There are a number of simple rules to follow to “prospect” for more buyers without going through the “starting from scratch” phase. It has been my experience that many sales staff forget some of the basics. Attracting buyers far outstrips old cold calling and advertising techniques.

1) ALWAYS ASK FOR AT LEAST ONE REFERRAL. Everybody knows at least one person that they can think of that may be in the market for what you sell (and most will know a lot more). If you close a sale, make a call or talk to anybody about your product or service and if you don’t ask for the name of at least one other prospect or referral may the fleas of a thousand camels may infest the hairy parts of your body and stay there for the rest of your life. This is just a simple act and if you have a good relationship with your customer chance arse he or she will make the introduction for you. So encourage the person you are talking to, to call the next prospect on your behalf, don’t just grab a phone number and run.

2) KNOW THY NEIGHBOUR. Visit your neighbours and say hi and tell them what you do. How many thousands of people work within walking distance of you’re office or factory? Remember this can be a high cost activity and should be used sensibly, HOWEVER… if you do it two days a month, fifteen calls a day, you meet 360 people in a year. What I am saying is get to know your neighbours and help them to get to know you and your business. You could even call it a ‘hello, I’m your neighbour campaign’. The funny thing is that you will meet these people over and over again, at the lunch counter, the bus stop or just in the street on the way to work and they will say Hi… and they will know what you do… and they will at some point say to one of their visitors, ‘I know someone that sells those’, just around the corner why don’t you give them a call.

PEOPLE BUY FROM PEOPLE AND WOULD RATHER BUY FROM PEOPLE THEY KNOW (AND TRUST), REGARDLESS OF PRICE!

3) JOINT VENTURES. Find other companies that sell complementary or related services/products and offer some ‘dollars’ (or physical effort) to be included in their marketing campaign. Look at how credit card companies, airlines and hotels do it. Use your imagination and talk to all your suppliers and customers about their marketing efforts and chances are you will find a few that will provide a way for you to reach lots of people at a minimum cost. This activity can be particularly well used if you can get yourself added to high volume Internet sites. You must add value, so find something that will interest the market… industry stats, legal developments or technical advice and offer it for free. You will, over time, be noticed.

4) SET UP A PERSONAL WEBSITE.  Post useful information for the world to see. Include the site address on everything you hand out. The idea is to provide an information source for people interested in your product or industry. If you’re in, say the car industry… what about a list of repair shops, service station locations, after market parts dealers, baby seat retailers, stereo suppliers, air conditioning service centres, tyre shops, spanner sellers, tune up shops, turbo charger fitters, air fresheners, seat covers and auto clubs. A rainy day can be well spent. Look at it this way, you give out your business card to your buyer, he, she or it looks at your site, he says to a friend look at my new car, the friend says, I wish I could update but I think I’ll just repaint the and reupholster, oh says the your proud customer, you should look at this site its got a great list of car stuff and there is a list of paint shops… and one more person knows who you are and that you sell cars… and they tell one or two others and so it grows.

I MET A GUY THAT HAS BEEN A TOP SALESMAN FOR YEARS, HE STILL KNOWS NOTHING ABOUT COMPUTERS, HE’S JUST LOST ANOTHER JOB… PAST GLORIES AND OLD WAYS OF DOING THINGS WILL NOT SUSTAIN YOU… CHANGE, INNOVATE AND PROGRESS IN YOUR ATTRACTION SELLING TECHNIQUES.

Ref: Hilton Johnson, http://www.salesuniversity.com

Seminars – Some Additional Thoughts

Last post I mentioned seminars. They are such a great way to attract buyer I thought I’d just add a couple of more reasons to get involved.

An additional benefit of giving public seminars or at least being the guest speaker at someone else’s is that the more you engage in this activity the more competent you will become. Lets be honest a key attribute that all buyers are looking for in all sales people is competence. Now one of the fears we all have when speaking or conducting seminars is that we will be confronted by ‘expert’ naysayers. So what can you do? If there are one or two cynics in the audience you can overcome any problem they may cause by only taking questions after the presentation, one on one. To ensure this happens you can say, “I have a limited time to speak however I will remain after in case any of you would like to talk to me personally”. If some smart individual tries to corner you publicly just say that you do not consider it wise to have the entire gathering held up while you answer personal queries. If after some time you feel you can successfully field any ‘difficulties’, allow open questions, HOWEVER don’t feel you must always have a question time after a presentation.

