I am currently reading “Unmarketing: Stop Marketing. Start Engaging.” by Scott Stratten. The man speaks the unfiltered truth about the importance of building relationships in the business world. He writes that there is a Hierarchy of Buying:
Aiming Your Company at the Bottom of the Barrel – Scott Stratten
And, yeah, I agree with this.
When looking for a particular service, I go with what I know or companies recommended by people I trust when it comes to these things. *Note – I trust a lot of people, but there are some people I don’t go to for, say, movies to watch because they will recommend “This is 40” and that is money and time I will never get back.* This strategy has worked well for me, especially when it comes to home improvements.
But businesses, y’all got to step it up and keep it up.
First – pay attention.
I need to have some basic landscaping done at my house near a septic tank. The septic is in the front yard since poop goes downhill and I don’t want the thing showing for all to see. Currently there are large bushes (seven feet tall) around the tank, but one has rooted to the point where it is getting dangerously close to the pipes. I have a brown thumb and cannot keep the cactus in my office alive, let alone rip out some shrubs and replace them, so I need to hire someone.
Not knowing I was following Scott’s triangle of truth (you can use that Scott if you want), I went to a company I used in the past and had a wonderful experience with. They did work at our former home in a timely manner and within our budget. Just amazing people. I used their online contact form and received a call within a couple of days. They sent an employee out to meet me and he was polite and listened what I had to say. I wanted smaller, easy to maintain plants to surround the septic area and maybe remove some poison ivy in our yard.
Or I thought he was listening.
I received a quote from him and it was over $1000 worth of work, which was a lot, but what do I know about landscaping? Remember, I killed a cactus. I had mentioned the poison ivy in our yard and asked about removal. In the invoice he had information about spraying the poison ivy – which my husband had done already and we had told him so. Then he listed landscaping and labor costs with no detailed invoice.
But you know, they are a great company. I used them before and was sure this was a minor detail they missed.
I emailed the landscaper back and asked for a detailed invoice. When I looked up the plants he recommended, I had a head/desk moment. These were large shrubs that grow seven to eight feet in height and who knows about the roots. But he’s the expert. I emailed him back and said “Dude, were you listening?” Well, not really, but I wanted to. He responded with a new quote, same price range, and more, but smaller, bushes. Frustrated, my husband said we would do things ourselves.
Because I don’t want to spend a weekend in the heat digging around a poop pipe, I said, “Hold on there. Let me ask around.”
Second – if it’s a tool on your site, use it.
I moved down the pyramid to asking friends I trust about landscaping companies. The one in the story above was recommended, as was another one in the area. I hit the website of the second company and filled out the contact us form. I filled out the form on a Friday and had not heard back the next week. When I visited the site again, I saw there was a contact form for getting a consultation. Well I must have filled out the wrong thing the first time. No wonder they didn’t respond. So I filled out that form. Guess what happened? NOTHING! No call. No email. Nothing.
Two ways to contact – no response.
If you offer a contact us page with forms to fill out, how about getting back to the person in a timely manner. I get that this time of year is busy for landscapers, but if you do not have the staff to answer requests either put something on the site that says “This is our busy season and we want to get back to you as soon as possible, but it may be a few days before we can respond. If you don’t hear from us within five days, please call us at….” Otherwise, take it off the site completely.
I then slid on down the pyramid and did a Google search for landscapers. I looked for reviews, went to sites to see before and after images, and came across another company that looked like their services would fit my needs. Instead of dragging out this part of the story, look at the above paragraph.
Third – Don’t make me come down there.
Look, don’t force customers to use your preferred method of communication. Yes, I can call these companies, but I don’t want to. Calling takes time. If I leave a message, we end up playing a phone tag game because I am busy and/or don’t recognize the number and let it go to voicemail. I do better explaining my needs in an email or contact form. I can take the time to think about what I want to say and not sound like an idiot on the phone.
The point is, don’t make your customers come down there. They won’t. They will go elsewhere. Even if you are the only game in town, your customers will go out of the way to find someone else, someone unknown, or do it themselves. Which is where my husband and I am now – doing it ourselves.
In Conclusion
Customers are fickle and busy. They remember when you do things very well and will turn on you when you do not meet their basic expectations. They do not have time to hunt you down for quotes, meetings, or a basic answer to a freaking online inquiry. And with the likes of social media, that word will get out quickly turning your dedicated customers away.
Now excuse me while I go plant something I will kill later.
It’s almost dead Jim.
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