I had a terrible experience calling vendors today! Vendors that should know better. Although maybe the problem is they hired a bunch of old school car people to sell. The first problem I had is I couldn't get through to anyone! It was truly unbelievable. I called the same numbers back three and four times in the space of two hours. No one.
I got a hold of one person and then decided to send send a couple of emails. So the below email is after spending two hours trying to get a hold of someone:
Here is the email I sent:
"I tried to call the main line for two hours and just got the answering machine.
I have two questions":
(I typed out my two questions)
"Once I get these answers from you I may want to look into your ____ further.
Thanks,
Chris"
Here is their response:
"Chris,
Thanks for your email and for considering _______ in your search for a ________.
We receive many questions like yours over email -- and sometimes even from our competition! The best way to fully answer such questions is to get you in touch with your local ______ representative. If you would, please forward your dealership name and a phone number where you can be reached, and I will be sure your rep is immediately notified and ready to answer your questions.
Also, we apologize for any inconvenience our phone system might have caused. If you have any further questions please feel free to contact me directly at 555.555.5555.
Best regards"
Are they serious?? Wow! Are they that afraid of the competition?? Just so you know this is a product that is in most dealerships, and you can go through a demo to find out how it works. Its not some top secret product that they need to hide. They made it very clear they wanted the dealership name and phone number before they preceded.
Here is my response:
"Hi _____,
Competition I'm not and if you had caller ID you would see I tried to get a hold of someone for two hours this morning at _______. It was actually a very frustrating experience since you were not the only ______ company who didn't answer their phone. I wish my guys could get a way with not answering the phone knowing people would just call them back. Or will they?
If your interested in giving me the info I requested, great. If not, I'll move on.
Thanks for your time,
Chris"
I know I was blunt but guess how I felt after calling several companies and getting the answering machine every time? One company that answered the phone asked for the dealership name and number. When I said I was just gathering info and just wanted to talk to someone first, she said no problem and transfered me to someone on the road but first relayed my first name that I gave her and probably "he would only give me his first name" line.
You know what? The guy was good. "Is this Chris"? I told him yes and what I wanted. Guess what? He answered my questions! No problem! And ya know what else? I gave him my info! Why? Because we deserved it, he earned it. He wasn't afraid. In fact, he seems to be one of the few that "gets it".
Put yourself in your customers shoes. Do your questions and process seem easy? Do you "require" info from them that frankly they didn't have to give? Do you expect them to abide by your rules or do you "move with the customer"? Do you gain trust first and then ask for info later? If you are confident in your skills and have a good process, there is no need to worry. Most of your competition is terrible.
UPDATE: I let it sit for several days and NO RESPONSE!!
