R-E-S-P-E-C-T...Can I get a little...please!
I have been told that I sound like I am about 12 years old on the phone. This can be a problem with some people who don’t want to take me serious as the CEO of my company. The reason I bring this up is because of what just happened to me.
I just got off the phone with a sales representative that was hoping to sell me some advertising space on a very well known website. While talking to her she asked me if I needed help with the spelling of the website she was selling. Let’s just say this is a household name that every woman in America knows, not to mention the spelling isn’t tricky. She later goes on to tell me that she feels she should educate me on a few things, and goes on in a very condescending tone about what she felt I needed to know.
She lost my business and my advertising dollars ($20,000 for a year just for her website) the minute she asked me if I needed help with the spelling.
I am still fuming a little from our conversation because this isn’t the first time this has happened. Another advertiser called and actually asked me if I was really authorized to be making the decisions for my business! Can you believe that? I calmly replied that he was indeed talking to the decision maker, I then kindly said good-bye.
The lesson here is that if you are selling something you need to treat everyone with respect. It doesn’t matter what your customers say, or how they say it. They deserve your respect; if you earn it you will always close that sale.
For now I will start looking into other advertising opportunities with companies that are ready to earn my dollars.
This post is filed under By Merchants, For Merchants and has the following keyword tags: ecommerce, customer service, sales.
