Last week, a friend called to say we had just been given an opportunity to claim one of two remaining spots at a local expo that really seemed to fit one of our markets to a tee.
Awesome.
The only downside was we had a whopping 30 hours notice and pulling it off professionally would require assembling a ton of resources very quickly and marshaling the talents of some already very busy people. And oh, yeah… an eleven hour round trip to Minneapolis and back.
Downside? Nah…
I wish you could have seen it… well, who knows… maybe you did. We had the kickin’est exhibit in the place… people packed in, literally six and eight deep, across the entire length of the display ’cause… well, they weren’t really sure why.
I was.
We were there to serve… we were there to connect… we were there to bring hope and offer respect and give acknowledgment and encouragement and… yeah, we also had the most talked-about, cool product in the hall.
Oh, and not only that… we were Light and Life and Love to any and all who came near.
“They’ll remember us forever!!”
Won’t they?
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“The beat goes on…” – Sonny and Cher
As I was reaching out to all of these wonderful folks this week, not only was I thankful but I also realized the wisdom in those words. Not the rest of the song, mind you… just those four words.
The beat goes on…
If leads are not followed up quickly, the challenges and issues and complexities of life can begin to crowd out some of the goodwill that we work so hard to forge.
Which, BTW is really interesting… I read the other day that most leads are never followed up. As in, NEVER!
Huh? That’s right, and according to this article, it doesn’t matter from which lead source. From the people that we meet at Trade Shows and networking events… to those in gyms and hotels and elevators… to our seat mates at sporting events and on airplanes… most leads merely fade away.
Need proof? I didn’t… I had only to look in the mirror and remember the boxes of cards I collected many years ago in business. Wow… what friendships there might have been if only I had just listened more… cared more… and served more. If I had just followed up.
Yes, all too often we can become too focused on ourselves… on our own thoughts, our own goals, our own desires. And if we’re not careful, we can search for and settle for the home run, the easy money… the one-night stand.
That’s right.
Studies seem to indicate that many businesspeople just want a contact… just want a sale. But when the sale doesn’t come at the moment of first contact, the potential can go right out the window.
Because most often, that potential lives inside of a relationship… and relationships don’t develop in an instant. They take a ton of work and a lot of commitment, and the truth is that, unfortunately, many people just aren’t that good at relationships to begin with!
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So what are we doing?
Well, I’m happy to say that our team is batting a thousand. That’s right, we’re 212 for 212… every lead followed up… cards, e-mail, telephone, smoke signal… whatever it takes.
Step-by-step… the way all relationships begin.
Questions:
Have you ever met a “perfect-fit”, and then not followed up?
More than one?
More than one hundred?
What are the causes that lead many good people to procrastinate in this area?
What are some solutions?
I look forward to hearing from you.
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