What’s Costing You the Most Profit? Missed Sales Opportunities! Dumb Company Policy

Here’s another missed sales opportunity: I called a company, Paper Direct, to request a sample of specialty paper I was to order on behalf of one of my clients. The bill would have been over $700.

I was told it was company policy to charge $5.00 for the single sheet of sample paper. Resisting this seemingly unreasonable policy,

I was told then told by a supervisor that the policy was designed to keep people from “freeloading” free samples. When I reminded the supervisor that I’d be buying $700 worth a paper, she agreed to apply the $5 toward my invoice, but I’d have to pay the $5 up front.

I hung up and bought the paper through my local printer at a $30 additional cost!

I mailed the invoice from my printer to the president of Paper Direct to let him know how his company policy cost him $700 in business…and all my future business. I never heard back.

Ask yourself:

·        What company policies do you have in place and how are they being communicated?

·        How flexible are your policies to prevent you from losing business?

·        If you have a staff, are they empowered to make good selling decisions?

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