Tell Me Yes, Tell Me No, But Don’t Tell Me NOTHING

Ever asked somebody a question about something and they said they’d get back to you and then gave you a No, instead of the Yes you were hoping to get?  Of course you have.  And though you probably didn’t like the answer you received, at least you got an answer.  Now that you took yourself back to that time you got a No, imagine not hearing anything back at all.  Which scenario is better?  Personally, I can’t stand it when somebody tells me they will get back to me and I never hear anything.

It amazes me how rude people have become in this day and age.  Getting someone to actually get back to you is like pulling teeth.  So why would you tell somebody that you will get back to them with an answer and then not do anything?  It’s terribly inconsiderate.   When you tell someone you will get back to them with an answer, do it.  Follow-up, follow-up again, then follow-up some more.  It’s not that difficult, it just takes a little persistence.

I’m pretty sure that anybody who is reading this has had somebody tell them they would get back to them and then didn’t.  There are so many daily examples of this, I don’t even know where to start.  However, this is a sales blog, so let’s keep it to sales.

It’s very simple.  When you tell a customer you are going to get back to them, DO IT!  This goes back to so many of my previous articles about follow-up and about showing the customer how much you care.  Yet, I continually see – in every sales organization – sales people who seem to believe the customer will chase them with their hard-earned money.  Unfortunately for these establishments, the customer is not going to do this.

Remember that General Manager I spoke about in my previous article, Who’s To Blame?  Remember how he blamed everybody and everything, but himself?  The best was when he told me all of the problems were because of Millennials.  As much of a boneheaded comment as that was, it got even better when he promised me he would call me back to give me some answers about the car I ordered.  The rest is history, as anybody who read that blog knows.  It was fine with me that he never got back to me.  I took my money and re-ordered the car from a different dealer.  The Manager at the new dealer has contacted me continually throughout the process and it has been a completely different experience – a positive one.

So the next time somebody asks you a question, even if the answer you’re going to give them isn’t the one they want to hear, answer them.  It’s respectful, it’s responsible, and it’s just plain right.  There is no excuse to ignore somebody.  Your customers do not appreciate it anymore than you do when you ask a question and don’t receive an answer.

So what do the readers think?  Would it be better to give somebody no news, instead of bad news?  Or do you agree that it is rude to let somebody go unanswered?  I would love to get your thoughts.  As always, thank you for taking the time to read this blog.

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