prospect, vendor or colleague, there is nothing wrong with asking. Of course, they may not come clean and tell you the truth, but it is better to ask the question and put things out there than to be completely surprised when it comes out in the open later. Additionally, if you know what you are and are not willing to do and put that out in the open, it may keep people from thinking that they can convince you to do something else (offer product or services for free, give a big discount, etc.) The more direct and honest you can be, the more you may be able to head off some of those “strings attached” situations before they happen.
Tapping Into the Golden Rule of Business