Take Note

By Thad Plumley

There is a sales representative I don’t see often, but when I do, I know the conversation is going to steer eventually toward three subjects: The Sopranos, Goodfellas, and the Green Bay Packers.

In order, that is the best television show of all time, best-ever movie, and best sports franchise. At least, they are in my not so humble opinion.

This salesperson and I can go months without talking and he works with hundreds of clients around the country. Yet when he sees me, at least one of those subjects is guaranteed to land in our conversation.

It used to amaze me when it happened, but then I realized it’s all in the notes. Literally. My likes are in his notes.

All vendors have notes about their customers’ needs and the products and services they have provided through the years to answer those needs. Many of you have notes about wells you have drilled, pumps you have installed, emergency calls you have gotten, and how you handled such time-sensitive situations.

But do you have notes about your actual customers?

Do you know if any of them agree with my assessment of television, motion picture, and sports history? It may sound silly but keeping personal notes that cover items like that are important.

Sure, it’s not as critical as knowing the gallons per minute a well produced when it was installed, but it is the type of information that can keep a customer for life.

People buy from who they are comfortable with. People do business time and time again when the relationship has less of a cold vendor-customer feel and more of a friends chatting over drinks vibe.

Plus, you’re in luck. It has never been easier to keep track of such friendly information. Regardless of what database you are using for your customer information, chances are it has a notes component. Don’t just use it for the work details; put in the fun facts too.

Yes, there will always be notes like “Well located in corner of property near flowerbed,” but you can also have, “Family trying to visit all 50 states.”

Imagine attempting to schedule an annual maintenance checkup—you are offering your customers annual maintenance agreements, right?—and instead of the conversation sounding like a cold call, you begin with, “So what state did you check off the vacation list this summer?”

It would have an impact. I also bet it would lead to a date being added to your work calendar. I’m confident getting dates on future schedules would be even easier.

Trust me; I’ve seen it. My wife and I met the manager of a restaurant we visited on a recent vacation. We ended up talking with her for a while and had such a good time at her establishment, we asked her to make reservations for us a second night. We loved it once again, and my wife left a five-star Google review when we returned home.

Waiting in my wife’s inbox the next day was a personal email from the manager not only thanking her for the review but filled with several facts about us and our trip. The manager is obviously a fantastic notes taker.

So, how many times do you think we’ve recommended the place?

---

Thad Plumley is the editor of WWJ and the director of publications for the National Ground Water Association. He can be reached at tplumley@ngwa.org, or (800) 551-7379, ext. 1594.