The last week of the year has always been the best time to call the CEO of every company on my list of customers, referrals and suppliers and get them right away, the architect told me over lunch last week.
Because many assistants, support staff and managers take vacation time from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1, plus children home from school or college that week means "light" schedules with not a lot of meetings and travel, the CEO is left in charge of the company they created. The architect continued, "This is when my best quality conversations happen. The year is over and it's been good. Our conversation focuses on the customer's ideas for the year ahead, the new developments that excite them and where the opportunities for achieving more growth, together, might lie."
Different customers want what? They want to be treated differently. They want us to listen to them, remember what they said and act on those needs and special requirements.
Whether you are new to this blog or a regular reader, you know we will always remind you that marketing is a system, not a scatter-shot collection of 10 or 20 or 30 tips, tactics and marketing activities du jour. In preparation for making phone calls to everyone important to you here's a three-step system to help you create energy and momentum for your calls.
1. Harvest from your contact list the people who feed you. Who pays you? Who nourishes you with great referrals? Who keeps you focused and productive? Somehow, make that list portable so you can make phone calls throughout the day, even if you are not sitting in your office. The PDA is good for many and a printout of a list, on paper, still works for most of us. If you are blessed with abundance, your list is about 100 people who make your world rich.
2. Insure listening and note taking on your part by writing out your questions for the conversation on a card that fits in your pocket or wallet. One side of the card has the 3 to 5 worthwhile questions (no more or you'll ramble and impose on time) and the other side of the card has what you will say--exactly and in conversational tone, should you find the CEO depending on voice mail at the very moment when you call. Don't skip this step. It makes a difference in the enthusiasm and welcoming tone of your voice. It makes all who missed your call want to call you back.
3. This is the tough one: Resist all temptation to sell something. This is extra hard because you will find when you focus your conversation 100% on appreciation for your customer and finding out what's on their mind, it will be a great conversation. You will connect better and don't mistake that for an invitation to talk about your stuff. The most you might say about yourself is that is was a great year and that's why you are calling to thank the CEO for his or her part in making things positive. Indeed, the conversation will roll nicely and the CEO will ask about your business and your plans for 2006. That's when you need to say, "If you would like me to call back next week and make an appointment, we can do that. But for now, if it's okay with you, can we just take 5 minutes to talk about what projects seem most exciting to you?"
If you have never done this before, just do it. It's one of the most enjoyable weeks you'll ever have in business. If you are doing this for the first time, make the first 10 calls and come back here and add your comments to this blog posting. If you have done this before, add your comments to this blog so others can learn from you what works in building customer relationships.
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