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Great Recovery The Key To Customer Problems

Great Recovery The Key To Customer Problems

Much of what I have covered in past newsletters has been about how to get new customers. An equally important part of marketing is keeping the customers you have. Today I want to give you a simple but very practical 4 step process for dealing with customer problems.

No matter how great your business is at serving customers, occasions will arise when things go wrong. Sometimes it is minor things that makes a customer mad. At other times you will find it hard to believe how you failed the customer. Whatever the issue, the key is an attitude of continuous and never ending improvement that makes things better for your customers.

It doesn't matter who is right or wrong, there is little to be gained from showing somebody who is already unhappy that they are wrong. As tempting as it may be, don't try and win the battle, only to lose the war. It is difficult and expensive to acquire new customers, so you should do everything possible to keep everyone that you already have.

1. The first step is to fully acknowledge any wrong doing by you or your firm.

2. Next tell the customer how you will set things right. I believe the key to effective recovery is to surprise the customer. If you can do something more than they expect, this goes a long way to putting the relationship back on track. It doesn't have to be big, but it should be more than simply correcting the mistake. One busy
consultant gives free copies of her book to clients at the slightest hint of problems. Another gives small gifts chosen especially for that person.

3. Fix the problem. This is a critical component. Not only must you fix the current problem, but you should take pains to see that it doesn't happen again. To achieve this you may need to implement a new process. Ask your employees for advice, often they will provide you with straight forward practical answers.

4. The final step is to follow up with the customer to confirm that the problem was fixed to their satisfaction. If you leave out this step, you are in danger of thinking you have resolved the problem, but the customer is still feeling dissatisfied. Also, customers will appreciate the call from you or your staff. It shows them that you care.

By taking these simple steps, you will strengthen your relationship, create valuable goodwill and retain your most valuable assets... your customers





Great Recovery The Key To Customer Problems - To learn more about this author, visit Michael Hepworth's Website.

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David Acheson
David Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns.  David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website

Dave Kurlan
Dave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website

Leanne Hoagland-Smith
Are your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website

Linda Richardson
Linda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website


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Michael Hepworth
(Visit Michael's Website) The StreetSmart Marketer's business is training and coaching owners of entrepreneurial service businesses to rapidly become customer acquisition experts. His popular free marketing tips magazine is read by thousands of business owners around the world in more than 47 countries. You can get it free at www.streetsmartmarketer.com

Michael Hepworth is a Platinum author on EvanCarmichael.com
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