Selling is giving a service. And service is given by any one. The extra sale is merely a by-product of this; so is accelerating your profile to 3D status.
Far too many sales are lost by front line (customer facing) staff. Front office sales are lost largely because of a poor attitude and, sometimes, lack of capacity. Yet, with the right [service mindset] , front office sales can become a powerful driver of revenue and a fast track to [career growth. Consider these scenarios.
Front office sales: Only you can do it
The travel consultant (agent) who simply issues the return ticket, 3 nights apart, without asking, better saying, “Let me book you the hotel and airport transfers too, Sir.”
And the reason he doesn’t? “Sales is not my job.”
As if issuing that ticket is not a sale in itself. Oh, yes, you’re right. It’s not; it’s a service. And in your books sales is beneath service. This negative attitude limits ones growth. You get seen in a linear and limiting dimension.Yet, front office sales growth comes when you offer a 3D version of yourself.
Last weekend at an establishment along Ngong Road, a waiter blew me away with his service. He introduced himself while showing me his name clearly displayed on his shirt. “My name is Fred and I’ll be your waiter for the afternoon. What would you like to have?” I told him.
After serving me he reminded me his name and that he’ll be checking in on me now and again. If I needed him though, all I’d need to do was ask for him and he’d be there. I tested. He passed. I’d intended to stay one drink long; but because of him, I stayed a drink longer. His impeccable service, made an extra sale.
This is a perfect example of how customer-facing staff can use simple selling techniques to boost revenue.
Technical staff not sales oriented
The biggest struggle business to business sales have, is that there technical staff are not sales oriented— they are product oriented.
They may even interact daily with the product the customer is using, but won’t see that as customer facing. Further, their engineers will extol the virtues of the new water treatment plant with the love and passion of a mother, her son’s first tooth.
In both cases the enthusiasm is not transferable. The engineer’s jargon dampens the enthusiasm (and the potential for its transfer).
To be useful the engineer needs to sell .Many times this calls for sales training for non-sales staff to help the scientific (engineering) mind embrace art (selling). And selling here is tactical Largely it means escalating any anomalies or opportunities with the sales team to pursue. As with the consultant in the travel agency, only they can.
Then there is the staff member who simply dishes out the new ATM card without inviting the customer to save a thousand shillings for his son, Fadhili in the children account; yet, the data shows he has a 2 year old son.
Read: Selling to existing customers: lessons from opportunities banks miss
Or, just gives out the card without educating him: “with the Visa card you can shop cashless at no extra cost. Use it next time you’re fueling and let me know your experience.”
Incidentally, many people with Visa cards use them solely as an ATM for withdrawing money, not as a payment card at points of sale. And it’s simply because they do not know any better.
Turn complaint into sale
What about the telecommunications company help desk who do anything but help. When I call in saying that “my internet is slow”, it is.
Writing back to me pointing out that it’s the package I chose that causes the slowness is not useful. Neither is insinuating that I want more for less, nor sending me a link to your terms and conditions page.
A more useful response would be taking the complaint as an opportunity to sell—a classic example of how to turn complaints into sales. “Based on your usage Sir, we may need to upgrade you so that you may enjoy faster service. The extra Kes. 1,000 monthly will be worth the trouble. Is this ok?”
Front office sales
Most restaurants have perfected the art of the extra sale. After you place your meal order, inevitably, the waiter will ask, “What would you like to drink?” Nine times out of ten, you’ll order a drink—even if it wasn’t on your mind. Same goes for the cashier ringing up your bill: “Would you like toppings with your pizza?”
Selling is giving a service. And service is given by any one. The extra sale is merely a by-product of this—and so is accelerating your profile to 3D status.
Front office sales is not a side job—it’s a mindset. Embrace it, and you will boost revenue, achieve career growth, and never be seen as just another face behind the counter again.
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