If you keep your promises to clients, you earn their trust and increase your business
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How many people promise to get back to you with that quote, order, report or anything else for that matter and actually do it?
Many people do not deliver on their promises. They do not realise that they lose people’s trust and their credibility goes down the drain. This leads to the loss of goodwill too. Would you refer business to them and feel confident that they can look after an important client or be responsible for finalising a special project?
Smooth sailing
A few months ago, I decided to finally buy a home entertainment system. I don’t like to waste time visiting the relevant stores and having to sift through conflicting opinions as to what would suit my needs. So I rang a local retailer and asked if he knew someone who could come to my home and then make suitable recommendations.
I was referred to an installer who regularly purchased goods from the store. He wasn’t contracted to this company, but the manager had his business card.
Normally this could be risky as the retailer could not tell me whether this man was either good or bad. However, I decided to call John anyway.
I was pleasantly surprised. John was easy to deal with and he acted very professionally. Here is what made him stand out:
He answered his phone in a professional and friendly manner.
He spoke with confidence.
He arrived at my home at the agreed time.
He was dressed appropriately.
His mobile phone was switched off. John obviously realised the most important person at that time was me and being interrupted by calls would take his attention away from me, his prospective customer.
He listened to what I said and understood what I wanted.
He was knowledgeable about the products available.
He promised to contact me the next day with his recommendations.
And to top it all off, he produced a diary and wrote everything in it. I was impressed. I knew at that point he wouldn’t let me down.
True to his word, John contacted me. In fact, he sent me an e-mail listing all his recommendations and costs. He also suggested I look at the equipment first.
Now that I had the recommendation with me, I headed off to the local retailer, and was able to check out the specific equipment. I confidently made the decision to purchase everything from John.
I also checked out similar equipment to ensure I was getting the best deal. It was easy to do now that I had a specific list of my requirements. All it took was a couple of phone calls.
I rang John and confirmed my order and had my new system installed without a hitch.
Broken promises
Next, I wanted to update my mobile phone and spoke to Jason who ran his own business. He promised to contact me with suitable recommendations.
That was a month ago and I never heard from him. I happened to run into him recently and he promised to get back to me. Again, he let me down. What a contrast to John!
On both occasions, Jason didn’t write anything down. So guess what happened? He has forgotten, and unfortunately for him, he has lost a sale.
If someone needs a mobile phone, I wouldn’t refer him to Jason. If he is this unreliable before you even strike a deal, how good will he be when something goes wrong with the phone?
Jason works long hours and for the time he spends in his business, he’s not achieving the results he wants. It’s easy to see why.
Write it down
From what I observe, people make promises verbally and then do not write the details down immediately in their diary so they can remember to follow up. As long as they look in their diary and take action, there’s no chance of them forgetting!
It’s as simple as that. Research shows that we have between 50,000 to 60,000 thoughts running through our brain each day! How can you remember everything? You have to write it down.
For those of you who love technology, you can still follow the same rules as using a paper diary.
John made it easy for me to buy from him. He did what he said he would do. Although I knew nothing about him, the way he presented himself gave me confidence in his ability.
Of course I’ll refer him to everyone who needs to set up and install a home entertainment system.
It doesn’t take much effort to stand out from the crowd. Just keep your promises and gain a good reputation. Do what you promise, otherwise why bother in the first place?
..................................................................................................
How many people promise to get back to you with that quote, order, report or anything else for that matter and actually do it?
Many people do not deliver on their promises. They do not realise that they lose people’s trust and their credibility goes down the drain. This leads to the loss of goodwill too. Would you refer business to them and feel confident that they can look after an important client or be responsible for finalising a special project?
Smooth sailing
A few months ago, I decided to finally buy a home entertainment system. I don’t like to waste time visiting the relevant stores and having to sift through conflicting opinions as to what would suit my needs. So I rang a local retailer and asked if he knew someone who could come to my home and then make suitable recommendations.
I was referred to an installer who regularly purchased goods from the store. He wasn’t contracted to this company, but the manager had his business card.
Normally this could be risky as the retailer could not tell me whether this man was either good or bad. However, I decided to call John anyway.
I was pleasantly surprised. John was easy to deal with and he acted very professionally. Here is what made him stand out:
He answered his phone in a professional and friendly manner.
He spoke with confidence.
He arrived at my home at the agreed time.
He was dressed appropriately.
His mobile phone was switched off. John obviously realised the most important person at that time was me and being interrupted by calls would take his attention away from me, his prospective customer.
He listened to what I said and understood what I wanted.
He was knowledgeable about the products available.
He promised to contact me the next day with his recommendations.
And to top it all off, he produced a diary and wrote everything in it. I was impressed. I knew at that point he wouldn’t let me down.
True to his word, John contacted me. In fact, he sent me an e-mail listing all his recommendations and costs. He also suggested I look at the equipment first.
Now that I had the recommendation with me, I headed off to the local retailer, and was able to check out the specific equipment. I confidently made the decision to purchase everything from John.
I also checked out similar equipment to ensure I was getting the best deal. It was easy to do now that I had a specific list of my requirements. All it took was a couple of phone calls.
I rang John and confirmed my order and had my new system installed without a hitch.
Broken promises
Next, I wanted to update my mobile phone and spoke to Jason who ran his own business. He promised to contact me with suitable recommendations.
That was a month ago and I never heard from him. I happened to run into him recently and he promised to get back to me. Again, he let me down. What a contrast to John!
On both occasions, Jason didn’t write anything down. So guess what happened? He has forgotten, and unfortunately for him, he has lost a sale.
If someone needs a mobile phone, I wouldn’t refer him to Jason. If he is this unreliable before you even strike a deal, how good will he be when something goes wrong with the phone?
Jason works long hours and for the time he spends in his business, he’s not achieving the results he wants. It’s easy to see why.
Write it down
From what I observe, people make promises verbally and then do not write the details down immediately in their diary so they can remember to follow up. As long as they look in their diary and take action, there’s no chance of them forgetting!
It’s as simple as that. Research shows that we have between 50,000 to 60,000 thoughts running through our brain each day! How can you remember everything? You have to write it down.
For those of you who love technology, you can still follow the same rules as using a paper diary.
John made it easy for me to buy from him. He did what he said he would do. Although I knew nothing about him, the way he presented himself gave me confidence in his ability.
Of course I’ll refer him to everyone who needs to set up and install a home entertainment system.
It doesn’t take much effort to stand out from the crowd. Just keep your promises and gain a good reputation. Do what you promise, otherwise why bother in the first place?
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