My mom would often finish listening to one of my latest adventures and say, “Bill, you lead an interesting life.”
Mom, as usual, was right.
Today, something interesting happened. Phone calls are going out to promote the (FREE with Promo Code “BPRFULL”) Roadshow I am doing this month and next. We are hitting Atlanta, Melville, NY, San Francisco, and San Diego (Click here for more information). One small print shop was called and the Idealliance staffer invited them to come to this event and even gave them a code that would make it free. The man’s response was to throw an F bomb at us and hang up.
Fast forward a couple of hours…
I ran down to the bank to pick up our food share and on the way back, went to swing into the convenience store for a gallon of milk. Ahead of me was a truck with the name of a tree company splattered on the door. I grabbed a parking place and then watched the kid driving—while on his phone mind you—park in the middle of the lane and completely block anyone from leaving. He stepped out of the cab, and nonchalantly walked towards the sandwich shop, completely oblivious.
What’s wrong with these pictures? In both situations, a simple act can have significant effect on sales. If I need tree work done in Sudbury, Massachusetts, who am I going to call…or rather, who am I not going to call? And as for this printer in Georgia, he received a Google Review that dropped his rating in half. I would imagine (and quite frankly hope) that my words deter someone from doing business with a company who lacks common decency.
I routinely see company vehicles with their name emblazoned all over driving like maniacs on highways and wonder if anyone else is noticing. It blows my mind. The damage that can be done is not insignificant.
On the other hand, grace can go a long way as well. I would imagine that as Houston rebuilds from the hurricane, the incredible gesture from Mattress Mack, who open their door to all that needed rest, will not be forgotten. Nor should it.
You never know of the effect that a simple gesture, one way or another, has on your sales. That person that you cut off, that person that you let cut in front of you, could be your next customer.
Want more?
The video version of this sales tip goes into more detail. You can find it on my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/BillFarquharson
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Bill Farquharson is a Sales Trainer and Business Development Coach for the Graphic Arts and the president of Aspire For (AspireFor.com). Bill can be reached at (781) 934-7036 or bill@aspirefor.com.
This piece originally appeared in Printing Impressions.