Always Answer The Phone

Good Morning,
I was finishing up work at the office when the phone rang again for the umpteenth time. I looked at the caller Id and did not recognize the number. All afternoon I had been getting robo calls for either Google listing, Amazon listing or companies that will lower my credit card fees. This time there was a live person on the other end, and quickly I was wondering what she was selling.
But this time the caller wanted information. She wanted to do a post card mailing and needed prices! She gave me some basic information, and while I was putting the price together I told her that I was going to be very direct and that it might cost me some business. I told her if she were going to do just one mailing to the small list that she had never contacted before, then she was wasting her money!
(Yes I gave her the cost for mailing 300 4×6 full-color post cards for about $185 which included postage. She had to supply the art work and list.)
This got her attention, and broke the ice. I explained the reasoning and told her that she needed to contact at least 3 times and keep contacting until they either called to do business or tell her to stop. For about the next 30-40 minutes, we talked. I found out about her business, and we discussed other methods to reach her target as well as what types of lists she needed.
I asked how she had found out about my company and she told me she Googled direct mail and that she had called a few other companies that either did not answer or sent her to voice mail. I was one of the few who answered the phone. Also I gave her stuff to think about besides just a price. By the end of the call she had decided not to call any more companies and use my service.
There are a few lessons to learn from this call, but the one lesson/rule I want to cover is AATP! Or as my friend and coach Mike Crow says, “Always Answer The Phone!”
If I had not answered the phone and left it to the machine to do it, she might not have left a message or if she had, she could have already gone with another company before I got back to her. So if you can’t answer the phone, have a back-up live person answering it who can answer the basics.
By the way, the person who emails me with the most lessons learned from this marketing tip will receive a gift card to Starbucks.
Till next time.