I work in sales. I’m not sure I’d classify myself as some hardcore sales freak, but I enjoy a lot of things about it.
As the week got started yesterday, meetings ambushed me and I didn’t sign into the phone system. After sitting through morning conference calls, I saw a voicemail notification pop up. Oops. Oh well it was a good reminder to log in.
So, I signed into the dashboard and listened to the voicemail. It was a customer looking to place an order. Sweet.
I checked the clock. Total elapsed time since voicemail: 7 minutes.
Okay, cool. I went ahead and got my ducks in a row: checking the account, getting pricing ready, confirming shipping information, etc.
Then I went and got a cold brew coffee from upstairs and it was time to call the customer.
Total elapsed time since voicemail: 15 minutes.
Guy picks up on the 3rd ring. Nice man. We chat for a few moments and I let him know I was returning his call and was ready to help him with his order.
He says, “Thanks for your quick response, but I didn’t know how long it would take for you to get back to me, so I ordered through the chat window on your website.”
Okay. Great. Cool. Well, let me know if you need anything else…
While not a backbreaker by any means, it would have been a nice deal that made a difference in my paycheck.
I missed out on an opportunity, an easy win at that, simply because I wasn’t ready to pick up the phone.
It made me think, what else am I missing out on?
What about you?
Are you letting opportunities go to voicemail, or are you answering the call?
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