Comments on: Don’t make me beg to give you my money!

By: Ken

Ken — Thu, 08 May 2008 21:23:23 +0000

Perhaps them having you call was to make it easier for you.

That way you could call them whenever you had time, rather than them calling you at an inconvenient. time and needing to play phone tag.

By: Jonathan Fields

Jonathan Fields — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 13:02:22 +0000

@ Ian – totally agree that, once engaged, it is a collaboration and I am an equal partner in the process with responsibility to contribute. But, they have not yet been retained. We are still in the sales phase and in that phase, the burden to sell is theirs, not mine.

When I raise my hand in precisely the way they ask me to raise it, it’s their job to respond, not mine. This is rule number one of sales. You’ve got a hot lead, now sell them. Once sold, we’re partners.

Also, I get your wife’s challenge, but, here, that’s simply not the case. I am the guy who makes the decisions and writes the checks and I am the guy who’s raising his hand. There are no layers or barriers to get to me, all they need to do is call.

By: Ian Stewart

Ian Stewart — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 08:28:44 +0000

I don’t agree with you on this.You want work done, they want to do the work, it is a collaboration whereas you seem to be saying you don’t have to make the effort just because you filled in an on line form. I think there needs to be commitment both ways otherwise how do the contractors know you are serious?
Also in the case of my wife, who is a consultant who goes into schools, it is very difficult to get through to the person who wants the consultancy work done as they are moving around or teaching. The only thing she can do is tell them when she is in and get them to call her.

By: Observation of Life

Observation of Life — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 22:00:29 +0000

Okay, I can see where you’re coming from. Once you’ve put thought into a form that shows you’re interested, they should make the next move. This could be a positive thing for you, though, as they’ll have to charge less if they have fewer customers.

By: viola

viola — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 21:35:34 +0000

Well, I do agree with that THEY should have called you. What’s the point in filling in an online form and than being mailed back and asked to give THEM a call. It seems odd really.

By: Jonathan Fields

Jonathan Fields — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 12:43:11 +0000

@ Shana – no doubt, being a CSR has helped you understand how to serve clients from a whole different point of view

@ Hayden – you’ve got it, this same principle extends to all aspects of life. If you want something from someone, don’t ask them to work to give it to you.

@ Jenn – huh? Not sure where the ego thing comes in, is there something egoistic about asking those who seek your business to treat you with respect?

@ Shama – It’s just basic sales training, but nobody really does that anymore.

@ Naomi – Agreed, even if you are too busy, at least a two sentence form reply would be appropriate

@ Christopher and Observation – Here’s the deal. The purpose of those online forms, especially the ones that request some thought (which this one did) is to screen out jokers and pass along qualified leads. That is their prime function.

The people who take time to complete online inquiry forms actively qualify themselves as what you’d call “hot” leads. Failing to pro-actively pursue a qualified or hot lead is a huge mistake for any business.

If I saw this happening in the sales process of a business I was advising, I’d freak out, because that business would be establishing a process to generate hot leads, then it would be forcing those leads to work to have to “prove their worth.” It’s a terrible model.

When somebody raises a hand and says “I am interested,” it is your job, as a service or product provider who is looking to sell them to them respond, not to keep asking them to repeat their desire to buy.

By: Observation of Life

Observation of Life — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 11:33:23 +0000

I have to agree with Chris. It doesn’t seem like such a horrible thing to request that you call them.

By: Christopher Hawkins

Christopher Hawkins — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 08:18:07 +0000

Wait a minute – you filled out an *online form* to request a quote. Put yourself in the developer’s shoes – an inquiry from an online form is the most faceless, un-qualified lead there is. Has it ever occurred to you that they’re swamped with requests for quote – many of which turn out to be BS – and are looking for a phone call as a way to qualify you as a legit, motivated lead?

By: Naomi Niles

Naomi Niles — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 08:09:14 +0000

Nothing much to add here except that you are completely right. That is very off putting.

I don’t know how many times I’ve written to developers and they haven’t bothered to answer back at all. Many of these businesses spent a lot of time developing their technical skills and tend to forget about the people skills part. I think it’s courteous to write back a quick note to say “sorry, we can’t handle this project” or “we are too busy right now, but thanks for your interest” or whatever.

By: Shama Hyder

Shama Hyder — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 02:16:47 +0000

Jonathan,

That’s shocking. But sadly there are companies that do that!

Hopefully, they will read blog posts like this ; )

-Shama