| 4 tips for improving your sales team's
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| | Have your sales reps send handwritten
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| success
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| | thank-you cards after each first-time
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| The year 2007 is now officially almost
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| | sale. Keep track of and contact your
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| half over. Is your sales team performing
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| | customers on important dates such as the
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| at their maximum potential?
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| | anniversary of the day they started doing
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| In recent articles, we've covered a range
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| | business with you, their own company
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| of tips and techniques to help
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| | anniversary, family birthdays or anything
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| professional sales people fuel their
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| | else you can use to build a personal
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| success. This week, as the height of
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| | relationship. Plus, make a point of
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| summer approaches, we're focusing on all
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| | connecting with customers on holidays
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| the sales managers, business owners and
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| | throughout the year.
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| sales leaders out there who are looking
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| | And always, always be on the lookout for
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| for new ways to increase their team's (or
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| | any opportunity to refer someone to your
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| company's) revenues - and improve their
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| | customers. If you can help your customers
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| profit margins - as we head into the
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| | grow their business, believe me, they'll
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| second half of the year.
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| | be only too happy to take you with them.
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| If you're in the process of developing
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| | Tip #4: Make a direct link.
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| your marketing and sales plan for the
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| | The number one mistake I see many
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| second half of 2007, the following four
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| | business-to-business companies make is
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| tips can help you to help your team
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| | allowing all of their contact with their
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| improve their sales results, increase
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| | customers to go through a single sales
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| their revenues and exceed their sales
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| | representative. This can leave you
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| targets.
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| | vulnerable whenever one of your employees
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| Tip #1: Love the one you're with.
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| | jumps ship to join one of your
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| Many companies invest far too much time
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| | competitors. It also leaves too much room
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| chasing new customers, and far too little
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| | for negligence on the part of your reps.
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| making sure their existing customers are
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| | Establish a direct link with each of your
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| happy.
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| | customers, regardless of how many layers
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| Research tells us that selling to an
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| | of distribution lie between you. A
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| existing customer is between five to
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| | restaurant owner can do this by coming
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| fifteen times less expensive (and takes
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| | around and chatting personally with
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| far less time) than acquiring a new
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| | diners. A CEO of a large company can do
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| customer. Why risk losing something you
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| | it with a newsletter or maybe a hotline
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| worked so hard to secure in the first
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| | phone number.
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| place?
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| | To reinforce this direct link, get in the
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| One sure-fire way to increase your
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| | habit of contacting your customers at
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| customer retention rate is to create a
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| | various times throughout the year. For
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| monthly newsletter or other program that
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| | example, send them en email to:
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| lets you stay in touch with them on a
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| | - Introduce new products or services;
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| regular basis. Newsletters can be easy to
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| | - Give advance notice (and an
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| create, inexpensive to produce and can
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| | explanation) of an upcoming price or fee
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| even be distributed instantly by email.
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| | increase;
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| Most importantly, a newsletter can help
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| | - Offer special discounts or premiums;
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| keep you in your customers' top of mind,
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| | - Provide useful and valuable industry
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| so whenever they need to buy again, they
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| | information;
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| think of you first.
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| | - Give special recognition to top
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| Tip #2: Get some feedback.
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| | customers; or
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| A satisfied customer is predisposed to
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| | - Announce seasonal sales.
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| purchase more, purchase more often and
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| | Remember the cardinal rule!
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| even purchase something different than a
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| | Just remember this one critical rule:
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| customer who is less than satisfied with
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| | tell your entire sales story every time
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| your product or service. So what are you
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| | you communicate with established
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| doing to ensure your customers are
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| | customers.
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| satisfied customers?
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| | Don't take shortcuts or feel that you may
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| The most successful companies poll their
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| | be boring them by telling the same story
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| clients immediately following a purchase
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| | over and over. Don't assume any specific
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| in order to gauge their level of
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| | knowledge on the part of the customer.
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| satisfaction and make any necessary
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| | And as my first sales mentor once said to
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| changes to their sales and service
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| | me, don't ever make the mistake of
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| programs. If you haven't gotten any
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| | thinking that your customers have an
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| feedback from your customers in a while,
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| | active imagination.
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| pick a day this month for you and your
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| | Customers have so many things going on
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| team to sit down, call your customers and
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| | today that they simply can't be counted
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| find out how they really feel about you.
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| | on to remember all the great things about
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| Ask them specific questions like how they
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| | you from one sale to the next without at
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| would like to be served by you, what
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| | least a little prompting. So if you have
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| their experience has been like with the
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| | a unique quality, service, price
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| various departments in your company and
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| | guarantee or other advantage that sets
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| what they would like to see you do
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| | you apart from the competition, take a
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| differently. You can then use this
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| | moment to point it out each and every
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| information to craft a sales and service
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| | time you deliver a written or verbal
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| strategy that puts what the customer
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| | sales presentation, and in every
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| wants, first.
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| | newsletter you send out.
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| Sound scary? If so, then you probably
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| | As sales professionals, we desperately
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| need to do this exercise even more. If
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| | need to place a higher value on the
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| you receive any negative feedback, take
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| | customer. That's the message behind Tom
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| action to fix it right away and call the
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| | Peters' incredibly successful "In Search
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| customer back as soon as you have a
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| | of Excellence" movement. It's the message
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| solution. You may be surprised to see how
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| | behind Blockbuster's "No Late Fees"
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| many customers will be inclined to buy
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| | policy. And it's one of the reasons why,
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| from you again once the problem is
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| | in Canada, cell phone companies have
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| resolved.
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| | finally allowed their customers to "take
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| Tip #3: Get connected.
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| | their number with them."
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| According to a recent Gallup study,
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| | Make sure it's the message behind your
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| emotionally connected customers spend 46%
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| | company, your team and your customer
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| more than customers who are simply
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| | service, too. Communicate with your
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| satisfied.
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| | customers often and with emotion, and
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| How do you create emotional
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| | you'll find your business will really
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| connectedness? Start by being personal.
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| | begin to soar.
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