It’s never easy avoiding favoritism; particularly when it involves a large amount of business with large sums of money. Yet, as Borders bookstore now knows, ignoring or delaying others can lead to more than just annoyed clients.

According to Sarah Weinman, publishing industry reporter of DailyFinance:

Borders’ long-documented money-losing, credit-extending and cashflow problems means that the company is trying to hold on to as much money as it can, and one way it appears it has done so is to make sure its biggest clients are paid first while smaller publishers must wait their turn.

As many businesses continue to bear the weak economy, it comes as no surprise that such large companies are facing financial difficulties. As the article explains, Borders has been facing such problems for over a year. Unfortunately, gathering from the potential legal action against them, little resolution has been seen.

The major problem here isn’t necessarily that Borders is unable to pay their clients. After all, there is no doubt that normal operating procedures can no longer be normal when struggling to keep up with finances. In times such as these, downsizing, price-reductions, pay cuts and even filing for bankruptcy are commonplace. The problem is, instead of being up front and honest with their financial delays, Borders is apparently choosing to give the run-around to their smaller publishers.

As the team at Slaughter Development sees it, failure can be a good thing. But, when it begins to cloud judgement and negatively impact client relations—especially among those who help keep your business afloat—failure no longer beneficial. Instead, it leads to a loss of cooperation, clientele and worst of all, credibility. If your company is facing any or all of these issues, contact Slaughter Development today. We’ll help you identify and benefit from positive failures while showing you how to avoid futile ones.

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