I've worked really hard to get everything up and running, advertising, office sorted, insurance, networking etc.
After a bit of a bumpy start with the massage parlour woman I secured some work with another company as you'll see in my other thread.
The director came across as very professional, he said he wanted to build trust in someone to regularly do his books and so when he spoke to me yesterday via my facebook page I thought nothing of it and answered him. Afterall, he wanted to get to know me as a person too. It started off as a normal conversation really he asked if I'd had a good day I said yes very productive thank you and asked had he had a good morning. Then he asked was I married! I know he is as he brought it up in conversation on the appointment I had with him, he also knows I'm in a long term relationship as he asked about my kids on the appointment too, what I thought to be normal small talk kind of thing. The next thing he starts complimenting me and asked me to send a picture to his email address?? I went offline straight away after this and expected him to send me a message apologising but I've had nothing.
This isn't the first time this has happened. My ex-boss where I was employed as an accounts assistant tried to kiss me and would bang on about his girlfriend not giving him enough attention before in the months leading up to this happening. People that I have told about this have said I must be flirting with these people but I can fully assure you that I'm not whatsoever. I am a friendly person, I won't ignore people if they speak to me but thats as far as it goes, a normal conversation. I don't say anything that would give them any impression I am interested in them in that way. I don't know where I'm going wrong because I don't dress provocatively, I don't flirt, I don't give any indication to them at all. I wouldn't say I look that kind of person either because I'm quite shy and quiet.
Considering I've had this problem many times before, I never thought it would ever happen to me while having my own business.
How do I handle this now that I have all his paperwork? Do I contact him to set him straight? Do I hand his paperwork back without doing the work? Or do I just do the work get paid and never have any contact again?
I know my threads over the last few days may seem over the top, please don't think I am a troll. I just never expected this at all.
Hello Kay, think you will find having your own business will make you all the more attractive but hey ho! If it was me I would give him his paperwork back and tell him nicely that you don't want to work for him....I read your other comment about the massage parlour and it made me smile - think your little icons did it. Don't get disheartened something better will turn up. Best wishes Georgie
Oh dear.... It can be difficult, there are some men who just don't have a clue about what they are doing, and others who do!
Just tell him that you think the attention he is giving you is inapporpriate and see what his reaction is. If you are lucky that will be the end of it.
Glad the thread made you smile Georgie lol I thought it was a joke when she first rang.
I would really like to hand all the stuff back and say thats that. But then again I really need the money because me and my partner are really struggling at the moment. The company also has 3 other companies they would like me to do the bookkeeping for along with the odd few days working on site.
Do I stop being so friendly with people in future? I think I am quite approachable and people tend to feel comfortable talking to me. I don't want to become stone faced but I don't know how to stop being me.
To be honest Kay, I wouldn't become a friend on Facebook with anyone with whom I was working. Although Facebook can be a marketing tool it is not one I particularly favour for our type of work. Just do his books and when you return them hand them over to the receptionist.
From what you've said the guy sounds like a neanderthal. The really sad part, in my opnion, is that you're now questioning yourself.
Perhaps, as a male, it's easy for me to say and perhaps "I don't get it" but you're perfectly entitled to dress in a way you feel comfortable and conduct yourself in a friendly professional manner. If other people misinterpret this it absolutely isn't your fault..... it's theirs.
It seems to me Sheila's offered really sound advice.
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Tony
Responses are intended as outline only. Formal advice should be sort from your Institutes Technical Department or a suitably qualified Accountant.
Hi Noola, I'm with you 100%. His behaviour was completely unprofessional.
My thoughts are that you can 1.) give him everything back and chalk it up to experience or 2.) advise him that you will only have a business relationship with him and ask if he is happy to procede on this basis. But to be honest, if this had happened to my partner I'd tell her to walk away.
I would suggest having a Facebook (and Twitter) account only for your business. (Although, I don't think using Facebook to generate new business is worth the effort, though. But that is a personal view and there is many who would disagree).
