Last week, I learned from a technology provider that he had decided not to accept my new business development proposal. He reasoned that he didn't need my assistance as he already had leads in to many of the same corporations that I could introduce him to. His reasoning may prove to be sound. It is also possible that he isn't considering the important distinction between "having leads" and having experience and credibility with corporate influencers and decision makers.
In business and in life, individuals can be reluctant to share unpleasant information with others. I'm not talking about concealing facts in cases where criminal wrongdoing may be involved. Obviously, that's a bad idea. Instead, I'm referring to more common situations, such as a manager sharing the outcome of a (failed) job interview with an internal applicant, or an analyst revealing disappointing results of a high profile corporate sales campaign.
At various times during my consultancy's existence, I've been fortunate to receive some generous client testimonials. Among the comments of which I'm proudest is from Jim Kelly, my CMO client at Prestige Brands: "(Michael) does what he says he's going to do, consistently."
If your business involves servicing customers, then you'll want to read this. (If it doesn't, then you don't have a business!)Do your company's customer contact personnel respond promptly to unsolicited inquiries?
- Tags:
- networking
- Customer Service
Does Your Company Reject Good Ideas?Companies can be highly conservative in their adoption of new opportunities. Are they discerning or...possibly overly cautious?
- Tags:
- innovation
- Technology
It is often said that failure can promote valuable learning. Unfortunately, professionals are rarely given the opportunity to fail repeatedly. So, what does this teach us?
Understanding customer rationale is a necessary precursor to addressing their objections.