Unacknowledged! Excellent!

The thing about why not that makes it tough is so many of us take it personally. I think if we’re going to be *in* business, we have to keep it in the section of our brain marked *about* business.

The lady at the office superstore, for instance, wouldn’t have been hurt one bit had she heard about the store’s failing. The store is flawed, not her.

Nobody’s business is perfect, so there are going to be reasons why folks didn’t buy. When someone says “I didn’t do business with you because…” we have to try to remember they mean “I didn’t do business with *your business* because.”

Plus, the business is more fixable (if we choose to) and its feelings don’t get hurt.

Do try it, and I’d love to hear back if you learn something amazing.

Regards,

Kelly

This post was very helpful, though I agree: Asking “why not?” Seems VERY daunting! I may just try it, though, if I have the opportunity in the future.
Jennifer Moore´s latest blog… Call for help FROM the overwhelmed person. Does not appear to be a hoarder.

Ah, not ready and justifying the expense. Two sides of the same coin of resistance, aren’t they? Reminds a little me of this post from December.

Sounds like the people you wound up presenting to were maybe not really ideal customers, but looky-lous. That’s the biggest block of all (one we all face frequently).

Later,

Kelly

1. They were too embarrassed/not ready
2. They couldn’t justify the expense

One of the reasons I got out of the business was because I couldn’t figure out a way around these two blocks despite trying every trick I had ever read about.
Alex Fayle ¡ Someday Syndrome´s latest blog… Resolving to Be Happier: The Happiness Project

Ooh—unexamined. Good one.

True, it’s hard to spit out. Yet mighty valuable and well worth it. Funny that the two things that frighten people most in business are face-to-face sales/marketing, and asking what went wrong. I mean beforehand, okay, you’re worried you might boff something and lose a sale, but afterwards, it’s boffed! What’s so scary?

Not you in particular, lol, just musing on that.

Todd,

Absolutely! And happy folks have about three words to say, usually. “It was great,” maybe, or “fit my needs.”

Unhappy customers (often) hope you’ll take them seriously enough that they can become happy customers in the future. They’ve thought about you and about what went right and wrong in weighing whether to “get involved.” And they are dying to be paid attention to! So the conversation can be much more insightful.

I read somewhere a lovely stat that said that unhappy customers who are treated well in the aftermath actually have *higher* customer satisfaction scores than folks who never had anything go wrong at all. (I may have quoted the study here before. Anyway…)

Why are they happier?

Easy. They got that human interaction that we’re scared to dish out.

Until later,

Kelly

Yes, but sometimes that “why?” is hard to spit out — at least when your product/services is *you*. (BTW, not an excuse, just an observation here…)

I’ve had clients — not many, thankfully — where things just haven’t gone right and they move on. I know I should get to the bottom of it, but it can be difficult because (a) it’s a pride-swallowing thing to do, which can be icky and (b) I have the further business disability of being unable to comfortably put them on the spot.

Of course that’s a different situation than the typical customer service person taking back a box of pens. Ultimately though I think that questions, even casual, friendly questions, should certainly be asked.

BTW, perhaps the alliterative word you are looking for is “Unexamined”? Not quite a synonym, not quite the impact perhaps as “Ignored”, but alliteratively it works… (I always take these things to be challenges…)

~Graham

Ah, yes, so true. The secondary moral that got buried in this story. Though when I thought I was defeated and that was the only way, I took it, because I’m excessively brand loyal in this case. Most of the time, I would have done what you did, and that company would have lost a sale. (The way the store did, 8 1/2 minutes later.)

Maybe if you had another choice across the street, you might have found the 12-pack you wanted.

If I thought 12 cheap blue Bic pens was a good host’s gift, I’d see about bringing some up the next time I visit. Smuggled Bic pens!

A bit too cheesy, though the smuggling aspect does add a certain romance to it. LOL.

Regards,

Kelly