Don’t just cower and hope for the best-see this as an opportunity to make a sale

Covert a bad customer experience into a sale. How? By going beyond accepting responsibility, and offering potential sales alternatives. This is especially relevant to office based customer facing staff. For instance, a fire-breathing customer, incensed by how he has been mishandled, is a situation best avoided, but, unfortunately, still happens. The typical seller’s reaction is to assume the worst. He will leave us; we are at his mercy now; it’s his fault. Instead of being frozen into resignation, these thoughts should instead trigger a solution. A solution that will not only appease the customer, but in addition, make a sale.

Read: How to handle an angry customer if you are a salesperson

Read: 4 reasons why blaming ‘They’ in Sales weakens you and your sales

Illustration

For instance, the impeccable customer’s second instalment cheque for his vehicle insurance bounces because of insufficient funds. The finance department e-mails the customer coldly stating, “Kindly see attached returned cheque for your action. Arrange for top up of Kes. 950 being bank charges over and above this premium.”

The infuriated customer’s response indicates that the cheque should not have been banked in the first place. And that this was already mutually agreed upon with the seller. So too, a future date when to bank it. It turns out, as is common in many organizations, that the left hand didn’t know what the right hand was doing. The person banking the cheque had not been informed not to, by the person who gave the assurance. Or he simply forgot. Irrespective of the reasons though, this error by the seller has now resulted in bounced cheque and charges for Kes. 2,400 to the buyer. The situation is now at a stalemate.

Read: Your sales recovery plan – lessons from election results

Traditional vs modern selling

Read: Front office staff can boost sales and grow their careers

Now then. Traditional selling sees finance state, “It is still his fault. We’re not in the business of holding cheques to be banked at the customers’ convenience. Customers should plan their finances properly. His costs are his business and if he doesn’t replace the cheque and our Kes. 950, we shall cancel the insurance.” And on the surface Finance is right. In fact, it’s covered somewhere in the small print the buyer assented to. And the buyer may just acquiesce because the inconvenience of seeking a fresh insurance right away is not worth it.

However, with this action the customer is unlikely to refer anyone else to the seller. And, further, less likely to renew the insurance with him. These are potential lost sales.  Modern selling takes a different approach.  Granted, it may not be within the finance department jurisdiction to give an immediate Kes. 2,400 discount on the replacement cheque because it may mean moving several other parts. However, it is possible for finance to offer a credit note (discount) on the renewal premium several months away?

Read: How to sell in a crisis: a step-by-step guide. The case of Airbnb.

Customer life time value

This action could easily kill two birds with one stone. Appease the customer and guarantee a future sale. Notice that this calls for seeing the customer beyond the immediate situation to the potential future sales. It also calls for organizations to empower their customer facing staff to making such decisions.


If you would like to have your sales team sell more, we can help. In order for us to do so we propose a free consultation meeting or a call. If in agreement please complete the form below and we will get in touch after receiving your details, none of which will be public. Thank you.

Views – 443

About Author

Related posts

To master the art of negotiating, ask this one question

Why should they agree? This is question you must ask yourself, and adequately respond to, if you are to master the art of effective negotiating in Sales. Why should the buyer agree to buy what you are selling? Effective negotiating means unlocking success through skilful communication. In the dynamic world of sales, mastering the art

Read More

Invest more in sales relationships than processes

invest in sales relationships. Here’s why. Towards the end of last year, my bank wrote to me. Like the two years running before then, I was being invited to take up yet another 30% increase on my credit card limit. This third invite would effectively more than double the limit I had started off with.

Read More

How to sell when limited by ethics

Limited by ethics or not, whichever tactic the seller deploys requires that he insert himself in the buyer’s business. To begin with, looking at marketing purely as giveaways or advertising is limiting, even idle. Usually, sellers compete on one or a combination of what are called marketing P’s. That is, product quantity or quality, price

Read More
Stay ahead in a rapidly changing world with Lend Me Your Ears. It’s Free! Most sales newsletters offer tips on “What” to do. But, rarely do they provide insight on exactly “How” to do it. Without the “How” newsletters are a waste of time.