Hotshot Connect Forum :: Keep Customers Coming Back:

admin · Site Admin

Keep Customers Coming Back: Follow Up On Customer Leads Every Time

No matter how good your product or service is, a strong marketing and sales system is absolutely necessary for an effective and profitable business. Think of sales as the voice of your contracting business, communicating with potential customers about the great things that your business can do for them. As a small business consultant, I work with many contractors who have done a great job in perfecting their craft, whether it is roofing, tile-setting, or landscaping. They may have a solid group of employees, reliable suppliers, and even good list of repeat customers. But many do not have sales experience. It's not the line of work that they are familiar with and unfortunately, their business suffers because of it. Even steady customers may come and go, so effective sales organization is essential to maintain and expand your customer base. Here are some principles that can form the base of a solid contractor sales system.

Keeping At It: The Value of Persistence
Think of your typical business day. Like many contractors, you may be on the road for much of the time. Then you're on the job for hours. If you're overseeing a new installation and your cell phone rings, it may be less than likely that you're going to answer. This is why it is important to be persistent with repeated contacts of a potential customer. When you're in sales work mode, call consistently until you get an actual contact with a person who can make decisions. Don't think that unreturned messages always mean that the person you are trying to talk to doesn't want to hear from you. Expect the best from your efforts and you will often be pleasantly surprised by the results.

These days, there are many ways to contact a potential client. Use them. Switch your contact techniques around. Contact your customers on their land line office phones, cell phones, emails, faxes, and regular letter mail. Many potential customers may prefer a certain type of contact. If you're going for a fax man, your emails may stop at his secretary, but you faxes will get through. Like a baseball pitcher throwing a changeup to certain batter, one type of pitch can be much more effective than another.

However, be careful that you don't overdo the contacts. Don't become a nuisance for a prospective customer. Simply make sure that the prospect knows who you are, what your business is about, and that you have made actual contact in a conversation.

Running a Tight Ship with Your Ducks in a Row: The Value of Organization
Some of the great things about today's work world are the convenient and efficient business organization technologies that are available. The Rolodex went out in the Seventies. Make sure that you have an Internet-ready computer. It's also important to have a cell phone that you feel comfortable with and which has the features you want on it. Many contractors today like having the ability to email while out of the office, so they use an Internet and email ready cell phone. As contractors know too well, being on a job site can potentially mean being out of touch. If potential customers are trying to contact you while you are out, a cell phone with useful email features can mean the difference between getting immediately in touch versus another week of phone tag and perhaps the loss of the sale.

Check out the innovative sales software that is now available. But consider software that has a few particularly useful features.

Maximum accessibility to your sales information is a big plus, so make sure that your lead management software has Internet access capability. Combined with wireless Internet technology, this feature will greatly increase the amount of information you can get hold of while on the road.
Document management in the software helps to enhance the changeup strategy discussed earlier.
Any type of communication from regular mail, email, faxes and other messaging can be easily timed and sent out just like an automated sprinkler setup. Let your system do the busywork.
A scheduling system will help you to keep track of customer status, what you need to do about it, and when. If a housing developer is in and out of town all the time, the consistent calling strategy will help increase the chances that you will catch him and give him your pitch.
Keep a Move On: The Value of Consistent Follow Up
After achieving that first contact, don't let up. Give your potential customer a specific time when you will follow up with them. If you say next Wednesday afternoon, make sure that you do it. You really can beat half your competition just by showing up and calling back when you stated that you would. By doing this every time, you are showing your potential sale that you are reliable. The trust and confidence that you can impress on a customer this way is tremendous. Consistent regular contacts will build familiarity with the customer, leading to the time when they instantly remember your business the moment they take your call. This recognition means that they also have enough memory of your proposals to think about them even when you are not talking to them. The time you take to make a consistent impression will end up working for you when you're not even working.

By taking notes of customer discussions, you will remember what their needs, preferences, and even personalities are like. Once again, lead management software can file your notes and thoughts about conversations. This way, next conversation, you can anticipate the concerns of customer instead of going back over ground that has already been covered.

