Good morning!
If you're like me, you are working at a high rate of speed. You make quick decisions and move from one project to another. Changes are made on the fly and communication methods vary between email and phone and text. The overwhelming majority of the time, there is a consensus on what will get done and everything goes off without a hitch. You didn't need to confirm. So, you didn't. Everyone was on the same page. Sure, you made an assumption, but it turned out to be the right one.
Until, one day …
You can't be in the graphic arts and not come across a situation where you thought one thing and the other party (be it an outside vendor or customer) had something else in mind.
"That window cling was supposed to be on the outside, not the inside"
" Why is this job three hole punched?"
"Didn't I say shrink-wrapped? I could've sworn we talked about this"
You can't cover every conversation or decision, and you really don’t need to. As I said, the overwhelming majority of the time it doesn't matter. But whenever possible, make certain you take the extra step of confirming the conversation, decision, or change back to a customer. It might seem awkward and unnecessary but, every once in a while, you'll hear someone say, "I'm really glad you asked. Actually, that's not right … "
That makes all that awkwardness worth it!
Put it in writing. Send an email. Leave a voicemail. Leave some kind of trail of confirmation. The bigger the order, the more important this tiny step becomes.
If you want to sell more in less time, go to BillFarquharson.com and click on the “Training” link in the header. If you need sales and want ideas for gaining more appointments, buy my book, The 25 Best Print Sales Tips Ever! on Amazon.
Bill Farquharson is a respected industry expert and highly sought after speaker known for his energetic and entertaining presentations. Bill engages his audiences with wit and wisdom earned as a 40-year print sales veteran while teaching new ideas for solving classic sales challenges. Email him at bill@salesvault.pro or call (781) 934-7036. Bill’s two books, The 25 Best Print Sales Tips Ever and Who’s Making Money at Digital/Inkjet Printing…and How? as well as information on his new subscription-based website, The Sales Vault, are available at salesvault.pro.