Tweet

Selling: The Greatest Customer Service

Guest post by: Claude Whitacre

Article Overview: Articles about customer service almost never include the word “Selling”. You will see how selling is usually the best thing you can do as a service to your customers.

Selling: The Greatest Customer Service

Is selling really the best customer service? Most of us think of customer service as repairing what a customer bought, or doing warranty work to satisfy a customer. Of course these things are important. But when are you really doing the best thing for your customer?

Let's say a customer calls you and says that the thing you sold them isn't doing the job they wanted. Our first thought may be that what they bought is defective, or inadequate. If the product is defective (and still under warranty) of course you will replace it. But what if what they bought just isn't enough to do the job? You show them the better model that will do the job. This model will cost more than what they bought before, but you are solving their problem. And most of the time, solving their problem will involve selling them something better than what they have now.

I own a store that sells vacuum cleaners. When someone comes in for a repair on their vacuum cleaner, most dealers would sell the part that would fix the machine. So will we. But first, we want to know how the customer likes what they have now. Has it given them any problems? Is it getting hard to push? Losing suction?

Many times what will really solve the customer's problem is New Technology. A new product that is better suited for the customer's needs.

An acquaintance of mine has a small repair shop that fixes vacuum cleaners and sewing machines. People bring in a fifty year old machine and he fixes it so it will still run. When I mentioned to him that maybe these people would benefit from something new, he said he didn't want to sell something new when what they had could still be fixed.

I asked how many cars are still on the road after fifty years. Of course, not many at all. Why? Because consumers like to buy new things. They smell better, are shiny, and the customer can brag about what they just bought to their friends and neighbors.

You would be surprised at how many customers are already thinking of buying something new, before they even tell you about their service problem. You are not truly giving the best customer service unless you offer the best solution to their problem. And many times, that solution is to buy something better that will make them happier than they are now.

Most products get better as time passes, new developments, new technologies, new options.

If you don't at least make your customer aware of these new options, you are doing them a dis-service.

If the customer thinks the one product they bought is inadequate, maybe they need two to really do the job.

One techniques I've found valuable when customer's need service is to apologize to them for not pointing out the better product that was available all along. Whether or not, it's your fault is not material. I apologize and tell them I must have forgotten about this better, and more expensive solution. This works far more often than not.

In our business, one of the most profitable sources of new sales, is selling better stuff to the customers we have now, that needed customer service. This can be done in a retail store or over the phone. Use it, it works.

Related Articles
  Sales is the Most Stressful Job There is.
  Part Four - Prospecting for More Sales
  Are your people providing STAR service?
  Set your business apart with little expense and effort
  The Giants want to Eat You
  The Secrets to Creating Customer Satisfaction
  The Importance of Customer Service
  How to Earn Residual Income Through Direct Selling Industries
  2010 is the the New Opportunity for Direct Selling Industries
  Using Customer Service To Generate Incremental Revenue
  Increase Sales to Your Business By Consistent Excellent Customer Service
  6 Steps To Improve Customer Loyalty From Site Visitors
  What is Successful Marketing Without the Push?
  Sales and Customer Service are Just Like Steriod Use in Baseball
  Tips for Improving Customer Service
  Reasons to Use an Order Fulfillment Service
  Small Business Marketing: 8 Cross-Selling Tips to Increase Your Sales
  The Art of Up-Selling
  Customer Service-What Could You Do With an Extra Half-a-Million Dollars?
  Where is Your Customer in the Buying Cycle?

Article Tags: customer service, selling



Related Forum Posts
Re: Service Or Product? - I agree with starting a Service-based Business in the economy. Here is what I think is critical: 1. Researching that your Service business has a market. 2. Marketing the Service with as much leverage as possible. 3. Product-izing the Service (aka Package Expert Knowledge). This will only help elevate you as "the" expert in your niche and make you accessible to people in different price points.
Marketers, Learn What You Can, Cannot Control Online - I am a Customer Service Representative in my company so naturally every once and a while I get angry customers fed up with my companies policies. Oh! I remember one day on my way home from school I was walking by a gas station and there was a man with a huge cardboard sign outside a small car mechanic business telling people not to go there because they are crooks. I am pretty sure they lost tons of business. I know my mama kept away from there after I told her about it. I found it pretty funny. I wonder if the guy got arrested or fined though....
Wearing different hats in Business - I have a business that produces beautiful custom rugs for home and business environments. Different hats that I'm wearing... Rug Fabrication - 10 [i:21cr28m8](partially outsourced to an outfit here in the US)[/i:21cr28m8] Customer Service / Sales - 8-10 Bookkeeping - 1 Marketing - 6 Website development - 5 [i:21cr28m8](mainly outsourced)[/i:21cr28m8] SEO, SEM - 6-8 Accounting - [i:21cr28m8](outsourced)[/i:21cr28m8]
Re: Two Useful Books To Help You Focus On The CLIENT - Hi David, To add to your thread, I'd like to recommend Jonathan Tisch's "Chocolates On The Pillow Aren't Enough: Reinventing The Customer Experience". Tisch's book includes content on "Welcoming Customers", "The New Art of Customization", "The Challenges of Customer Diversity" and "Offering Something Extra to Your Customers" to name a few.
Who Said Twitter Doesn't Work...? - Last month, the BBC World Service programme, The Strand, featured 21 year-old Icelandic pianist/composer Olafur Arnalds. Arnalds achieved extraordinary success through his internet-led project to compose 7 tunes in 7 days, post them on his website and then post links to it via TWITTER. As a result his website got thousands of visitors eager to listen to his music, catapulting him to fame and bringing his music to the attention of the BBC, who featured an interview with him on the World Service programme, The Strand! So who says Twitter doesn't work? (HINT: It does help if you have something uniquely your own that other people want to get hold of...)


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Mistakes Made by New or Inexperienced Sales Staff

Coaching Tip: Identify Your Core Values

Work Life Balance: Adding White Space

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.