# Client Communications -how to improve?



## EZ Bales (Aug 21, 2014)

My husband and I run a Haying operation in Southern Alberta (Canada) where we have clients who contact us then come and pick up our hay bales at a mutually agreed upon time - yet there is a number of clients who arrive late or don't show up at all. We do find this very rude, as I ask them to let me know if they will be late or delayed - with all the methods of communication (phone, email, text, fb, twitter etc) there should be no reason why they can't reach me, yet they don't.

My question is how do I get them to arrive on time? I'd like to know what other folks do to keep their clients on time - I know I'm always arriving early to any appointment I have...I'd never hold anyone up!

Thank you!

EZ Bales


----------



## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

You will never get them to arrive on time. The best you can do is have them call you when they leave to come. Then at least you will know to expect them. Also tell them if they dont call before leaving their place you will assume they are not coming so if they arrive and you are not there its their own fault.


----------



## EZ Bales (Aug 21, 2014)

Thank you for your reply Hay Master - I feel that you too have been held up by the "No Show Clients". I do like your suggestion and will try that - thank you!


----------



## ARD Farm (Jul 12, 2012)

EZ Bales said:


> My husband and I run a Haying operation in Southern Alberta (Canada) where we have clients who contact us then come and pick up our hay bales at a mutually agreed upon time - yet there is a number of clients who arrive late or don't show up at all. We do find this very rude, as I ask them to let me know if they will be late or delayed - with all the methods of communication (phone, email, text, fb, twitter etc) there should be no reason why they can't reach me, yet they don't.
> 
> My question is how do I get them to arrive on time? I'd like to know what other folks do to keep their clients on time - I know I'm always arriving early to any appointment I have...I'd never hold anyone up!
> 
> ...


You are obviously a minority (arrive on time) most people don't.

You are selling a service, consequently you need to kiss your customers behinds and overlook their inadequacies, especially if you want to stay in business. In the business world there is no place for personality, you assume the, what I call the 'milk toast' attitude and carry on.

When I sell forage, I do it by appointment as well but I tell my potential customers (they ain't clients BTW, clients are for attorneys) not hay sellers, they are your customers, nothing more, that my barns are protected by ADT (which they are) and viewing or pickup is by appointment only and I must be there to disable the alarm (which ain't a lie).

If they show up, fine. If they don't, fine too. I chalk up a now show to their loss. I have no trouble selling all my forage, never did, so their loss is their's entirely.

Averages say that approximately 30% of your potential customers will not show up, I've just learned to accept that as part of doing business, however, for the ones that don't show and call later with some lame excuse as to why not, my patent line is... sucks to be you because I don't have any left now.

Having said that, leave it at just that and don't get testy no matter how much you want to. One PO'd customer can cost you thousands in sales, especially if they have diarrhea of the mouth and know others looking for forage and/or run a clique, like horsey people do.

Most all of my regular customers have come ro me through word of mouth. I'm to the point now that I know alreafy what I'll need to run next year to satisify my regular cusromers, which cut they prefer and most all their oddities and believe me, hay users, especially equine users, all have oddities.

Above all, mo matter how you feel about their lack of punctuality, keep a straight face and smile. You can always cuss them out when you are alone.


----------



## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

EZ Bales said:


> Thank you for your reply Hay Master - I feel that you too have been held up by the "No Show Clients". I do like your suggestion and will try that - thank you!


Yeah I'm still waiting for a guy that was going to come and buy 100 bales in June. But he didn't call before he left his place so I'm going to assume he isn't coming. I especially do this with new customers. Older established customers that I know are coming when they say they are don't get those orders. But many call anyways.


----------



## Lostin55 (Sep 21, 2013)

I have paid for hay sitting in the stack-yard and they don't show up when they are supposed to so that I can load them. I put the hay in a stack for them to pick up at will and some day they will come get it or their stock will get awful hungry.

Another thing that works is to only load out one or two days a week and make appointments. Rather than say come at 3 o'clock, say come at 3:15. Sometimes it helps. You will still have the occasional no-show until you have your customer base full of repeat customers, but that is part of the game.


----------



## Chessiedog (Jul 24, 2009)

Part of it . good luck


----------

