How to avoid losing future business opportunities

When I was 21, I started work as a receptionist at a new and used car dealership. Twice a week, we would receive a new delivery of vehicles to the car yard, and like clockwork, a local man in his late 30s would arrive at the car yard. He would spend anywhere from 15 mins to 2 hours looking at all the newly delivered used cars and talking with the salespeople about them.?

The team always greeted him like an old friend. They may have expressed frustration when they saw him coming at times and were a little cheeky when he left; however, they always treated him with friendly respect and were incredibly patient with him.

After several months, I asked our Used Car Sales Manager if this guy had ever purchased a car. I thought he appeared to be a ‘Tyre Kicker’ and wasting everyone’s time. I couldn’t work out why they humoured him so much??

At the time, I had no way of knowing just how impactful his response would be and how this experience would shape the person I would become and my career. Over the last 20 years, I have witnessed and had a firsthand experience where this lesson has been confirmed on more occasions than I could even begin to recall.?

"No, Janie, he has never purchased a car for himself; however, over the years, he has probably sold more cars than some of the Salesmen I have had through these doors. His passion for cars and his knowledge of our stock are powerful when he tells anyone who will listen. And he is, of course, compensated with a small spotters fee for his trouble. He is one of our most powerful allies. So you see, he doesn’t need to purchase anything. However, his recommendation for us is everything. I’ve learned in business that you never know who will be a customer and who will be a connector, so it’s important to treat everyone like they matter because they do at the end of the day. We all do."

A recent example of this lesson was when I was approached on LinkedIn by an internal recruiter at Company ‘X.’ They felt I might be a good fit. The initial conversations and communication with the recruiter were impressive and refreshing. I felt comfortable proceeding to an interview with the hiring manager. Again I had a positive experience with our discussion, and he advised that they had one more interview to conduct and would let me know by COB the next day.?

However, after I had slept on it, I had time to mull over the pros & cons and how it aligned with my experience and future career aspirations. Ultimately, I decided that the position was somewhat more significant than what my previous experience had prepared me. So the first thing the following morning, I sent a very professional email to the recruiter and the Line Manager, expressing my appreciation for their time and advising that I was withdrawing from the process due to the above reason. I was complimentary about my experience with them and wished them success in finding the right person.?

Although I had not been in the external ‘Job Hunting’ scene for nearly seven years, I would have thought things hadn’t changed that much. To be that far into the recruitment process, I expected to receive at least a short courtesy response confirming that they had received my email, perhaps even reciprocating the appreciation of my time, especially considering they approached me. Therefore, I was surprised and disappointed when I never heard from them again.?

I appreciate that life is a crazy ride with a thousand things to keep track of and follow up on and things ultimately fall through the cracks. However, in this instance, based on the circumstances, I felt this demonstrated poor processes/systems and attitude, which ultimately made for a poor candidate experience despite the strong start.?

So how does my earlier lesson apply to this experience? Today, I might be a candidate. Tomorrow, I may be a prospective client or know a prospective client. And based on my experience, I would not advocate for Company X. This was, however, an excellent reminder for me about how vital follow-through communication is, both professionally and personally.?

The saying goes, ‘People don’t remember what you did; they remember how you made them feel’. So many seemingly insignificant moments and choices can have significant impacts, both short-term and long-term.?

What do you think? Do you have any stories of similar experiences? I’d love to hear about them in the comments below.?