Why You Didn’t Get My Business, List #1
Yep, sometimes when we’re aiming for that sales target - we end up shooting our own foot. See if any of these sound familiar. Why did someone not get your business? (My original list grew really long, so I’m posting this in three parts. I’ll also be posting lists re “Why You Get My Business.” If you’ve got items for either list, please share in the comments below!)
1. You returned my call in which I asked for a price quote…a week later.
2. You left me a voice mail asking me to call you and give you my email address. And, you didn’t leave your phone number. (And, you didn’t return my second call, either.)
3. Your proposal was full of typos and different fonts (We’re all human so one or two mistakes is fine, but 20 pages of them?)
4. Your web site looks abandoned. (Copyright 2004? Are you even still in business?)
5. Your web site doesn’t tell me how to call you.
6. You never, ever answer your phone. It always go to voice mail.
7. You did more talking than I did in our first meeting.
8. You insisted on going through your entire sales presentation, slide by slide, line by line - even when I said, “I already know that” and “Yes, I already saw that.”
9. You talk about “solutions” but never tell me how you’re going to solve my problem.
10. You’re “invisible.” Like it or not, showing up in a Google search (or not) is a credibility factor these days.
11. You only call or email when you’re trying to sell me something.
12. You think having my business card with my email address is the same as having my permission to flood my inbox with junk.
13. You treat your employees badly.
14. You treated my friend, neighbor, blogging buddy, family badly.
15. You disrespect/attack your competitors.
16. Your “free education seminar” was nothing more than a sales pitch.
And, the beat goes on…
Tags: sales, customer service, marketing, marketing troubleshooting
View the Blog Roll
November 16th, 2006 at 4:59 pm
Mary - Sorry if this comment is a dupe, but my laptop froze up. Here goes again with an add to your excellent list. I’ll call it 9A. Years ago I asked three web design firms to give me a pitch on redoing my company’s web site. Ahead of the meeting, I gave them a list that included most of the questions they would have covered in a first sales call PLUS a detailed list of what we wanted on our site. I asked them to specifically cover how they would approach our project, based on who we were and what we wanted. I told them I was not looking for free design tips: just examples of how they’d handled similar requests, etc. I was shocked that only one of the three firms gave me the pitch I’d asked for. The others gave their standard, pre-fab pitch. (I won’t give away the “secret answer” - I’ll save that for “Why You Did Get My Business.”)
November 17th, 2006 at 7:04 am
Maureen,
I’ve found that creative agencies and web designers can be some of the most difficult with which to do business. They can be so focused on winning awards and doing a “cool” design, they have little to no understanding of business or what’s needed for clients. (Those web sites with the twirling flash intros and no text, “cute” navigation icons (where the heck is “contact?”) And so on. )
That said, of course, I know wonderful creative people and web firms with whom it’s a pleasure to work.
You can really separate the pros from the wannabes and hobbyists through the proposal process, regardless of the type of vendor. Another “uh-oh” is when they send the proposal in Word versus pdf. What they see may not be what I get.
More on my next lists!
November 17th, 2006 at 8:35 am
Rock On Mary. You got me thinking! With the new year around the corner, your reminders are right on time.
I’ve shared your thoughts with our sales team…thanks.
Ken
November 20th, 2006 at 9:12 am
[…] The following is the complement to the previous list, “Why You Didn’t Get my Business, List #1” None of this is expensive or difficult (duh-o). […]
November 22nd, 2006 at 1:45 am
[…] Why You Didn’t Get My Business, List #1 […]
December 11th, 2006 at 9:10 am
[…] Related Posts: Why You Did Get My Business, List #1 Why You Didn’t Get My Business, List #1 […]
January 16th, 2007 at 9:33 am
[…] Here’s a second list to keep in mind. (My first list is here.) All of these are “glaringly” obvious, yet people keep doing them. Guess that’s why we consultants keep repeating ourselves and saying “nothing new.” […]