A wise person once said to me… ‘often the things you do for nothing will pay you of the most dividends’. This I have found is also true of seminars. For many years and in more than one industry, I have given talks to small business groups and ‘clubs’ and much of my business has come from this activity. One of the ‘free’ seminars I conducted for a professional group on a quarterly basis lead to a request for an industry magazine article which was then republished across a wide range of industry publications, which again lead to more talks and more business. Sure it’s a bit of work at the start, however it’s a lot less stressful than cold calling for the rest of your life.

Oh! Have a fear of public speaking? Train yourself out of it, or don’t sell, become a ‘techi’ or a ‘number-cruncher’. Sorry, however it’s a necessity for salespeople to be able to hold an audience.

WHO HOLDS REGULAR INDUSTRY MEETINGS, WHAT SEMINARS OR EVENTS ARE COMING UP IN YOUR CITY THAT NEED SPEAKERS? FIND OUT!

Sales lead generators, two quick ideas

Market yourself: by attending networking functions, discussion groups, business luncheons, civic events and conventions and by volunteering to be involved. If a speaker is present, always when you are given a chance, ask a question. To formulate your question listen carefully to what is being said and ask something sensible, the other listeners will be watching you. A good question can attract lots of focus on you and of course hopefully  some potential buyers.

The people you know: can be a great source of business. Attach your business card to everything you send out. I once had a salesperson that attached her business card to her electricity payment every month. The person who processed the payments bought a house from our company. Tell your uncles, aunts, friends and old school mates, what you do and for whom you work. Talk with enthusiasm about your company and products, however remember short is sweet, don’t become a bore and talk about nothing else.

ACTIVITY CREATES SALES, BE ACTIVE IN YOUR COMMUNITIES AFFAIRS

Sales Idea 1. Newsletters

A periodical ‘Newsletter’ is a great way to generate interest. Most of our customers need information on our industry at least once a year. For example, if you are in the hotel business, financial controllers, training managers and sales conference organisers need to estimate accommodation costs at budget time. Why not become their expert help by providing market trends, pricing and available ancillary facilities in our region. If we’re in the automobile industry how about providing a guide to used car prices so fleet managers can see if they will be better to trade their old cars this year or next year. If we can become (what all good salespeople should be)… an authority in our field and if we can establish ourselves as a useful information resource, prospective customers will seek us out. Now you may think that newsletters are an old fashioned and an outdated method of reaching your potential customers however here are four good reasons the are still important:

i) They maintain top of mind awareness, important for all sales success.

ii) They build the sense of a relationship between the sender and the reader.

iii) They establish, if well written, the sender as an expert in his/her field.

iv) The are (unlike a blog) a proactive form of communication.

A GREAT THING ABOUT NEWSLETTERS, AS THE READERSHIP TENDS TO GROW SO DOES THE BUSINESS.

Sales Idea 2. Seminars

Seminars are a great way to attract interested buyers. Obviously anytime we can get in front of a large group of people (on a reasonably regular basis) some of the audience will be naturally attracted to either us or our product and services. Business talks and Industry events (even Rotary clubs and the like) often provide a great way for us to subtly sell our organisation and ourselves. When you get the chance to speak to a group you are given a great deal of power. Most audiences when they focus on our message (and us) will tend to believe what is said. You must only talk on topics in which you have some genuine expertise. I am assuming of course that as a professional sales person you do know a great deal about your industry…YES! Undoubtedly you are the expert, you must be because you are the writer of the speech and you are the only one who knows what you are going to say. This is especially true when you are talking about your products and services and you are talking on a topic about which most of the listeners will have little or no knowledge. If you are giving presentations in an attempt to prove your expertise to a bunch of other experts in your field it is a waste of time, find opportunities to give talks to potential customers instead.

