“I don’t want those customers.” A client said to me. He said he was getting more calls that were looking for products outside of his particular line of business. Yes, he was getting more calls. He was getting 50% more calls, to be exact. When someone increases their traffic, they increase the chance for good outcomes as well as bad. It is funny how we only remember the bad.
So we start workshopping through this issue. I show him all these calls have the same intent as any other call. These “bad” customers are looking for the same things online as the “good” customers. The “bad” customers were asking him for products that he did not carry. More “bad” customers should also mean you are getting more “good” customers. We go through the list.
For every one bad call, there were three good calls.
As a startup, I wish I had more “bad” customers. Bad customers are the opportunity we never thought of offering. If someone is asking you for a product or service you do not carry, what is stopping you from selling that product? The customer saw your website, and took the time to reach out to you. That says something about you, your website, and advertisement. More customers are more opportunity to sell. There is no such thing as a “bad” customer.
We all want customers that are willing and ready to buy all the time. That is just not reality. Every customer is not created equal. That is what makes selling fun. So take your “bad” customers and turn them into “good” customers.
