How Chickens Killed a $28,000 Deal

The $28,000 Chickens

This is one of my favorite stories regarding the value of relationships. I’ve changed some names to protect confidentiality, but the story is true. It illustrates why focusing on the relationship first opens doors of opportunity in the future. So, without further ado, here’s the story of the $28,000 chickens.

Larry’s new building is beautiful, and he was very proud to show it off. Larry is in the steel industry, and the new space was his way of upgrading the look and feel of the business. Part of this new look and feel included some rather spectacular landscaping, which came at a price of $28,000.

As we were standing outside the building, Larry pointed out a truck that had just driven by. It came from the landscaping business owned by Larry’s neighbor to the west.

“They wanted to do all of the landscaping for the building, but I wouldn’t give them the business,” Larry said.

When I asked why, he responded – “chickens.”

The Story Behind the Chickens

During construction, one minor nuisance was the chickens from the landscaper’s property. The landscaper kept chickens and let them roam freely. Since chickens don’t understand property lines, they naturally wandered onto Larry’s active construction site.

Larry asked his new neighbor to fence in his chickens or find a way to keep them off the construction site. Despite repeated requests, the response was no. Finally, it took a visit from the town animal control officer to get Larry’s neighbor to comply.

For the sake of some free-roaming chickens, a $28,000 deal was lost.

The Lesson of the $28,000 Chickens

The lesson here is simple: Larry’s neighbor discounted Larry, and Larry got his revenge. It’s a natural dynamic that plays out in relationships every day.

Had Larry’s new neighbor valued the relationship, he might have worked with Larry to keep the chickens off Larry’s property. No discounting, no revenge.

In this alternative scenario, the relationship mattered for its own sake. There was no immediate gain for the neighbor. The only thing Larry and his neighbor would have gained from resolving the chicken problem was a new relationship, built on initial collaboration and respect. They had an opportunity to get to know each other.

Build Relationships for the Sake of Relationships

Some relationships may bring immediate benefits, others may offer benefits down the road, and still others may never bring a direct benefit. It doesn’t matter. The ability to predict the future is beyond us.

You never know when or if a relationship can help. But you do know this: if you do not build the relationship today, the opportunity for it to help in the future will never exist. Relationships are not deals. Relationships are at the core of what we do. Everything else springs from them.