Sometime ago my wife and I went to a local animal shelter to adopt a white cat, our previous cat having passed to the great cattery in the sky.
We knew that we would experience no problems in getting a cat coz it was breeding season and we are informed regularly that something like 19,000 cats and kittens are euthanized every year coz nobody wants them. In addition we wanted an older cat which is harder to re-house coz nobody wants them… they only want fluffy, playful kittens.
We were taken aback when the cat adoption controller insisted that we must bring our dogs around to meet the cats before we could have one. We’ve had cats and dogs for 45 years and know that when a new animal arrives there’s a bit of temporary trauma but they soon get along. Having the dog approve your cat, or vice versa, is a bit like having your spouse approve your mother-in-law (or vice versa)!
We were even more bemused when we were told that, coz the cat could go outside to our cat castle (an enclosed wire pet park) we couldn’t have a white one coz they get skin cancer from the sun.
Having given us that news, the cat adoption controller turned on their heels, left us and went to talk to another member of the team… without even suggesting another option or asking for our name, phone number or e-mail to follow up!
Amazing stuff really! Here we were … desperate wanting to be cat adopters, itching to get a cat and they were just gunna let us go, maybe never to return. And it’s not that they didn’t or wouldn’t have a cat… 19,000 are euthanized every year.
They literally walked away from a potential adoption, and they forgot the cardinal rule… stay with a prospect till they buy or die!
Of course, it made me wonder. How many other prospects are sent on their way empty handed (or in this case without giving a loving home to a creature in need) coz they don’t follow up?
Make it a rule in your business that you get the contact details of every prospect and stay with in touch with them until they buy or die!
Oh, by the way, it was three weeks before we found a cat from another source. If they’d followed us up within 2 or 3 days of our initial visit and told us they had a cat that we’d like we would have gone back just to save time, trouble and effort. The point to remember is that often people make an enquiry of you and then do nothing… a call from you to your potential may just get you the sale!
Winston,
good on you for going to a shelter! The self important attitude of the person described is a real worry. Adopting shelter animal isn’t like buying a pair of shoes -it’s a life, a living thing with only two options – a new home or the lethal. No excuse for this kind of third rate service. Do they get jaded and forget how important their role is? And, as you say, a follow up call was all you needed. Please feel free to pass on my comments to the shelter manager who should be made aware of the bad service. I hope your new cat is settling in well with the dogs.
Cheers,
Liz
We ended up with two cats Liz and they both have control of the dogs, no problem.
And we’re a great big happy family… all six of us!
I’m still concerned about how many potential adoptions they lose coz they don’t handle enquiries well.
There are such great lessons for many businesses in your fantastic story Winston.
1) Viewing the experience through the customer’s eyes.
2) Ensuring that customers feel better about themselves for having given you the opportunity to serve them well.
3) Staying in touch “until they buy or die” – love this!
4) The power of following up promptly; so few do it.
Thanks Winston. Marvellous example and I do love happy endings.
Thanks for drawing it all together Jurek.
You may be interested to know that I sent the story to the animal shelter last week after its was published here and guess what? I haven’t heard a thing! Can you believe that? Do they really care?
Winno. Well said. As someone who is close to the shelter industry we need to understand their business. Most of the people working in these shelters are not trained in retail. They are Shelter hands, vets or vet nurses and often young / inexperienced. Shelters are also very short staffed and spare funds are tight. Many of the adoptions are done at cost or less. Furthermore, the staff at these shelters would be unlikely to read blogs like yours and therefore unlikely to learn anything. Now that you have saved an animal you could help save many more by assisting current and future shelter staff with your insights and developing future sales induction programs.
Thanks Chris and I’d be delighted to help with training of the team members at these shelters… it’d be a privilege to do something to help in the monumental task they face. I’ll go back and offer the shelter concerned my services… I was gunna do that but I thought they might think I’m looking for work! I’d better stress that it’s a free, no strings attached offer!