Follow-Up or Fall-Out | Travel Research Online

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Follow-Up or Fall-Out

As some of you know, I am beginning to plan my retirement by moving to up-state New York. I know. I know. “Mike you’re too young to cash in your chips.” My answer to this is that it is never too early to start “planning.”

When Barbara and I began investigating, we took an initial fancy to log homes. We did what any investigators might do–we purchased a log home magazine at the supermarket and sent away for all the free stuff that is not nailed down.  And boy did we get stuff. But here is where today’s lesson begins.

I am absolutely appalled at the lack of professionalism shown by the log home industry. Sure, they got an “A” for sending stuff just the way every other company gets an “A” for sending stuff from direct mail, trade shows, etc. This is the easy part. But the follow-up really fouled them up. I went week after week after receiving the catalogs and never received one phone call. Not one. Zilch. Nada.

Haven’t log people ever been introduced to the Rule of 7? Didn’t anybody tell them the importance of at least, looking interested? Don’t they realize that I just might have a few other things to think about during the course of a day and that I might appreciate a little reminder or nudge from their expert advisors?

I had no idea that log homes were so in demand that all you need to do is shoot out catalogs and take orders.

The smart log people (by my definition) would spot that guy from Colonia, New Jersey (Exit 135) who is raising his hand practically screaming, “I’ll bite. Teach me something.”

Then, the smart guys would follow the catalog with an easy to read brochure or email explaining how a septic system works …. or how to dig a well, or how to get “juice” from the pole to a remote location … or how to shoo bears off your back porch, or how to bake biscuits on a wood-burning stove or 1001 other tidbits of information that a rube from New Jersey might want to learn prior to sticking himself along with his family on top of a hill in upstate New York.

Enough about me. What about you?

When you witness a potential client raising their hand, do you seize the opportunity by plugging them into a logical follow-up program?

I certainly hope so. Because if you don’t, these very same would-be clients might be bad-mouthing you as an uneducated professional who isn’t motivated enough to play the game the way it is designed to be played.

And this is not an ideal situation.

Remember:

  1. When you are out of sight, you are out of mind.
  2. The Rule of 7 indicates that you must follow up more than once.
  3. It is not their job to follow up. It is yours.

With summer being typically slow in the travel industry, this is the perfect season to follow up. Put a little “summer” in your step this week and make more people glad that they know you.

  One thought on “Follow-Up or Fall-Out

  1. Rob Whorton says:

    Mike, I am sorry for your bad experience. If there is anything my company Southland Log Homes can do to help you out please let me know.

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