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Keep Your Word!
posted: Friday, August 14, 2009
How many of you are so busy these days that it seems like even your free time has to be planned two weeks in advance? My guess it that most people in this day and age are feeling that to one extent or another, and very few us have the time or the patience for broken promises and missed appointments. This brings me to what I would like to touch on today: As a salesperson there is nothing more important than your word and the promises you make. In a world where too many things are beyond our control, you still have control over the most important thing--your word!
I was having problems with my home phone and internet service a couple of weeks ago. The phone, honestly, I can live without but I need my computer and the internet. I called my provider and they scheduled an appointment between three and five in the afternoon. Now I don't know about the rest of you, but that's not exactly the best time of day for someone with a schedule that is all ready over booked. However, knowing how important my internet is, I made it work and arrived at my house at 2:45pm, fifteen minutes before the scheduled window. To my dismay there was a note on the door saying the technician had already been here and I would have to reschedule.
This, as I am sure you already know, is not an acceptable business practice. The agreement and implied promise was between three and five, and I was there well before three. I called the company to register a complaint and all they would say was that they were sorry, and they would be happy to reschedule for the next day. I explained to them that I had already juggled everything to make the appointment that day and that I wasn't happy with the situation at all. In the end, everything worked out, but nothing was handled with what you would consider friendly customer service.
The bottom line of this story is that every one of your customers is busy and has their own issues and challenges that they deal with daily. Make sure as their salesperson that you have enough respect for both them and their time by doing what you say you are going to do. Keep every promise, no matter how small.
FINAO - Brad Huisken - President, IAS Training
I was having problems with my home phone and internet service a couple of weeks ago. The phone, honestly, I can live without but I need my computer and the internet. I called my provider and they scheduled an appointment between three and five in the afternoon. Now I don't know about the rest of you, but that's not exactly the best time of day for someone with a schedule that is all ready over booked. However, knowing how important my internet is, I made it work and arrived at my house at 2:45pm, fifteen minutes before the scheduled window. To my dismay there was a note on the door saying the technician had already been here and I would have to reschedule.
This, as I am sure you already know, is not an acceptable business practice. The agreement and implied promise was between three and five, and I was there well before three. I called the company to register a complaint and all they would say was that they were sorry, and they would be happy to reschedule for the next day. I explained to them that I had already juggled everything to make the appointment that day and that I wasn't happy with the situation at all. In the end, everything worked out, but nothing was handled with what you would consider friendly customer service.
The bottom line of this story is that every one of your customers is busy and has their own issues and challenges that they deal with daily. Make sure as their salesperson that you have enough respect for both them and their time by doing what you say you are going to do. Keep every promise, no matter how small.
FINAO - Brad Huisken - President, IAS Training
