The Thrill of a New Customer

It is the unexpected phone call you love to take. Normally when your mobile rings you look at the screen and it's a pal, work colleague, family member or a just a number. Most times you recognise the number... sometimes you don't...

I took a call yesterday from a local number I didn't immediately recognise, "Hello?", I chirped expecting a run-of-the-mill service call from a clients' home number or somesuch. "Hi Matt, it's John.", "Hi, John", I'm non the wiser as it's a pressure point of the day and I'm running my eye over an urgent email whilst taking the call. "John Smith, from ABC Ltd, have you got a couple of minutes?"

John runs a successful windows & doors company in Basildon, we'd had one meeting which was with the guy who referred us, and I'd provided him with budgetary costs after one of our engineers had completed a full site survey. That was the last time we spoke and if I'm honest I assumed it had gone cold...

After a breif chat about how busy he had been these last few months launching new products (aaah, that's why he didn't return my calls) he laid the best line any prospect can, with little fuss or fanfare, "Matt, we'd like to go ahead with your proposal please."

John doesn't know this, but he made my bloody day yesterday.

Every time a brand new customer says 'yes', it's affirmation that you're doing something right, that your presentation is working. A 'yes' means someone who has no previous experience of your company is confident enough to place their business with you. Existing customers do this all the time because they know and trust you, but there is an extra thrill when someone new comes along and places that same level of expectency on your business.

I'm off to see John this morning to tie up loose ends and shake hands on the deal, talk about the delivery schedule, the installation stages and all the minutae that makes up 'the deal'. Very much looking forward to delivering the Cat5e cable network and brand new telephone system that ABC Ltd are expecting.

Thank you, John.