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So, with that voicemail and pseudo apology, I did not call him back, reached out to some colleagues and found a great referral for the job I need done at my clients' house. I will also be using that referral for another project I have at my house, and I figure the guy who has 10,000 people in his database and could not remember who I was, probably doesn't need any more. He did call back again and say he remembered who I was after getting to his office and looking me up. Okay, again, that understandable, but he should have someone IN his office (I tried that number 5 times with no answer) answering the phones to figure out who people are if he can't himself. Because he has no receptionist, or anyone answering the phones, I called his cell. And here we are, he lost a customer and who knows how many referrals. 
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148 Comments on I have 10,000 people in my database...who are you again?
If he has 10k he can probably afford to lose a few without hurting. We are living in an age where service is a thing of the past. Folks want it now and will forget how they got it.
Does it really matter if you have 10 or 10,000 past clients if they didn't mean anything more to you than the check they wrote? Perhaps he is more fortunate than we as agents are and does not rely on referrals or does not care if he gets any repeat business.
Hope you found a new contractor that will be happy to service you and your clients for years to come...
Hi Coral,
Two things...
First: I am not sure I would dismiss him that quick. He did call back. And you know the quality of his work. He is a contractor...not an orator. Personally, I would not want to work with someone who has to pay for a large support staff which would cost me more money in the long run.
Had your call rang into his VM...I wonder if that would have made a difference?
Second: I am saddened by the derogatory names I see this person being called by some of the people above who responded to this blog. I am confused as to why that has to be?
If I was reading this (and other) AR blog(s) looking for a referral agent for my relocating client...I am pretty sure I would not use anyone who did that. I believe that most people respond to blogs with words and wording similar to the way they actually work. I wonder if I am the only one that thinks that way?
Ha - I think Margaret (#133) might be right about why he didn't remember you. That said, though it doesn't sound as though he handled it well, I totally empathise with him regarding remembering names and have always been impressed with people who can recall names & faces in a flash.
I have always been very poor at names and not great at faces (so please don't change your hair style, never mind the colour.) The memory is there, but it can take me anywhere from minutes to literally hours to drag a name out of my memory of someone I worked closely with 5 or 10 years ago. (edit: Here, I meant worked closely with for years! I also take a while to remember names of people I worked with even in recent months.) Given time, I can eventually recall lots of details - it just takes long to access the information. For that reason, I tend to keep very good records in my contact database which is synchronized with my phone.
Knowing my memory, I'll just engage with the person and ask any details I really need while I wait for my memory to kick in. I certainly won't emphasize that I don't recall you and tell you you're one of many (and imply you're not important enough to remember.) Anyone similarly memory challenged should figure a way to deal with it and keep their clients happy.
Great post for discussion.
This could have gone either way, you chose to move on and use another contractor which also gave you a new contact for yourself. But, unfortunately, you lost the other contact whose work you obviously liked from previous experience. About now I would suggest a followup with the initial contractor and have lunch or at least coffee to reacquaint yourself with him. Anyone with 10,000 contacts is not someone I would necessarily discard so easily.
I am bad with faces and bad with names. I horrible thing for someone in this business. But I will always remember a story. If you tell me something about your life I will remember it. If you talk to me about the home you bought or the transaction we had I would remember you. But I might walk past you and not say hello.
Carol,
I'm with you and besides, were all those 10,000 people in his data base clients? I doubt it. Yes, I do remember my clients!
He is in the business of collecting names for the heck of it. All those names do him no good by taking up space wherever he stores them.
I prefer to be familiar with everyone in my database. Needless to say, I keep it small enough that I can establish (and maintain) with those who are in it.
If you can't remember the ones that actually bring you business, that's not good. Certainly all 10,000 aren't giving him referrals and using him. Good job moving on!
Oh my! Without a relationship, you have nothing.
Congrats, on the feature!
I could be in the minority here, but is it possible he was being figurative about the 10,000 people database. I use exaggerations (figurative language) all the time like- "I have a million things to do today." Only high-grossing businesses would have (or want) a database that large.
But to answer your questions...
Do you expect people with whom you spend large sums of money to remember you when you call again within a few months?---- Large is a relative term, especially with contractors. Six figures may seem like a lot to us, but these jobs can easily go into the millions depending on his specialties. So, no I don't expect him to remember me a few months later---but I do expect him to do quality work as in the prior jobs.
Do you want to work with the "biggest agent in town" or one who will know who you are when you call them with a question after you close?--- I'll work with either agent who can/will answer the question.
BTW, he called back and apologized. Is there anything else he could have done to retain your business?
Coral, sorry you took such umbrage at my comment, but let me correct a couple of things.
