I had a job in retail a long time ago, working at a now-defunct chain called Software Etc. Over the years, I’d run into some of the people I worked with. One guy, Steve, went on to start a couple of businesses. He was doing well enough that he’d hired a junior partner – slash – office manager, and a part-time phone sales person.
Steve and his manager decided that they were leaving a lot of money on the table, and wanted a way to scoop it back up. Just a cursory glance over their lack of process told me they could easily be making at least 3 times what they were currently pulling in, just by creating a sales process and following it.
In the few minutes that I was allowed to sit in the main office, I saw their “sales person” polishing her nails, reading a book, and brushing her hair. I was told she was there strictly to take orders and try to upsell, since she really wasn’t comfortable with making outbound calls. I didn’t hear the phone ring once in all the time I was at their offices.
My initial suggestions were met with outright hostility. Why would they make her do anything she didn’t want to? How dare I suggest that people who’d been filling out postage-paid interest cards actually get a phone call from her? If they took my suggestion and had her practice a follow-up process with current customers, didn’t I realize that would be taking time away from her phone duties? I delivered my recommendations and was shooed out. My follow-up calls and e-mails were never answered.
It was a case of, “I want the extra money, but I don’t want to change the way we’re doing things around here.”
I find I’m currently in the same situation. Do I want to make some major changes and shove a rocket up the tail of Agile’ Marketing? Or am I content with the way things are? Should I be forced at gunpoint to drink my own medicine?
Stick around – I have a feeling we’ll both be surprised by developments in the near future.
