Keep Your Promises
Sometimes everybody in every field just gets so busy that they lose track of the very basics that made them successful in the first place. Sales are no different and today I will share a story with you about a salesperson that has lost their way. The point that I would like for you to remember as you review this story is that no matter how successful you have become in the field of sales, there is no excuse for forgetting the basics.
A friend of mine, Bill, was recently in the market to refinance his house to make some home improvements, pay some bills and take a trip. He began to search for a broker that would be able to help him out with his needs. A broker was found and the process of obtaining a home equity loan started with all the paperwork that is familiar to most of us. After jumping through all the hoops and completing all the necessary steps, Bill was told by his broker that this was a slam-dunk and he would have his money within the week.
Two weeks passed and not only did Bill not have his money but he could not even get his broker to return his calls. So there is no money and no explanation why. The point is this, if you make promises to your customers, then you better keep them. Bill was promised a number of things that never came true. At one point Bill was promised that there would be constant communication regarding the status of his loan. As you can see, there was a two-week period when there was zero communication and several phone calls that were never returned. Bill was also promised that his approval was a “slam-dunk” and he could count on the money. This is a dangerous promise at best because the salesperson, or broker, is promising things that are out of his control. The last promise broken, of course, is that Bill never did get his money.
Many promises were made during this transaction, none were kept, and this broker lost a customer today and many more tomorrow because Bill told everyone he knew about what had happened. The broker did an OK job, everything was in order, he met all of Bill’s needs, and he still lost a potential customer all because he failed to keep his promises! The bottom line is this-If you make a promise, even a small promise, KEEP IT!
FINAO - Brad Huisken - President, IAS Training