Firstly, I did not accuse you of anything. I merely illustrated what in your reaction to the contractor sounded like in my opinion, and perhaps others. I did indeed read the entire post and every comment. After giving it some very careful consideration I made my comment. Using my experience with contractors, most of whom (and often the best) will barely grunt when faced with making everyday conversation, but will describe in great detail for hours the proper way to install a cornice on a curved wall or some-such. The best are usually also not so good at public relations, keeping an accurate data-base, or many of the other chores that we, as good salespeople consider routine. In fact, a lot of trades rely on the good women at home to keep them on track with their calendar, invoicing, filing and all things that don't require a hammer or saw. His comment of 10,000 people in his database was, at least to me, a literary licence to illustrate his incompatibility with remembering clients and actually using a database. In other words, another way to apologize for his forgetfulness.
Secondly, your guess would be wrong, I am on ActiveRain to forge relationships and hopefully elicit referrals. However, I won't do so simply by agreeing with every post I read, and I will proffer my opinion, not to be contrary, but by thinking; and, as I do in every sales situation as well, trying to put myself in the situation, on both sides of the issue and see reason. If I fail to forge relationships or gain referrals because I may see things differently, so be it. I'm not so sure that people who expect everyone to agree with them have the depth of character that I have read and sensed in many of the posts and comments I have read, and I'm sure that's not what you expect or mean either. If I bruised you with my comment, even though I tried to inject a little humour in it, my apologies. For my opinion, I cannot apologize.
Coral, sorry you took such umbrage at my comment, but let me correct a couple of things.
Firstly, I did not accuse you of anything. I merely illustrated what in your reaction to the contractor sounded like in my opinion, and perhaps others. I did indeed read the entire post and every comment. After giving it some very careful consideration I made my comment. Using my experience with contractors, most of whom (and often the best) will barely grunt when faced with making everyday conversation, but will describe in great detail for hours the proper way to install a cornice on a curved wall or some-such. The best are usually also not so good at public relations, keeping an accurate data-base, or many of the other chores that we, as good salespeople consider routine. In fact, a lot of trades rely on the good women at home to keep them on track with their calendar, invoicing, filing and all things that don't require a hammer or saw. His comment of 10,000 people in his database was, at least to me, a literary licence to illustrate his incompatibility with remembering clients and actually using a database. In other words, another way to apologize for his forgetfulness.
Secondly, your guess would be wrong, I am on ActiveRain to forge relationships and hopefully elicit referrals. However, I won't do so simply by agreeing with every post I read, and I will proffer my opinion, not to be contrary, but by thinking; and, as I do in every sales situation as well, trying to put myself in the situation, on both sides of the issue and see reason. If I fail to forge relationships or gain referrals because I may see things differently, so be it. I'm not so sure that people who expect everyone to agree with them have the depth of character that I have read and sensed in many of the posts and comments I have read, and I'm sure that's not what you expect or mean either. If I bruised you with my comment, even though I tried to inject a little humour in it, my apologies. For my opinion, I cannot apologize.
Ken, thanks for stopping back by. It was not that you disagreed with me, it was the way you did it, much like the problem I had with the contractor. We can all make mistakes, disagree etc, but it is the words we choose and the tone we choose that dictates how the other side will take it. I think I made it clear in my comments that it was not that he did not remember me, it was his tone and confusion as to why he should know me at all.
Same thing goes for your comment with the BOLD Underlined ALL CAPS, comment?!! Your tone came across as mocking and brusque. I am all for disagreeing and showing the other side of the story, I've learned a lot from my fellow AR members when they give me their dissenting opinion. But it can and should be done with class and eloquence and not insults and demeaning language like "lighten up."
Have a nice day.
Erika, to answer your question. No. He can't earn back my business. I was already hesitant to contact him again because he was very expensive. I guess you just had to hear it. He was so completely confused as to who I was, why I was calling him etc, it was so offensive. It was not some kind of "oh yeah, um let me call you, back, um Ma'am" attempt. He was completely blunt about not having a clue of who I was to the point it was awkward and I felt weird for calling him. For the type of business he has, I spent a large chunk of change and my husband and I gave him no grief at all. He was expensive and we did not even shop around.
He should have been familiar with you. 5 months was not that long ago and he should have a better system set up if he does have over 10k contacts in his database.
That was a very poor business response! I thought maybe there was alcohol involved, but I guess not!!!
What did you say to him when he called back AFTER he looked you up? Did you tell him that he would no longer be your go-to contractor?
Coral, good point you are raising here. This contractor needs a better contact management system... a huge list is worthless if he can't remember who his past clients are!
Wow, there's a guy who knows how to make you feel special. I may have 10,000 people in my database, but that still wouldn't be my response when a client called. It's our job to make our customer feel like they are our only customer, even if that's not true. That's customer service...and he found out the hard way what you get when you make people feel insignificant. Glad you found someone else...