The New Rules of Sales and Service

6Agile, Real-Time Social Sales

Recently, I moved the little hideaway office I maintain as a quiet writing space. It was a very simple move from the first floor of the office building to the second floor of the same building.

I researched moving companies in my area by doing a Google search, leading me to visit their websites. I also checked out review sites like Yelp. Within five minutes, after quickly looking at a dozen firms, I narrowed my search to three companies. To each of these three, and at about the same time, I sent an email through each company's “contact us” page that included: the simple requirements for my move, the dates and times I'd like to do it, and a few photos of my current office so they could see what I needed hauled upstairs.

One company salesperson got back to me within two hours, providing detailed information and a price quote based on my email to that firm. Another company representative phoned me about six hours after I sent my email; he left a voicemail asking me to call him back. The third company got back to me by email the next day and quoted a price that was lower than the one I had received the day before.

Guess which company I went with?

The Quickest Wins My Business

It wasn't the cheapest. It wasn't the one whose rep had left me a voicemail. I chose to go with Big Foot Moving & Storage because they got back to me quickly and they were prepared with detailed information based on my initial email. They didn't waste my time with back-and-forth ...