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Category: Sales
Customer service and moments of truth
I once heard the term “comfort zone” described as the “mental home in which we live.” When we manage our relationships well, we help create a comfortable “mental home” for our prized customer base.
This past week I visited the store where I purchased my cell phone a couple years ago. I had a problem, and they solved it. At the end of the conversation the service agent asked me if I would be interested in moving my cable, Internet, and land line service to them. We compared the plan we had to their plan. We determined that switching to them would save us $20 per month.
My wife and I had the luxury of time, so we we looked at the new proposed plan and reflected on the past two occasions when we needed to talk to the service department of our current vendor. Considering these two conversations, we concluded that the service was outstanding. We were not that confident that switching to the new company would mean better service. Our current phone company has created a “comfort zone” we did not want to leave. We decided to stay with them in spite of the $20 savings.
As I reflect on this situation, I am amazed that we would be open to changing vendors after a relationship of 20 years. I realize it wasn’t the 20 years that created the comfort zone: It was all the contacts or “moments of truth” along the way that were well managed. The lesson is this: With each customer we have moments of truth. It is vital that we find a way to manage these moments. If we don’t, we will weaken the comfort zone, and open up the door to our competition.
The sales process is for everyone
When I began my career, one of my first objectives was to build my skills in professional selling. I enrolled in a 12-week course that broke the sales process into five steps that contained 23 fundamentals. Soon after I began the training, I asked myself, “Why do they just teach the sales process to salespeople? Why not everyone?” What I discovered was that learning the fundamentals of the sales process not only helps our success in selling, it also positively affects our personal lives with friends, children, and partners. Allow me to illustrate by giving a simple overview of the 5 steps of selling:
Step #1: Generate rapport. We begin in a friendly way that results in the prospect viewing us favorably. This enables us to generate a willingness to have a conversation.
Step #2: Show genuine interest. That’s fine that we are a nice person. Our next step is to understand the other person, their situation, and what they need. We do this by asking good questions, listening to the answers, and affirming that we have heard correctly.
Step #3: Present the solution. Now that we know what someone needs and why it is important to them, we can recommend a solution that appeals to their interest.
Step #4: Secure commitment. Once we have agreed on the solution, we ask for their commitment.
Step #5: Act. Now that we are committed, we take action!
OK. Now imagine you needed to have a serious conversation with your teenager. Wouldn’t this process apply? My recommendation: Learn the sales process (but don’t tell them you are not in selling)
Add some sparkle to your leadership ability…
“The expression one wears on one’s face is far more important that the clothes one wears on one’s back”
– Dale Carnegie
Today I was reminded of an important principle in building team trust: One of my friends mentioned that she had taken a picture of a colleague in a meeting while he was looking at his smart phone. The expression on his face was not radiant.
In building strong team trust, approachability is critically important. Our team members must be comfortable approaching us with questions, ideas, and genuine concerns. If the “at-rest” expression on our face is stern or intense, many will avoid us. This leads to a weaker team.
Many years ago I was coaching a business owner who talked about his most significant growth as a leader. A friend commented about the normal expression on his face. He said, “You look mean.” Carl was smart enough to realize that if he had a mad countenance, many of his team would hesitate to approach him. That day, Carl decided he would develop the habit of having an approachable expression as much as possible.
Carl got to work. It was tough. He claimed it was nearly 2 years before the sparkle on his face became a habit. Carl said the effects his efforts on teamwork and productivity were immeasurable.
I realize there are times when we will not have a sparkling expression on our face. We may be in a serious or intense conversation and we want our facial expression to match our message. The objective is, whenever possible and appropriate, always have a friendly expression on our face. This builds trust and leads to stronger relationships.
What 4 out of 5 sales professionals forget
“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take” – Wayne Gretzge
Last week one of my clients was listening to a radio ad from someone who did sales coaching. He made the statement, “Four out of five salespeople never ask for the order”. My client wanted to know if that was true. I said it was.
First, let’s define “asking for the order”. That refers to anything you say that is intended to advance the sale. The most common way of doing this is closes or trail closes.:
Trail close: A trail close is used when you feel the sale is moving along well, and you want to take the temperature. Here are some examples:
Q. Do you have any questions or concerned that I haven’t covered?
Q. Would you prefer to be contacted by email or phone? (Preference close)
Q. Why don’t you give us a try?
Q. If you’ll just authorize this, we’ll get started right way with…
Q. Is this what you are looking for?
The close: A closing questions asks directly for the order. We often start with trial closes so as not to overwhelm the prospect. When we have received a warm response from a trial close, this could be a good time to go for the final close:
Q. Would you like to give it a try?
Q. Would you like to go ahead with it?
Trail closes are safe since they are usually opinion-asking questions. Asking a direct closing questions may drive the sales process backwards if they are not ready. But if we have asked a series of trail closes and have consistently received a warm response, take the plunge and ask for the order!
What strong brands are built on
Six months ago one of my coaching clients found himself in a predicament: Ty received a phone call from his biggest customer and it wasn’t a happy one. His customer had not received their delivery and it was past due. As a result, this missed delivery date caused the company to be late with a shipment to one of their customers.
Ty checked into it right away, and found out the error was due to some communication error between two departments. They made a big mistake. Ty could have called the company and made up some excuse. Instead, he said, “We made a mistake. We are sorry. We are now making arrangements for you to receive it by air freight, and we will absorb the additional shipping charges”.
Fast forward to today. Not only is this still their biggest customer, they have purchased far more than anticipated since the error. I am quite certain this would not have happened if Ty and his company hadn’t owned up to their mistake and made it right quickly. Ty knew that the most important asset his company has is their sterling reputation, and he fought to preserve it.
What Ty did seems like common sense. It is common sense. Yet how many times have you seen a situation where there was a mix-up in a process, and a shipment has to be sent out late? Have you ever heard someone ask the question, “What should we tell them?” How about the truth? It worked for Ty
Our reputation is our brand, and it is a strong determining factor when a purchasing decision is made. Think of it like that commercial for a Nationwide Freight Carrier: “We are in the business of keeping promises”.