Consulting with competitive companies to improve the quality of the competition or influencing key decision makers to walk away from Harris for now.  Bette had been successful at nibbling away at their profitable customers and leaving them only costly hard to satisfy, low margin customers.  The end result for the Harris’s was if they were able to maintain the business it usually was at a much lower margin of profit or they lost the business all together. 

Loosing a few key customers here or there across the spectrum of all their businesses was not the kind of assault that is easy to put a finger on.  But assault it was and soon these losses began to add up directly contributing to a downward trend.  Once the process was started Bette then turned to legislative friends who created regulations or situations which would work against the Harris’s.  At the end of the day Harris Industries was bleeding financially from all arteries.  With all the losses piling up the family oblivious to what was happening to them continued to spend like they did in the good old days.  In essence it was Bette herself who pushed the Harris’ into the financial calamity that forced their demise.  To this day the Harris family members are unaware these tactics were put into place or that they even existed. 

For Bette the tricky part of the company takeover business was how company behaves once they reach the realization that they are in a dire predicament.  There is always a point of awareness which comes just before the point of no return.  If the management group is strong enough or disciplined enough or even gutsy enough they can right their ship but it takes sacrifice and discipline.  Both attributes the Harris’s had in short supply.

It’s at this point in Bette’s process of acquiring companies where Bette learns the most about the character of the players involved in managing her target.  The moves that are made at this point by management good or bad dictate how the rest of the deal will go down.  And in turn just how ruthless Bette can be based on how the management team responds at this point.  Responsible management will cut deep to keep the company afloat.  It is hard and takes nerves of steel but it is able to be done.  If the company takes this course Bette is then forced to reveal more of her hand for a successful take over.  At the end of the day taking this course makes Bette’s job more difficult and she along with everyone else involved become bloody in the process.