I Made a Sale Now What?
Now what?!?! The customer said yes and you’ve got a purchase order in your hand! Before you can get that product out the door, there should have been a number of things you did….If you didn’t do them, now you’re real sales skills will come into play. If you didn’t already arrange for a line of credit and for product to be on hand, you best start practicing your tap dancing skills.
Once that purchase order is in your hand, (We’ll assume you’ve set up the credit terms and you do have inventory to ship to your customer….after all, you’re a smart sales professional), call the customer and say thank you! Seems so trivial, but most sales people forget this step. A little thank you goes a long way (your parents should have taught you that!). Keep your customer informed as to the progress of his order. Let him know when it ships by sending him the carrier tracking information, many of the notification needs of you clients can be personalized even using automated systems. A simple thank you not with an email showing status. IF you can guarantee this type of communication through out the buying cycle talk about it during the presales phase. It might be a great competitive advantage. Your customer won’t expect that you took the time to do that, and you will have, once again, distinguished yourself from the rest of the sales people banging on his door. Give the order a couple of days to arrive and call your customer again, have the notification of delivery sent to you also and add it you your CRM system as a task and a reminder. Again, distinguishing yourself from the rest of the pack. He won’t expect this call either.
Follow the order from cradle to grave and you’ll win your customers heart. Keeping him informed will not only impress him but will show him that you truly care about his business. After all, in our world, it’s not about making one sale. It’s about making a customer for life. By keeping him informed, you’re really becoming an extension of his business. You’re helping him to move forward and in turn, you’re moving forward with him.
Simple things like knowing the ordering and delivering process in detail allows you to set the expectation. If selling an intangible make sure you give them that status of their paper work along the way whether it is a maintenance contract, financial service, or labor hours, customers need the same love and confidence maybe even more because they can’t touch it. Expectations are powerful images in the mind of your customer and they need to be cared for. Follow up and status isn’t enough you need to take the same care and follow up on outstanding issues that you did before you made the sale. Most clients are a one hit and move on but an opportunity for additional products, services and upgrades for years to come. By putting the emphasis on their experience with your company and products then you are setting up a future pipeline of business and referrals.
Things to do: Improving your customer’s experience
Ever call your own company and see how the phone is answered, how the call is handled. Now have you ever done it anonymously? If not and that is how your customer touch you need to. It will give you a window, quite possibly a terrifying one into doing business with you.
Look at your website…is is advertising crap or thing of value to your customers. Not why you’re the greatest widget company ever but tools and information to improve their lives and profitability. Think they care about you you’re dead wrong but they do care about themselves and what you will do to help them. Further more do they know how to contact you, by phone, email, snail mail or even in person. If people need to visit your facilities offer directions to your office from the major points in the area such as interstates, parts of the city or the airport.
Invoices- are they simple and easy to read, not the legalese on the back but the front, more than the remit to does it thank them for each and every purchase? Are the colors perhaps unique but inviting? Is the look and feel consistent with your company image, if not why?
How do you greet your customers and prospects, warmly or does the person at the front desk ask them to have a seat until hell freezes over or the person they are there to see appears. Chairs and a wait area are a necessity but why company’s skimp here amazes me. The one industry that seems to almost always get it right are plastic surgeons. Well decorated waiting areas with useable furniture that is both comfortable and inviting.
Understanding you capabilities goes right along side knowing your value often they should be hand in hand. All too often sales people come up short in their customers minds because they over promise and under deliver. Most sales books, trainings and even common sense say to avoid this but it goes deeper than that. Are you working miracles to win a deal? Dumping the responsibilities on another department or part of the organization that then has to be the face on pulling off the over commitment or letting the customer down. It is the business equivalent of the junior high move of having a friend break up with the person you’re dating for you. That always work well right? Of course not so think about that the next time you are tempted to over commit. In truth if you understand the customer’s needs and set the expectation properly then the reality is you have a better working relationship and will be able to meet their needs with in a reasonable and mutually beneficial way.
Part of that experience if taking the time to familiarize your own organization with the clients, for complex projects and internal planning meeting followed by a project kick off meeting is a great way to transition the process fro sales to delivery. Keep in mind that you need to allow the other professionals in your organization to do their jobs but providing a warm transition and hand off for the customer is like a warm introduction to a prospect it makes things that much easier.
TIP: Follow up. Constantly. Even after the sale is made. Call your Customer. Be in contact with them constantly. Be the one resource that they know that can always rely on.
