Don’t Get Distracted
IT marketing is more effective if promises are kept. What’s the old saying? If you lie about the small things, you’ll lie about the big things. It’s hard to know where that sentiment comes from, but many in business operate from a moral ethic which takes such observations as reality.
If they see someone who is unfaithful in little, they expect that individual will be unfaithful with much. As a result, punctuality is a quality of modern operations which must be adhered to, especially pertaining to your MSP. Your potential clients are going to be trusting you to maintain their systems perpetually, especially in the wake of a disaster. If you can’t even make it to a meeting on time, you’re going to look like some frazzled and bespectacled rabbit out of Alice in Wonderland making dumb rhymes about a lack of timeliness to the tune of: “I’m late! I’m late! For a very important date!” Now, would you hire such an untrustworthy, mealy-mouthed and milquetoast rabbit for your big business? Of course not.
Excuses
The client doesn’t care if you’re late because you were helping other clients or what. All they care about is that you set a meeting with them and you couldn’t even keep it. That’s annoying, because not only does it demonstrate that you’re not trustworthy, but it additionally wastes their time, and people working in management have a propensity to be of the “type-A” personality. Especially if they’re the type with the hire/fire power. You’re not going to be hired as an IT marketing resource if you can’t make your first meeting on time.
So, make punctuality initially and, going forward, a core prerogative of your operation. You want to set for yourself an appointment that you won’t miss. If you’re one who is prone to forget little details like meetings, you might want to put a note in your phone that reminds you a day before, six hours before, an hour before, and a half hour before your meeting. That way, even if things get in the way, your upcoming meeting with a potential client is always on the back of your mind.
This is especially considerable when you observe that cities increase in both size and congestion almost continuously. Especially those cities that have IT companies and the businesses which those companies represent in a technological sense. When you can keep an appointment, it collaterally communicates that your MSP understands the rhythms of the city, and you won’t be thrown off by them when it’s “crunch time.”
Also, being on time initially establishes a higher level of trust, and trust is absolutely integral to forward-moving operations. One great way to establish solid trust is to make little promises that you keep— like saying you’ll be somewhere on time, and then being at that place at that time. You never ever want to look like you’re a flake.
Punctuality Strategy
Now, being punctual is more than just hitting the dot schedule-wise. Punctuality is an attitude of consideration that may take years to master, crazy as that sounds. You’ve got to plan in advance— often several days. Because here’s the thing: the best-laid plans of mice and men, as the saying goes, do not always go as intended. The truth is, you’re going to encounter many situations where the issue you had intended to deal with later becomes insurmountable as other issues pile up around it. In the end, you’re treading water with just your face above the waves, and one small storm surge will pull you under.
However, if you’ve taken the time to plan things out in advance, then no matter the maelstrom, you’ll be prepared to meet it. Part of punctuality involves “overkill.” That is to say: if you’re supposed to be at a place by five, plan for four and get there then. If you’ve got an hour of free time to yourself, then use that hour! If you plan for four and get there at 4:50, then you’re still able to make your appointment by five. You’ve got to give yourself space to succeed, and then your IT marketing efforts will be more effective all around.
