Are You Totally Equipped to Do Business … in 1985?
Written by Adam WozniakCategory: Communication
“If you buy the typical book about advertising… if you take advice from the average sales manager or ad agency… if you do sales and marketing the same way most big companies do… you will be thoroughly and totally equipped to do business in 1985.” – Perry Marshall
It’s amazing that in 2009 many businesses still don’t “get” the internet … or even email. Now, while Perry’s quote was targeted at marketing and advertising in general, I think it also applies more broadly … right down to the way some businesses approach communication with potential clients.
Are you scaring away potential clients?
Let me share a few lovely nuggets that I have collected recently …
As part of preparing to launch wecancreate, I spent much of my time contacting various other businesses right around the globe. These businesses included ones that specialise in online services, marketing and advertising online, and also businesses that specialise in legal issues. So a nice variety of different businesses. But one thing they all had in common was an online presence (and some of them were specifically about online products and services).
And you know what else a lot of them had in common? Absolutely shocking online communication.
My email enquiries were generally very simple and direct. Often, they were simply this: “I am interested in [whatever]. Could you please outline your prices for these services?” Now, even a 10 year-old should be able to understand a question like that…
But often I would receive one of the following emails in response:
- “Please give us a call.”
- “Give us your phone number and we will call you”
Better yet, some emails would go further:
“I’ll need some better contact information from you before I share this confidential information. Can you send over?”
This was from a real email response I received from a business specialising in online advertising and marketing – and it was in response to a simple question: “what are your fees?”.
An email example from a law firm …
But what really topped the cake for me was the following email exchange with a law firm (and you wonder why I have no interest in working as a lawyer…). After sending a simple email asking about prices, I received one of the responses mentioned above. So I wrote back the following reply:
“I am confused. Why have an email address on your firm’s website if you simply tell anyone who emails you to call you instead?”
At this point, I really didn’t care about this firm any more. Their first response told me everything I needed to know about them. But, amazingly, they replied with the following:
“We have made a suggestion which you have not accepted therefore it appears that we are not the attorneys for your matter.”
I nearly fell off my chair laughing!
Now, not only is this extremely poor form, it’s also against what a business relationship with any business should be about. I’m a qualified lawyer myself (but again, I don’t practise for many reasons – a lot of them have to do with the email exchange above …), but I understand that working with a client is two-way (regardless of the industry we operate in).
Yes, you can make suggestions – but ultimately it is up to the CLIENT to accept a suggestion or not. And yet here was a business telling me that because I have not accepted their suggestion (their suggestion being for me to telephone them, instead of using email, despite the fact they feature an email address prominently on their website), that they were not the firm for me. Marvellous. Brilliant customer service. And it’s a wonder people think lawyers are asshats …
If you offer multiple methods of contacting your business, then USE THEM. If you have no desire to use a particular method of contact, then DON’T OFFER IT AS AN OPTION. It’s really as simple as that.
Still operating in 1985 …
And this takes us back to the quote at the beginning of this post. Some businesses are still operating in 1985. For the record, the World Wide Web has been around since 1992/93. Email has technically been around since 1965 (!), although obviously wasn’t widely used until the launch of the World Wide Web.
Nonetheless, this means the Web has been around for approximately 16 years (as of writing).
Read that again.
And yet I am constantly encountering businesses who encourage contact via email, yet then tell you to “call them” after you email them. What is the point? Why have an email address at all if that’s how you’re using it?
This reminds me of a scene from the movie, “The 40-Year-Old Virgin”
Adapt to your customer
If a customer emails you, then it’s obvious that THAT is the method they want to use to communicate with you. Listen to the customer and adapt. And yes, it might be tempting to suggest a phone call, because then you can really “make the sale” by doing your salesman-schtick. But there are a lot of potential customers and clients who don’t wish to be harassed this way (and might be emailing dozens of businesses for quotes). Remember that.
And just because a potential customer EMAILS you first, does not necessarily mean they are any less serious about doing business with you.
If getting a simple price list or quote by email from your business is like getting “blood out of a stone”, then you are going to seriously annoy your potential prospects. It will say a lot about the way you do business. And it will also reveal that you’re not operating in the 21st century. You may as well close down your website and email address. You clearly don’t need them!
Leave a great impression by email
So if you DO actually use email to reply to potential customers, leave a great impression. Don’t include something like this in your response:
“… i am short on time right now as i am the CEO of the company”
Don’t laugh – this was actually a real response I received recently! I thought two things when I read that. Firstly, “what a douchebag”. Secondly, why on earth would you say something like that? Even if it’s true, the last thing you want to do is to emphasise how “busy” you are, and make it sound like you’re too busy to deal with a potential customer. What a great impression that leaves. It’s almost as good as not replying at all!
An email really tells a potential customer a lot about the attitude of your company (and whether or not you “get” the online world).
So what are YOUR emails saying about YOUR company? What strategies do you use? How do you communicate with your clients? I’d love to know. :)
But if you leave a comment below, I might have to tell you to telephone me instead … :P
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15 June 2009
G’day Adam, that was brilliant. I can’t believe how rude some people were to you. Icertainly check my e-mails, phone messages, snail mail everyday and reply asap. There is no need for rudeness, life is too short. Just love this site. Hugs N Giggles
Hello again Tracy,
Good to see you back here. :)
And it’s nice to find other people that have similar attitudes to business. :) You’re right – there is absolutely NO need for rudeness in business. Yet so many businesses continue to behave that way!
My theory is that if one doesn’t like people, then they shouldn’t be running a business in the first place!!! :P
I run my business because I happen to love dealing with people and helping them with their problems. And it sounds like you do too. More businesses need to start doing this! :)
perfect posting.
Really nice writing.
As always ur posts are very helpful.