Capitalize on the Simple

Often, when we start a business, we tend to make things harder than they need to be, because we want to be better than the competition. However, in reality, the simpler you make your business, the easier it will be to provide value, and the easier it will be for your customers to see its value.

Ask anyone running a business today how hard it is to stay in touch with your customers and prospects. Regardless of the multiple communication methods available to us, the simple and necessary task eludes most businesspeople. Naturally, they wonder why they get cancellation notices from their clients or learn that customers have decided to go elsewhere to receive the same service. This happens because we allow it to happen. We simply do not stay in contact with our clients — or if we do, it’s not in a personal manner that keeps them loyal to us.

Understanding this difficulty, Susan Chinault of Calling All Customers was inspired to start her business. Unlike most sales call services, Susan doesn’t specialize in making cold calls. Instead, she specializes in making warm, professional, and personal calls to existing customers of her clients. She bridges the gap between her clients and her clients’ customers. This way, the connection stays strong even when her customers cannot directly speak to a client. Of course, whenever Susan realizes that a client needs some attention, she relays the information to her customer.

In addition, she can keep moving the sales process along for prospects who may be interested in working with her client companies. We all know how often it takes multiple attempts to reach a prospect once the sales cycle actually begins. By focusing on the simple and often overlooked step of following up, Susan is able to keep momentum in the sales process until a prospect is ready to get serious. Once this occurs, she either closes the deal or hands it back over to her client company. 

Regardless of how you stay in touch with your clients and prospects, make sure that you are doing this more seriously than your competition does. It would be a shame to lose a valued client or a future one by skipping such a simple step like following up and following through.

“Genius is the art of seeing what everyone else has missed.” – P.T. Barnum

Let me hear from you.

(This excerpt is taken from the seminar Communication Excellence V: Focus, Follow up, and Follow Through.) I encourage you to click here to register for the Communication Excellence V: Focus, Follow up, and Follow Through live seminar on February 8, 2024, at Bellomo & Associates in York, PA from 9:00 AM to 12:00 Noon Eastern Standard Time. 

This seminar is also available for live streaming, and on demand at Romeo Network Online Learning.