When To Make The Callback
Professional tenacity is what I call the reasonable practice of effective follow-up to a business call, a request for information, a response to a proposal, whatever you may be waiting for. Here are my rules:
1. If a person makes a “what, by when” commitment (“I will get back to you in a couple of days.) I absolutely take his word seriously. If I do not receive a call in a “couple of” (two) days, I get on the phone the morning after the second day to remind him of his commitment, expecting to further the discussion.
2. If a response is not received as promised, and after a reminder courtesy call, I wait two more days before getting back again, no more. I will continue to accept time delays and hold him to them with a return call when he said he would be calling back.
3. If it’s a hard promise (“I will get back to you tomorrow.”) and if important, I would call in the morning and again at the end of the day, letting the person know it is important and that I expect a response as agreed.
4. If it’s “Call me back in a month,” I would call in two weeks.
5. Once someone is on the callback roll call, there are times I would call them daily, even twice daily until I was satisfied. It depends greatly what the circumstances may be.
6. If I am initiating the call seeking information or discussion, I would call a few times per day until I reached my party, possibly a few times in the morning and a few in the afternoon. Eventually, I would leave a message apologizing for my frequent calls but explaining that I was really interested in speaking with the person and merely trying to catch him at a moment he could respond.
This process must, of course, be in consideration of what your goal is, what the personality of the person you are dealing with is, and the degree of importance of the communication. Any of these things could either accelerate or slow down the callback.
An ongoing business communication that requires getting back to one another is not a social call, it is a business call. Social etiquette rules are not in play, business rules are, and the rule I abide by is called business or professional tenacity. Be reasonable, not harassing, but call back quickly and frequently until the business is accomplished. If a business associate is stalling, screening, or not returning calls, I frequently increase the callbacks, letting him know I am not going away and I expect a conversation as soon as possible. Always polite and appropriate.
Sometimes, having a reason beyond just expecting or wanting a callback helps. For example, a new bit of news, extra detail not previously mentioned, even a joke, gossip, or a new question as a pretense can bring you together so the real purpose of the call – to discuss the deal – can be accomplished.
What we want to avoid at all costs is waiting too long in between check-ins and callbacks, out of presumed politeness, courtesy or not wanting to bother or seem too eager. If you wait too long the initiative is lost, the expediency is gone and the deal gets cold. “Call me back in a week or so” is a death sentence. They may as well be saying they are uninterested. Always call back in a much shorter time period than agreed in such situations. A week or so is way too long.
There is one business man I know who refuses to chase calls and will wait forever before he will pursue a call back, even if it means never getting the call and thus never doing business. His claim is that if someone wants to do business, they will call. He has no intention of chasing anyone, ever. Interesting. I might add, he is also quite unsuccessful.
The simple rule I suggest is to call exactly when you feel you want or need to. It’s a business environment and frequent callbacks are acceptable. We are not dating here. There are no artificial social or etiquette rules. Frankly, I would do it much sooner and much more often than you would think appropriate. It works. Be professional and have something of value to communicate or find out. That’s what doing business is about.