I KNOW YOU’RE BUSY AND WRITING SPEECHES IS TIME CONSUMING, HOWEVER… DO IT ANYWAY!

refs: http://www.salesuniversity.com  and http://www.smithfam.com/news/s11.html

Depending on the size of area you are able to service you may find some locations more fruitful than others. I once trained bank mangers to cold call to look for prospects. Almost to a man they wanted to travel miles to “industrial areas” often over an hours drive away. Depending on what you are selling often you can find prospects next door. The point I am making is that the search for business needs time spent on research. Say you are selling restaurant equipment you need to find the very new i.e. just being established and the getting older, needing plant renewal type businesses. Just calling “willy-nilly” can be a great time waster. Also be careful not to develop a “milk run” where you are just calling on your old favorites because they are easy to talk to.

As part of your territory analysis you need to put together files on your target market players using such sources as government surveys, census information, trade publications, local newspapers and customer feedback.

Giving speeches or delivering seminars in your geographic area can also uncover potential customers. Local Rotary Clubs for example are always looking for speakers. You can’t go along and do a sales pitch however you could talk about, as an example: “the latest technical and cost saving benefits of modern air conditioners” if you were in the business of selling air conditioners. If you establish yourself as a local expert in your field buyers will often seek you out. In other words as well as knowing the potential customers in your territory you need to have a good grasp of the ‘third party’ lead generation opportunities within your geographical area and how to best utilize them.

Define customer “trigger events” and develop systems to alert yourself when they occur.

(An important facet of finding hot prospects from an article on BNET Australia and from which the basis of this article was built.) “Trigger events are circumstances that make it more likely that a customer will buy from you. For example, if you sell management consulting, a trigger event might be a customer announcement of a management change. Similarly, if you sell supply chain software, a trigger event might be the announcement of a merger.”

To expand on this concept I offer this. A true professional in sales will not just be an expert in his or her product. A true professional salesperson needs to an expert in the user of his/her products business as well. One of the best salesmen I ever met was a finance broker who specialized in arranging finance for earth-moving and construction equipment. He was great at his job because in addition to understanding finance and banking he knew as much about earth-moving and construction as his customers. He particularly new when new projects came up for tender and who the likely winner would be and off he would go to see them.

Recognizing trigger events is one of the most powerful attributes that a successful “hot prospect” focused salesperson can develop.

For every product or service there is an expected or at least likely set of potential users. The first place to look is of course your current customer base. Look at who has been buying recently and for what reasons. It is likely if your customer company “A” is expanding or spending due to his/her industry conditions, his/her competitors, companies “B” and “C’ are doing likewise. Secondly research who has money to spend. Its good to remember the old collection adage from the finance company I once worked for. “There are those that can’t pay (read buy) and wouldn’t even if they could. There are those that can’t pay however would if they could. There are those that could pay although they won’t and there are those that can pay (buy) and will.” Hot prospects only come from the last group.

Another hot prospect group can be found through referrals. Talk to your existing customers about who they think may be interested in your product, of course still apply in the finance company test above. Two other simple places is through reading the newspapers and industry journals to look for those who are “movers and shakers” in your target market. One good starting place, at least to get a list of potentials that is often forgotten is… the yellow pages. Social media watch: If your potential buyer’s businesses have a Facebook page check periodically on what they are talking about to see if they mention relevant problems or expansion plans that you may be able to capitalize on.

Research and define your target company positions.

Only call on the decision makers. Remember that committees often make decisions so you must engage all players from the outset. If this is too difficult at least make sure you are dealing with to those that have the ability to greatly influence purchasing decisions for your product or service. If you just can’t get to them all spend as much time as you can in coaching your contact on how to sell the other executives on your proposal. Example I once had a lead on a leasing transaction and the company secretary/financial controller had to present his findings to his board. To assist I had to explain an eight centimeter high stack of printouts containing a bunch of numbers to him. He understood however thought the board would have difficulty understanding the figures. I coached him to say… “Leasing through Ric’s company is it most cost effective option, the figures prove it and here they are.” I told him to drop the heavy binder on the boardroom table with a thud and bet him no one would open it. They didn’t and we got the deal.

More soon… I will tweet ( @rictownsend ) when I have finished writing it.

