Industry Standards Aren’t Enough
What is the norm in your industry when it comes to client or customer follow-up?
I have spoken to financial advisors who say their golden rule of thumb is to ensure at least one phone conversation or face-to-face meeting with each of their clients every two years. Is this really enough? 
I have worked with a multitude of micro-business owners and I know that in the early stages of a new business there seems to be ample time and opportunity to follow up with clients or customers. Yes, as the business grows, time becomes golden and client or customer follow-up can wane.
If there is an industry standard in your business, are you able to step it up to assure that your company exceeds this standard?
Over the past few months, I have been working with a long-time client who has an established business. I asked the question: Is there money left on the table due to lack of proper follow-up? When you look hard enough the answer will always be yes. This company’s sales team provides quotes to its customers. Once the quote is sent, if they don’t hear back, the salesperson follows up. The question is: What happens after the first month of follow-up?
Recently, we put a system in place for the online marketing coordinator to go through past quotes that had not been fulfilled within a two-month period and send out a welcoming follow-up. This is one additional – and very worthy – step to take to secure any business that may have slipped through the cracks due to lack of action on the potential client’s part.
If you will allow me to rant for a moment, one of my biggest beefs is the dry-cleaning industry. In all the years I have dropped off clothes to be dry cleaned, I have never had an employee call me to tell me my clothes are ready. In my case, I often forget to pick them up and they sit at the dry cleaners for several weeks to a month. Sound familiar? The upside to a quick phone call would most likely be faster payment and better cash flow for dry-cleaning businesses due to faster turn-around on pick-ups.
What is one thing you can do better when it comes to follow compared to your industry standard?