09 Sep The 3 Lazy Musketeers

So for the 3rd time in just over a week, I have attempted to do business with a company and have not been contacted back with an estimate. When I see the business owners of these 3 businesses at Chamber functions or just about in town, they claim that they are struggling to bring in new clients due to the economy. Well, hello, I would have been an easy sell, but none of the 3 companies got back to me in a timely manner and I took my business elsewhere. It’s now been a week and no follow up with my estimate. I even told them in the beginning that as long as the estimate is reasonable, I was ready to move on it right away. Because I know these business owners personally and know that they really are struggling to grab new business, I know their claims of struggling to be the truth. What I also know is that this just boils down to laziness. It’s possible that lazy is the wrong word and maybe a lack of focus and organization could be the culprit. However, not following up when times are slow is just ridiculous and damaging to your business. Get a plan, get organized, and follow your plan. Hire additional help if you are too busy to do it. If you have a plan, your newly hired help will pay for itself and should even increase your revenues. And by the way, if you are one of these 3 business owners reading this and you recognize that I’m talking about you, I’m sorry to be so harsh, but buck up and take care of not only your current clients, but also your potential clients. If you are anyone other than the 3 businesses this article is about, please learn your lesson from their mistake and respond timely to your clients. In my own business, I find that one of the most important factors in obtaining new business is the speedy response from my staff. People want what they want when they want it. They want to take care of their task at hand and put it behind them so they can move on to the next item on their list. If you don’t take care of their needs right away, they will take their business elsewhere. That’s a guarantee and there aren’t many guarantees in business!