So if you are unavailable for any reason what is the best “can’t come to the phone” explanation (excuse) that can be given. I suppose a simple “he’s out of the office” is OK however there is something I believe is better. “He/she is attending to another customer” for my money is the only phrase that will let me hang up without being annoyed at my inability to reach the parson I wanted to contact.

While I’m at it forget the “who’s calling please” it makes the caller feel as if your deciding if they are important enough to be put through. A better question is “may I tell him/her who’s calling”.

One last thing… never tell a customer, as someone did to me today, “he’s at lunch can you call back in an hour“, that’s terrible. Telephone diplomacy can win or lose you and your company great amounts of business!

b) Brevity

As with speaking one of the quickest ways to lose your audience ti to circle around the topic or by indulging in the proverbial ‘beating-about-the-bush’. There is an old sales letter adage that if you don’t capture your audiences attention in the first ten words you have lost them. Get to the point quickly, use headings and bullet points, never have more than 27 words in a sentence and less is better.

According to Ann Wylie of http://comprehension.prsa.org/?p=217 ‘The longer your sentences, the less your readers will understand and  according to research by the American Press Institute a study shows that:

•    When the average sentence length in a piece was fewer than eight words long, readers understood 100% of the story
•    Even at 14 words, they could comprehend more than 90% of the information
•    However if you move up to 43-word sentences, comprehension dropped below 10%

Bottom line: To improve understanding, break sentences up or condense them.’

c) Clarity

Newspaper, magazines, blogs and many other articles have headings and so should you.

From P. Mathew www.articlealley.com/article_1568981_50.html

“Write in paragraphs that are short and convey a single thought that is briefly explained. Bulleting your sentences and maintaining lists improves readability and helps keep your ideas short and simple to read and understand.”

As I was taught it is always better to use simple words rather than long complicated ones and avoid jargon and anagrams.

Comprehension of a piece of writing can be calculated using what is known as a SMOG index and if you search for this on the web you can find a number of excellent articles that will explain how to calculate this so you check your writing effectiveness.

I still remember a boss that would send back lending submissions I had written with bright red notations “so what” at the end of sentences. To ensure clarity you need to follow the “so what” idea when reviewing your work to clarify what you are trying to transmit.

Example: The business’s gearing ratio is 2.5:1 The so what could be: This is way below the industry average of 4.2:1 and has reduced considerably over the last three years indicating a healthy financial trend.

And again from Pramila Mathew “Always keeping your goal in mind: If you lack a substantive goal, your readers can easily lose interest in your message. The rule of the thumb here is: start with an idea, and end it with the same.”

Rule 2 Read, Practice and Research like a Journalist

If you are going to an effective writer you will need to become an avid reader. You should read at least one or two books a month, preferably on topics related to your career or area of expertise or professional discipline. You can practice your writing by doing summaries of concepts you uncover in your reading, You will also I suggest need to read a serious newspaper each day and any industry magazines that relate to your work.

As you can see from this blog post I have used information written by other writers on the topic and with internet search it is easy to gain more facts or ideas about your topic. By doing research you can support your ideas with the help of other and broaden the perspectives you offer the reader.

Finally to improve your writing skills you should sit down and write at least one small ‘article’ a week – or more often if possible – on a topic related to your profession.

Perhaps a blog is a great place to start if you want to become a more effective writer.

If you like what you have read here there are more career advice articles at: orglearn career advice

Helping the prospect through the buying process should be a conversation not a one person narrative. If you are using a script you are probably not listening to the customer nor understanding their wants… you are just pitching and pitching isn’t selling.

Are you working very very hard and still not making the sales?

THEY KEY TO BETTER SALES IS TRAINING YOUSELF TO BECOME THE CUSTOMER’S ‘ASSISTANT BUYER’

Do you look for the five steps of the buying process?

ATTENTION
INTEREST
CONVICTION
DESIRE
PURCHASE

Do you know how to respond effectively to the prospects state of mind and emotions at each of the five stages?

Have you done a sales training course, read a book or even an article on sales in the last 30 days?

