Easy Is Not...Best

We hear it all the time, "I'm away from my desk or on the phone but your call is very important to me. Please leave a detailed message..."  Ugh...  

Who made the decision this should be the standard outgoing voice mail message? Lazy people who care nothing about actually doing business. Their real mission is to ignore you so they can dawdle away doing...stuff.

Each week we reach out to various business, not selling, but seeking information on products, services and insight on behalf of our clients only to be ignored.  We are then forced to call back again, and again until we reach somebody who might be forced to take our call.

Today is Wednesday (morning) and this has happened three times...so far this week. Calls and VM left for the Little Rock Chamber of Commerce (nada), the Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau (nada) Practical Farmers of Iowa (nada).  Weary...  And these are not isolated cases.

So, let's fix it.  We're not interested in casting blame but finding answers to what we believe is cramping the growth of...business.  Here are four easy steps:

• Demand Better - Meet with your people and share with them that voice mail is not a screening process but a public relations opportunity.
• Explain Economics - People buy from people and the more engaged you are with...people...the more stuff you will sell. 
• How to Engage - Have your folks change their outgoing message...daily. It only takes a moment and lets the caller know you actually listen to your VM.
• Promise a Response - Tell the caller you will call them back.  After all you owe it to them and if you can't call back right away make a note to call the next day...but do what you say...if the "call is very important" act like it.

Stop complaining about business and do something, simple, that will make a difference.  Being lazy is not the answer...

 

If you want to respond here, feel free.  And, you can follow our Twitter Stream @InsightADV and our advertising/communication agency Facebook Page is right...here.

Comments

[advertising on web]

I got your point! I agree with you..being lazy is not the solution!The 4 steps shred in this post are worth following!Great post!

[Get Business Results]

I teach good business practices and contact is so important as it is one of the key building blocks to trust. Leaving voice mails isn't true contact and unless they will respond. A company is only as good as it's contact with the customers and finding ways to stay in touch and give people a more personal experience is important, dedicating one persons resources for a few hours to assist with a more complex case is much better than someone being passed around and maintaining good personal contact is the key to solving problems.