Do you know how many new clients, you lost this month? Most business owners believe it’s not happening to them because “their business or practice is different.”
The smarter thing to do is to ask yourself: “What do we have to do to fix this problem immediately?” You’ll get more ideas when you think like that versus “our office is different.” You need live people on the phone to give every new prospective client what they want—a live person—so let’s provide a solution and test a few ideas to see what works best.
How do you know that your potential new clients are leaving messages? Don’t put this off! Few concerns are more pressing than this one because every new lead, every referral, every single dollar that you spend on advertising is driving new prospects to one place—your telephone!
All the phone training in the world won’t help your staff to set new appointments if they don’t answer the telephone when the call comes in. We all would like to think that new prospects would conveniently leave their names and numbers when they get your voicemail, but the fact is that this rarely happens. Existing customers might leave a message (they won’t like it), but a potential new client will most likely call someone else. In fact, they probably already have.
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A prospective client is going to call 3-5 of our competitors before they make their final decision. Therefore, you need to go the extra mile to prove that your firm is the best option. Conversion is important, but retention is essential to keep the company thriving. You can retain your clients by keeping the same energy, availability, and commitment from start to finish. If you can keep the relationship intact with your clients, you will have more zealots than just advocates; and by having zealots, you will be able to avoid prospective clients calling multiple competitors.
When prospects finally make that call, they’re ready to talk to you—the Live person! You’ve got to be ready to say, “You’ve called the right place. I have an opening today.” So, be there—live and in-person!
No Excuses!
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Most clients are conditioned, and therefore expect, to reach you during office hours. These hours must be covered by a live person. What about the prospects who call your office during the lunch break? Are you answering the phones during those times? Offices that use their telephones for the main point of entry to their business must focus on their telephone expertise just as much as they do on the technical aspects of what they do and, on the time, and money they put into lead generation marketing.
But often they don’t. Here are some excuses I heard when I asked why the phone wasn’t being answered by a live person:
1. I was with a client, and no one else picked it up. I’m only one person.
2. I’m trying to hire a new intake specialist to answer the phone and schedule appointments, but I can’t hire someone until I get permission to go ahead and place the ad.
3. I was in the back taking a break, and I didn’t hear the phone.
4. I had a doctor’s appointment; the person that’s scheduled to help me didn’t show up yet, but I had to go.
5. Everyone is busy with other clients.
6. We don’t have call forwarding.
7. I’m new and just thought someone else would pick it up.
8. I had to have lunch; it’s my time, and if I don’t take it, I don’t eat.
9. I didn’t know how to take the phone off the answering machine from the night before.
10. We don’t have voice mail; hopefully, they’ll call back.
Don’t let these excuses keep you from answering your phone! And when you do pick up the phone (every time it rings!), this should be the attitude on the phone:
Today I learned that the growth of the company starts with me, an intake specialist. I learned that every consumer should be able to feel my positive energy from the beginning to the end of the call. I learned that communicating with a smile and a pleasant tone can lead to a lasting relationship with a potential client.
Don’t miss that all important call!
