Four weeks ago, we ordered Adirondack chairs from a local company whose primary business is building custom sheds. They are well known for providing a quality product, hand built by Amish craftsmen.
Maybe they are too overwhelmed with more expensive shed orders to get my chairs together, even though my chairs were not cheap. And they were due two weeks ago.
In the grand scheme of things, it hardly rates as an irritant, but when I am told something is going to happen and it doesn't, well, it annoys me.
I called last week and was told they had called the manufacturer, but so far, the manufacturer had not yet called the company back with any explanation.
Now that another week has passed, I really think the company should call me and say, hey, sorry, we still don't have an answer but we are working on it.
Reaching out to me and assuring me my order is important would be good customer service. And instead of fuming about them, I would be happily spreading the word about their great service. Even though the end result is the same: I don't have my chairs. Funny how that works, huh?
Our sellers feel the same way about their homes on the market; they WANT to hear from us, no matter what we have to say.
They want to know if they have had showings or if not, why not? They want to know what people thought, what people said.
We tout ourselves as trusted advisors and proclaim we are not salespeople (well, I do, anyway), but in order to make that a true statement, we have to serve up our sales and marketing skills with a big serving of, well, service and communication.
I once had a client to whom I sent market reports weekly, along with any feedback, as well as any articles about the housing market I thought she may find of interest. I told her of any local news that may affect her community. I was doing it all!
Or so I thought. One day I called her about something and she said, "Oh, I haven't heard from you in so long."
Ouch. What do you mean? Are you not getting my emails? My reports? My updates?
Oh, yes, she said, but I have not heard from you.
Double ouch. But point taken.
Not everyone wants to chit chat or necessarily spend a lot of time on the phone with us, but we do need to reach out, personally, and make sure our clients know their business is important to us. Yes, they want their chairs - I mean their houses - sold, BUT they also want to feel good about your service.
How often do you reach out to your clients?
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