Customer service redefined as a sales tool
Customer service redefined as a sales tool
“How can I reinvent myself, or my company to better serve
and provide for your changing needs?”
Is there some service or additional product I should be providing that would make ‘your’ experience easier, more rewarding, or user friendly? Just one of the questions you need to ask yourself and your customers on a frequent basis.
Remember, if you aren't asking these questions -- your competitors are! And if you are taking care of your customers needs, your competition will be selling them.
Here are some tools, which will help you keep and expand your market edge. Use these sales tools to keep your customers happy and coming back for more.
Each of these tools provides a valid ‘reason’ to touch base with existing clients, and a chance to do additional, repeat business. Why not invest time to develop an easily managed account management system that incorporates one or more of these tools? It may provide insights on how to retain, retrain or remain a long-term supplier or vendor of choice. As sales professionals, repeat business is great!
• Customer surveys. Checking in on a regular basis to ask a few questions will work wonders. Take a look at the survey answers for some tips to make your business more responsive and profitable. Perhaps do an exit poll as a spot form of on-site customer survey? Why did they buy? What did they think of your sales and service? If you don’t know how they perceive or receive your products or service, how can you make changes to your mix to better serve them and keep them as customers over a longer period?
• Telephone polls. I’ve found a quick phone call to selected customers will be enough to keep you informed and current as to how well you are doing. How about actually calling a month or so after you've delivered your service or product to see how it is going and how the customers are enjoying it? Can lead to additional sales and referrals. You can bet, not too many businesses are doing this! I used to do this when I was designing and selling kitchens. It amazed my clients and kept them thinking about my firm and me. It also gave me some valid feedback and a chance to keep them satisfied and talking about me.
• Service calls. These are often a neglected form of information as to the true satisfaction of your customers and the serviceability of your products. Make your service team part of your information gathering team and apply what you learn to make your business better. Often they hear things that you will never hear. And sometimes what they hear can be critical to your ongoing success and relationship with your customer.
• Focus groups. Take some time and invite a few of your best customers to sit down and discuss honestly what you offer and what you deliver. Put your ego on hold and listen carefully as they give you a very valuable gift -- a gift that will help you succeed in your sales career.
• Product sampling. What a great way to find out what your customers want and what you can provide professionally and profitably. This allows you to test market and adjust before you go full tilt into selling a new product or service roll out. I remember the story of a company who came up with a new dog food. They had developed a great product, a great package and a great promotional campaign. Only problem was dogs didn’t like it and didn’t eat it. They were able to go back to the drawing boards and re-create it as a cat food, who did like the fish based product for some strange reason.
• Web site feedback. This is emerging as a great way to allow your clients to tell you how you are doing, what they like, what they don't like and what they would like. It's a great way to share suggestions, changes and updates with your customers at their convenience. Often they will share ideas that will solve problems for each other as well. There are even websites that provide a free service for on-line surveys of your customers.
• Others. There are a multitude of great ideas. Why not add yours to the mix and let me know.
Invest in your business' future by asking questions, and then acting on the responses your customers give you. This might just be the competitive ‘sales’ edge you need as we navigate the turbulent and volatile field of business in 21st Century.
© Copyright 2006 Bob ‘Idea Man’ Hooey www.ideaman.net
Customer service redefined as a sales tool - To learn more about this author, visit Bob Hooey's Website.
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by Bob 'Idea Man' Hooey
“How can I reinvent myself, or my company to better serve
and provide for your changing needs?”
Is there some service or additional product I should be providing that would make ‘your’ experience easier, more rewarding, or user friendly? Just one of the questions you need to ask yourself and your customers on a frequent basis.
Remember, if you aren't asking these questions -- your competitors are! And if you are taking care of your customers needs, your competition will be selling them.
Here are some tools, which will help you keep and expand your market edge. Use these sales tools to keep your customers happy and coming back for more.
Each of these tools provides a valid ‘reason’ to touch base with existing clients, and a chance to do additional, repeat business. Why not invest time to develop an easily managed account management system that incorporates one or more of these tools? It may provide insights on how to retain, retrain or remain a long-term supplier or vendor of choice. As sales professionals, repeat business is great!
