Even die-hard “We will never buy from you” customers or prospective customers (prospects) can be turned. This is what sales or service recovery plan means, and what Presidential aspirant William Ruto has demonstrated with this year’s election results. I mean, who would have imagined him getting any electoral affection in Mt. Kenya region? Only two elections before this one he was persona non grata there. Yet, now, he is an outright darling in most areas. Some political pundits put it down to a protest vote against outgoing President Uhuru Kenyatta; others say, no, it is Ruto’s dogged and protracted forays into the region; still, others say it’s the state of the economy and others still, a combination of many factors. Not being a political analyst, and this not being a political piece, I say, learn from this. You can turn around your critics into your advocates.
How do I regain lost sales
To regain lost sales requires a sales recovery action plan or template. However you formulate it, and it needn’t be anything fancy, keep these in mind: patience, choice words, practical actions and humility. These are your tools of trade which you can start deploying even as you put together your plan. Practical actions may include sharing unsolicited but useful information. For instance, this email from a digital marketing guru in a bid to recover a lost sale: “Hi…I saw your commendably attractive ad in (location, say, a newspaper). The link given doesn’t open to the page you want your customers to visit. This creates friction in the customer journey and may see them leave your page. This is because the online customer has a short attention span and is impatient.“
This shows you still care and more importantly keeps you in their sights should anything go wrong with their current supplier (like the protest vote against Uhuru or several errors like the ad with the wrong link). Remember, the supplier is human and therefore fallible. He can make a mistake and likely will.
Sales recovery action plan and strategies
Choice words can include a humble and sincere: “I’m sorry. I’m sorry we goofed. To err is human. And we are only human. We request that you don’t judge us by the mistakes we make but by how we handle them. And this can only happen if you give us a second chance to see how we’ve changed. Is this ok?”
There’s a recruiter who recovers lost sales through practical actions like holding events in his board room in which he invites his critics to discuss matters personnel in their industry. Notice in all the foregoing there is no pitching or pushing hoping for quick returns. No. They are all long term sales recovery strategies that give, give and give knowing fully well that it’s only a matter of time before the tide turns and you start to receive, receive, and receive. All the time? Likely, not. But certainly enough to keep your sales recovery (conversion) rate admirable. Sometimes in spades. Like Uhuru Kenyatta’s preferred candidate, Raila, losing Uhuru’s backyard Gatundu South constituents’ votes to William Ruto.
You may like to read: How to sell in a crisis- a step-by-step guide. The case of Airbnb.
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