Traveling has its risks, including the ever-present danger of being stranded in someplace strange.
It’s a reality of travel, and it happened to me two days ago.
My camper is a toy hauler model, because it’s designed to carry my motorcycle inside the trailer when I travel.
Well, I stopped at a rest area to check things out and my trusty BMW was lying on it’s side. It had become dislodged from its anchor points and there was no way to secure it. To continue on would be like having a 600 lb bowling ball rolling around in the camper.
Not a good day, especially since it was late on Saturday. I had to order a new part for the anchoring system and I knew it was going to be Monday before I could get the new part ordered.
On Monday morning I had become an ideal customer for the company selling the anchoring system.
I tried every way I could to place my order. The website would not work no matter what I did. The phone number for the company led to a voice mail box that was “not available.” My emails to support were not answered.
I see similar things in many businesses, including fitness businesses, and it really frustrates me. And, it costs the company a sale.
The lesson is to make it easy for motivated people to buy from us.
Take a journey through your intake process, both physical and online. Think like the newbie. Map it out. How many steps does it take to get the correct information to the ready-to-buy consumer? Is the voice mail box ready for messages? How long is the response time for an inquiry?
Most importantly, what can you do to streamline the process?
Think Amazon. How many clicks does it take to buy on Amazon? Can you make your process as seamless as Amazon, or at least get it closer to Amazon. They have set the standard, let’s emulate them.
In the end I took the mangled steel part for the motorcycle mount and with a heavy hammer, I beat it back into serviceable shape. It doesn’t look pretty, but it works and I am back on the road.
Of course, I now have more money in my pocket, and more confidence in my ability to solve unusual problems. 😉
Remember, you only get results if you take immediate action on your ideas!
