BizCoachDeb’s Blog

This surprised me and hits me on a couple levels. As part of my membership with my local Chamber of Commerce, they offer us discounts they negotiate in a B2B flyer. One such offer was from a national office supply company. I sent an email to the one listed on the sheet and never (after waiting 2 weeks) received an email or call. I sent it again, same result. I decided maybe the email was incorrect, so notified the Chamber, who then called the company and passed on my information. Another two days passed and finally I get a call from one of their reps. He goes on to tell me I need to complete a credit application and once that’s out of the way, we’ll get on with the business of ordering. Mind you, I’ve been in business for many years and this is the first time I’ve been asked for this,but I play along. Another day passes, all looks great he says, but then an email comes, the contents basically boil down to, “Because you are a home-based, we cannot deliver to you.” What? Okay, I get supplies and packages from all over the country, but their warehouse in Denver can’t get to my home office? They could ship my orders with one of the overnight carriers, but wouldn’t deliver to me otherwise. I now don’t need to worry about ever doing business with them or or promoting them to any of my colleagues. To think it took a month to get this all figured out!

Do yourself a favor, don’t limit yourself on the way to serve a client, no matter their size or location. Make it a policy to serve them and think of the best and easiest way to do so. As was said in the movie Glen Gary, Glen Ross,”A guy doesn’t come on the lot lest he wants to buy .” Whether you have to deliver to their office or their home office shouldn’t matter in the least.