❌ I Reject Your Excuses for Ignoring Customers
When you try to reach out to a business, no response IS a response, isn't it?
No response is a response that says "We care so little about you and your needs that we refuse to even acknowledge them."
But ignoring customers comes with a price.
As my buddy Shep Hyken says in his books and on-stage "A customer you ignore is a customer you're preparing to lose."
And that's doubly true if you're not even a customer YET!
👋 Hello? Is It Me You're Looking For?
As I mentioned last issue, I bought a home in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
We're a couple editions of The Baer Facts away from getting keys, but being a hyper-organized control freak I want to get things squared away, especially with it being in a different country.
So, I did a ton of research and found three property managers with good reviews. In Vallarta, property managers not only handle renting homes and condos but also handle maintenance, utilities, supplies, etc. Exactly what I need being a remote owner.
I'm not in a huge hurry, but want to get the ball rolling. I filled out the contact us forms these businesses created - presumably for just this situation.
And of the three, I heard NOTHING from two of them. And the third, whom I'm sure I'll work with, reached out the next day with a great FAQ and
advice.
Cover Your Buts
I told this story on stage last week, and an attendee told me, "but Jay, sometimes we just don't have time to answer inbound inquiries."
Once I regained consciousness, I explained that if that were truly the case, the business should stop leading prospects to believe they could become customers. Like when your dentist stops accepting new
patients.
"Oh no. We still WANT new customers," he said. "We just don't always have time
to talk to them."
🤖>👻 I'd Prefer a Robot to a Ghost
And that's the disconnect.
When someone fills out a contact us form on your website, it doesn't inexorably mean that you have to DROP EVERYTHING and call them. They don't (usually) expect that. Or even want it.
All they need at that point is some confirmation that they are ON YOUR RADAR and that you will follow up at some
point.
On the same day as the property manager hunt, my wife scared the bezeejus out of
me with an article about tea bags and microplastics ingestion.
I had to switch to loose
leaf to calm my nerves and save Earth. I found this great infuser/insulated mug from Mosi (see below).
I made the purchase online.
