When a potential customer calls you to inquire about your services, you have to return that phone call immediately!! Less than 5 minutes if you really want to make a positive impact. When customers need your products or a solution to their problem, they don’t want to wait to talk. They want to talk NOW! This is why being so accessible and available is incredibly important in Sales. A great first impression starts when a customer gets a return phone call from you within just a few minutes of their call trying to reach you. What the customer is thinking in their mind, is how the service is going to be moving forward if they have to wait for a prolonged period of time just to talk with you. Trust me, the longer they wait for you to talk with them, the more doubt creeps into their minds. You are also giving your potential customer a bigger window of time to shop around and to speak with your competitors. Let me share a story with you.
I am in the process of building a new house. Yesterday I called up a plumbing contractor and an electrical contractor, both of which were companies that were recommended to me. When I called the plumbing company, the receptionist expressed to me that they were crazy-busy right now (she did this a few times during the call). I told her that I understood and that I was building a new house and I would need plumbing for it all and that I would be interested in speaking with an estimator about the project. She put me on hold (putting a customer on hold is never a good thing). She then said the soonest that someone could meet me to talk about the project was on January 1st. This was six weeks from now! I questioned her that this was the soonest just to meet and talk with me. The response was confirmed. Disappointed, I made the appointment for January 1st and then we ended the call. I thought to myself, “Really? Six weeks for the guy to meet with me and he is a local contractor here in town??” After a few minutes passed by, I came to the conclusion that that customer experience (phone call) stunk and that I wasn’t going to wait that period of time for a meeting. His loss.
Now compare what you just read to this… a few minutes later, I made another call. This one was to the electrical contractor who was referred to me. Within a few seconds of dialing the number, the man happily greeted me on the call. He said that he was standing on a ladder installing a ceiling fan and to bear with him a second while he climbed down to talk with me! We then had a productive conversation and he asked me several good questions about my needs and my project. I was becoming excited with his enthusiasm. He then asked me if Monday morning at 8AM would work for meeting at the project site. Mind you that it was about 2PM on a Friday afternoon as I was having this conversation. Now this is the right way to handle a customer inquiry! He made me a priority, he asked good questions and he gave me a solid first impression. He was responsive to my inquiry (getting down from a ladder to talk with me) and with scheduling the meeting.
Compare the above two scenarios and I want you to remember both of them. Being responsive and available needs to be made a priority. The customer is king and when they call, you need to move mountains, if needed, in order to accommodate their needs and requests. When you miss a client’s call, make every effort to call them back immediately. And apologize to them for missing their call! Customers like that, it shows respect.
Happy selling!