One More Call
So it’s been a long day, it’s a tough economy, or maybe it’s been a great day a big deal closed a blue bird fell into your lap and your coming up aces. No matter which just when you think you’ve hit the end of the line and need to head out for a little break, some lunch, the end of the day whatever it’s time to do the one thing that is so tempting not to.
Make one more call. So I hear you have a life! It’s not about becoming an all obsessed workaholic it is about giving yourself more opportunities. When you make one more call before getting a refill on your coffee, before embarking on that mid morning snack, before heading out with the gang for a bite of lunch or even at the end of the day think of what you’ve added.
It’s not the time to call your best customer, you’re going to do that anyway they are your best customer. It’s not time to call so and so who you love to hat with under the guises of building a relationship and customer service. No take those moments to make the calls you keep putting, off. That might be hard or uncomfortable. To call that huge prospect and get a new name, Chances are you’ve been thinking about calling them, meaning to get around to it taking the someday when the stars align approach.
Maybe it’s time to follow up on the deal you lost to find out why and really understand it not from an impact on your wallet but from a true customer prospective. Maybe use that call to look for referrals, follow up on a quote that is just hanging out there that you’re not so sure about. To set up a lead exchange with a colleague in another profession.
Use that one last call to ask for the meeting with an executive you know you should be in front of but keep forget to ask their staff for the meeting. Is it a clients birthday or anniversary. Be creative with anniversaries, weddings are nice but maybe it is the first time you met, the first order they placed. Is there a service issue you need to resolve with a supplier. Some training you need to schedule, a customer event you want to put on but haven’t really run after the resources you need to put it. On
Take the time, know why you’re calling and pick up the phone and dial. Perhaps you get a no. That’s life look for another in next time. So you’re just going to get voicemail. Well commercials get you to buy stuff are you leaving compelling voicemails with a clear call to action that the customer can take that is of benefit to them? Are you building brand awareness
One temptation- if you do business over the phone pick up the phone If you see people in person and are going by stop in. Don’t chicken out and send an extra email. That doesn’t build dialog, it doesn’t build rapport, it doesn’t open up new opportunities. It isn’t what is going to further a relationship. Human contact does, the give and take without it’s awfully hard to find new opportunities without actual customer feed back
How many times during the day can you make one last call without throwing life out of balance. It is not about working more it is about being more productive when you are working. It is about challenging yourself to outperform what you’ve one in the past about growing your customer count, your annual spend and you pay check.
What’s the worst thing that can happen they answer the phone you move forward between your objective and where you were and just maybe make the sale.
