I’m pleased to announce that the economy has fully recovered! I’m hopeful that MSNBC, CNN and Fox News and the other networks will start letting everybody know this crucial piece of information. While i am no economist, recent events would leave me no other conclusion than this. For what other reason could this small business find such a shortage of individual companies and suppliers that were so uninterested in doing business and selling their products, than that they have plenty of customers and business to keep them busy?
I’m going to try very hard not to throw any companies directly under the bus, as that serves no real purpose. I do all my venting at home, and to my close associates. That’s what they are there for. that being said, this business owner is having a hard time in purchasing products and services. It’s not through a lack of credit, financial troubles, inventory issues, or anything of that nature. It is as a result of complete indifference, incompetence, or some other business issue of which I am not aware.
Several months ago, I had the umpteenth customer of mine ask, during a training course that I offer, if I knew where they could acquire these widgets that I so often refer to in my classes. Now, typically, one does not need to beat me over the head with a stick to get a business idea going, but my company was still so small, I really did not think it prudent to expand into a new area of widget sales. However, when every other customer comes to you and says they are having trouble finding widgets, where do they begin……. even the busiest of companies will eventually turn the light on in the room, and figure out a way. As such, I decided I would at least have widgets as an option, for my my larger clients who really wanted them. I sent out some feelers, and found that there really were only a few widget representatives in my neck of the woods.
I contacted several, via email, as most of my “office work” is completed during the late night hours. Like many of you, my daylight hours are spent meeting with clients, networking, and operating my business. As my business is mostly centered around delivering training sessions, I am frequently unavailable to speak on the phone, and have chosen to complete as many tasks as possible via email, and, as mentioned, late at night. To wit, it is currently 12:57 am as I write this blog from a hotel room in Pittsburgh.
My initial contact email went something like this:
“Dear Widgets of America-
My name is Curt Newport, and my company is Newport Enterprises. We specialize in teaching professionals how to incorporate widgets into their daily lives, and how to use them effectively. Recently, many of my clients have asked for my assistance in acquiring more widgets, and I am expanding our offerings to include not only the training on roper widget use and safety, but to offer widgets to companies that are not already using them.
I am interested in selling the widgets that you offer. Please email me any information that you may have, so that I may consider your company as a possible vendor. As I am frequently with customers during “normal business hours”, or in secure buildings where my cell phone is restricted, it is usually easier to reach me via email rather than by telephone. Please feel free to forward any attachments that will tell me as much about your company as you would like.”
Now, my wife will probably be the first to tell you that I don’t always communicate in the clearest fashion, but I really have attempted, in this introductory email to highlight a couple of key things: 1) I am interested in buying your product, 2) Here is the best way to reach me if you want to do business with me.
After sending this email to a handful of prospective vendors (late at night), I went to work the next morning, and when I “surfaced” to check my emails and voicemails, I had exactly one email and five voicemails from Widget Sales People. All five (the person who sent an email also left a voicemail) were very interested in doing business with me. I contacted the only vendor who “listened” to me, and was willing to consider doing business with me in the way I suggested, via email, Mike from Floridian Widgets.
After a couple of brief emails with Mike, he sent me some documents that, if filled out, would allow me to become a distributor of his widgets. One document was an incomplete PDF form. I let him know that he sent me a form that was incomplete.By incomplete, I mean the bottom half of the form was blank, Missing, Gone. He resent the same, incomplete PDF form. I filled out the forms, including the top half of the incomplete PDF, and I was advised that I was “all set” to be a distributor for Floridian Widgets.
I received a wholesale price list, and an MSRP list for about 50% of the widgets that were available to me. After three requests for complete wholesale and MSRP lists for all products, I was advised that they didn’t really have one, but if I would call him and let him know what I was looking for, he could give me a price over the phone. Against my better judgment, I placed my first order with Floridian Widgets, and asked for a final price. About a week later, I received a voicemail to please call, to coordinate payment for the items. I sent an email, reminding Mike that I am typically not able to be close to the phone, but advised that I would be sending a check for payment. After another three days, I received another voicemail that there was a problem with my order, and to please call. I attempted one call that day, and was sent to voicemail, and resorted back to emails. Mike advised me that there was something that they did not carry any more, and did I really need it. As I am not in the habit of ordering things I do not need, I asked if he could still acquire it. About a week later, Mike advised that he was ready to ship my widgets, and did I still need the item that I was unable to get. At this point, I let Mike know that my client had waited long enough, and to please send my widgets. Half of my widgets arrived via UPS a few days later, and I am still waiting for the rest.
My next email was to Mid American Widgets. My introductory email was much the same, but included that I was unhappy with my current widget distributor, and I was looking for a change. I got an email back, indicating gratitude for my email, and that my contact had just had a baby last week, and things were pretty crazy….could I call him on Friday. I did call him on Friday, as luck would have it, and we had a fairly nice discussion; there seemed to be mutual interest, and he had a couple of things to check on, and he would follow up with me by Wednesday. If I hadn’t heard from him by Wednesday, I should contact him again. Having had no contact by Thursday night, I sent him an email, and got a response Friday morning saying that things were “crazy”, and could I call him on Monday or Tuesday. I elected not to, theorizing that if things were too crazy to court a new customer that had just been told how important he was, the lesser important, exisitng customers probably don’t have a chance. Been on that cruise, ate the shrimp.
Spoke with Cajun Widgets just this week. Again, still mutual interest, and still waiting for the promised e-information ahead of the “web-ex” live demo I reluctantly agreed to. Seriously, I’m not as interested in learning how your widgets work. I want to buy your product. I am interested.
So, if you’re a frequent reader of my blog, you’re probably now wondering when I turned this blog into the Complaints Department, and what are you supposed to get out of it? In my past, I have had no qualms whatsoever about sharing my displeasure about various specific airlines, hotel chains, etc. It feels good to vent, but rarely accomplishes anything. What has dawned on me is that we, as business owners, and sales people, have forgotten how to sell. More to the point, we have forgotten how to interact with our customers.
Having had my share of sales positions, I remember all too well the variety of sales classes I have attended. I remember the “techniques” I had been taught. I remember “How To Close The Deal”. Customes are tricky, especially if you have resorted to (or have as a normal part of your practice) the dreaded “Cold Call”. There are so many ways that customers like to buy, and so many different preferences that they have, that there is an entire industry that is dedicated to helping you analyze your customers, to figure out how best to connect with them and sell to them. It’s amazing, and it really does work.
Salespeople, hear this: If a customer contacts you, and says they are interested in your product, and they give you instructions on how to contact them, how to sell to them, and tell you how they like to do business……. I have to highly, highly recommend that you listen to them. Unless your customer is doing something illegal or immoral, SELL TO THEM. This is akin to a hotel company setting up an 800 number, and then not answering the phone to take reservations, and instead focusing on only going door to door, asking if anybody has any business travelers coming in. It’s ludicrous.
I’m, personally, a believer in relationship sales. That is, you will never hear me pushing my actual product at a public event. I go to networking events just to get to know people, not to find ways to grow my business. If people like me, they do business with me when the time comes. It works for me. Your style may work for you. However, whatever my style is, if somebody picks up the phone and wants to do business with me, I will do business with them the best way I can, in the way they prefer. That’s why I’m in Pittsburgh right now. At 1:00am.
And I’m still looking for a good source of Widgets.
