Mary Schmidt Marketing Troubleshooter

A couple of months ago, I read about a product that Real Simple recommended - Natchez Solution. So I go online and order it. I subsequently got an email that said,

Hi Mary,

Thank you for ordering The Natchez Solution/or TLC for leather. You are probably aware that our product was mentioned in Real Simple magazine. Well after thirty five years we are an overnight success. Your order was received and will be shipped as quickly as possible but we are a tiny company. We make the solution, bottle it and ship it ourselves and are still about 6 weeks behind in shipping but catching up quickly. Thank you for your patience.

Well, I think - good for them! And, they did the right thing, letting me know what to expect. (Half the battle in getting and keeping customers is setting the right expectations.)

However, I’ve sent two follow-up emails asking what’s going on - with no answer. I want the product; I want to support a small business. But now I’m going to have go through the PayPal rigamarole to get my money back.

In planning any business, you ‘ve got to plan for success. Who’s going to follow up on sales leads? Who’ll answer the phone that’s ringing off the hook? How can you fill more orders? (”Just-in-time” inventory arrangements with your vendors? Process for adding more people on a temporary basis?). Most importantly, how do you manage customer expectations? We can be very understanding and patient, if we know what’s going on.

If someone from Natchez reads this - you can still recover. Simply tell me what to expect. (And, put something on your home page updating people who may be visiting your site.)

Tags: marketing, customer service, marketing troubleshooting, entrepreneur sanity check