by Daniel
Sitter
http://www.idea-sellers.com
©
2007
Who does not value genuine appreciation? Who does
not enjoy a warm smile and a sincere thank you after doing something for someone
else. In a sales context, that "something" might be as simple as another
person agreeing to meet with
you.
One begins to transmit
our thanks in the expression of our initial greeting. A sincere smile, a firm
handshake, direct eye contact and expressing genuine appreciation for their time
is always a winning way to start off a meeting.
Once a sale
is completed, salespeople have an unhealthy tendency of paying less attention
to their customers. A follow up call or subsequent visit goes a long way toward
guaranteeing customer satisfaction.
Service after the sale
is often critically important. It is via this attention to their overall satisfaction
that we say thank you as well. People will long forget their purchase but not
their experience. We also say thank you when we seek their best interests, keeping
them abreast of new products or services that will benefit them.
After
several meetings with the plant engineer, project engineer and machining-cell
manager, I sold a machine-vision system which was intended to ensure critical
measurements and overall product quality. These particular individuals, though
familiar with the technology, had no practical experience using it. They purchased
the system from me not simply because of the merits of the technology, but because
of the promised support after the purchase, support which they would need to successfully
implement the system.
Being a capital goods purchase, they
were sensitive to the scale of their impending purchase and the fact that they
were "sticking their neck out" working with an unproven new vendor.
This
was my first sale to this new customer. I remember the purchasing manager calling
me, wanting reassurance that their purchase was indeed what they needed and would
work for their application. She was concerned about the price and the fact that
I was a new vendor. I explained to her that the product was only part of the sale,
that we would fully support this technology with proper training and working with
their engineers to ensure the results they were looking for. Our engineer would
not leave their plant until the vision package was working as promised. I further
explained that this sale was our first opportunity to be of service to their plant
and we were determined to provide more than they expected so that they would feel
comfortable about working with us in the many additional applications in various
departments in their plant. I thanked her for both her interest and scrutiny.
Not
only is this customer appreciated, but they know they are. I have made it a point
to show my appreciation for the opportunity to serve their needs. This is not
done through buying meals or gifts, but by verbally saying than you and delivering
more than they expect. They know that our company values their business. Furthermore,
they know that they can count on us to so what we say.
One
more thank you opportunity, often overlooked these days, is a thank you note.
Whether it is an email or a rare, memorable, genuine hand-written card, customers
notice. They notice because so few salespeople do it. Be different.
Saying
thank you and demonstrating your appreciation is always a winning strategy. People
do business with people. People also like to be appreciated. Remember that, and
you will enjoy what you do and your customers will enjoy doing business with you.
