Call Me the %&#$ Back

I recently helped my 82-year-old aunt move from Maryland to Texas. Part of that effort included contacting a variety of businesses: the moving company, the title company, utilities, banks, two phone companies, and more. And at various points in the process, people from five different companies promised to call us back.

And never did.

When I finally reached them—or someone else—as a result of calling them back, I received excuses. Lots of excuses. But the damage had already been done. We were beyond disappointed. We were pissed. In some cases, livid.

Think we overreacted? If you’ve ever been involved with an interstate move, you know how difficult it is to coordinate so many different elements. Now throw in a global pandemic, racial protests, curfews, and business closures and the complexity skyrockets. Along with the stress.

We didn’t need more of it.

Think about that for a moment. My aunt was paying all these companies to relieve her stress, not increase it. And yet, increase our stress was precisely what five of them did. By not following up with answers and information when promised, they made our jobs—and our lives—more difficult.

When you—or someone from your company—fails to call a prospect or customer back, it not only elevates their stress, it also:

• creates frustration
• makes them angry
• erodes trust in you and your company
• damages your brand

Which can result in your potential buyer:

• Leaving negative reviews on social media and review sites
• Trying out your competitors
• Losing interest in what they were thinking of buying

All of which hurts your sales, revenues, and profits.

And you can avoid all of it with a simple phone call.