I drove to Ephrata this morning (15 miles past Moses Lake) to take care of some renewals as well as work some new business in the area. I pulled into this little mom and pop upholstery shop on the backside of the town and was met by a couple, the business owners. They were very polite and interested in what I had to say. The wife knew a little about us even, her previous employer was a member of NFIB and she recalled receiving the magazine and even told me she “enjoyed the articles.”
As you can imagine I did not have to close very hard, there was strong interest to see change in the government and they both saw value in what NFIB was doing. As with many small businesses recently money was a little tight, he finally decided he would be able to do $250 if we broke it down quarterly…no problem. I filled out the membership card and took care of most of the paperwork leaving payment to the end. NFIB does not bill sub-annually, the only way to break payment down is using auto-payment from either a checking account or with a credit card.
It was the most bizarre thing, as soon as he saw that form he just turned from a polite business owner into a raving lunatic. He went on an on about how he was was ripped off by some scam artist in the past who tried the same technique and he would not fall for it again. I tried to ease the tension, but the damage had been done. He no longer trusted me just because I suggested auto-dues, he talked to me different, his whole manner changed into this sceptical psychopath…so weird.