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.................just an ICB student, at the moment.
Hi Noola
change your facebook picture to one where your eating a gressy fried chicken and making funny faces. If he is still pestering you, run.
Bookkeeping business wise, it's early days, so chin up and keep marketing your bookkeeping skills.
Look forward to hearing about your third client.
Dalbir
My Bookkeeping profile has nothing but an cartoon owl on there. However he knows my surname and I suspect he has found my personal profile. I've changed my privacy settings since then and blocked his work profile.
I also look forward to seeing who my next client is! Surely can't be as bad as these!
I'm really sorry to read this. It's annoying at best and downright abuse at worst. For reasons like this my FB/Twitter and all the other forums I belong to are under nicknames. My friends can find me, my business contacts have my email address and there is a clear line drawn between to two.
You shouldn't have to really, but there are always people who will take advantage if they can.
Hope you figure it out (and that you kept the messages - do you know his wife's email address? :)
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my blog "the bookkeeper's in town - learning the hard way"
Hi Jerry, my facebook page is purely a business page with no personal stuff on there and all friends are other businesses, it has been an excellent marketing tool I have received alot of interest and appointments from it.
Also, they don't have a receptionist, the office just consist of himself.
Hi Jerry, my facebook page is purely a business page with no personal stuff on there and all friends are other businesses, it has been an excellent marketing tool I have received alot of interest and appointments from it.
Also, they don't have a receptionist, the office just consist of himself.
Thanks for your reply too PDM :)
You're wasting your time replying to Jerry. If you look back you'll see it was just a copy/paste of Sheila's post. Jerry is a spammer.
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Never buy black socks from a normal shop. They shaft you every time.
Talking of Facebook - is it possible to have a Facebook business page and a Facebook personal page that isn't linked to each other. Just thinking some of my posts on Facebook are not very business-like. Like the one five minutes ago regarding the Last Night of the Proms. Or would I just need to different profiles with different email addresses.
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Never buy black socks from a normal shop. They shaft you every time.
they are just messages copied from other messages to make them seem relevant.
I've removed the links and unless site admin have any objections I'll go back through and delete the posts after.
It saves situations like we had the other day where I deleted a message which had been replied to and then the reply looked as though it was being a bit cheeky to the original poster.
Your response is really to Sheila (Semsley) rather than Jerry who has now been deleted and their IP address banned for non relevant advertising.
All the best,
Shaun.
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Shaun
Responses are not meant as a substitute for professional advice. Answers are intended as outline only the advice of a qualified professional with access to all relevant information should be sought before acting on any response given.
These spam posts are causing confussion so I'm going through deleting them all. I just need to be careful that I don't end up creating a scenario like I did the other day where an answer to a Spam post fitted perfectly to the legitimate post before it!
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Shaun
Responses are not meant as a substitute for professional advice. Answers are intended as outline only the advice of a qualified professional with access to all relevant information should be sought before acting on any response given.
How strange?! I saw the other thread but didn't know what was going on.
Peasie I have two separate facebook pages with different email addresses. I do however post personal statuses on the business one because I think its nice for potential customers to get to know you as a person rather than just a bookkeeper. Nothing too personal but just something different other than the usual list of services. Other businesses on my page copy and paste the same status every so often and it can be quite annoying if you've already seen it and its taking up your newsfeed every 5 minutes.
Sometimes I'll write what I'm planning to do on my day off, or when I'm taking a tea break from my heaps of work (just to make it sound like I do have quite a few customers).
One business on my page wrote that he couldn't be a***ed that day! I thought that was a nice way of losing people from his page lol.
I'm a real FB geek and if anyone is interested in me running through fb best practice for both a personal profile and a business page, or work profile, I am most happy to do so.
Personal privacy and security is really important.
I've worked really hard to get everything up and running, advertising, office sorted, insurance, networking etc.
