If theres one thing that drives me bats, its courting a prospect, writing and submitting a proposal, and then not being able to get the person on the phone or to respond to an email in a timely manner.

Yes, theyre being rude, but I suppose they think its their prerogative; after all they are customers, or we hope they will be. But you have to admit, this is an inefficient way to build a relationship, and it can set the stage for conflicts later on.

Once, when I was doing a nationwide training program for an airline, I made my contact agree to accept my calls from the road, no matter what he was doing. In turn, I promised Id never call without needing his immediate attention to an urgent matter, something that would affect the outcome or success of our work, together.

I only think I phoned two or three times, but this agreement worked, beautifully. We built a relationship based on mutual respect and complete accessibility.

Why cant we expand this approach to more of our dealings with customers, especially during the initial, introductory negotiations?

For instance, lets use a recent example. A company called me about providing customer service training to its many managers, which is right in my ballpark.

I was asked for some pricing information and I responded with it. Almost right away, my contact replied with a brief, thoughtful note saying shed be in touch as her search for sources progresses.

Cool, so far, right?

But how long does she expect her search to take, and when should I surmise Im no longer in the running, if I dont hear from her?

These are vital pieces of information, but she may not provide them, spontaneously, no matter how sensitive and polite she is as a communicator.

Its my job to negotiate these points, up front, when Im first contacted about bidding on the work.

I need to thank them for their interest, promise them the data they want, and then say:

We believe excellence in customer communications doesnt happen by accident; it must be planned, mutually consented to, and achieved through good faith efforts, from day one. In this spirit, and to optimize everybodys time and resources, we ask that you inform us of the progress of our proposal as often as possible, and clearly tell us as soon as you make any such determination, that we are the selected source, or that we are no longer being considered. We thank you in advance for your thoughtfulness and courtesy, and promise to keep you well informed.

I think it makes the point.

Do you?