Is it true? Does anyone ever call you back when you leave a voicemail? No matter how compelling your voicemail is, I’d venture to guess they rarely get returned. And if they do, it’s because they need something from you and you have a relationship with them to buy something.
If someone leaves me a voicemail AND then sends me an email, I’m 95% more likely to respond to the email than call them back. It’s just the way I work. My voicemail is on my phone and once I listen to that message, if I’m not at my desk and at a place to return the call, it’ll be a week before I remember it’s sitting on my phone to return the call. My inbox has become my to do list – I have to make the decision to delete the email with or without a response. If I know you, or want your product or service, I’m more likely to respond. If you give me a good reason to reach out to you, I may just respond.
If you or your team members are calling on current, former or potential clients, make sure that you reach out to clients in the easiest way for THEM, not easiest way for YOU.
And feel free to ask your clients- do you prefer phone or email? Do you want one email with 10 questions or 10 emails with one question? Make it easy for customers to say yes, don’t make it easy for you to say it didn’t work.
Client Management and TV Finales
In my pop culture filled world, the fall means season finales, season premiers and series premiers. I love this time of year from a pop culture perspective. My DVR is on overload and my evenings are prioritized by serial killers, super heroes and city council women.
The season finale of Dexter was almost two weeks ago now. I’m still not sold on it. I feel like Dexter got away with being a dead beat dad, and leaving his son in the hands of another serial killer. I’m glad he’s a logger in Oregon and alone, but really bummed he left his kid. My disappointment over the finale is like we can often be with clients. You want what’s best for them, but it’s their company, their show, and their decisions. Sometimes they aren’t going to agree with you, but you have to trust they’re making the best decision for their company (or character or TV show…). It’s not what I wanted, but it works for them.
Returning shows are just like current clients. I could not WAIT for the season premier of Parks & Recreation, my favorite TV show. And it didn’t disappoint! Always on top of it’s game and so FUN. Just like a great client. They show up, ready to do the work, and are on top of their side of the agreement. It makes it easy to work with them and I enjoy the work we do. Isn’t this what we all strive for in business?
Series Premiers? It’s just like that initial client meeting. You may have high hopes (Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) and it comes together quickly and seamlessly. That’s always great. Or you may be 15 minutes into the meeting and realize there’s no way they can afford you or are really ready to work with you, and really they just want free advice. Hello Michael J. Fox Show (the pilot was bad and I didn’t even make it half way through the second episode. So disappointed!) We’ve all been there, and it’ll happen again but hopefully in time we learn to spot those duds earlier and save our self the time and energy!
So there you have it folks, my feeble excuse to merge a review of TV premiers with client management lessons. What shows are you enjoying this fall? What clients are you excited to be working with or prospects do you REALLY want to work with this fall?
Why Best Kept Secrets Aren’t
When someone tells me their product is “the best kept secret” my initial thought is “oh, you suck at marketing.” I mean seriously? WHO wants to be a secret in their business? No one! And if you do, you’re not doing it right. When working with clients, we figure out how to promote yourself without feeling like a sellout. Here’s a few ideas to get you going…
1. Make sure your network is educated, and knows what you’re doing. This can be a newsletter, email to friends & family, social media posts, or some 1:1 meetings. Educate them!
2. Get out and network– Out of sight out of mind. If I never see you, I won’t remember what you’re selling or who you want to work with. If I run into you everywhere I go, I’m bound to start asking questions.
3. Share– if you have a product you can share samples of, SWEET! Don’t push them on me, but let me check it out. If you have a service, share your knowledge. YES give ideas and content away for free, you know, kind of like this blog post…
4. Follow up. With EVERYONE. No, don’t add them to your newsletter list or start spamming them, but if they asked you for more information, or asked you to check in with them in a few weeks, DO IT. Setup a schedule and make the time to do it. No lead is too ridiculous when it comes to growing your business. They may never actually hire you or buy your product, but they’ll remember you were AWESOME at getting them what they asked for in a timely manner.
How about you? how do you keep from being a “best kept secret”?
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