Dangling Carrots

I admit that, as a communications major, I have a vested interest and tainted perspective about the role of communication in business. If anything, I prefer to err on the side of too much communication with my clients. So what happens when a communication junkie, like myself, can’t get in touch with a client?

I email.
I email again.
I try calling and, when I get voicemail, I email again.
I call again, leave a voicemail and email.
I start feeling like an over-clingy girlfriend.

And then I go talk to Bill, our Sales manager.

The advice he gave me was in my opinion, priceless, so I'm sharing it with you.

Bill told me to stop giving information away to clients.

Before your jaw hits your keyboard, let me explain. He said that every day we give away all our best work by sending it to our clients with a nice email attached. "Here you go. Please enjoy the fruits of my toil. Tell me what you think at your convenience." What's wrong with that? The client is then at their leisure to respond with their opinion whenever they find convenient, which all too often is not at all.

The strategy Bill described to me is much like the proverbial donkey with the carrot in front of his face. As long as what he wants is just out of reach, he'll have to go the direction his rider wants. So by waiting until you have a client on the phone before sending that coveted information, proposal, comp, new content...you finally get the client going in the direction you want, before he has even had a bite of that carrot.

Now, before you start thinking I view my clients as barnyard animals, let's look at it from the perspective of a potential patient or client.

The potential client calls and requests information from your practice. Rather than taking down information, and then sending an email with all the information he or she could want, you send it while you are on the phone together, going over the information at that moment. Show the potential client how to read your material. Explain why you offer the services you offer. Answer any questions he or she may have on the spot. Then ask when you can schedule an appointment to talk in person.

The potential customer thinks, "Wow...they didn't just shuffle me off the line as quickly as possible. The other practice I called just took my name and address and hung up on me with hardly a 'thank you.' If this is the quality of service they give someone who just randomly calls, their clients must be really pampered."

At first, this may seem off-putting to someone who is "just asking for information." But the extra time up front will help the process go more smoothly down the road, and by the end of the call you will have a good idea of whether the person is a serious shopper or just killing time during a dull work day. And you will probably have an appointment to show for it.

As a wise man once said, "It is not enough to give the customer excellent service. You must subtly make him aware of the great service he is getting."


* If you are interested in finding out how to implement this strategy at your practice, or finding out other ways you can turn leads into clients, contact your Account Manager.