Do You Have a Sense of Urgency?
Recently, I had the need to work with a particular service provider for several months. After the initial “We’ll take great care of you” speech, I found myself quickly pushed aside as “more important” clients came in. It almost seemed as if they responded to customers based on the projected revenue the were anticipating. While that seems reasonable to a degree, what a lot of businesses forget is that sometimes the guy who brings you just a little business up front may soon be your biggest client…if you treat them right and show a sense of urgency when responding to their emails and phone calls.
We’ve all heard about the scruffy looking man that went into a car dealership and, due to his appearance, nobody wanted to help him. The dealership later learned the man was a multi-millionaire that had been hard at work on a project, had some engine trouble with a truck, and went in to pay cash for a fleet of vehicles. You can’t judge a book by it’s cover. Likewise, you should treat all of your customers with the same courtesy and respect you show any other customer.
Where I come from, we call that “burning bridges” and I’ve learned over the years that it’s something one almost always regrets. So, if your provide a product or service and tend to priortize your efforts based on soley the amount of money you expect to make, you’ll have trouble keeping long-term customers. This is true especially if you’re in a business where your efforts or lack of effort can have long-lasting economic, physical or mental effects on a person.
In sales, I remember learning that people are more likely to tell their friends and neighbors, as well as their business partners, when they have a bad interaction with a company. Positive interactions are expected, and only the truly remarkable are passed on to others. But the negative experiences are often passed on to anyone within earshot or the person’s sphere of influence. If they tell 10 people, those 10 people may tell 5 or 10 more and it spreads on and on. Make sure your business is one of the businesses that gets talked about because of your outstanding customer service and sense of urgency. Make your customer feel important, respected and ensure they know you are truly listening to their problem. Then, do your job, solve their problem, or get them the product they bought quickly, in great condition and at a reasonable price.
In the military, lack of a sense of urgency will get you a poor performance report, passed over for promotion and ultimately cut your career short. We also had a saying that has stuck with me for many years: The most important job you’ll ever have is the one you have right now!
Treat your customers right and you’ll reap the rewards you deserve, grow your business, experience less turnover and retain and grow your customer base. Remember, when your customer asks you to do something, provide a service or a product or simply ask a question…they want action NOW! If you don’t have a sense of urgency in the way you conduct your business, as well as your life, you’ll find yourself getting beaten by your competition. Don’t be the person sitting at their desk at 9:00 PM scratching their head wondering to themselves where all of their customers have gone.
Best of luck!
