CUSTOMER SERVICE WITH A DIFFERENCE
It has been stated from time immemorial that our customers are always right however, in modern world of selling this may not have much meaning now. It is not the question of whether our customers being right or wrong but the how do we deal with them with tender loving care to achieve our aim of encouraging them to purchase our products.
I still feel that Mahatma Gandhi said it all when he developed this statement.
“A customer is the most important visitor on our premises. He is not dependent on us; we are dependent on him. He is not an interruption in our work; he is the purpose of it. He is not an outsider in our business; he is part of it. We are not doing him a favour by serving him; he is doing us a favour by giving us an opportunity to do so.”
Well, if Gandhi was indeed a salesman, he wouldn’t have found favour in most of the organizations of today. This is simply because he would have laid bare the entire truth behind his product or service that wouldn’t have gone well with the company that employed him.
Gandhi realized the importance of honesty being the best policy, something that you won’t find much popular among most salesmen. But honesty is definitely the best policy if you are trying to sell something.
This is a fact that most salesmen forget when they are trying to persuade their prospects to make a sale, especially if they are trying to hard-sell. Being honest, which is the correct approach to selling, isn’t easy to practice. This is given that being honest about the real quality of your product or services can sometime lose you the sale. All products and services have their flaws, so openly telling the prospects about the same might turn most of them away. So be careful how you tackle this issue.
Put the buyer first
Help the buyer buy from you. Don’t try to sell to them. Understand their needs and why they have come to you in the first place.
Tell the truth
No product or service is delivered perfectly. There are bound to be flaws. But what customers hate the most is being sold or serviced using dishonesty. So if you are offering something that has flaws, tell it right there and then and let the prospect make a conscious decision. If there has been a flaw in servicing the customer, accept the mistake, apologize for it, and promise to never make it again.
I know that many salespeople have succeeded by following words like these:-
One word that is vital for all good customer service- YES
Two words that make your customers to return- THANK YOU
Three words that generate interest – GLAD YOU HERE
Four words to give your feedback – HOW DID WE DO
Five words of service- HOW MAY I SERVE YOU
Six words of wisdom – WHAT IS MOST CONVENIENT FOR YOU
Seven words of pleasure- WHAT ELSE CAN I DO FOR YOU
Eight words to win customers- NOT SURE YET BUT I WILL FIND OUT
Nine words to nurture- THANK YOU FOR YOUR BUSINESS PLEASE COME BACK AGAIN
Ten powerful words- I APOLOGISE FOR MY MISTAKES LET ME MAKE IT RIGHT
I am sure you have your own ways of serving your long and short term customers and I would love to see your addition to this presentation.
What do customers need?