Are You Missing Good Opportunities?

This month, GM threatened to shut down Saab as a deal to sell the brand to a Dutch car-maker languished. I'll leave it to others to debate whether this is a smart negotiating technique. In the meantime, I'd like to address a more local issue: I own a SAAB and have been happy with it over the years.

Today, I received a letter from my local dealer. As I opened it, I guessed that it would tell me to keep the faith in the Saab dealer's service department—that I need not worry about an interruption in service. I also thought the letter would suggest that I look to buy a new Saab at a discount given the uncertainty over the future of the brand.

What I got instead was the same form letter that I've been getting from this Saab dealer for years. I am nearing a scheduled maintenance for the car, the letter observed, and I should call the dealer's service department for an appointment.

Really? That's it? There was no mention of Saab's future. The omission was so conspicuous that I wondered if Saab might be closing its doors any day now and that this was just a scheduled direct mail piece that someone didn't bother to cancel.

That letter represented a missed opportunity. The dealer had a chance to sell me on staying loyal to the brand, and it blew it. This got me thinking'¦what openings have I missed with my clients? What seemingly obvious chances have I missed to communicate with them, to quell their fears, to give them new information, or to sell them new products and services? More important, how can I make sure I don't miss chances like this in the future? I'm open to your suggestions as this is something from which we can all benefit. How do you prevent missed opportunities in your communications with customers?

Clint Greenleaf

Clint Greenleaf is the founder and CEO of Greenleaf Book Group (GBG), an Inc. 500 company, and a leading publisher and distributor with several NY Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers. Clint (a CPA) sits on the University of Texas Libraries Board, blogs for Inc.com, is a regular guest host on Fox Business Network and has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Inc. magazine, Fox, MSBNC, Money magazine, Men's Health, Forbes and Entrepreneur.