Super Serve to Super Bill - Keeping the Business

    • 193 posts
    June 18, 2013 11:10 AM PDT


    Are you a Salesperson guilty of THE GOTCHA?  We all have done this before.  You work hard to impress a client by doing things that make you stand out.  You win the business, get to be the sales star of the week and slowly go into cruise control with your new client.  Week after week, your service levels subside as you move onto the next piece of new business.  Here's two easy ways to fight THE GOTCHA...

    I recall the story like it happened yesterday.

    I came up with a killer year-long strategy for a new client and he loved it.  He didn't even negotiate the purchase price.  He signed the deal without hesitation.  It delivered on all expectations.  Maybe that was the reason I neglected to continue the service he received when I was trying to win him over.  Every three months, I would give him a quick phone call.

    Everything going well?  Yes sir, Dave! Happy as a clam!  Best thing our company has ever purchased, was his response.  Right on Dave, you rule!

     

    Whoa, up came renewal time.

    I kicked into high gear, and took him out for lunch.  I marvelled at what a great idea we had put together.  He agreed and gave me a compliment for my ingenuity.  Confidently, I presented him with the year-long renewal agreement with a 5% increase in price.  He signed it, crossed out the 52 week term and wrote the figure 13 weeks in place.

     

    OK...say what?

    This client gave me THE GOTCHA that I tell to many of the professional Salespeople we train. Here's what he said...

    Maybe if we do a 13 week deal, instead of 52 weeks, I might see you a little more often.

    I laughed, and turned purple with pure embarrassment.  I told him I understood exactly what he meant.  There was no excuse for taking his business for granted, no matter how great our executed strategy was.  I also thanked him for teaching me a lesson I would never forget.  Little did he know he was training a future Sales Trainer.

     

    How do we fight this as a Salesperson?

    Other than the standard response of giving him better service, an occasional lunch or Gift Card to say thank you, or showing up with coffee and pastries for his staff, here's a couple of simple things I recommend to all Salespeople we train...

    Send a quick text, email or phone message immediately to your client when they contact you

    Do not wait until you have the time for a proper conversation.  Do it now and make them feel like the CEO of the company and your most important client.

    Received your message/email.  I'm in a meeting right now.  I will call the moment I can.  

    Of course, you'd never do this when you're in front of another client.  If you're in a company meeting, simply inform the other person that you need to send this quickly, as it's part of your Client VIP Strategy.  I don't think anyone would really mind, if explained properly.


    Many times when I do this for our clients, I get this message back...

    Nothing overly urgent.  Call when you can.  Thanks for responding so quickly.

     

    The Power of ZITE on Apple devices


    This is an amazing app available at the Apple Store.  It's essentially a personalized magazine that scours the internet 24/7 looking for articles of interest to you.  It gets smarter as you use it and finds categories that you spend searching out.  You can log in with your Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn account.  Every time you open ZITE, it refreshes and sends a new feed to you.  It allows you to search any category you want, even as specific as urban planning or collector cars.  

    Simply put in all the business categories of your clients or favorite hobbies of your decision makers.  You will have the internet working for you, sending you great articles that you can forward to email addresses, post to Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn.

    You will be a consistent resource to your clients and super serve them.  Here's the real kicker about ZITE - it's totally free, at least for now.  I fully expect this app to come with a price tag at some point in the future.

    Here's a link...because after all, I enjoy super serving read readers of THE PROSALESGUY BLOG.

    ZITE.com

    If you're OK with that shameless plug, here's another, should you be interested...

     

     

    If you found this article useful, I'd love your feedback in the comment section.  The more we share, the more we all learn.  Thanks!

    Dave Warawa - PROSALESGUY

    Pro Sales Guy Logo

     

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