When a stated benefit is not a benefit at all

This week I had a conversation with AT&T about my iPhone services. This smart phone has many free applications for our industry and I take advantage of them daily.  The issue lies with AT&T not with iPhone.  It was a simple changeover.  I wanted to take my personal iPhone and make it my business line, both on the AT&T network.  I have been with the company for years, but my newest contract (a 2 year deal) was signed in Nov of 2008.  I thought it was simple, just let them know I am going from one AT&T plan to another.  Not so.

I won’t bore you with all the details of talking up the line to people about their policy of extracting a hundred dollars in cancellation fees as well as whacking me for a full month of service that I was only a couple of days into. According to the contract I need to give them 30 days notice, I gave 28  days. They were so proud that they were giving me this benefit of not scalping me for another 30 days beyond the 28.  So for me to go from one AT&T plan to another it will cost me north of $250.00.  The senior manager I was speaking with was continually touting their great service and caring attitude.  I let her know I didn’t have the same feeling.  She had difficulty with my not being appreciative of their waiving another $150 that they could have whacked me with for the 2 days into the new month.

A benefit is not a benefit to your client when it does not help them.  Ok, should I be grateful they invoked only 2 of their 3 draconian terms, I think not.  A benefit to me would have been to waive all the fees…they are keeping their customer, so why punish me for a contract that is written for people who are leaving their system for another.  How this will play our is that as soon as AT&T loose their exclusive contract with Apple, I will be gone, and forever.  I am like almost all people who feel used by a business that really doesn’t care about me as much as they care about their money.  To me this means in my everyday I need to be exactly what I say I am to my clients and prospects.   I have never shared with my clients the fact that I like people  The benefit to my clients is that I can help them through their humanness by truly listening to their needs, and not my own.  To me this is the true benefit to my community and will ultimately benefit me.  AT&T  I look forward to seeing you in my rear view mirror.  The lesson I learned is that to help your client you must listen to them and not be rigid.  I am not saying allow a client to break their contract, I am saying listen and react appropriately to their needs and not yours, it will benefit you in the long run.

TALE OF THE TAPE:  Day 56 of 90

I got a call mid-day yesterday to do both a CMA and a BPO for a client in a neighborhood outside Dallas.  I enjoyed a bit of time out of the office looking at a new neighborhood. The process was a quick and easy way to gain knowledge about another area. The weather was good and that made it even more special.  What suffered is some of my prospecting time.  I now fully embrace the fact that I need to be prospecting constantly.  I will make us some time today.