Communication is KEY when you are a boss lady and can also help accelerate you business. We’ve all been there, sitting at a drive thru waiting on our food, and it takes at least ten years (It’s called fast food for reason). You finally get your food and its hard to enjoy your food because you are so upset it took too long. It ruined your experience a little, right? Responding late can ruin a clients experience and really put a sour taste in their mouth about you.
When I first started off in this industry, my communication was a little different then it is now (believe me, I’m no where I want to be, but I’m trying!). When I first started my business, I received a wedding inquiry. I honestly didn’t think to much about timely responses and the quickness of this world. I figured, “I’m kind of busy I’ll email them back soon”. Honestly, we are all busy, & the world is a busy place. That was a horrible excuse on my behalf. Well soon turned into five days later (I know, don’t judge me). I eagerly replied and she immediately responded. She basically explained that she didn’t hear back from me soon enough and found someone else. I had lost my first client.
She found someone else because I was slow.
I was super bummed and couldn’t understand the significance of what I did. I mean, I responded right? Wrong. My husband pointed out that I wasn’t responding quick enough. He gently explained that unfortunately this is a “need it now kind of world”. He went on to say that I needed to respond asap whether that was an email saying that I was out of the office & would gladly respond later or an in depth response answering their questions. Something I learned from my 12 years of serving is that the client comes first. It doesn’t matter how you respond, you just need to make them feel important because honestly they ARE. They keep your business running and they put food on your table. Let them know that you received their email and you will respond as soon as you get to your computer. We all just want to feel acknowledged. It takes less then five minutes out of your day to respond, and your response is important. Even when you are out of town or on vacation it’s our duty to set up an auto response that acknowledges their email. This is just as important to treat your fellow industry partners with a quick response. You want your industry Vendors to go to Friendors (no, for real) and ultimately you want to show them respect. Networking and building relationships is CRITICAL in this world today and you want to make a lasting impression on everyone you come in contact with.
Image was taken from adespresso.com. Read more here on these interesting statistics.
