How disappointing is it when a business fails to respond to your call? Or takes an age to react to an enquiry you've made online? As a result, the vast majority of us will have second thoughts as to whether that business was the right one for us. And, as a business owner needing to get the most from your enquiries, how that first contact is conducted can be pivotal in deciding whether that enquiry turns into something more or, instead, disappears into a missed opportunity.
Regardless of how established your practice is, depending on just your existing clients can sometimes leave you a little exposed. For one reason or another, those regular clients will eventually leave and replacing them is your key to maintaining a successfully run business.
The All Important First Impression
Just think about this, if a client is trying to make a decision as to whether you are right for them but their only experience of you is the first contact they've had with you, wouldn't you want to make it a good one?
Your business will be judged on you and your new clients early interactions. So getting this connection and communication right first time is incredibly important. Clients will most likely choose your business if they receive:
- A prompt response to their initial enquiry
- A quality response to their enquiry
It sounds very simple but achieving these two objectives will significantly improve your chances of converting this enquiry into your brand new customer!
Respond in a Timely Manner
Essentially everybody is online these days and clients are only a few simple clicks away from finding your details, which is great! But remember that your competitors details are just as easy to find, and delaying your reaction to any customer enquiry just increases the chances of them finding, and utilizing, your competitors services. Therefore contacting the client in a timely manner is the golden rule in reacting to client enquiries.
However, clients understand that you won't be sat there just waiting for the phone to ring and that you are most likely busy helping other clients. But setting up an appropriate voicemail message and also an automated email response to inform your current, and potential, clients that you will respond inside a specific time period will help set that clients expectations.
Putting aside at least 15 minutes of every day to respond to any email and phone enquiries will make a big difference to your client's experience and also, ultimately, to your business.
Don't be Afraid to Pick Up the Phone
For some of us, picking up the phone and speaking to a stranger can sometimes feel a little daunting, and this goes for both clients and business owners alike. Therefore, for many clients, their initial contact with a new business is via email as it gives them the ability to make the enquiry without any of the pressure. However, back and forth email conversations between a client and a business can go on for days, and the longer a lead goes unconverted the less likely it will result in a positive result for you.
So picking up the phone and calling the client at your earliest opportunity gives you your best chance at converting that tentative enquiry into a full paying customer.
But we know it can feel a little intrusive calling the client so soon after receiving an email, but remember, they've made contact with you as they need your help. So help them! Making that extra effort will yield the best results for both client and business owner alike.
So the main point to remember when presented with enquiries from clients is to just treat them like how you'd like to be treated yourself. Pick up the phone and give them a call at your earliest opportunity and both the client and your business will thank you for it.
Originally published on Feb 24, 2016
