“When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but creatures of emotion.” – Dale Carnegie.
When you close a deal, what’s your next step? When you sign the contract, shake the hand and file the paperwork – what comes next? Is there a next? Or simply a next customer?
Businesses talk a lot about ROI, or return on investment. They look at the man hours, financial costs, ad spend and more to get a customer to make the purchase. Every sale has to justify the outlay. But what about the customer? What about their ROI from you?
A sale isn’t just about closing the deal. A sale isn’t just about dipping your pen into the inkwell again before the previous signature has dried. A sale isn’t one-way traffic of the customer into your sales lair. At least, it shouldn’t be.
Imagine you’re Joe Average. You work 60 hours a week to make ends meet. You do your time, pay your bills, feed your family and keep a roof over their heads. Everything you buy has to be fine tailored to fit the budget. You see something you want and you put aside money diligently every week to buy it.
You go to the store, or car showroom, or furniture showroom. You talk shop with the sales guy, and he’s nice. Interested in you. Wants to help you make your choice. So you do. You pay the price, say thanks and go home and wait for your new purchase to be delivered. A week later it arrives, then that’s it. End of story.
Now, imagine it a little differently. Imagine it as a relationship.
The Relationship Behind the Sale
You go to the store, or car showroom, or furniture showroom. You talk shop with the sales guy, and he’s nice. Interested in you. Wants to help you make your choice. So you do. You pay the price, say thanks and go home and wait for your new purchase to be delivered. Within 24 hours, the sales guy calls and confirms your delivery time. A week later it arrives.
A couple of days after delivery, your sales guy calls again and asks how your new purchase is. Not customer service. Not the after-sales team, but the sales guy who sold you your new toy. He wants to make sure you’re happy and that to call if you have any issues at all. You say you will, then hang up the phone with the biggest smile on your face. Now that’s service!
Sales guys don’t have time to follow up, they’re too busy selling? No-one offers that kind of service? This example is unrealistic? They do, and it’s not.
Sales is Service is PR is Service is Marketing
People are emotional beings. We live by how we feel; act on how we’re acted upon; respond to how we’re treated. All our decisions are based around our emotions, which is why we’re emotional marketers.
Think of any business transaction you’ve had as a customer. The best ones will remain in your mind for all the right reasons, and chances are you’ve made repeat purchases with these vendors because of your user experience. The bad ones? They remain with you too; but your business doesn’t.
So the next time you make a sale or win a new client, try this checklist if you’re not already using any of them:
- Add the details to a database and set alerts for relevant promotions. Not just every promotion you have, but ones that are relevant to your new customer.
- If you received personal details like date of birth, send a birthday gift or card.
- Set up calendar reminders for regular check-ins. Nothing so frequent to annoy, but regular enough to care.
- If there’s a business near your new customer they can benefit from that ties into your sale, refer them. It shows you really have their best interests at heart, not to mention builds a great business relationship with the other business.
Sales are important – every single business needs sales to survive. But quick buck sales only last so long; they’re simply bush fires that will run their course. Relationship sales that genuinely caress our emotions, though? That’s the money right there.
How many relationships are you building?
photo credit: Tiemen Rapati
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Twitter: GlobalPatriot
I’m a big believer in your last recommendation, referring people to other businesses that offer products or services which relate to their purchase. Helping them achieve greater utility from recently acquired products will ultimately lead to increased customer satisfaction – and that’s always a good thing!
Global Patriot´s most recent blog post …Earth Day 2010 – Saving The Rainforests
Couldn’t agree more, Mark. And especially with the growing popularity of geo-locating social apps, imagine the potential for cross-marketing? Something I’ll be looking at in more detail in a future post.
Sales are operating revenues those are earned by a company when it sells its products. Revenue (net sales) are reported directly on the income statement as Sales or Net sales. Danny told much better reasons and true relationship behind the sales which are amazingly practical and true to its originality.
Twitter: barneyausten
Hello Danny. Great blog post to get you back in the game – thanks for sharing.
I would also suggest that the other thing for business people to understand is that it really doesn’t take a lot of time to make that on-going connection. As you point out, a simple phone call a few days after the event can make a HUGE difference. People remember every interaction and by ensuring some simple positive engagements, that person will be on your side even if things go wrong (which of course they never do
).
Cheers
Barney
Barney Austen´s most recent blog post …The critical tool for business success
Very true, Barney. A two minute call can make a lifetime customer – surely that little “indulgence” has to be worth at least a shot?
Top-notch post and recommendations for exceptional business relationship building. Glad to have you back and sharing again!
Twitter: ali_davies
I think your post highlights something that is greatly missing in many businesses today – and that is “care”. To genuinely care about your clients is not only the right way to treat people but it has such an important impact on business success too.
Ali Davies´s most recent blog post …Success Mindset: The Optimist’s Creed
For sure, Ali. We talk about care and generally refer to customer service as that caring factor. Yet so much customer service is reactive and not pro-active, and the difference can be huge.
Thanks Danny!
Too bad so many sales people simply want to make the sale and run.
I think a large part of the issue lies with compensation. If the sales person’s compensation is solely based on making the sale then that’s all they’ll care about.
We need to have some form or part of the compensation based on maintaining the relationship.
Cheers!
Eric Jacques´s most recent blog post …Is it hard to reply to a customer that wants to buy?
That’s a valid point, Eric.
Perhaps if businesses made an extra commission solution for repeat sales, or a loyalty system for great service, we might see more action on the customer care side.
It’s cheaper to keep good customers than it is to find new ones.
That is why today more then ever every business should care about their customers. Take care of your customers + wise use of social media = business growth. Great post!