If you want to be a real “SALESPERSON” which of the following phrases describe you…

1. long term associate
2. partnership seeker
3. trustworthy individual
4. communicative and a good listener
5. human relations expert
6. product/service expert
7. problem solver
8. referral getter
9. lead generator
10. attractive and well presented
11. caring and considerate
12. often with the customer
13. welcome if you call in unexpectedly,
14. always positive and active
15. someone to respect.

FLOGGING OR PITCHING IS NOT SELLING, IT’S A CON, SELLING IS KNOWING HOW TO BEST SOLVE A CUSTOMERS PROBLEM WITH THE APPROPRIATE SOLUTION

If you need the sales script you have not reached the level of selling competence in the product knowledge area (features, advantages and benefits) that you will need to succeed!

DO YOU UNDERSTAND AND PRACTICE THE “DON’T SELL, LISTEN” PRINCIPLE?

Being sold makes us all uncomfortable; pressure is pressure no matter how slickly it’s applied.

The book ‘High Probability Selling’ (Abba Publishing Company), by Ruben & Werth, proposes that the salesperson’s objective is ‘not to get the prospect to buy, rather to find out if there is a mutually acceptable basis to do business’. Sales success comes from being an expert in human relations; it’s about earning respect, using effective communication and particularly it’s about listening.

LISTENING to what you are being told during a sales appointment is still the best way to find a sale. By listening rather than talking you can uncover what the prospect is looking for and then you can provide the ‘fix’.

Just before I finish…

*Here is the link for direct page viewers return to main career success blog to check out other posts!

While you’re here take a look at the free blank resume form just in case after the last two posts you think selling as a career is just a bit too hard!

REMEMBER it is hard if not impossible to listen, think and talk all at the same time!

Finally: If you do stay in sales and practice long and hard enough it can be on of the most personally rewarding and financially rewarding careers you can have.

AND

Its the product of the product that your customer is seeking… they don’t want your ALKA SELTZER nor even relief from pain they want to get on with what is important to them!

Have you reminded yourself lately that you are in a crucial and honourable profession?

“Nothing happens until somebody sells something”

All businesses exist for one reason only… to serve a customer

“Selling is the key to all human activity and progress”

The greatest idea, the best system improvement or even the technically superior product is of no value unless somebody buys it.

“Passion is the pusher of progress and desire is the deliverer of destiny”

Unless we can convince all sections of our organization to passionately want to satisfy our customers and strengthen their desire to become the best in their field, someone else is likely to fulfil ‘our destiny’.

HOW ABOUT YOU… RATHER BE SOLD… OR TOLD?

SELL OR PERISH

If the ability to sell is critical to success, how much time are we investing in becoming more proficient at it?

Have you read at least one article on selling this week?

REMEMBER PEOPLE BUY WHAT THEY WANT NOT WHAT THEY NEED!

A notably successful ad from the past shows a hung over man who takes an ‘Alka-Seltzer’ and walks away looking refreshed and invigorated. For salespeople the question should be what did the man buy. An ALKA-Seltzer many will reply. Those with a little better understanding may realize he bought the product of the product, relief from discomfort. This product of the product or PRINCIPLE BUYING MOTIVE is often referred to as the buying NEED. There is however a more powerful buying motive, even deeper than the need, that is the all-important… SECRET BUYING MOTIVE. This ‘secret’ is what the customer REALLY wants. The man in the ALKA-Seltzer needed relief however wanted to be able to feel good and get on with what he wanted to do or achieve.

Remind yourself that a customer’s inner wants are far more powerful motivators than their perceived needs.

Am I finding out what my customers real motivators are or just pitching features?

Am I able through the sales process able to find out what the prospect really wants?

Am I asking questions or just talking?

Good questioning technique is important (and powerful), as people are usually SKEPTICAL ABOUT WHAT THEY ARE TOLD but generally BELIEVE WHAT THEY SAY.

OKAY YOU SAY ASK QUESTIONS… HOW DO I DO THAT!

TIP 1: Asking permission to ask questions will work 99% of the time.

A good start is to say… ‘In order to save you time and to ensure I fully understand your requirements, do you mind if I ask you a few questions’?

TIP 2: Some polite a relationship building questions based on what you know about the prospect and his or her company are a wise start. How are you? How many people on your staff? How long have you worked for XYZ? How’s your…whatever is appropriate…?

