While I was waiting for a webinar to start, I thought I’d start drafting this blog post. Not sure what I would write about I filled in a bit of time doing “busy” stuff. You know, moving items around on my desk, checking my email one last time (after all, the webinar was running for 1 ½hrs), and frantically groping for a timely blog topic that would resonate with at least one other person.
Ironically, the webinar that I was waiting to start gave me my topic! Yay, something good has come out of this.
Let me back up a bit here. The company offering the webinar sells a product I subscribe to. I am already a customer. They have my money. The topic was a timely one as “yes, I am looking to have a better 2021! Thank you so much for asking!” I was so sold.
Here’s how not to piss off a customer. Don’t send a broken link that is supposedly a link to today’s webinar (blocked off the 1 ½ hours for it, now I have the time to write this blog, so should be thankful I guess) that is actually for next weeks webinar. The same webinar, one week later. Don’t have me re-register for next week’s webinar and go through all the motions again, book off time on my calendar and watch the same darned thing again! (I would welcome the invite if it said something like “You have registered and attended this webinar last week. I’m doing it again for a new crowd but if you’d like a second peek at it I’d love to have you join me”. Then I know what I’ll be signing up for again. After all, it’s seldom that everyone sits through these for every moment! Plus, you will get my trust in future invites and emails.
Automation should not only make your job easier; it should also make the customer’s life easier.
Keeping it real
You know exactly what I’ve already signed up for with you. You know if I’ve taken this program or that. Why am I getting the same email offering me something I’ve already signed up for? … I’ve inadvertently found myself taking the same webinar more than once because gosh, they’re all so distinctive aren’t they? But, that’s for another day …
So now, instead of feeling like a special insider to these webinars and a valued customer of this business, I feel like a random name on a list. With no particular profile, or preferences, or distinction at all. And I felt irritated! Here I’m being offered a FREE webinar to help me in my business and I’m irritated. I probably have no right to be, but I am.
Human nature is a funny thing, isn’t it?
Now, if this can be done by a large, uber-successful software company, what luck would I have in doing better?
So I had to take a look at my own business and ask how I may be irritating my customers and potential customers.
- Am I making it hard for each to work with me?
- Am I making them adjust their working style to accommodate me?
- Do I forget to change my message to fit our relationship? … hint: don’t send a second or third intro/invite to the same person who’s already signed up!!!
- Do I keep accurate track of what clients have purchased so I can follow up correctly?
Looking at these questions, the shared issue across the board is communications. Each of these questions can reveal something that you and I can improve in our business communications.
2021 will be kicked off with learning more about automation, systems and ways I can double-check my work to minimize the aggravation scale at the receivers end.
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