Sales Tips

Because we have a thorough understanding of our products, we often forget that our customers don’t. We forget the problems we faced when we first began using the products. Be careful to explain things to your customers, take time to show them how things work, and gauge the response you receive. Even more important, remember how frustrating it can be to deal with the unfamiliar, and be careful neither to intimidate nor to speak down to customers because they ask fundamental questions. A little patience and empathy can go a long way toward educating your customers to the benefits your products provide. If you like this article, subscribe to our blog so that you don’t miss a single post. Get    Read more…

Never be ashamed to admit fault. Poor service is all too commonplace, but that does not make it acceptable. Customers deserve an apology every time they receive less than adequate service. For example, an airline captain who apologizes for a delay and adds, “Sorry we are late in arriving, but our policy is safety first,” soothes the ire of a late passenger. When was the last time a dentist apologized for keeping you waiting? Or the maitre d’ of a restaurant apologized because your table wasn’t ready and offered you a complimentary glass of wine? Don’t be afraid to admit mistakes. Sometimes “I’m sorry” or adding a simple “Thank-you” goes a long way. No one is perfect and your customers    Read more…

There are many times when it is appropriate to walk away from a sale. Don’t accept business unless you can handle it properly. Do not sell your services if you are not 100 percent sure that you can satisfy your client’s needs. Never perform a service if you feel that the client won’t receive sufficient value for their money. Lastly, never give away business just to get your foot in the door because you may come to resent the client at a later point. If you like this article, subscribe to our blog so that you don’t miss a single post. Get future posts by RSS feed, e-mail or Facebook. It’s FREE. Click your favorite option (top right).

A good precept to follow is to underpromise but overdeliver. Always try to do just a little more than the client expects. This can best be accomplished if you understand how expectations are created. Sometimes they are based on hearsay; for example, a client may get a rave review about you or your organization from friends. Expectations can also be based on advertising claims or on a prior experience: “Vendors have always provided me with terrific service.” Other times they are the result of personal expectations. Once you understand how expectations are created, you can manage them: Carefully examine the situation for all possible problems before making promises about timing, costs, product performance, or service. When marketing intangibles, fully describe    Read more…

As Sewell and Brown said in Customers for Life, “You can shear a sheep for many years, but you can only skin it once.” As a general rule of thumb, don’t charge clients for anything in which you are not adding value. If you like this article, subscribe to our blog so that you don’t miss a single post. Get future posts by RSS feed, e-mail or Facebook. It’s FREE. Click your favorite option (top right).

There’s no way to overemphasize the point that every impression is an important one. In Customers for Life, Carl Sewell and Paul B. Brown point out that clients look at everything in your organization as a sign of its quality. They ask themselves, “If that’s how they take care of their restrooms, how’ll they take care of me?” If the flip-down trays in an airplane are dirty, are the airplanes properly maintained? Clients notice if phone calls are answered promptly and whether the person addresses their question or directs them to someone who can. If you like this article, subscribe to our blog so that you don’t miss a single post. Get future posts by RSS feed, e-mail or Facebook.    Read more…

Uncertainty creates dissatisfaction. A client may not really know how you are going to tackle an assignment, who will do the work, how long it will take, how much it will cost, or whether it will work. Although the process may be very familiar to you, it may be unfamiliar to a client. Keep clients informed, don’t make assumptions, make sure you provide complete information, and be sensitive to their needs. Let clients know the work you are doing behind the scenes; they aren’t mind readers. Sometimes clients can be reassured by providing estimates or best guesses; remember that clients are accountable to others in their organization and must provide them with answers. If you like this article, subscribe to    Read more…

Companies often place policies and procedures ahead of customers. When employees are told to follow the rules or else, when they aren’t given leeway to use common sense, customer relations—and company reputations—suffer. Additional Reading: Who Cares About Customers? Is it Hard to Do Business with You? Creating a Culture That Promotes Customer Satisfaction If you like this article, subscribe to our blog so that you don’t miss a single post. Get future posts by RSS feed, email or Facebook. It’s FREE. Click your favorite option (top right).

Be careful about promises made. As Kristin Anderson says in Delivering Knock Your Socks Off Service, “You can’t promise your customers sunny weather, but you can promise to hold an umbrella over them when it rains.” Problems arise when promises can’t be met. There are no degrees of promises; every promise is equally important because the person who is disappointed by your failure to keep a promise is likely to think: “If they can’t be counted on for small things, I sure won’t trust them on large ones.” If you like this article, subscribe to our blog so that you don’t miss a single post. Get future posts by RSS feed, e-mail or Facebook. It’s FREE. Click your favorite option    Read more…

Some people feel that a proposal can look sloppy as long as the final product is high quality; that being late for meetings is acceptable as long as they are timely when it’s “really important”; that an implied promise doesn’t have to be kept, but “real” ones do. They believe that as long as they’re properly dressed for client meetings, they can look scruffy with clients after hours. The fact is, trust is the result of accumulated impressions and experiences, and a customer’s lack of confidence in one area can easily spread to another. If you like this article, subscribe to our blog so that you don’t miss a single post. Get future posts by RSS feed, e-mail or Facebook.    Read more…