A tale of excellent service

The other night my neighbor said he was thinking about buying a car, but this was the wrong time of year to drive to Montana.

Since there are plenty of car dealerships a lot closer than Montana, we asked him what Montana had to do with it. And he told us the story about the Montana salesman...

Many years ago he bought a pickup. Being a person who is careful with his money, he had shopped around and so knew that the price he paid for that pickup was more than fair. By the time he wanted another new pickup he had moved to a new town, about 6 or 8 hour's drive away, so he went shopping close to home.

But he kept thinking about that salesman in Montana who sent him a birthday card every year. And so, knowing exactly what he wanted and the going price for that make with those features, he called Montana.

The salesman was glad to hear from him, and listened to his list of make, model, features, etc. Then he gave our friend a price, which was in the same ballpark with the others. But, he added, since you have a long drive to get here, I'll give you back $200 for gasoline, put you up in a nice motel, and buy your dinner.

Of course he said yes.

The salesman had assured him that the pickup would be ready when he arrived - and it was. The extra features had been installed, the truck was washed and waxed, and the tank was full of gas. The paperwork was even completed, so taking delivery of his new pickup took minutes, rather than the hours most dealerships impose on customers.

And so, our friend will probably shop around and learn what is or isn't available on the car he wants. He'll find out the going price, too. And then he'll call Montana, because that salesman did two important things:

He gave unforgettable service, AND he stayed in touch, year after year, in spite of the fact that his customer had moved away.

Do YOU stay in touch with customers if they leave your neighborhood?

After the marketing, follow up and service make the sale

Earlier today I made some changes to my primary website: marte-cliff.com, but after I did it I thought maybe I need to go back and add a disclaimer for those business people who aren't just going after a one-time direct sale from their marketing.

It is absolutely true that your marketing materials have to send the right message - they have to touch some emotion in the reader (or viewer) to cause them to stop, think about your message, and take action.

But for many businesses it doesn't end there. You aren't asking your customers to just "click here to order." You're trying to draw them in to use your services, you need to explain your product in person, or you want to sell them products on an ongoing basis. After all,if you're selling your real estate services, want them to patronize your health spa, or are merchandising steel buildings, your marketing materials are designed only to bring you leads.

And if you get a dozen great leads in a day and then let them go cold because you didn't respond to their inquiries - they'll be gone by tomorrow.

Then, if you get a customer but fail to give the service they expect, they won't ever come back.

So, while your website, your ads, your letters, and the rest will bring customers to you if they're written correctly, what happens later accounts for at least 50% of your success.

I'm constantly amazed at the companies who don't bother to answer customer inquiries. And of course, when I'm the customer I'm not only amazed, but annoyed!

Why do people do that? It costs money to get a lead, so ignoring them is a lot like taking handfuls of bills out on a windy day and letting them fly.

Speaking of bills, I ran across a really strange situation lately. Someone sent me a very persuasive direct marketing piece. I think I already told you about it. It was so persuasive that I decided to Google it, and found out that it was a scam. But... in the envelope with the marketing letter was a "Million Dollar Bill."

That caught my imagination - I thought of all kinds of ways to use that for advertising, and even to enclose with a "Thanks a million" note to people who have done me a good turn. It's just a fun thing to have. On the bill was the web address of the person who supplied the bills, so I went there.

Hmmm... no prices. No way to order. But there was an email address, so I wrote, asking for pricing and ordering instructions. That was at least 2 weeks ago and I've not had a reply. Now how goofy is it to go to the trouble to set up a website for your business and then ignore someone who writes wanting to know the price and how to order?

Since then I've found several other websites that sell the million dollar bills, and I'll order from one of them. But again - goofy. This person made me aware of the product, but someone else will get the sale.

I'll bet if you keep your eyes open you'll find more examples like this. So... write and tell us about them!