• Customer surveys. Checking in on a regular basis to ask a few questions will work wonders. Take a look at the survey answers for some tips to make your business more responsive and profitable. Perhaps do an exit poll as a spot form of on-site customer survey? Why did they buy? What did they think of your sales and service? If you don’t know how they perceive or receive your products or service, how can you make changes to your mix to better serve them and keep them as customers over a longer period?
• Telephone polls. I’ve found a quick phone call to selected customers will be enough to keep you informed and current as to how well you are doing. How about actually calling a month or so after you've delivered your service or product to see how it is going and how the customers are enjoying it? Can lead to additional sales and referrals. You can bet, not too many businesses are doing this! I used to do this when I was designing and selling kitchens. It amazed my clients and kept them thinking about my firm and me. It also gave me some valid feedback and a chance to keep them satisfied and talking about me.
• Service calls. These are often a neglected form of information as to the true satisfaction of your customers and the serviceability of your products. Make your service team part of your information gathering team and apply what you learn to make your business better. Often they hear things that you will never hear. And sometimes what they hear can be critical to your ongoing success and relationship with your customer.
• Focus groups. Take some time and invite a few of your best customers to sit down and discuss honestly what you offer and what you deliver. Put your ego on hold and listen carefully as they give you a very valuable gift -- a gift that will help you succeed in your sales career.
• Product sampling. What a great way to find out what your customers want and what you can provide professionally and profitably. This allows you to test market and adjust before you go full tilt into selling a new product or service roll out. I remember the story of a company who came up with a new dog food. They had developed a great product, a great package and a great promotional campaign. Only problem was dogs didn’t like it and didn’t eat it. They were able to go back to the drawing boards and re-create it as a cat food, who did like the fish based product for some strange reason.
• Web site feedback. This is emerging as a great way to allow your clients to tell you how you are doing, what they like, what they don't like and what they would like. It's a great way to share suggestions, changes and updates with your customers at their convenience. Often they will share ideas that will solve problems for each other as well. There are even websites that provide a free service for on-line surveys of your customers.
• Others. There are a multitude of great ideas. Why not add yours to the mix and let me know.
Invest in your business' future by asking questions, and then acting on the responses your customers give you. This might just be the competitive ‘sales’ edge you need as we navigate the turbulent and volatile field of business in 21st Century.
© Copyright 2006 Bob ‘Idea Man’ Hooey www.ideaman.net
Customer service redefined as a sales tool - To learn more about this author, visit Bob Hooey's Website.
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David AchesonDavid 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 |
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Dave KurlanDave 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 |
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Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre 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 |
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Linda RichardsonLinda 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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John BrennanJohn Brennan Ed.D. Dr. Brennan is President of Interpersonal Development, LLC, a training and development firm. Interpersonal Development has provided sales training and coaching to more than 3,000 sales reps from over 100 companies. A native of Australia, Dr. Brennan received his doctorate from the University of Rochester. His dissertation researched the effectiveness of Behavioral Modeling Technology in training people in interpersonal skills. While he has spent most of his career designing or delivering training, he was also a Vice-President of Sales of a training and development franchise with operations in 25 markets. Dr. Brennan has designed and delivered sales training in North America, Asia, Europe, Australia and the Middle East. He has been a guest speaker at numerous national and regional professional conferences. When Microsoft wanted Best Practices articles on sales for their web site, they called Dr. Brennan. The results are at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/FX011387391033.aspx His firm’s clients have included Volvo, The Prudential, Merrill Lynch, Eastman Kodak, Gannett, Equifax Europe, the Economist Group and countless small businesses. - Visit John Brennan's Website |
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George LudwigGeorge Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website |
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Anne BarrAnne Barr has over 26 years experience in sales and marketing, six years as a franchisee. She has assisted over 367 business owners and purchasers to achieve their goals in career change, transition and exit strategy. She holds the designation of Certified Franchise Executive from the International Franchise Association, Certified Business Intermediary from the International Business Brokers Association and Board Certified Broker from the Texas Association of Business Brokers. Anne is active in professional organizations, networking groups and volunteers for non-profit entities. As owner/operator of four successful businesses, Anne has proven people skills and enjoys helping clients find the right "fit" in business ownership. Visit www.FranchiseOpportunitySpecialist.com for more information about me and my company. - Visit Anne Barr's Website |
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