How Not to Make Sales - A Real Life Example of A Large Company by J. Richard Kirkham
What can we learn from a company so bureaucratic I couldn't get their software to adjust their product with NO other representatives in Hawaii? A lesson on how not to make money....
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How Not to Make Sales - A Real Life Example of A Large Company
What can we learn from a company so bureaucratic I couldn't get their software to adjust their product with NO other representatives in Hawaii? A lesson on how not to make money.
I actually had my mouth open in disbelief at the
not my job bureaucratic attitude as I was passed from one staff
member to another on the telephone....
I needed software to adjust this company's widget. Let's
call this company No Sale Inc., since that seemed to be their
specialty along with staff members well trained to pass the
responsibility of actually making a decision on to someone else.
So What Happened?
Three years ago we told the No Sales Inc. company we would take over service on their clients from a dealership that closed down leaving the clients with no where to get service on their widgets. No Sales Inc. was happy to send us their software at that time thanking us for our interest. Obviously we'd be able to sell these clients widgets eventually so future business was an interest of ours.
Now I Need Software Updates
This
is where is got interesting. Having experience in large companies
I asked for the Hawaii inside sales representative. Why? Most of
these guys have looked up the word commission in the dictionary
and have figured out their income is directly related to the
service they provide and the number of widgets they sell.
Unfortunately the person who directed the call was not paid
commission. I got the Hawaii representative's voice mail stating
he was out of the office for five days and would have limited
access to returning calls.
On another note, when I would
call their parent company, let's call them Want Your Business
Inc., the receptionist generally new who was out and who was in
and I was given options on how to proceed because the receptionist
made it her job to be aware of these facts.
The
No More Sales Inc. receptionist was not concerned that the Hawaii
sales representative was out and could not be contacted. His job
was over with the minute I was transferred to the sales
representative who couldn't be contacted in the first place. The
thought of service or increasing company revenue not being
important as it didn't have a direct affect on him.
Okay Rick What Happened After You Were Directed to The Sales Representative That Was Out Anyway
Well I need the software for the widget to help one of their clients. So I called back and explained to the next person that picked up the phone that No Sales Inc. had given me the software previously and all I needed was an update. I told him I had received updated before but I practically had to yell to get the updates and it looked like I might have to this time as well.
Logic Didn't Work!
I reiterated previous explanations and also explained to the person I spoke to on the phone that if we get the updated software we'll eventually sell that person widgets from either his company or at least their parent company. He seemed to monotoneally agree with me then stated company policy about distribution of the software, then stated he would have someone call me back. Once again a well trained staff member in passing the buck.
Does This Seem Like a No Brainer So Far to You?
It
certainly did to
me and I believe it would to anyone interested in staying in
business. I decided to get help. I emailed our in house
representative from the parent company Want Your Business Inc.. I
reiterated the situation to him via email and asked him to contact
someone there who is capable of thinking for himself/herself.
You will not believe the response he got ....
"The Only Way to Adjust The Widget Would Be to Send It In and Have It Converted to A Want Your Business Inc. Widget"!!!
Is
your jaw dropping now?! Mine is as I type this again. He also
however gave me the phone number and cell phone number of an upper
management person our director personally knew. A 30 second
conversation, as of writing this today, and he stated he'll send
us the software!
I will be forwarding this article to this
business minded upper management person and give him the code for
the actual name of the companies. He may or may not be surprised
to find out which one is his in this article, but I want to do my
best to communicate with this gentleman. Even though "my job"
was finished after seeing that the software was sent, my
responsibility, I believe, is toward proper communication for
future business. A topic, as you can see, is not of interest to
everyone.
What Have You, My Readers, Learned
You
know, if I have to spell it out I think I know the name of your
company. I believe even with small companies, incentives both
monetary and recognition such as Employee of The Month for a
department is important to maintain an understanding of the
importance of each and every staff member who communicates with
both clientèle and prospective clientèle. Each and
every member of your staff, is the keystone to your business. If
that keystone is not built or in this scenario, trained properly,
the whole building will fall apart.
About
the Author
J. Richard
Kirkham has been in sales related fields for over 25 years. Over
half of that time in a health
related field. He's a dual
certified teacher and martial
arts instructor. He has expertise in alternative teaching
methods and positive reinforcement methodology. He's written
several books in the printable electronic format and has made
downloadable videos and DVDs and has published software.
You
may now add to your collection of his work to help both new and
experienced marketers Article
and Sales Page Templates with Ebook like instructions
http://kirkhamsebooks.com/WritersTools/Templates4ArticlesNSalesPages.htm
in them so you may learn html as you write your
articles and sales pages. A huge time saver to your learning curve
and or downtime away from your computer.
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