TIP 3: Effective salespeople do their best (through research) to know what to ask to ensure that their questions will get the answers they want. Example – Don’t ask about the last dealing the prospect had with your company without checking on the success or difficulties that have gone before.

OPEN QUESTIONS GET LONG EXPLANATIONS & CLOSED Q’s GET ONE WORD ANSWERS…

TIP 4: Do I only ask questions that will get yes responses? Can I rethink and rephrase my questions so a YES is the only logical response.

e.g ’Do you see improved effectiveness of your company as a key management responsibility’? The person you are talking to would have to be a very ‘hard nosed’ individual to say anything but YES (or a total idiot).

PRODUCT KNOWLEDGE IS VERY IMPORTANT…

PRODUCT OF THE PRODUCT KNOWLEDGE IS CRUCIAL

PEOPLE BUY FOR THEIR REASONS NOT OURS

Remember this useful motivation reference point that is common among many buyers.

Buying Criteria Guide: S – Security/Safety

P – Performance/Power

A – Availability/Appearance

C – Comfort/Class

E – Economy/Ecology

D – Dependability/Durability

Example… if the prospect wants a fast car don’t try to sell a safe green one… or if a prospect wants a ‘cheap’ computer don’t waffle on about a Pentium sixteen with 50,000 meg of ram and a 45 inch screen…

DO I TOTALLY UNDERSTAND THE SPACED BENEFITS OF WHAT I SELL?

CRITICAL POINT: PEOPLE BUY BENEFITS NOT PRODUCTS!

How do we discover the real benefits of our product or service? The best way is to complete a FEATURES/ADVANTAGES/BENEFITS analysis.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary defines a feature as a – ‘distinctive or characteristic part of a thing’ and an advantage as a – ‘better position, superiority, favorable circumstances’. A benefit is defined as’ ‘do good to, receive benefit (by thing)’.

Product features should be fairly obvious to anyone selling their product for more than a few weeks. Acknowledging that some products are more complicated than others the fact remains we can’t sell what we don’t understand.

List down six to ten of the most important features of your product or service. Check that they only have features listed buy checking if what you have written qualifies under ‘The Concise Oxford’ definition above. Examples may be, this pot has two handles, this traing is conducted over 3 days, it has a 3-litre engine, it has river views, or it has a 1000-hz ‘Pentium’ chip.

Then give each of the features at least two advantages. In the Pentium chip example the advantages could be, faster processing, quicker programme loading, superior movie viewing or quicker web browsing.

Review the features and advantages in light of the definitions and turn the advantages into real customer benefits. To do this it is best to line the three headings up side-by-side and turn the three categories into a sentence joining them with the words (feature) “which means” (advantage) “which gives you” (benefit). In the case of the two handled pot it could be ‘this pot has two handles which means it is better balanced when being carried improving your chance of getting from A to B with out spilling the contents.

SALES – QUICK TIPS

ARE YOU TURNING ONE CALL INTO THREE?

Go next door, both sides, or at least visit two more potential or current customers in the same area.

ARE YOU CROSS-SELLING and/or UPSELLING?

Sell aligned products or a range rather than having only “one product expertise”.

ARE YOU SENDING THANK YOU NOTES?

Everyone likes to be thanked, a quick note saying thanks for seeing me, or thanks for the order, or thanks for whatever can be a powerful relationship builder.

ARE YOU PLAYING THE NUMBERS GAME?

Rule of thumb, ten cold leads will get one prospect, ten prospects will get one customer. How many calls a week is that against the number of customers you are expected to see or sell?

ARE YOU GETTING TESTIMONIALS?

The best way to do it is to ring up the customer (when you know things have gone well) and ask questions that you know will get positive responses. Then ask permission to write the customers experience down, ask permission to send it to him/her and then ask that he/she put it on the company letterhead and send it to you.

ARE YOU ASKING FOR AND GETTING REFERRALS?

All to-do lists and of course sales reports should include a referrals section and if you don’t come back with at least one from each satisfied customer find a sharp object and insert it where it will inflict the most pain.

ARE YOU USING THE OFTEN OVERLOOKED PROSPECTING TECHNIQUE?

