Oh No

Ravenfire · Oct 6, 2005

I have a bit of a dilemma

Someone I know well through the net is going to re-advertise on my site. Originally I let her have advertisement for free for a year but now I have offered at a reduced rate.

Dilemma is that a rival company (which I didnt realise was rival until today) has also expressed interest in sponsoring my site. Friends DP is not happy about this and asked if they paid full price for sponsorship would I say no to this other person. Made even more difficult by the fact that rival company are sending me products for review and to use as comps.

What would you do?

Rob Holmes · Oct 6, 2005

I would say yes if you paid full price you can have it.

Someone said to me once..

Either do it at full price or do it for free but don't do it for half the cash you want as you'll resent the person eventually.

Maybe wise words..

Rob

Dread · Oct 6, 2005

Seems pretty simple to me (not meaning to be offensive), you should take your friends offer of full payment and reject your rival companies offers.

The way i see it is why would you want to advertise a rival company on your site anyway? They obviously think they'll steal some customers from you, so having their ad on your site seems detrimental to your business rather than benefictial.

I would refuse the rival company to advertise anyway, the fact that your friend is willing to pay full price is just a bonus from what i can see.

Good luck, whatever you choose to do.

Ravenfire · Oct 6, 2005

So you would tell this rival company that you can no longer sponsor them and you dont want their products? I dont know quite how to word it really if I do that and the problem is that if I say no and then they see the ad for this other company they will realise why

Ravenfire · Oct 6, 2005

I didnt realise it was a rival company until speaking to my friend this morning and mentioning about this other company. My friend hasnt advertised on the site for some months now anyway so this rival company wouldnt even know that I know her

Dread · Oct 6, 2005

Oh i see, the rival company is a rival to your friend and not to you. I misunderstood, then yes i do see your dilemma.

Personally i'd still side with your friend, but it really depends whether you want to make a business decision or a personal one.

Alpha · Oct 6, 2005

The simple way to look at it is you are in business. You should give your friend first opportunity to advertise at full cost(but you do say that she has not advertised for a while). If they are both prepared to advertise like for like(In terms of cost , frequency etc) then by all means go with your friend (There is plenty of room in business for personal as well as business reltionships.

If your friend takes up the full time full cost advertising then all you need to do is explain to the other company that it is your policy not to advertise competing products/companies together and the other company unfortunately requested the advertising space first. (I'm assuming that you do not currently have competing products.companies already if you do then I do not see the problem with having both companies anyway)

Steve Colegate · Oct 6, 2005

There are some processes that may help but it would involve a conversation. However here is a simple process that may help.

Make a decision either way....
Now ask yourself what would would be just enough to to go the other way..

ok now that you have made the new decison ask yourself what would have to be just enough to go the other way..( It may help to write down your answers so you can review them)

Done... Ok now take this new decison and ask yourself what would have to be just enough to go the other way....

keep goining until you competely run out of just enoughs... It won't make the decision for you but it will give you a hierchy of what is important to you about both decisons which may make the decision easier.. If you are still in dilema you are welcome to PM me to arrange a chat.

Steve

Ravenfire · Oct 6, 2005

Well I emailed the rival in the end and apologised profusely said the current company wasnt happy about competitors advertising on my site as well. Probably is they are happy for any other company their same as theirs to advertise apart from this one, which does mean that now I cant let anyone else with the same company advertise as the rivals will see! (Does that make sense)!

Oct 6, 2005

First to pay full price wins. Finished. This is Show Business not ShowFriends ( Jerry Maguire )

Ravenfire · Oct 6, 2005

The thing is I have more than one company advertise, for example several sites that sell similar products and I have never had this happen before. I could have had both on there. The problem was that they are rival sites

and have fallen out big time in "real life" as well as on the net!

Rob Holmes · Oct 6, 2005

You could always rotate the adverts

Rob

Ravenfire · Oct 6, 2005

I think it was a case of if I advertised the rival company then my friend wouldnt continue to advertise!

Jayne · Oct 6, 2005

I know it's not business like, but i'd stick with my mate, other businesses come and go, a good friend lasts forever

Jayne

Ravenfire · Oct 6, 2005

Yes I have done that but I just felt a bit bad as everything had already been sorted with this other company, and to be fair, this other company didnt know my friend sponsored the site as her banner isnt on at present!

My friend runs competitions on sites the same as mine but I would never dream of asking her not to!

injan · Oct 6, 2005

you could put a link up to a page with both of them listed
but obviously if u had to choose it would be your friend

in this case i would tell the rival company that unfortunately youve asked the marketing director and he/she says that the space was already booked by another firm 6 months ago...
and would the competing company like to be informed when the space becomes free

..

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