For those of us who do a lot of B2C (and some B2B) sales, keeping files on those clients is important. I like to take notes during my initial meetings about the client's wants and needs, but at the same time, I write down a lot of personal information, like dates of birth, addresses and other vital information that I can refer to later.
Making sure you keep that information safe and secure is of utmost importance. The news is rife with stories of security breaches involving millions of people's personal information. Most of those kinds of lapses are caused by hackers who break into large financial institutions, but there are those times when a smaller business becomes a victim of a cyber attack.
On the flipside are those instances when hard copies of personal information fall into the wrong hands. There are no hackers to blame here, just plain old carelessness.
A few years ago I was working with someone who left her work computer in her car in a restaurant parking lot, but instead of locking her doors, she threw the keys under a floormat and left the doors unlocked. I still don't know what was going on in that pea sized brain of hers, but when her car was stolen with the computer inside, it suddenly became a "national emergency".
After that incident, safeguards which should have been in place for years, were suddenly instituted. A few days later the police were chasing a guy for speeding. The driver wrecked the car and bailed, leading the cops on a foot chase. He was a local gang member and the car smelled of weed, but no computer was found. The law enforcement officers concluded that he had probably taken the computer to a pawn shop where it was "cleaned" and sold. No one ever had a real answer as to what happened to the information.
Yet another example is when another agent allowed me to use some office space in the back of his unit. I walked in one day to see piles of old files on a folding table. There must have been between 150 and 200 of them. Inside these files were clients' personal information, including dates of birth, driver license information, and yes, social security numbers.
When I asked, the agent said that they were dead files, which meant that they were inactive clients, over five years old and could be disposed of. He then said that he was going to have a bonfire at some undisclosed location to destroy them. I suspect there was going to be alcohol involved as well.
A few months passed and I noticed that instead of disposing of the files, the piles of files just grew. It was uncomfortable to meet with clients who would ask what was going on. I stopped bringing my clients to the office altogether, which sucked for the other agent as they would sometimes give him some business as well.
Even stranger, this agent would go to the bank each morning leaving the backdoor to the office unlocked. Anyone could walk in and leave with a handful of old customer files. Knowing this, I always kept my client files under lock and key. Of course, someone could, if they had the initiative, take an entire file cabinet out the unlocked door if they wished.
Not long after, I moved out of the guy's office completely. He was unprofessional in many ways, but that kind of ineptitude was the last straw for me. And I didn't need to be under scrutiny if things went sideways.
If you keep files on your clients make sure you lock them up and destroy the ones you don't need promptly. Ask yourself how you would want your personal information handled.
Chris Castanes is a professional speaker who helps sales people succeed through workshops and humorous presentations. He's also the author of "You're Going To Be Great At This!", a humorous look at sales. For booking information, click here. He's also the president of Surf Financial Brokers selling life and disability insurance in several states.
Comments
Post a Comment