081The Invisible Touch – The Eight Keys to Lasting Relationships – 3. Speed
The Fourth Key: Relationships – Speed
Speed kills – on the highway, anyway. And put a bit of ice on the road, and it doesn't even have to be all that fast.
But in business, sometimes speed is needed.
You know: when a client wants an order right away… or a proposal… or a referral.
In today's Internet world, people often expect things at the speed of light.
So when someone sends you a fax or an email, they often want the answer immediately.
Whoa – Set Proper Expectations
How Available Are You To Clients?
Clients learn from me very quickly that they cannot "get to me" at a moment's notice. Some of my friends are horrified at that, but once my clients understand that if I allowed everyone with a whim to interrupt me, then they'd see that I wouldn't be able to get THEIR work done.
Phone calls are scheduled.
Email is answered twice a day.
I don't give out my cell phone except to clients with paid agreements (who must know how to contact me in case an appointment or meeting out of the office is changed) and to my family. Others can leave messages on my main number (610.572.2581) or email me (Charlie @ 'CharlesSeymourJr.com)
It used to be when people could first send a fax that they'd press the "send" button and then begin to wonder why I hadn't called with the answer. It didn't matter that I was out of the office and never saw the fax, they wanted their answer.
Email and texting has made that even more complicated.
Here's My Advice In The 21st Century Of Communication
Set expectations.
Tell your clients WHEN they can contact you and WHEN they can expect a reply.
Teach them to respect your time – if your work is excellent AND they understand the ground rules, they will quickly learn how to comply.
Oh, sure: perhaps the old saying "Under Promise and Over Deliver" is still good. But be sure to set expectations so that you can deliver on what you promise.
Forget that faxes and email and texting are immediate; forget that FedEx and UPS can deliver over night.
Decide how you want YOUR business to act, and then live up to that.
Set your guidelines, communicate them well, and stick to them. You'll have loyal clients when you do.
And now – leave me a comment here to tell me what YOU feel about this!
Best,
Charlie Seymour Jr
Blogging, Podcasting, Consulting
The Invisible Touch – A Marketing Blog Series By Charles Seymour Jr
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Keep this with this article, please:
Charlie Seymour Jr is an entrepreneurial evangelist and marketing-success coach helping individuals and companies (up to $100MM) explode their success through online and personal-touch marketing. He specializes in blogging, podcasting, photography, video, and Facebook applications. Visit his blog at http://bit.ly/24eYTO to learn more about his successes.
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081The Invisible Touch – The Eight Keys to Lasting Relationships – Speed
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