Final Thought
For many contractors, the sort of sales organization described above may seem confusing or just not worth the hassle. And while it's true that setting up a solid follow up system and getting use to its routine can be tough at the start, a good plan will increase quality sales information and keep it from being forgotten or getting lost. Get yourself a follow up system. Your contracting business will be better for it.

admin · Site Admin

Test your customer service knowledge and learn how to be a service ace by picking the correct answer to each of these 10 questions.

1. A complaining customer is:
A. Always right
B. Almost right
C. Often lying
D. Always the customer

2. Customers who complain:
A. Had unhappy childhoods
B. Are genetically predisposed to be sourpusses
C. Have trouble in their primary relationships
D. Are doing you a service in identifying what isn’t working in your business or organization

3. The best reward for your customer service representatives is:
A. Earplugs and punching bags
B. Valium or other mind-numbing drugs
C. Recognition and appreciation on your part
D. Anger management seminars

4. CRM stands for:
A. Customers Rarely Matter
B. Can’t Remember Much
C. Communicating Random Meaning
D. Customers Rudimentarily Managed
E. Customer Relationship Management

5. Customers who complain want . . .
A. Something for nothing
B. To be heard and have their experience validated
C. To vent for the sport of it
D. To be made majority shareholders in the company

6. Customer Service departments:
A. Are the afterthought that cleans up messes other departments cause
B. Build customer loyalty
C. Are leaders in understanding customer behavior patterns and market research

7. For a company to be considered service-oriented:
A. It must mention customer service in its mission statement
B. At least 18.3% of its employees must work in the customer service department
C. Its managers must at one time have been CSRs
D. Customer service must be addressed by all departments

8. A Call Center is defined as:
A. The midpoint in duration of a telephone call
B. A revenue sink hole
C. A place where middle-of-the-road calls coexist with liberal and arch-conservative calls
D. A location where complaints and problems are converted into successful saves for your customers and your company

9. Customer Care is:
A. A managed care medical program for customers
B. A nifty alliterative phrase that looks good in company brochures
C. A new program where customers care for themselves
D. A philosophy wherein the customer is wrapped in service even before a problem arises

10. Customer Service Culture is
A. A new form of yogurt where the lid removes itself for you
B. Behavior being analyzed in a Petrie dish for contagions
C. A mythical civilization in which everyone smiles and welcomes you when they meet
D. An environment where customer service permeates the thinking of the entire company
ANSWER KEYD. Customers are often wrong but they never stop being the customer. Right or wrong they are to be accorded respect and cared for. Focus on the insights their complaint offers.
D. Complaining customers alert you to systemic problems before they drive off more customers. Their complaints represent many more customers who may not spend the time to tell you about problems, instead just leaving you for your competitors.
C. Your staff deserves and thrive on recognition and appreciation. Take the time to celebrate them collectively and individually. Whether through cards, gifts, surprises, outings and acknowledgements at company functions, let them know how important, valued and appreciated they are to you and the company.
E. CRM refers to systems designed to track and cater to each customer’s whims and preferences over a lifetime. CRM is about managing customer relationships over the long haul by attending to their individual needs.
B. Complaining customers have several needs. Implicit in their actual complaint is also a need to be heard and their unhappiness acknowledged. Fixing the problem is important. So is letting them know you understand their displeasure and feel for them. One without the other is an incomplete remedy for customer complaints. Don’t forget the emotional component in complaints.
B and C. When you solve a problem for a customer you actually build confidence and allegiance. You’ve proven you stand behind your products or service, giving customers a warm and fuzzy feeling of safety and protection. As well, you tap the pulse of the customers. Their complaints and feedback give valuable insight into how well your products are assembled, documented, sold and hold up. Listening to customers tells you a great deal about your company’s products and services (and your competitors’ too) from real life customers. That’s invaluable!
D. A Customer Service orientation must transcend the service department. All departments must understand and model good customer service for the company to be considered strong in service. Many problems can be avoided outright by attending to customer service. Why should the customer service department carry the weight of service for the entire company. Don’t operate under the adage “never enough time to do it right but always enough time to do it over.” Get it right at the source, in all departments.
D. Make your call center is a shining example of your company’s commitment to its customers. Your center is a visible symbol of your company’s commitment to customer success.
D. Customer Care is a philosophy wherein customers are cared for by a company – the entire time they’re customers. Care isn’t just to be administered as a salve for problems. Demonstrate care from the start and your customers will flock to your products and services.
D. Customer Service Culture is the infusion of service ideals into every department, from sales, shipping and receiving to legal, human resources and beyond.
How did you do? If you scored 100% you may write the next article!
If you scored 80% or better you’re a service ace.
60-80% you understand customer service.
If you scored below 60% don’t fret. Make improving your customer service orientation a priority. Ask others what it means to them, take a class, read books and columns on service
By Craig Harrison

