In my previous articles I’ve mentioned there are basically three things a salesperson must accomplish. It’s just that easy. First, the salesperson needs to find someone interested in his/her product or service. Next, the salesperson must convince the prospect/client to allow him/her to satisfy that interest and need. Last, but by no means least, the salesperson has to ensure that the transaction closes and funds. This third part to the equation is usually a good predictor of long-term success or a precursor for a short business relationship.
Too often, salespeople rely upon others to ensure that a transaction closes and funds. To add insult to injury, often those “others” don’t have the same vested interest, as the salesperson. A recent example I experienced involved engaging the services of a particular company whose account executive (a gross misnomer) became unresponsive to my request for assistance and ultimately concerns about the entire transaction. I’ll admit that being “old school,” I still find a brief phone conversation is an excellent means of communication and problem solving. Knowing most business people have forgotten how to answer a telephone, I relinquished my attempts to actually speak with people and complied with the email protocol (for some it’s referred to as read, hide and ignore), hence my email frustrations. In dealing with the operations department of an organization I still believe the account executive (commissioned salesperson) would like to know some of the issues I’m experiencing in trying to close and fund my transaction. My mistake was I didn’t realize after agreeing to do business with this representative (rep, a much more appropriate job description) that he would enter the witness protection program–or so it seemed. Once my order was submitted my salesman (now we’re reducing his existence to reality) went on to another situation without considering his company had any operational issues. By copying him on every email explicitly referring to my various disappointing encounters, my intent was two-fold; enlist his assistance and make him cognizant of the inept organization he relies on for his income. In retrospect this too was a thankless task.
Unfortunately, most companies discourage their salespeople from involving themselves with the mechanics of a transaction once their prospect has decided to become a client. Not necessarily a bad idea if the salesperson merely monitors the transaction’s progress. Salespeople will often are too obsessive about their transactions and operations to the detriment of getting the next sale. If the operations department is running like a finely tuned machine (good luck with that), the salesperson should monitor the progress of the transaction as it moves through the system. It’s imperative to be in constant contact with the client to ensure the ultimate satisfaction quotient. The salesperson may not be able to offer much input with operations but certainly client empathy goes a long way to maintain good and manage customer relations (raise your hand if you’ve ever heard the concept of “CRM”).
A competent sales manager should offer input into every transaction. A weekly review is an effective means to discuss each salesperson’s transactions (pipeline) relative to status and the client’s level of satisfaction and experience to date. Effective managers realize that in addition to soliciting client updates from the salesperson, it’s additionally insightful to randomly contact the clients directly for their input. Speaking with the client might provide a different perspective. Effective sales and operations managers are those that are not afraid to contact a client after a transaction has closed and funded. A great opening line is, “I wanted to thank you for your recent transaction and inquire as to how well we performed.” Even if you know the client was dissatisfied it’s an excellent opportunity to engage in customer relationship management and client retention–by someone other than the original salesperson.
Customers, like most people on the planet, always appreciate the opportunity to be heard and have their concerns validated. The best way to ascertain a company’s performance and all personnel associated with transactions (inside and outside the office) is to ask. Yes, it’s as simple as asking a few insightful and short questions. Don’t ask questions without the ability to listen and take notes. Also, don’t assign an impersonal numeric scale to your questions. Like any successful presentation (and the follow-up client contact should be a presentation) the caller should have a script prepared that contains a few simple, open-ended questions (no multiple choice or “yes” and “no”). The purpose of the phone call (oh, oh, that might eliminate those in management from hiding behind email) is not to be argumentative or confrontational. Remember, validating a customer’s concerns goes a long way to assuage their hostility and dislike. The “exit interview” can be utilized as an additional tool to measure the effectiveness of the sales force as well as the operations behind all transactions.
Few companies engage in the process of communicating with customers after a transaction is completed. The first step towards the solution of a problem is the recognition that a problem does in fact exist. The suggestion of the communication after a transaction is complete might alert those in management about an existing problem. Let’s not forget the pleasant surprise of the customer to learn about how truly they care about a customer’s total experience. Can you say, “Referral?” Lastly, engaging in a corporate exercise that few, if any, companies are doing will illustrate the uniqueness of doing business with a company that truly cares about their customers. When you have a product or service that is in a highly competitive industry a value-added process has many advantages.
