How a "PRO" handles a probem

So.....I've sold many of my "Coffee Mug Ad" programs to many people. Yesterday, Nov 19. 2014......one of my "Students" phones me.....In a Frantic!

I tell her to calm down and tell me what has happened.

She tells me she got 6 biznesses to pay her $590 for an Ad on her Coffee Mug program which involves selling Ads on Coffee Mugs....getting them made and then delivered to the Restaurant.

Well......for some reason....."STUFF Happens"! The Phone No for one of her advertisers is WRONG!

So......I tell her to "relax" and I will look at the problem...and sure nuff, the Phone # for one of the advertisers is wrong......instead of an "8" in the number, the number on the Mugs is "SIX"!

So......I phone the "6" number and sure nuff.......it's a residence.

I tell the person who picks up the phone that "A Mistake Was Made"......
Their phone number was put in the Ad by Mistake HOWEVER......I'd be willing to pay them $5 for each phone call they received, asking about (X)

He agreed!

I then asked him to write down each and every phone no and send it to me, and I'd pay him $5 for each one.

So.......instead of being accused of "something"......"interrupting" them, or whatever.....I got a "Lead-Collector"!

I then phoned my student, who made the boo-boo, and told her...instead of dealing with a "disgruntled" consumer.....I got him to agree to send YOU the Phone nos of each and every Call he gets.....for $5 each.

So......would YOU be willing to pay $5 for each call.....rather than being hassled by someone who will be "disturbed" by receiving calls due to YOUR Mistake?

She agreed.....

So.......not all of these types of problems can be solved BUT...this one was!

Thanks for letting me present a "Marketing Problem" that could happen to ANYONE! Just look at the "problem"......think about possibilities to solve and....take action!

Don Alm.......Marketing guy and Problem Solver from waaay baack

[Dien Rice]

Originally Posted by Don Alm

She tells me she got 6 biznesses to pay her $590 for an Ad on her Coffee Mug program which involves selling Ads on Coffee Mugs....getting them made and then delivered to the Restaurant.

Well......for some reason....."STUFF Happens"! The Phone No for one of her advertisers is WRONG!

So......I tell her to "relax" and I will look at the problem...and sure nuff, the Phone # for one of the advertisers is wrong......instead of an "8" in the number, the number on the Mugs is "SIX"!

So......I phone the "6" number and sure nuff.......it's a residence.

I tell the person who picks up the phone that "A Mistake Was Made"......
Their phone number was put in the Ad by Mistake HOWEVER......I'd be willing to pay them $5 for each phone call they received, asking about (X)

He agreed!

Hi Don,

Every business... every one in the world... will come across problems sooner or later...!

That one sounds like a real doozy... But, you came up with a great solution. Thanks for sharing it!

As you said, not all problems can be solved, but in the toughest situations, finding the solution can mean the difference between a successful business, and an unsuccessful one...

By the way, this really shows why it's very useful to have people like mentors, or a "master mind", or even just entrepreneurial friends you can bounce ideas off of.

In this case, your student had you to come to, to see if you could think up a solution... and you came up with the goods, and "saved her bacon"...!

In my case, I have a few entrepreneurial friends and family (one of my brothers is also quite entrepreneurial) who I sometimes bounce ideas off of... And man, it's very useful. Often they see things I can't see, or come up with suggestions I hadn't thought of...

If you're traveling the "entrepreneurial road" and you don't have these kinds of people around you, you have to get them! It could mean the difference between failure and success... It makes the "journey" more enjoyable, too!

You can get a mentor (including paying for one, which can be worthwhile)... There are excellent people out there (and also here) who you can pay for consulting work, and it will often pay you back in spades...

But also, you can get entrepreneurial friends (including through this forum, and through other places)... It's very, very important, I think, to get entrepreneurial friends, colleagues, mentors - all of the above!

Make sure these are people who "walk the walk" - who are doers, and who have done, or are doing, entrepreneurial projects themselves! At the beginning, you may not know many, if any, of these kind of people... But, you'll find a lot of them right here on this forum, for one place. These friendships and relationships are vitally important!

I met up with one of my entrepreneurial friends yesterday, for a coffee... We share notes, share new things we've learned, give each other comments and advice. Whenever we meet up, I always leave with a pleasant "buzz" and new ideas...

I think having these kinds of people around you is one of the "hidden" and not-often-talked-about keys of business success!

Best wishes,

Dien