Sat in the office on a Friday can be very frustrating! Clients don’t ring – they are either away for a long weekend or they are waiting for us to send them work undertaken in the last week. So it’s quite nice to be able to get some quality time to yourself and get some work done….except for one thing – the dreaded sales calls that always seem to flood in every Friday.

“Did you want to improve your water supply – how about a water dispenser?” (no thanks I have plenty of water here, Wales is not a third world country -yet!) ,

“Just wanted to check your printing requirements, got any printing you wanted done?” ( no thanks, I am trying to encourage clients to go green!)

“Hello I have got a great service for you, I cannot tell you straight away what it is, but do you make foreign currency payments?” ( This one I particularly dislike as the phone call is always made by someone who you would not trust your mother’s laundry to – London based bankers with a high opinion of themselves! – sorry all foreign exchange brokers, but you must change your marketing tactics and attitude!!),

“Hi, I work for your local magazine and I have a great opportunity for you that works!” (No thanks, advertising does not often work , what do you mean how do I know? I am a professionally qualified marketing consultant so I know a little about this! Sorry did you hear what I said, I am a marketing consultant….and of course if I had been a doctor giving advice they would have stopped, but they don’t and continue to try to sell me advertising space!! )

and finally the one that never fails to phone on a Friday or indeed any other day of the week – ” Hi, Tony (Mark, Sue, Julie, choose any name you like – I have been contacted so many times) here from Wales’ largest credit report agency can I sell you some marketing data or how about checking your client’s credit history?” (No , No , No, take me off your marketing list and do not phone me ever again…..as steam comes out of my ears!! Strangely I don’t even have to be told who is on the phone , I now have a new inner sense that tells me it’s them ringing again….even if I wanted the service they were offering, I would never look them up as a matter of principle) .

So what is the lesson to be learnt here…..Possibly book Friday out and join your clients on a long weekend or if you are conducting marketing telephone calls – clean up your database and your telephone skills to make the customer experience more enjoyable!

Have a good Friday.