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All week long indications of business going under would have anyone scratching their head wondering what’s going on?
The good news is the people hurt by the nonsense have good business sense.
I’m the type who is a loyal client when the service and products I use, prove to be outstanding. It was to my horror that my phone call was ignored, and a follow-up attempt was also left unanswered. The idea of having to hunt for a similar service at fair value was far from appealing. I began to think the business ended.
In another matter, an email sent to a new service provider never received a response. I began to question whether it was him or if the email was quirky. Giving the benefit of the doubt, I picked up the phone to call. We connected, enjoyed the conversation, and agreed to meet.
And thankfully, after two weeks of not receiving a return call, the gentleman in question connected with me. The storyline is that he changed phone services, but the provider did not allow messages to be received until it was almost too late. The man is frantically catching up with everyone so not to lose business. On my end, it was good that I dragged my heels on finding a replacement.
Last, it appears that email in my community is dubious at best. Interestingly, I can successfully send messages across the country and the globe, but not locally. One sent email was important to me, and the salesperson in me appeared. Not only did I send a second email, but I called the house number and forewarned a duplicate message will be sent to the mobile number too. Thankfully, my friend laughed as she received all of the updates.
All of the above relates to yesterday’s Blog, “Do You Know Why Clients Suddenly Leave?” Included in the examples are elements of customer service, developing your personal brand, and relationship selling.
The moral of today’s story is: Follow-up saves the day. And this applies to working with hiring managers and recruiters when seeking a new job.
At the beginning of each year, I provide insights on how to clean up materials and processes for a fresh start. Technology plays a large part, and it is imperative we periodically check everything we use. Otherwise, some business may be lost without us knowing about it.
Related: What Are You Communicating Through the Grapevine?
Do You:
On days you do not receive timely responses, pick up the phone to check in with your client. It is possible one is ill, or they did not receive your message. Make it a habit to check in periodically as each client wishes to provide one another updates. New sales magically happen in this regard. And when prospective clients say, ‘not now,’ ask ‘when?’ Mark your calendar to follow-up. The fact that you do take notes and adhere to them adds credibility to your favor and influences sales.