You advertise. You invest in marketing. You build your product or prepare your service for sale. Your customers arrive to give you money but you’re not there!
Home Depot made this dreadful mistake a few weeks ago. I went to HD to pick up some paint for our home. As I approached the paint desk, I saw two other customers waiting to be served. I didn’t see any HD employees.
I asked my fellow customers if they had seen anybody from the paint department. The response was negative. I started wandering around looking for someone in the distinctive HD orange apron. The first person I saw told me that someone would be with me shortly.
Shortly turned into minutes on end without anyone to help us buy our paint. Disgusted with the endless wait, all three of us walked out of the store.
Are you there when your customers expect you? Or are you too busy to help them?
You need to have backup plans for every way a customer can contact you:
- Are you away from your phone? Create accurate and informative voice mails.
- Are you away from your store? Have someone stand watch for you. Or leave a note for customers.
- Are you away from your email? Timely and informative autoresponders can help customers understand why you can’t respond promptly.
You can’t close the sale if your customers come knocking and you’re missing in action.
Be there for your customers.