You're In Sales No Matter What
Your Title
by Debra
J. Schmidt - used with permission
If I ask you right now whether or not you are in
sales, chances are you would say, "No, I'm in accounts payable or customer
service or marketing." You might even say, "I'm the CEO."
No matter what your job is, you
are in sales. Every time you interact with a customer, you are selling
your professional credibility, the company's products or services, and the
company's image. So, even if you don't work in the sales department, read
on.
When a customer has a bad
experience in shipping, in accounting, in technical support or any other
department in your company, you can bet that negative word-of-mouth will
follow. That word of mouth reduces sales in the same way that customer
testimonials increase referrals and sales. You are selling all the time,
so it's important for you to recognize what your customers want from
you.
Regardless of who your
customers are, there are 5 key actions they want from you:
1. To have you spend more
time listening than talking
Who do you find more interesting to
talk with; the person who rattles on and on sharing their wealth of
knowledge, or the person who asks you about yourself and then listens to
your response? Your customers do not call in order to be impressed. They
call because they have a need or a problem and believe your company can
offer the solution. But before they decide to do business with your
company, they are going to decide if they like you and can trust you.
Asking your customers intelligent questions and, then, actively listening
to their responses is the best way to build trust and get at the heart of
what your customer really needs.
2. To have things explained
in a way they can understand
So often, people sell confusion rather
than solutions to customers. In today's high tech world, many products and
services on the market are quite complex. I don't know about you, but I'm
technically challenged. So when I contact technical support to get help
with my computers or phone system or software, I want to talk to support
reps who can clearly communicate the solutions. Your customers don't want
to be insulted by listening to jargon and acronyms that are meaningless to
anyone who doesn't work in that industry. They also don't want to deal
with a condescending employee who sounds exasperated because they're not
catching on.
3. To deal with nice people
It's like a breath of fresh air when your customer is greeted by a
friendly voice answering the telephone or a smile as he or she walks
through the door
Remember that your customers are most likely
bumping into negativity everywhere they go. They deal with traffic jams,
long lines in stores, frustrations at work, stress at home and more. When
they pick up the phone to call your company, they want to talk to a "nice"
person. They need to believe that you are someone who genuinely cares
about their concerns. They want you to sound warm and friendly. They want
you to treat them like an old friend.
4. To have their time valued
. . . not wasted
Your customers are juggling their schedules to
make time to contact your company. If they feel their time has been
wasted, they are far less likely to return. Classic time-wasters are
placing customers on hold, transferring their calls to other departments,
not getting their requests right the first time and not dealing with
knowledgeable employees who are empowered to make decisions. Take a look
at how you're handling your customers' calls and identify the situations
that waste a customer's time and eliminate those.
5. To be offered
solutions
Your customers wouldn't call if they didn't need what
your company has to offer. Once they get through, they want to know that
you have the resources and the willingness to do everything you can to
deliver what they need. This will often mean that you need to go the extra
mile to explore a variety of solutions for them. Or, you will need to help
them build a relationship with a co-worker who has more expertise than you
in a given situation. In other words, don't cut your customers short with
responses like, "I don't know," or "We don't do that in this department."
Instead, commit yourself to being a possibility thinker for your
customers.
You are impacting your
company's sales, every time you talk with a customer. Your goal should be
to want your customer to leave with a strong positive feeling about you
and the company. You can help your customers feel comfortable with the
decision to buy by reinforcing their decision. Show enthusiasm for your
products or services and sincerely thank your customers for choosing your
company. Above all, communicate to your customers that everyone in the
company is part of one big team whose goal it is to make them
happy.
Debra J.
Schmidt is known as the Loyalty Leader€. She is an author, consultant,
trainer and professional speaker who helps companies boost profits by
leading the way to greater customer and employee loyalty. Subscribe to her
free online newsletter at: http://www.theloyaltyleader.com/.
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