I recently bought a washer and their advertising flyer says that I get a flat iron and a hamper if I buy it in cash. Since I needed one and I had cash that time, I bought the machine. I got the flat iron all right, but since they ran out of stock of hampers, they promised to send it to me. It has been a month now but no hamper.



For all the business people reading this: Do what you promised to do!

Because of this recent experience and several others (including a pest control company that never came back after I reported seeing cockroaches again), I developed some theories on why people do not do what they promised to do. Here goes:

They forget. Yes, a simple reason but companies really tend to forget. They may have every intention of calling or delivering their promises but was just too caught up in running their business. This is not a justification. We are clients and we expect that all appointments, promises, especially those that are written in your postcards and advertising flyers are made real.

They would not make money on you anymore. A follow up will not make any difference in their business or income. Wrong! They should not expect me to come back to their store if I was not pleased the first time I was duped. Second, I will not sing praises about their product or service but instead talk about how dissatisfied I was.

They do not know the value of cumulative effect. Always remember that satisfied customers multiply mathematically while dissatisfied clients multiply exponentially. If you know this then you would not want a dissatisfied customer only because you did not make that follow-up.

As a consumer, I cannot underscore the importance of a follow-up. It may not be worth anything for the company but a follow-up sends a signal that your company cares. It does not have to be as pompous as an elaborate thank you postcard or as personal as a hand-written note from the CEO. A quick phone call after the delivery of the product or after performing a service will do the trick as it confirms our decision to buy you.

I guess what determines businesses that care from businesses that are just there to make a quick buck is the follow-up. Companies can differentiate themselves by making a conscious effort to follow-up with customers or clients. Is your company one of them?