My daughter’s high school allows students to take classes like health and gym
over the summer in order to free up time during the school year for more interesting
electives. This year, the registration paperwork got buried in the maelstrom
that is the “junk” section of my kitchen counter. I’d excavated the forms about
a week after the school started accepting them, but I feared it might be too
late.
Sure enough, my daughter heard from her guidance counselor that there was a
waiting list, and she was on it. I figured they’d let us know if she’d gotten
in, and I also planned to call the counselor toward the end of the school year
to check the registration status. In the end, I didn’t hear from the counselor
and I forgot all about it.
Imagine my surprise when the vice principal called yesterday morning, wondering
where my daughter was! He graciously apologized for the miscommunication about
the waiting list and let her start class late. (She was significantly less
gracious about being rudely awakened and rushed out the door, but I’m telling
myself that teenagers thrive on adversity.)
The whole debacle has me thinking about the importance of following up. How
many opportunities do we miss because we either simply forgot or didn’t have
the time to take advantage of them? The good news is that following up doesn’t
have to be complicated or high-tech; it can be as simple as a phone call to a customer
or prospect, or keeping on top of industry trends.
In this issue ofASI, we’ve continued to follow through on our pledge to
provide quality information to help you succeed. For a full list of articles
and departments, take a look at the Table of Contents on p. 5. If you have any
comments for us, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I promise to follow up on your suggestions.
EDITOR'S MEMO: A Simple Phone Call
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