Ok, let’s pick up right where we left off last time.
We were looking at how, if we’re not careful, our marketing, selling and customer service habits can have the opposite effect of the one we want.
For example, we discovered:
Many times, the harder we nervously chase something – the less likely we are to get it!!
We may, in fact, actually drive it even further away. Let’s take a look at an example.
Have you ever had a building where your janitorial business was bidding on the cleaning – and, it was an account you desperately wanted to land?
So, what do you do?
Well, have you ever caught yourself anxiously, nervously, desperately calling them back every day ( or MORE) just to ‘check in’ to see if they had made a decision.
Only problem is – you find the more you
call the less interested they seemed.
That’s right – they seem to ‘dodge your calls’, ‘be unavailable’, ‘put you off’ or give you the ‘run around’ – until you want to throw your hands up and scream in frustration…
“Why won’t they just make up their minds?!”
Well, some times, too many times – THIS problem isn’t just about them – it’s about US too!
Yep, part of it – may be of our own-making.
That’s right, when we are too needy, when we desperately want the job – we may go too far, we may call too much, and end up ‘chasing them away rather than attracting” new cleaning business.
So, now what?
What can we do to turn this situation around; to begin sending the right message?
Well, first, keeping in mind the old saying a ‘watched pot never boils’,so, rather than nervously stewing over every bid you deliver and then hounding them with endless follow up phone calls…
– you can start to make up and live by a different set of rules – rules that put you and your cleaning business in a different position so they see you and your cleaning company in a different light!
For example, you may want to make it a rule to always discuss with your prospect, in advance, when you deliver the cleaning proposal – how long they need to get the proposal seen by those who need to give final approval.
Then you can decide on a date to call or stop out – just after that. So, you can then let them know exactly when you’ll be following up.
You can certainly assure them that between now and then – they can call you anytime, with any questions – but, short of that, you’ll be contacting them on such and such a date.
From that point on, if other issues come up, again, you may want to only follow up at times you have agreed to, in advance, when the cleaning prospect says they should have a decision finalized.
Stick with some rule like this and you can be professional, BUT also send the message that you’re a busy professional too!
We want to confidently attract business, not nervously chase after it. Make sense? Yep, makes cents!
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