How’s Things? in action

Regular readers of my blog know that one of my favourite business strategies is the “How’s Things?” call. That’s where you ring your customers for no reason other than to ask them how your product or service is working for them.

So it was interesting to hear from my Miracle Worker, Felicity, about a conversation on that very topic which occurred during a business meeting she attended. Here’s what she had to say.

“The business in question has implemented the “How’s Things?” calls. A person at the meeting asked whether it was the right way to go about staying in touch, given that we’re gravitating towards a world where people don’t answer their phone. He suggested maybe an email would be better.

Even allowing for the fact that the 2 people making the calls are ringing work numbers, not personal mobiles, their feedback was still really interesting. Most people receiving the calls were very happy with the product. Some also asked a question or two they’d been meaning to ask, but hadn’t gotten around to asking.

But more importantly, there were a few customers where the original person who’d been trained to use the product had moved on, and the new person didn’t really know how to use it properly. Which gave the business a chance to offer some free training, and make sure the product continued to be used.

This was vital, because the product involves an annual subscription. Identifying this crucial issue early, which might have led to a customer cancelling their subscription because nobody was using it, had helped the business keep those clients on-board.”

I rest my case. The “How’s Things?” call is still a strategy that can work gangbusters for your business, so start using it today.