Look in the phone book, you think I’m joking, I’ll bet many sales staff have never even thought of it.

HAVE YOU CONTACTED ALL YOUR SOURCES?

Existing customers, suppliers, colleagues, investors, advisors, associates, family, friends, acquaintances, researched leads, past customers, public presentations, civic activities, networking, trade shows, competitors internet sites, next door

IT IS VERY HARD TO FIND NEW CUSTOMERS AT OUR DESK… GET OUT THERE. ARE YOU SPENDING TOO MUCH TIME AT YOUR DESK?

ARE YOU ONLY TALKING TO DECISION MAKERS?

How many secretaries, purchasing officers, clerks and other strange characters are you talking to, I mean wasting time with?

ARE YOU A NO FEAR SALESPERSON OR IS IT TIME FOR A RESUME UPDATE?

Have you overcome their fear of rejection and call reluctance? Do you to understand the biggest risk in your profession comes from developing too few customers and prospects, not from having too many!

Can’t do it?

Need a different career then? While you’re here maybe you should take a look at the free blank resume form!

OR…

Can you accept that as a professional salesperson rejection as part of your life and so you cannot allow a prospect’s rejection to effect and control your mental attitude? Fear can be reduced by planning, being prepared for every step of the selling process through practice and making sure you are backed up with solid product knowledge.

If a customer is abusive you must to make you first goal to calm the customer’s temper and take control of the situation. You need remain open and friendly, stay calm and keep your voice low and controlled. Tell the customer you are interested in his/her complaint and say ‘in order to help you I need to fully understand your problem’. Then ask ‘can you tell me what is wrong in a calm voice to ensure I focus on the problem (rather than the emotion) so I am better able to find a solution’. Let customer ‘vent his or her frustration’ and don’t interrupt. Telling you their complete story, and describing how upset they are, allows customers to release pent-up frustrations. It is wise to take notes as you go as it helps you with your response and shows the customer you are seriously interested in their problem.

BLAMING OTHERS IN YOUR ORGANIZATION

The worst tactic I have come across is a customer service officer trying to blame me, the customer, for the problem. Never play the blame game! Blaming the customer for the problem will dramatically worsen the situation. Also particularly never use the phrase ‘sir our system requires…‘ or even worse ‘sir you don’t understand our system’ (a common phrase with many service providers in Asia, especially bank staff).

Never blame others in your organization. Both the ‘system excuse’ and blaming others will be seen as evasive (or even worse cowardly) and destroy your credibility with the customer. No customer cares about your ‘problems’, they just want their problem solved. Accept responsibility as a representative of your company and place your efforts into solving the problem.

‘FRUSTRATION: HAVING TO RESIST THE TEMPTATION TO CHOKE THE LIVING S..T OUT OF SOMEONE WHO REALLY DESERVES IT!’ This is a funny saying however it has no place in customer complaint handling, in spite of the bad attitude of many customer service’s staff I have met (and trained) over the years.

GET THE ENTIRE STORY:

When the customer has told you the whole story regarding a complaint tell the customer what you will do to solve the problem. Do not tell the customer what he or she must do to solve the problem. Use phrases such as… ‘I will contact the xyz department’… ‘I will find the document’… ‘I will gather the necessary information’ etc. If you use ‘I’ in place of ‘you,’ you will help to minimise tension as it assures the customer that you are taking responsibility for the resolution of the issue. If you need to refer the matter to a third party always check back with the customer to ensure the other party has made contact and that the problem has been solved. Sure it’s wise to check with the third party to ensure a solution has been found first, however contacting the customer after the event will reinforce both your own and your company’s image. Important point never use the word ‘no’, either recommend a solution or suggest a compromise.

PROBLEM SOLVING AS A CHANCE TO LEARN AND IMPROVE

If you view problem solving as a chance to find out how to improve your company’s operation (or image) and as an opportunity to learn something, rather than a nasty experience, you can approach these difficult situations with a more positive frame of mind. In most complaint situations there are only win-win or lose-lose results. Everyone will win with satisfied customers as you can gain a positive company image and an advocate for you and your products/services (plus hopefully some personal satisfaction) or everyone can lose with upset customers and the gradual destruction of your company’s place in the market plus… personal emotional upset. Every time you allow someone else to change your emotional state YOU LOSE. Turn complaints into opportunities! In reality when you win, so does the customer and if you lose, so does the customer.

