Wouldn’t it be great if you gained so many customers, increased margins and filled orders so fast that your biggest challenge was keeping up with demand? There are a few easy and basic concepts – low hanging fruit really – to help you rise above your competition and give you an incredible advantage.
It goes without saying – you need a great product or service! Your product must solve a real-world problem and be something that customers are eager to pay for. Most companies have thought about their value proposition in detail and have a product or service that is faster, cheaper or better than the competition.
Unfortunately, a great product is rarely enough to make a company a commercial success. For the salesperson, a great product or service will simply not be enough to stand out from the competition and will not fill the sales pipeline on its own.
In today’s world, every business, big or small, is trying to find ways to find the next magic bullet to help increase sales. Thousands of dollars are spent on marketing materials, such as websites, sales brochures, and logos. A few examples include companies implementing CRM software, training courses for sales staff and hiring consultants to create new sales approaches. In the never-ending quest to increase sales and progress to the next level, all of those things are incredibly important.
However, these are not novel ideas. Your efforts to keep up with the competition in this area will unlikely render you a real advantage.
The key to standing out above the rest is outstanding customer service. Does this seem too simple? Think again!
We have all experienced the frustration of poor customer service on a daily basis. Think of what it’s like to call your bank, telephone, or internet provider. Once you finally reach a human being, very often you waste time explaining your issue just to be transferred to another department to start all over again!
Trying to find a handyman to fix a small issue in your home will often result in a snappy response, letting you know that your job is small potatoes and they have bigger fish to fry. You feel left in the dust!
People providing this poor customer service have no idea just how damaging it is to their business. The most baffling observation is that businesses don’t seem to be aware or even care about this problem. Addressing this issue is how you will gain an unfair advantage.
Poor customer service extends to B2B as well. Unfortunately, the norm seems to be average customer service at best and horrible customer service at worst. Hence, this is where YOU find an unfair advantage to stand-out from your competition.
To illustrate this point, I have a story for you. While living in Australia, I was on the hunt for my first new car. This purchase was a big deal for me! For the first time in my life, I was able to afford a brand new car.
I visited a few dealers that treated me okay. They went through the motions and did their job, but it was not memorable. Consequently, I wasn’t sold on a particular dealer or car.
A little discouraged, I decided to call a dealer a bit outside my preferred geographical radius. The gal who answered the phone was very friendly and eager to help me. She listened. She asked me questions. She cared.
She connected me with their best salesman, Peter, who was also extremely friendly and quite competent. He listened. He asked me questions. He seemed to really care too.
When I arrived at the dealership, Peter took the time to find out what was important to me. Did I want to trade-in a car? Did I need financing? Did I need assistance with financing, or would I prefer to do it on my own? Our conversation was more than chit-chat. He really wanted to understand what is important to me and was eager to help. Of course, I was treated to coffee and biscuits during this initial conversation.
He had listened to me so well over the phone that three of the cars I was interested in were already set up and ready to go for a test-drive. After a wonderful test-driving experience, I picked a car I loved! Sadly, I thought it was out of my price range. Instead of being pushy, Peter sensed my hesitation on the price and suggested that he organize a finance pre-approval while I took a few days to think about my decision. He gave me explicit directions on next steps and even assured me that if someone else wanted to buy this particular car, he would first check-in with me.
Two days later Peter called me with the pre-approval. The monthly rate was lower than what was initially offered. I commited to the deal over the phone. By the time I showed-up to sign the paperwork, Peter had everything in place and ready to go. I was ecstatic to call this car mine!
Peter then went even further than expected with his customer service. He explained every little detail of the car, helped me to sync my phone with the car (which wasn’t common yet at that time), and made it clear to me that he appreciated my business. He put in carpet mats, filled the tank with gas, and he even handed me a gift basket with a bottle of expensive wine and delicious chocolates. To top it all off, a week later I received a handwritten note from Peter congratulating me on my purchase and extending his help should I need it at anytime. The key: I felt special.
Do you notice what Peter didn’t do? He didn’t have to use pushy sales tactics at any stage. He didn’t need to negotiate the price. He didn’t rush away to other customers during his time with me. He didn’t force me into a decision the day I arrived on the lot. He simply made it easy for me to buy a car and showed me that I was a priority for him.
The real kicker is that every other car I have purchased since then was done through Peter. He didn’t just sell a car to me once; he gained a lifetime customer!
What can we learn from this story in order to gain an unfair advantage?
Make Calls Stress-free for the Customer.
Great service starts with making it easy and enjoyable for people to get in contact with you. It is not a great start if you have to talk to a cold and unfriendly person at the first contact. There is nothing more annoying than being stuck in the purgatory of a waiting loop and then transferred to a number of people who can’t help with your problem.
Be Friendly. Always.
Pick up the phone and interact with a smile on your face. Try it and notice the difference in your voice! Train your team and co-workers to do the same. I am constantly amazed by how many people get this simple thing wrong.
Use First Names.
People love to hear their name. It’s the most important word to them. When people hear their name, it bridges a gap between you and them in that moment. They feel valued by you.
