Most business people would agree that no business can exist without customers. In any business, whether it be real estate or website design, it is very important to work closely with your clients to make sure what you have provided or designed for them is what they wanted. To ensure successful sales and customer satisfaction, your clients need to feel both valued and wanted.
Some suggestions that work:
· Face-to-face interaction whenever possible. Some salespeople rely on the telephone and email and avoid actual human contact altogether. While phone calls and emails are quick, it is important to meet your clients face-to-face during the course of any sales project so a personalized element exists. Rapport is more quickly and smoothly created when you meet your clients in person.
· Just be nice and approachable. Seem obvious? Probably, but in the rat race of the business world, common courtesies and manners are sometimes forgotten. Make your clients feel as though you like him/her. Act like you care about your customer. Let them know you're here to help them. Regardless of how frustrating your interaction with a client may be, you must never let on how annoyed you are. Respond to your client's wishes as best you can and be courteous and polite while doing so.
· Answer voicemails and emails promptly. We all know how annoying it can be to leave a message for someone and wait for a return call for days on end. As a sales person, you may not be able to get back to everyone in the space of a few hours, but at least call/email and let the client know you received their message and will get back to them as soon as possible. Even if you don't have an answer for them or you cannot solve the problem they have immediately, let them know you're aware of it and working on it.
· Have a customer service policy in place. When you first start out, you may be so anxious to actually have customers that you won't put in the effort to have a customer service policy, but you need one. If a customer has a problem, what should they do about it? If the first option in your policy doesn't work, then what happens? If your customer is not satisfied, what does she do? Passing a client from person to person to deal with a problem is the worst thing you can do. Make sure you and your clients both know what to do at each stage of their inquiry.
· Be proactive by anticipating your client’s needs. Understanding your client to this level takes a lot of skill and hard work and will do wonders for your working relationship. If you anticipate your client's needs, go out of your way to help them out with these needs. They will be impressed and so will your boss!
· Keep your word. There is nothing worse than a salesperson who can't be trusted. When you promise something, deliver it. If you say something will be done on a certain date or that a product will be delivered by a certain date, every day that it's late damages your reputation. No salesperson wants a reputation of not delivering, and bad news travels fast!
Some people believe successful selling is an art; others think it is a science. Regardless of what side you take (art vs science), customer satisfaction is absolutely imperative in any business. Keep in mind that without the customer, there is no business.
Customer Satisfaction is One Key to Success - To learn more about this author, visit Colleen Stanley's Website.
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Colleen Stanley
(Visit Colleen's Website)
Colleen Stanley is president of
SalesLeadership Inc., a business
development consulting firm specializing
in sales and sales management training.
The company provides programs in
prospecting, referral strategies,
consultative sales training, sales
management training, and hiring/selection.
She is also the author of “Growing Great
Sales Teams: Lessons from the Cornfield.”
Reach Colleen at 303.708.1128 or visit www.salesleadershipdevelopment.com.
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http://www.page1solutions.com
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