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Are You A Good Customer?

There are great books on the market about customer service: Raving Fans, Contagious Customer Service and Exceeding Customer Expectations. All good books, however, none address a core issue required for receiving great customer service from vendors and suppliers: be a good customer. This may sound like role reversal, however, companies that practice relationships and partnerships have been practicing these basic principles for years. And as a result, receive stellar service from their vendors. Here are seven ways you can improve your score as a customer. Write a thank you note. Yes, Im talking to you Mr. Customer. Salespeople write thank you notes to customers as a way of building relationships. (And honor the good manners learned from their mothers.) How about you, the customer, thanking the exceptional salesperson for their positive attitude, willingness to go the extra mile and consistency in performance? Appreciation is one of the oldest and best m

How Would Your Customers Rate Your Service?

Rendering exceptional customer service is both a responsibility and a smart business decision. Unfortunately, far too many salespeople view customer service as an administrative burden that takes them away from making a sale. The truth is, providing quality customer service presents tremendous opportunities for cross-selling, up selling and generating additional referrals. Dick Cavett once said, "Its a rare person who wants to hear what he doesnt want to hear." If your clients were given a customer satisfaction survey, how would they rate the level of service they are receiving from you? Customer feedback consistently points to the fact that the little things make a big difference. Quality customer service is typically defined in terms of attention to detail and responsiveness. Not surprisingly, the top two customer complaints with regards to customer expectations are unreturned phone calls and a failure to keep promises and commitments. Successful salespeople place great value o

Pick Up The Phone And Connect

In an age when the Internet seems to be taking over, how do we combat our urge to connect with customers via the web? E-mail and Twitter and Facebook are great ways to stay connected to our clients, but so is picking up the phone. While online tools are great at getting us access to potential customers and leads, once we land them we shouldnt only use those tools as a way to communicate. Consumers want to know that we are here for them and that we will listen to them. Stellar interpersonal skills are part of what makes a great salesperson. Since we are so reliant on technology, it is up to the sales teams managers to break people out of their shells. Hold group meetings and encourage people to share how they stay connected to their clients without using the computer. Use these meetings to practice phone conversations and personal interactions. The web is a great way to find customers, but its not the way to keep them. The only way to establish a relation

How Are You Listening?

Recently, a window company rep called me and asked if I was interested in having a free, no-obligation sales call. I explained that we had replaced all our windows five years ago and that I was not interested. She got very annoyed and was adamant that I must want to replace some of the windows. I said, "Call me back in 15 years. I might be ready then." In a sarcastic voice she said, "Ill call you back in 15 years." And then hung up on me! How do you listen to a prospect? - Do you focus on the person and their words? - What is their body language? - What do their eyes say? This may seem obvious, but you need to listen intently to your customer or prospect and not be distracted by your own thoughts. I find that taking notes helps me focus, and means that I have a record of the conversation later so I can make sure I didnt miss anything. It is hard to listen intently to someone. However you owe it to yourself and your customer as you will gain an ins

Dealing With Difficult People

If you have a belligerent person, tell them directly that their behaviour is unacceptable. If your boss chooses to ignore your discussion and request, start looking for a new job. For many difficult people, their behaviour is a means to get attention... Getting mad The thing you dont want to do is get angry. You need to set boundaries around the persons behaviour. If you dont do this then you are giving the person permission to continue with this behaviour. In most cases difficult people never get a lot of "push back" and so they feel their behaviour is acceptable. When you set boundaries, a lot of times, the person stops or moves on to another "victim." What do I mean by setting boundaries? If you have a belligerent person, tell them directly that their behaviour is unacceptable. You need to be firm in your position on this. You have to be ready to walk away, leave the meeting or demand that they leave meeting. If you are dealing with people who interrupt,