Ask Questions and Listen.
Customers like talking about themselves and their needs. Your focus should be on those customer needs rather than what you have to sell. Many salespeople jump straight into selling mode, which puts an invisible barrier between you and the client. By truly listening to the customer you may discover a better solution, one the customer may not even know exists. Giving your customer the feeling of being heard is truly underrated. Get this right and you have a serious advantage over your competitors. You will position yourself as the ultimate person to trust.
Be Helpful.
Sometimes you will find yourself in front of a customer with a particular request or problem that you simply cannot solve. You may still be able to help by pointing this person to a company who can offer the required solution. You will look like a shining star, since there is nothing in it for you. This makes you memorable and you can be assured that this person will call you the next time he has a need for your products or services.
Make the Process Easy.
It constantly amazes me when I see companies complicate the selling process and make it very hard for a potential customer to buy. For example, I worked for a company that demanded a nondisclosure agreement before we were allowed to hand out a basic flyer or sell anything basic to a potential customer! To make matters worse, the NDA was so complicated and one-sided that most people laughed at us after reading it. They went to our competitors before we even had a chance to present our solutions.
Be a welcome breeze of fresh air in an otherwise overly complicated, busy world. Keep things as simple as possible and make it really easy for the customer to buy.
Let the Customer Buy, Don’t “Sell.”
Salespeople can be like sharks. They smell a drop of blood and go for the kill. Don’t use every sales- and closing trick in the book. It leaves a bad taste in a customer’s mouth! These are ways to be sure a customer is never coming back.
Conversely, everybody loves to buy. Just look at any mall on the weekend. Instead of selling, let the customer buy. Listen. Provide service. Be helpful. Present the solution, don’t push the product. Solve the customer’s problem. This takes effort, a new way of thinking and a strong focus on each potential customer. It’s easier than you might think and if you get it right, you’ll be amazed by what happens.
If a customer walks away feeling fantastic, they will be back. You are in the driver’s seat to gain a lifetime customer. To boot, they will refer you to other potential patrons!
Follow-Up. Always Follow-up!
Follow-up during the sales process. Follow-up after the sale is complete. This shows the customer that you care. You will stand out like a golden egg. After the deal is done, a call to the buyer is a rare thing, yet it is easy, quick, and doesn’t cost more than a few minutes of your time. And, if you really want to stand-out from the rest, a handwritten thank you card is the icing on the cake! It will put you in a class of your own where referrals and repeat business are practically guaranteed.
Under-Promise, Over-deliver.
Most salespeople over-promise and under deliver. There’s nothing worse to a customer than feeling deflated! Under delivering can put a black mark on the deal and ruin the potential for a future relationship and repeat customer.
Imagine having bought a brand-new car and being told it will be ready for you in a week only to find out that the dealer didn’t have the car in the first place. You know they lied to you and trust is lost.
Of course, delivery issues can occur anytime for valid reasons. This goes for the whole delivery chain. Should legitimate issues occur, and you or your company are unable to keep a promise, keep the customer in the loop as early as possible. Avoiding the customer brings more bad energy and erodes trust. It is better to proactively call the customer and tell him or her the bad news. They may be sad but they will appreciate your honesty. Delivering on your promises and genuinely being honest will guarantee that you are viewed as a one-of-a-kind champion.
Remember that Customers Have Feelings, Too.
There is one sure-fire way to get customer care right all of the time: remember that you are selling to a person. In large B2B transactions it is easy to get lost in the technical or commercial aspect of the deal. Yet, there is always a person behind the deal. That person has targets to meet. They may be stressed. They may not know how to fix a particular problem. They often look for someone they can trust, someone they can call on in a pickle, someone who cares about their deadlines and goals. Provide more than just the product or solution. Be someone they can rely on. It is part of great customer care and will supercharge your rate of success.
Your Team Matters.
Excellent customer service is a team effort. Everyone on your team needs to be on the same page, especially customer facing staff like back-office, production, delivery and installation personnel. Together, they either make or break your effort to make the customer feel special.
It is best to get non-customer facing staff on board too, because they will directly influence what is delivered to the customer. An ever-present attitude throughout the company of, “how can we deliver the best customer service?” will woo the customer from A to Z.
How do you get your employees to care about the customer?
First; The most powerful leadership tool you have is to lead by example. Your co-workers will copy you more than you believe!
Second; let the team know that they are a massive part of any sales success and that you need them in your quest to create lifetime customers.
Third; communicate feedback to your team so they know where they stand. Praise them for job’s well done and provide constructive feedback when things can be improved.
Lastly; share your successes with them, celebrate them as people, care about them, and they will care about your success as a team. Just showing they are important in the overall success will do wonders to get them onboard.
The Ultimate Unfair Advantage: YOU
In sum, the aforementioned points are both easy to do and cost you nothing. Yet, it’s up to YOU to do them. Customer care is so rare these days, that implementing these basic courtesies is like picking low-hanging fruit. You will be head and shoulders above your competition. Provide outstanding customer service and watch the magic happen. YOU are in control and YOU make all the difference between success and failure.