Pass That Lead Along Instead Of Saying No

Writen by Dr. Gary S. Goodman

I just got a lead from someone who left a message saying he wants to have appointments set on his behalf.

I used to consider these inquiries a nuisance, because it would bother me to ignore them, and I didn't feel I could benefit from them, directly.

But now, I take a different tack.

For example, at present, my firm doesn't do appointment-setting, but we know others who do.

So, without hesitation, I didn't call him to say no; I passed along his inquiry to someone who can say yes.

I won't earn a spiff, a commission, or a referral fee of any kind.

But it's in everybody's interest to make the economy more efficient, so instead of sitting on this lead, I sent it out as soon as I could, which happened to be within five minutes of receiving it.

This is the second time this week that I've done it, and I know, somewhere in the ether, someone, the great Overseer of All Business, is keeping track, and my very minor generosity will come back to me.

Perhaps multiplied, as some folks believe.

No matter, we should develop a small but responsive network of people to whom we can distribute excess or not quite relevant leads, if for no other reason, than it feel so good, and makes us feel we're making a contribution.

Dr. Gary S. Goodman, President of Customersatisfaction.com, is a popular keynote speaker, management consultant, and seminar leader and the best-selling author of 12 books, including Reach Out & Sell Someone® and Monitoring, Measuring & Managing Customer Service, and the audio program, "The Law of Large Numbers: How To Make Success Inevitable," published by Nightingale-Conant. He is a frequent guest on radio and television, worldwide. A Ph.D. from USC's Annenberg School, a Loyola lawyer, and an MBA from the Peter F. Drucker School at Claremont Graduate University, Gary offers programs through UCLA Extension and numerous universities, trade associations, and other organizations in the United States and abroad. He holds the rank of Shodan, 1st Degree Black Belt in Kenpo Karate. He is headquartered in Glendale, California, and he can be reached at (818) 243-7338 or at: gary@customersatisfaction.com.