The importance of follow through

[mjstrand]

For the past several years, I have been amazed at how many companies do not follow through with customers. There are some that do a great job and others that do not even return a prospect's call for information (mine). We firmly believe in (and have seen the benefit of) being responsive to customers in all interactions with us.

During the information gathering (sales) process, we continue to email and call to see if we can answer questions. It is often a frustrating process, since many customers feel that if they have no interest, providing no response will have us go away. In our case, that does not work. We continue the contacts until we hear that there is no interest, or more often find out that another priority has come up and that they want to postpone the process.

Once the sale is made, we continue to ensure that the customer feels our guidance with automated and manual emails along with calls as we discover ways that they can enhance their signage message delivery. We also find ways to help promote our customers to other prospects which improves both of our business. We find that providing consistent contact helps to keep customers happy and a little bit more loyal.

So, the next time you have a customer who calls or emails, make sure that you follow through. You may not get the sale, but you will gain some good will for your company and yourself.