"YOU'RE FIRED!"

Actually, we were never hired...but it's a great story about how we fired ourselves...BEFORE we got the job.

The other day I received an e-mail from a mid-western manufacturer asking us if we were interested in doing some work for them.  They wanted to increase their manufacturing capacity and asked, "So, can you design a survey item that will actually get returned?"

The simple answer is, "Yes."   But I wanted to talk about it...in depth.  So we set a telephone interview for this afternoon and after the "howdy - hi" portion got into our questions:

1. Where, in the nation or region are the majority of your clients?  "Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota."
2. Long term customers or recent?  "Most are long term."
3. In the three states, about how many customers do you have?  "Seventy."
4. How were your customers affected by the recession?  "Most faired pretty well and they are starting to climb back."
5. Of the seventy customers how many might, in your opinion, have the capacity to increase their buys from you?  "Maybe forty-five."

That's when I fired us. 

"Look", I said, "we could create a survey for you and take your money and maybe even sell you more stuff.  But what you need to do, and you are not going to like my answer, is get in your vehicle and go see each one of these customers.  You, not a sales person, not somebody else from the office...you." 

It's not always about technology.  It's not always about a third-person visit.  It's about relationships and going out and asking for the business.

In retrospect, perhaps we didn't fire ourselves...but made a friend.

Thanks for coming by.

 

Comments

[Brent Pohlman]

Great Points Made in the Article! You have to know your clients and stay in touch with them.

[Mike Winter]

Michael,

Excellent blog, you are so correct it's about the "relationship"! You get it big boy, but quit telling people I don't want my competition to "get it"! ;)

Cheers!

[Michael Libbie]

Brent - That is the magic of knowing your customers and clients. When the numbers get large social media can help but keeping on top of their needs and concerns. Critical - Thanks for reading and the comment! - Michael

[Michael Libbie]

Mike - Competition? You? ;-) Thanks for reading and for the comment! - Michael

[Claire Celsi]

Good call Michael. I also noticed that they already "knew" a lot of the answers.

[Michael Libbie]

Claire - Most business owners honestly know the answers to most of the questions...but fail to ask the question. As you know, it usually takes 'one of us' to sit down and be able to have that open and honest conversation. - Thanks for reading and for the comment! - Michael