admin · Site Admin

Grow Your Business One Customer at a Time

By Liz Tahir

Business is all about the customer, and the big money isn't found as much in winning customers as it is in keeping them. Each customer's perception of your company plays a role in determining your success, and you'll leave out the most important component—the individual customer—if you put all your focus on the merchandise and services your corporation offers.

Show customers you're keeping them in mind—and increase loyalty—with these best practices:

1. Keep employees happy.
The quality of customer service can't exceed the quality of the people who provide it. If you think you can get by with paying your customer service employees the lowest wage, giving few benefits and providing the least training, it will show. Keep up employee morale and make sure they feel appreciated. Companies don't help customers—people do.

2. Set an example.
Consistently rude service is a reflection on management as much as it is on the employee. Your staff takes its behavior cues from management. Do you greet your employees enthusiastically each day? Are you polite in your dealings with them? Do you try to accommodate their requests and listen to them when they speak? Your people will treat your customers the way they are treated.

3. Know the customer.
Recognizing someone and calling them by name is a simple way to make customers feel important—and it lets them know you value them as customers. Do you know who your customers are? If a regular customer came in to your business, would you recognize them? Keep rapport with both long-time and new customers and make sure to keep a record of their business dealings so you can recall details when necessary.

4. Be publicly present.
A visible management is an asset to any company. Customers feel more connected to your products and services if they have knowledge of a name and a face. For example, the Piccadilly Cafeteria chain posts the pictures of the manager and assistant manager on a wall and it is a policy that the manager's office is in full view of the customers with the door kept open. Stay within reach of your customers and make sure to respond in a timely manner to their inquiries, comments, and messages.

5. Go the extra mile.
Keep in touch with your customers—and show appreciation—by doing a little extra. Include a signed thank-you note in a customer's package, send a birthday card or write a congratulatory note when a big client gets a promotion. There are all sorts of ways for you to build your relationship with your customers and bring them closer to you.

6. Create a welcoming atmosphere.
Your customers deserve to be acknowledged, so make sure they are greeted when they walk in the door—or at least within 30-40 seconds upon entering. This simple but important gesture is a matter of respect and tells customers that you welcome their visit.

7. The customer is always right.
Always give customers the benefit of the doubt if it doesn't impact the quality of service you offer. Proving to him why he's wrong and you're right isn't worth losing a customer over. You will never win an argument with a customer, and you should never put a customer in that position.

8. Be accommodating.
Each customer is an individual, and, as such, will have different needs. If a customer makes a request for something special, do everything you can to say yes. The fact that a customer cared enough to ask is all you need to know in trying to accommodate her. It may be an exception from your policy, but (if it isn't illegal) try to do it. Even if you can't deliver, she'll have greater loyalty for your company because you took the time to try.

9. Train and test employees periodically.
Make sure your associates are properly trained in handling customer complaints. Give them guidelines for what to say and do in every conceivable case. Also provide opportunities to refresh training and periodically evaluate performance to make sure employees' skills are at their best. The people on the frontline of a situation represent the company and play the most critical role in your customer's experience. Equip them to ensure that that experience is always a positive one.

10. Be open to feedback.
Ask you customers what they think of your company. Compose a "How Are We Doing?" card and leave it at the exit or register stand, or include it in their next statement. Keep it short and simple. Ask what they like, what they don't like, what they would change, what you could do better and about their latest experience. Have it pre-stamped for the customer to mail it in, and acknowledge receipt of the card if the customer includes his contact information.

Liz Tahir is an international marketing consultant, speaker, and seminar leader, whose mission is to help companies be more effective and profitable. Based in New Orleans, she can be contacted at (504) 569-1670; at liz@liztahir.com; or at http://www.liztahir.com.