IT’S BETTER TO RECEIVE A COMPLAINT THAN HAVE AN EX-CUSTOMER THAT NEVER TELLS YOU WHY THEY LEFT!

FOLLOW-UP:

1. After you’ve resolved a customers’ complaint, it’s essential you place a record on file to ensure the next person handling the customer is aware of the problems encountered so they do not inadvertently ‘walk into a minefield’.
2. Best practice in customer service demands that we place a file note to give a little extra attention to the customer to reinforce the fact that the previous problem was a ‘one off’. This may well cement good future relations.
3. You must also ensure that the problem’s causes are analysed and counter measures are employed to make sure the same situation does not recur. If you learn a ‘better’ way you do business make the learning worthwhile and find a way for your company to make the changes required. Also the last thing you want is for any customer to have a similar problem let alone the same customer have two bad experiences in a row. If they do, chances are you’ve lost them (and all those they can influence) forever.

ONE UNANSWERED COMPLAINT CAN LEAD TO THE LOSS OF LARGE NUMBERS OF POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS

Effective or ’good’ customer service needs to be a company wide philosophy not just a procedure. Effective complaint handling is a key element to retaining customers. All job descriptions should contain a responsibility statement for all functions and levels of staff, regardless of their perceived requirement for direct customer contact (or not). In hiring interviews, orientation programmes and training sessions, emphasize that everyone is in the customer service business. Make sure that all employees understand how they directly or indirectly ‘effect’ the customer. Include customer service in all performance evaluations and set up a complaint recording system with a section to report outcomes and responsible personnel. Even if you don’t have a formal ‘Total Quality Management’ function ask employees to submit a list of the specific things they’ve done to help provide superior customer service. If ‘to serve a customer is the only reason for a business to exist’ (and it is) you need to be passionate about updating or modifying your staff’s attitudes and company procedures to eliminate as many complaints as you can.

LEARN TO LOVE COMPLAINTS, THEY ARE GUIDEPOSTS TO IMPROVED PERFORMANCE!

If you can view problem solving as a chance to find out how to improve your company’s operation (or image) and as an opportunity to learn something, rather than a nasty experience, you can approach these difficult situations with a more positive frame of mind. In most complaint situations there is only win-win or lose-lose results. Win with satisfied customers and a positive company image (plus personal satisfaction) or upset customers and the gradual destruction of your company’s hard fought place in the market and personal emotional upset. Every time you allow someone else to change your emotional state YOU LOSE. Turn complaints into opportunities! Remember when you win, so does the customer and if you lose, so does the customer.

Under the heading of “focus on the people who focus on the customers”, a manager’s customer service guide I once read (source unknown) stated:

“Make customer service a part of all written or verbal job descriptions—no matter the function or level. In hiring interviews, orientation, and on-the-job training, emphasize that everyone is in the customer service business. And make sure that all employees understand how they directly or indirectly ‘touch’ the customer.”

“Remember that people do what’s expected when it’s inspected! Include customer service in all performance evaluations. Prior to conducting evaluations, ask employees to submit a list of the specific things they’ve done to help provide superior customer service.”

“Go on a paralysing policy hunt! Ask employees to identify policies and procedures that get in the way of providing good service. Then do your best to update, modify, or eliminate as many as you can.”

*Link for direct page viewers return to main career success blog if you would like to read other posts by Ric at orglearn.

NOTE research indicates that:

1. Seven out of ten complaining customers will do business with you again if you resolve the complaint in their favour and if it is resolved on the spot, 95% will do business with you again.
2. A typical business hears from only 4% of its dissatisfied customers; the other 96% just go silently away and 91% of them will never come back.
3. A typical dissatisfied customer personally tells more than eight people about his or her problem. With today’s communication options and social media usage a dissatisfied customer may now publicize his or her dissatisfaction to thousands.

Talking of dissatisfaction… dissatisfied with your job? Take a look at the free blank resume form and update your resume perhaps!