Yellow Dog Consulting

Sales & Marketing Consulting for solo-preneurs.

Time is Money People!

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time is moneyI met up with a friend the other day who had a lunch meeting earlier in the day. I knew she had a meeting so asked how it went . Short answer: frustrating.

  1. The lunch meeting was 2 and a half hours long! When my friend got into her car she thought maybe it was 1:30, but no, 2:30! So none of her afternoon tasks were going to get accomplished, which COST HER MONEY.
  2. Everyone there was in a direct sales business, and entirely too much time was spent on this piece of the “pitch.” Read the room people, it’s rude!
  3. They dismissed my friend’s business, business model and price/value of her products. WOW. Sure I’ll give you my money and buy your crap now!

If you have a boss in town, or up-line director visiting and you need to impress them, that’s just fine. And by all means, stack the room with your friends. But also make sure that everyone is on the same page: how long will this be, who’s paying, are they hoping to sell products or bring you into the business, etc.

Don’t be disrespectful of people’s time. Often times if a meeting goes long, I’ll just leave. Even if I don’t have to be somewhere, I do have places to be, and a schedule to keep. Every hour I’m not at my desk working or meeting with a client, is time I’m not making money. Sometimes that’s okay, but just because you have no plans the rest of the afternoon, doesn’t mean your guest doesn’t. Be respectful of people’s time.

As we all know, time is money!

Who Do You Help First?

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how may I help youI was chatting with a friend today about poor customer service. We all know it when we see it, and we’ve all had it. I mentioned that at my vision center if I called to order something and a certain sales rep answered, I’d just hangup and try again later. And if he was working when I walked in, I’d turn around and come back later. It was that bad. One time while he was “helping” me he answered the phone and then spent the next 10 minutes helping that person and leaving me hanging. Which brings up the question: who’s your priority?

The Client in Front of You

This is the priority. The person you’re talking to in real life deserves your undivided attention. Now, if you work in a location and you need to answer the phones (like at a vision center) do it quickly and call that person back. But better yet, send it to voicemail. The person in front of you is the person most likely to give you their money if they haven’t already. And if they HAVE, don’t touch that phone or email, this person deserves your undivided attention.

The Person on the Phone

If they can’t get off their butt and come to you then they can wait. Now, if you work in a situation like me where people don’t come to my office, then the phone caller is the top priority right? YES. If I don’t recognize a phone number I won’t usually answer it. It can go to voicemail and I’ll call them back when I have a minute. But I will call them back, or take care of any request they leave for me.

The Person in your Inbox

You should respond to emails within 1 business day if you ask me (and I know you wish you hadn’t). When I get to my desk in the morning I do a quick run through my emails to see what clients I need to work on for the day, and clean out all the other “stuff,” (newsletters, spam, meetings, personal stuff) quickly so I can focus on the clients who need me. Figure out how to prioritize your inbox. If it’s an emergency they’ll usually call or show up.

Welcome to the Family!

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Godfather welcomes youI went to the dentist last week. He’s a really nice guy, I met his wife at a networking event and since I knew we lived in the same town I asked who her dentist was because I needed one. She said her husband, so I made sure he took my insurance and bam, just that easy, just that quick!

The initial appointment went well, I have great teeth evidently. (#humblebrag) A couple days later I got something in the mail. It was a hand written thank you note from the doctor (and it’s in authentic crappy doctor handwriting, no secretary typed this up for him!) and said:

Welcome to our family of fine patients! I enjoyed meeting you.

Thank you for having the confidence in us to treat your dental needs. We look forward to your next visit.

Sincerely,

Your awesome new dentist

Okay it didn’t say that last line. BUT, I did feel very welcomed and liked this thank you note! How often do you welcome or thank your clients? How often do you need to? I know I’m not nearly as good at this as I should be. When is the right time to welcome or thank your clients? Early and often is the answer. And it’s something I need to work on. What about you?