<VV> free advice

[kaczmarek at charter.net]

Guys
I don't know how many of you are depositors of the nations largest bank (Bank of America), but they actually CHARGE YOU TO SPEAK TO SOMEONE OVER THE PHONE. At least they do in NC and VA.  If you go thru the voice activated system to check on the problems you can, and then you still need to speak to a Customer Service Rep, there will be a charge for it on your statement. 

Can you imaging calling Lon, Cal, Larry, or even me at Steele Rubber, because you couldn't get the answers you wanted online and being charged for it?? The anally frugal would bust at the seams!!! 

I take about 50 calls a day in the 8 hours I'm at work. 
There is a counter in my phone that lets me know this. 

50 x5 --250 calls a week. 1000 calls a month. 
Out of those 1000 calls, last month I made 260 sales, or just a hair over 1/4 of all calls resulted in sales. 

Those sales resulted in a gross of just under 41K, of which they paid me 2500.00  So what did I do with the rest of my time???

1. Give quotes to people who can't afford the parts (even though our prices are the lowest in the industry overall)
2. Give installation advice to people who have never installed weatherstripping before. 
3. Tell customers how to find their model and style information on whatever model they have. 
4. Telling customers that they shouldn't bother looking for mass produced rubber parts for a car that they only made 1100 of. EX:69 Torino Convertible. 
5. Counsel Customers when they say their parts don't fit.
(Turn it over and upside down---NOW try it!!! OH!!!! 

And the list is almost endless. 

Now before I hear a slathering of

"that goes with the Territory" and about 100 other made up axioms, be advised that

The person who coined the phrase "the customer is always right", probably was never in business themselves. 

Companies that live by that axiom don't always stay in business. 

Sure, you want to treat your customers fairly. As long as it isn't to your detriment. If you're going to spend 25.00 worth of your time answering questions to someone who hasn't ever bought anything from you, and may never buy anything from you, the only person to lose is the person who is in business trying to make a living. And then they complain they have to pay for the long distance charge to talk to you as well??? 

I probably don't know everything I need to know about that. 

Information is knowledge. Knowledge is power. Power costs money. Methinks that's the bottom line. 

Hank