“Not today, but soon.” My parents said that a lot to me when I was a kid. I was always eager to go and do and see and try, but my timing wasn’t always the best. That happens in business as well.
Lately we have been experiencing a whole bunch of delightful but delayed gratification. And it leads me to ask this question:
Are you expecting too much too soon from your potential customers?
We are five years into dreaming of a project that we desparately wanted to launch in time for graduation. Five years of brainstorming, tweaking and conversations that ended in “someday, maybe.”
We are three years into a relationship with an organization we love, and have wanted to work with on a regular basis. Three years of traveling for special events. Three years of emails and encouraging posts and tweets.
We are six months into getting to know a CEO. We love everything about her business and the products she sells. Six months of emails, rescheduled calls, and busy schedules, with no pressure – just an occasional – “We’re here if you need us.”
On the flip side, we recently hired a free lancer for a radio production project. With long list to chose from, this person had emailed me off and on over the last several months. Never any pressure, just checking in. He even emailed (along with lots of you sweet readers – thank you!) to check on Ryan’s little boy. He let me know with out being all stalker-creeper-ish, that he was paying attention to our company and was there if we needed him. Then one day, we did.
Here’s how to stay the course for success and get the results you want:
1. See each potential customer as a relationship not a dollar sign.
2. Learn about that customer and what’s important to him/her.
3. Patiently reach out in ways that are meaningful to the customer.
4. Give the best possible customer service even before they become a customer.
5. Be generous with your time and attention.
That five year project – it launched last week!
That three year relationship – we signed a deal last month!
That six month correspondence – we will meet face to face and start work in six days!
Stay the course. Reap the rewards. It’s deeply gratifying, delayed or not.
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