Arturas Kvederis´s most recent blog post …Transcending the Bottom Line
Even taking social media out of the equation – just look after your customers. Along with your employees, they’re the most important part of your business – so why not treat them as such?
Cheers, Arturas.
Twitter: FrankDickinson
Welcome back Danny and thanks for a great post.
What keeps running through my mind after reading is this: We should plan (literally) to work just as hard for the customer after the sale as we did before it.
I think this is especially true and needed in the economy we find ourselves today.
Customers look for that extra connection. They look for the relationship.
Excellent stuff!
Frank Dickinson´s most recent blog post …This Week On Twitter
The funny thing is, Frank, we put all that work into winning the business (as your comment mentions), then we let it go afterward by poor service and care.
Imagine if that was our marriage, or love affair, or children, or education. We wouldn’t waste them – why so customers?
Danny, you know me, so you know I’m not “pitching” my post, but good grief, were you in my head?! This is exactly what I was getting at when I wrote up my experience with “the sales pitch from hell.” It is SO easy to gently move a relationship along as your checklist shows, rather than just try to close a sale and bam, that’s it.
Shonali Burke´s most recent blog post …The Sales Pitch From Hell, And What Sales Can Learn From PR
Looks like a pitch to me, Shonali… HA! Joke
Look forward to reading your post, always a pleasure over at your place
Danny, I’d agree on the importance of customer service. But I’d add a caveat: test and measure. I’ve worked in markets (particularly consumer subscription products) where the more contact we had with customers during the year, the less likely they were to repeat the purchase. Sometimes people want to buy and be left alone – they don’t want an additional relationship in our busy, demanding world. But the only way of finding out is by tracking: ideally dividing your customer base into two, and measuring the results over time.
Great point, Joanna. Like anything, if we don’t measure, we don’t improve. Thanks for that!
Twitter: Sally_G
Hi Danny! I’ve worked in a variety of fields over the years ~ and regardless of the adjective you affix to the word ‘relationship’ (sales, marital, parent/teacher, parent/child, working, etc.) – holding the experience of the other as significant and aligning all thoughts, words and actions to ensuring they leave feeling valued, seen and worthy of attention can open the door to meaningful and ongoing exchange. As the ‘sales person’ – whose eyes you choose to see the interaction through will dictate the ultimate outcome.
When I chose to have children, I left the workforce to stay home full-time. After the birth of my second child, I took on part-time work as a waitress/bartender to help with the household expenses. I was at least 10 years older than the others who worked with me.
Many of the service personnel quickly assessed patrons as they walked into the establishment for their potential ‘tip quotient’. When young families and/or seniors came in – many would not seat them in their areas because they figured this family would represent a larger time investment (attention and effort) with disappointing results (small tips).
I gladly served these individuals because I knew how difficult it was to get out and enjoy a pleasant experience as the parent of children – and I also knew the treat such an outing represented.
Getting behind the eyes of my customers allowed me to maximize their experience, really make their day, and that had to have translated into repeat visits or word-of-mouth recommendations on some level.
Some customers like attention, some like to be left alone – our mission in relationship, if we choose to accept it, is to use the pause between speaking to get in behind the other’s eyes and do our very best to give them more than they expect ~ because that’s exactly what they deserve.
Sally G.´s most recent blog post …Me, sung to the tune of ABBA …
Twitter: ali_davies
Sally,
I thought the comment you left here was really powerful and insightful. I think you are spot on with your example of people often making assumptions and judgements about what they can get out of others and then treating them according to that judgement/assumption. Treating people first and foremost as a valued person, in any context of life, should be a priority. Sad then, that many people operate from a “what’s in it for me” position
Ali Davies´s most recent blog post …Success Mindset: The Optimist’s Creed
As Ali mentions, Sally, such a great insight. It really is a shame when we pre-judge people and base everything on “what can you do for me”.
I recall being with a client a few years back, and they had just taken on a teen girl, who was heavily into Goth dress and make-up. The client absolutely loved her, and knew that many folk wouldn’t have taken her on because of her appearance.
She went on to become one of their lead account directors, and all because she wanted to repay that loyalty in her.
Imagine if our customers wanted to repay our loyalty in them, by not only repeat business but by sending others our way as well, because of how we treat them.
Seems like common sense, but sadly I see less of that more and more these days.
Thanks again for your thoughts!
I am in the Disney Travel business. That is ALL about emotion. My clients spend a lot of money on their vacations. It’s my job and my pleasure to extend Disney’s excellent & distinct customer service to everyone. Sandra
Sandra Clarke´s most recent blog post …Wishes Fireworks Dessert Party Returns!
Disney is a great example of user experience and return visits. Now why can’t every business have that approach? You can say it comes down to the staff, but that can be reverted to the staff’s attitude reflects the company mantra. Something for business owners to keep in mind.
Twitter: Ginidietrich
Danny, this is really good! I thought @AdrianDayton did a nice job today of explaining how his barber takes this philosophy to a new level. The post is here: http://adriandayton.com/2010/04/a-truly-unique-barber-shop-experience/comment-page-1/#comment-1541
Gini DIetrich´s most recent blog post …Using Social Media to Find a Job
Nice poster! Cute guy holding it aswell! (L)
Hey Danny,
Really funny to see my head turning up on a site like this. Cool you enjoyed the poster, not really sure much people will understand its ‘relationship’ with the posts content. But who cares.
Cheers
Hey there Tiemen,
No worries fella, great picture.
I usually try and go for abstract images that still tie into the main post. With yours, I loved the wording as well:
* Perspective – knowing that other views count.
* Horizon – ensuring you work smart with customers to have a new day tomorrow.
* Distance – to go that extra mile to build a great customer experience.
Cheers again, fella!