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Ever Stop Selling?. What Happens After the Sale?. You Aren’t Done Yet!. There is still much to be done for a salesperson after the customer has agreed to buy. What happens next depends on the type of salesperson you are. Retail Sales.
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Ever Stop Selling? What Happens After the Sale?
You Aren’t Done Yet! • There is still much to be done for a salesperson after the customer has agreed to buy. • What happens next depends on the type of salesperson you are.
Retail Sales • Suggestion Selling - After the customer has agreed to buy, the salesperson needs to follow-up with suggesting other items the customer may be interested in. • Extended warranties • Companion items (paint brushes to go with the paint, etc.) • Items the customer showed interest in before • After getting the first yes, it is MUCH easier to get the customer to agree to buy more!
Retail Sales • Depending on the product, the retail salesperson may want to follow-up after the customer leaves - on durable goods. • A follow-up phone call to make sure everything is o.k. after they get home is always a good idea. • A hand-written thank you note helps the customer have positive thoughts • Contact about future sales that are a particular interest to this customer. • Follow-up calls or notes when it is time for service on the product.
Relationship Building • The biggest part of being a successful salesperson is being able to build relationships with your customers. • People buy from people they like • People like people that show an interest in them and seem to care • Relationship building starts before the presentation, continues during the presentation, and strengthens after the presentation with superb follow-up skills.
How to Build the Relationship • Before you go to the presentation, do your homework. • Find out all you can about the decision-maker. • What he/she likes/dislikes (golf, tennis, fishing, etc.) • Where they went to college • Their family situation (married? kids? health?) • Their business background, etc. • You can’t find out everything, but the more you know the better off you’ll be.
Relationship Building • Be friendly to everyone! • Be genuinely interested in what he/she has to say. • Listen, ask questions, keep your mouth shut. • You don’t want to waste their time, but if they want to talk, by all means, let them talk! • Go in with the attitude - “I’m here to help solve your problems.” • Not - “I’m here to sell you something.”
Relationship Building • Keep records! • Make a file for each customer • Write down everything you can find out about the customer, personal as well as business. • When you leave the presentation, immediately make notes of what you learned about the customer’s needs. • In your notes, write down what you discussed, personally as well as business.
The Follow-Up Call • When you call your customer back - refer to your notes. • Bring up something you discussed (vacation, spouse’s illness, golf game, etc.) • Again, write down what you discuss. • Send cards and/or gifts for special occasions you discussed.
Business-to-Business (B2B) • Professional Sales people live or die based on their ability to build relationships. • After the sale, send the thank you note. • Call to let the customer know what is happening with their order (it has been entered, the expected ship date, etc.)
Keep In Touch • Professional salespeople must keep good notes and keep in touch. • Call your customers regularly • Take them out to dinner • Invite them to a sporting or entertainment event • Build the relationship! • When the customer needs something, he/she will call you rather than someone they don’t know.
Referrals • You not only want to keep the customers you have, you want to build your customer base. • The best way to do that is by getting your customers to refer their contacts to you. • If your customer is happy with you, they will tell their friends or business contacts. • Networking is important in sales. • Ask for referrals, people that are happy with a product or service don’t mind sharing that happiness with others.
E-Marketing Follow-Up • Follow-up may be even more important with e-marketing than with regular salespeople. • People are often nervous about buying via the internet. They need reassurance. • A successful e-marketer must follow-up the sale quickly with shipping information, product or service information, etc. • E-mail or phone contact within 1 day of purchase is very important.
After the Customer Receives the Product • It is also important to contact the customer after the shipment should have arrived to make sure they received it and that they are happy with their purchase. • Be careful to follow-up, but not to annoy the customer. Don’t send too many unwanted e-mails or call too frequently. • Call or e-mail to make sure all is o.k. • Contact again, depending on the product, at a reasonable interval to see if the customer wants anything else. Send e-mail reminders occasionally, but not weekly.
Practice What we Learned • Pair up with the person next to you. • One of you is the salesperson and one of you is the customer. • First role-play a sales presentation. • Then, role-play a follow-up phone call. • Change roles and do the role-play again. • Write a summary of your experience as a salesperson and as a customer. • What are your thoughts of how a follow-up sales call should be handled?
Following Up an Internet Sale • You are a customer service representative for TrendyClothes.com • A customer just placed an order for a pair of blue jeans costing $95.00 and a shirt costing $42.50. • The shipping is UPS and the shipping and handling will be $15.00. • The order will be shipped in 5-7 days. • Write an initial e-mail to the customer acknowledging the order and giving the shipping information. • Write an additional follow-up e-mail to be sent in 10 days to verify delivery and customer satisfaction.