I remember back in my early days as a field rep…

My teammates helped me get set up with a great call plan.

But…

I wanted so much to please my customers that the call plan was often derailed while I followed each and every customer request no matter how big or small. 

Sadly, I didn’t realize that my drive for customer satisfaction (a good thing) was preventing me from taking even better care of more customers (a bad thing).

It’s easy to abandon a call cycle and start following every request for samples, forms, or literature that you receive.

Chances are, you’ve been there too.

I want you to learn from my mistakes by not letting random requests rule your entire week.

(I am not saying customer requests should be ignored. Of course, Referral Partner requests should be responded to in a timely manner. You can still offer excellent service by letting the customer know when they can expect to see you and managing expectations – but that’s another post altogether.)

Recently, we’ve been taking a closer look at the 10 Key Drivers of Exponential Referral Network Growth.

Key driver number 5 is a Consistent Call Plan.

Why all this talk about a plan? What’s the big deal?

Imagine setting out on a trip without a map. You have no idea how to get there or what direction you’re going. You’re going to be doing a lot of driving in a lot of different directions before you finally reach your destination, if ever.

Nine times out of ten, when a solid rep with a good work ethic has flatline numbers, it’s because they are not following an effective call plan.

All too often, I will ask a practice where their liaison is going and how they are spending their time and the answer is, “Uh, I don’t know?”

Or…

I will ask a liaison what their plan is, and the answer is, “I just drive around and see some offices.”

No plan. No strategy. Just fingers crossed hoping they are spending the right amount of time in the right places.

Without a plan, you are losing valuable time driving around trying to figure out where to go next.

Maximize your time. Decide in advance who you are going to see. Map out where you are going to go and the best route to get there.

Do you prefer to hop in the car and just wing it? You’re not alone.

Thankfully, the days of using Map Quest for every single call are over. 

Am I dating myself here? I’m guessing some of you don’t even remember Map Quest? Or what about Mapsco? Or an actual map? Those were the days…

But I digress… As I was saying…

If planning ahead is not your strong suit, there are several apps such as Route4Me or Badger Maps to help simplify your routing.

Maybe you’re a planner and you do have a call plan.

But… 

You’ve gone on autopilot and left your game plan in the dust. Most of us have been there at some point. It’s easy to do.

Unfortunately, that puts you right back into the rat race of going from place to place with no real strategy.

It’s not enough to have the plan. You also have to follow the plan.

If you’ve gotten off track, never had a plan, or gone on autopilot, don’t beat yourself up. Just set aside some time this week to get back on track.

It’s worth a few minutes of your time to decide where you’re going, when you’re going, who you’re going to see, and what you’re going to say.

It’s a simple but important step that allows you to take better care of more customers.

And that’s the goal… Better care of more customers.

So how will you plan your day, week, month?

If you have questions about your call plan or just want to share your thoughts, reach out. We’d love to hear from you!