Not responding to the customer means burning the costs you paid to attract her!
Every Successful Business Needs Investments to Attract Customers
Every successful business requires various investments to attract customers. These investments can take the form of money, time, effort, or even the credibility of your brand. Traditionally, many business owners view every customer interaction as an “opportunity,” assuming it will likely lead to a sale. However, the truth is that when a customer reaches out to you, they are not just a potential opportunity. They represent the culmination of all the hidden costs you’ve incurred to attract them.
The Hidden Costs of Attracting Customers
You invest in attracting every customer. These costs may take different forms, such as:
- Advertising Costs: Expenses for online ads, social media campaigns, or offline advertising.
- SEO and Website Optimization: Investments in optimizing your website to attract customers through search engines.
- Content Creation Costs: The expenses for creating compelling content and services to capture customer attention.
- Time and Energy: The time and effort you put into answering questions and meeting customer needs.
All these costs contribute to attracting a customer but are often overlooked.
View Every Interaction as a Past Investment Worth Protecting
Now that you understand the costs involved in attracting customers, take this understanding a step further. When a customer calls or sends you a message, they represent all the investments you’ve made so far. Ignoring their call or failing to respond essentially means wasting all the resources you’ve invested in bringing them to your business.
Instead of seeing customer inquiries as mere potential opportunities, consider them as deliberate investments that you’ve made. Every time you fail to respond to a customer, it’s like burning that investment and letting it go to waste.
Why These Costs Must Be Taken Seriously
Your customer has gone through a long journey to reach you. If they were drawn in through online ads, you likely paid for each click or impression. If they found your website through search engines, you’ve spent on SEO and optimization. Now that the customer has approached you, they are the return on these investments.
Neglecting or ignoring this customer means wasting all those investments—not just monetary but also your time and energy. These resources can be easily lost if not handled with care.
Respect the Costs You’ve Paid
Imagine you’ve spent money on advertising to attract new customers or launched an online campaign that took significant resources. When a customer contacts you, it means they are “repaying” part of these costs. Failing to respond means losing those investments.
It’s like setting fire to a banknote that you’ve worked hard to earn. This behavior doesn’t just mean losing a potential sale; it means losing all the resources and effort you’ve put into attracting that customer.
Treat Every Customer Interaction as a Valuable Investment
Ultimately, every customer interaction should not be viewed as a mere potential opportunity for a sale but as an investment you’ve already made. This customer represents the hidden costs you’ve incurred to attract them. So, never allow these investments to go to waste.
Failing to respond to a customer means burning the resources you’ve spent to reach them. Instead of viewing customer interactions as vague, uncertain opportunities, see them as genuine and valuable investments that deserve protection.