Never waste a chance to communicate

Sometimes being in the communications profession causes me to look at things a bit differently than the average person. Here’s an example.

The other day I found a large white envelope in my mailbox. It hadn’t been mailed, but was hand delivered. My name wasn’t on it, but the return address was imprinted with the name and company of a local real estate agent. I know this woman and she knows me and my kids; she is a smart cookie.

 

And yet, she missed out on the opportunity to communicate with me. Tucked inside the envelope was a glossy home architecture/décor magazine, with no note or anything from the agent.

She could have reached out to me with a quick hand-written note, something like: “Donna, hope you're well. Please enjoy this magazine with my compliments. If you're ever thinking of listing your house, call me …” (I’m a big fan of hand-written notes, as this blog post attests.)

In fairness, perhaps she was dropping off, or paying someone else to drop off, 200 or more magazines in the area, and didn’t want to write 200 notes. Fine. She could have created a template for a note on her computer, and then personalized each one with a name, plus a handwritten signature. Even just her business card or her brochure attached to the magazine would have been better than what she did.

I’m shaking my head. It seems downright silly to drop off something at your prospect’s house, and yet drop the ball completely.

Have you witnessed a missed communication opportunity lately?

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Comments

[Actiemarketing]

I totally agree with you!

[Sherryl Haney]

True! When you have the opportunity, Never waste a chance to communicate. You don’t know when is your next time. Maybe today is your last, so tell everyday what you want them to know.

[Andrew Miles]

Nothing beats a personal hand written notes. It just fell like they put an effort doing it.