Last week, I received a call from some ‘broker’ (sounds like a Caucasian) who is based in Tokyo.
This so called VC firm, who claimed that they are different from other VC and work with high net worth private investors make a couple of mistakes that I take it to heart seriously.
For a company that has offices in Tokyo and Kuala Lumpur, the caller who is based in Asia, failed to address my name in the right way.
Firstly, Chinese names are often of the SURNAME GIVEN-NAME combination. If a person has a name like LEE Guan Yew, we will NEVER address the person formally as Mr. Yew.
The correct way would be Mr LEE.
What irks me is despite after correcting him on the phone, he still continues to address me the wrong way. (Strike 1)
The second mistake that he makes is he gives me an option to choose whether I would like to receive the information via FAX or Email.
I choose FAX because I have enough emails cluttering my Inbox. The other objective is to see how ‘global’ this company is. If they are well established, they would defintely be able to have the document fax to my number without me having to tell them the country code.
Guess what. He end up sending email to me. Apparently, he already have a GENERIC email account of my company. No, it is not my direct email, but one that is sent to something like info, webmaster, admin kind of accounts. I consider this as SPAM. Big Bad Mistake. They cannot handle or figure out how to send fax internationally. And if that is not enough, the email is titled, ‘Requested Information’. Really, it is more of them pushing the information to me than I requesting for it. Add to that, his email is sent via a GENERIC account as well. How personal it can get! (Strike 2).
Strike 3 comes with his follow up phone call this week. He made the same mistake again. He still addressed me the WRONG WAY. He proceed on to sell me about a great stock. But what irks me is when I ask him how long the call will take, he become defensive.
I requested that he email me the information instead (since he already have my generic email). I would respond to it as long as the questions or actions to be taken is clear.
Surprisingly (or maybe not), he said that this is not the way THEY WORK.
And… I am going to lost the opportunity to make some money here!
Isn’t it incredible that If I am going to be a valued client of his firm, wouldn’t I have the priviledge to digest the information at my own time in my own pace?
And that a prospect important enough to be on THEIR list (how did I end up on their list?) is not important enough to have the right to say ‘I am busy’ and request that information be sent to me instead.
The call ended with him saying ‘….you have lost a chance to have me as a broker‘.
Ok, I am lost. Are they a VC, Stock Broking Firm, or what? And of course, the attachment in the email has the guy signing off as a Trading Floor Manager.
Seriously, why would I invest with him if he
- cannot get my name right
- cannot communicate with me in a way that is convenient for me
- cannot control his temper just because I, a potential client, request that I would like to review the information later when I am free.
I did missed out a GREAT OPPORTUNITY here. Not one of investment. But an opportunity to subject my mind to his abuse if I continue to listen to his call when I am busy.