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Are
You The Customers First Call?
By Dennis Sommer (www.dennissommer.com)
How would you like to run a software sales organization
that didn’t need marketing? Customers call you 24 hours
a day nonstop, more business than you can handle and no
need for a marketing budget. This can happen when you
are the customer’s first call or what I call a ‘Household
Name’ (a person/business that everyone thinks of when
they have a serious problem that must be fixed).
Are you that person or business?
If you are in need of investment help, does the name Charles
Schwab and Peter Block come to mind? Do you think of Tom
Peters and Stephen Covey when you are having management
issues? If you are having real-estate development issues,
does the name Donald Trump come to mind? You get my point.
Do you think any of these business professionals really
need to market their businesses? I don’t think so. How
different would your business be if your name first comes
to mind when your customer needs help? When you think
about it, becoming a ‘Household Name’ should be your highest
business priority.
Let’s take a look at how you can become a ‘Household Name’
in the software industry.
Superior Customer Service
Good companies provide quality customer service. Once
you become their client, they will handle your issues
quickly and professionally. The difference between a good
company and a ‘Household Name’ is that the latter focuses
on customer service even before a client becomes a client.
By focusing on customer service from the first initial
phone call or client meeting, you can eliminate customer
complaints instead of reacting to them once they occur.
Follow these 6 tips for superior customer service:
1. Focus on the Customer
A ‘Household Name’ always provides superior customer service.
Household Names focus on the customer instead of themselves
and their business. The focus on great customer service
turns satisfied customers into lifelong loyal customers.
2. Positive Attitude
A positive attitude, focused attention and commitment
to resolving customer complaints will have a huge impact
on customer satisfaction and the likelihood your customer
will buy from you again and again.
3. Offer a Guarantee
Guarantee your offering and stand by it. Offer an unconditional
money-back guarantee on all products and services.
4. Focus on the Customer’s Goal
Help customers achieve their goals, not yours. Your goals
will be exceeded when you help customers solve their problems.
5. Recommend Other Solutions
Have the best interest of the customer in mind. Try to
bring a customer with a problem together with an offering
that helps them solve it. If you don’t have the exact
solution they require, recommend other business solutions
that could help them.
6. It’s Okay to Disagree
Customers are not ‘always’ right. Disagree with a customer,
in a polite professional manner, in order to help them
make a better decision.
Strong Communication
Take a moment and think about a ‘Household Name’ in your
industry. Do they rattle off statistics, techno jargon
and other mumbo jumbo that could only be understood by
a NASA scientist? Do they go on forever lecturing you
on incomprehensible topics and you never have a chance
to talk? Most likely your answer is, “No.”
A ‘Household Name’ has the ability to sit down and listen
to clients. Then, a ‘Household Name’ translates a very
complex solution into terms that a six-year old can understand.
They keep it simple.
A ‘Household Name’ focuses on improving written, verbal
and listening skills. When dealing with customers you
must become the master communicator.
Follow these 5 tips for building strong communication.
1. Communicate Your Value
Always tell your customer why they should buy/use your
solution. Use plain English (no technical terminology)
and describe the benefits. Example: ‘Produce a widget
in ½ the time’ or ‘Services are performed in ½ the time
and at ½ the cost.’
2. Listen Naively
Listen naively instead of defending and debating. Keeping
an open, unbiased mind and allowing the customer to talk
provides valuable information that you can address in
the future.
3. Tell a Story
Customers will better understand information if told as
a story. Instead of showing numbers, statistics and technical
points, tell them a story about customer experiences with
the offering, how they used it and the value they received.
4. Use Simple Language
You have a 50% greater chance of success by translating
raw data into simple words, knowledge and wisdom that
customers can use to make smart decisions. Turn raw data
into a story.
5. Demonstrate Your Solution
Highlight and demonstrate how easy your solution is to
use.
Tremendous Knowledge
Would you hire a professional or purchase a solution from
someone who didn’t take the time to learn about his or
her industry or products? Would you have confidence in
his or her solution? I didn’t think so. So what impression
do you leave with your customers? ‘Household Names’ not
only become the expert in their own solutions, they also
become an expert on their competitors and the customer’s
industry.
Follow these 4 tips for building tremendous knowledge:
1. Allocate Your Time
Spend 60% of your time with customers, 20% learning more
about your offering and tradecraft and 20% on other business
needs like management and administration.
2. Know Thy Competitor
No one should know more about your offering and your competitor’s
offerings than you. Build confidence by knowing both,
both the technical specifications and their applications.
3. Know Thy Industry
Learn more about your industry. The more you read and
learn, the greater your likelihood to be among the first
to identify meaningful solutions.
4. Talk about Your Competition
Learn to talk more about your competition, what the customers
like and what they dislike.
Build Strong Relationships
A big portion of my work with clients focuses on improving
sales by improving their relationship with the customer.
In this fast-paced world, many professionals and organizations
are so focused on short-term goals; they have forgotten
one of the most important success factors. People buy
relationships not products. It’s hard to focus on the
customer when you are dealing with monthly quota goals,
internal politics, investors, organizational changes and
the overflow of email and voice-mail requests requiring
immediate responses. Unfortunately, if you ignore your
customer, they won’t be a customer for long.
Connecting with customers on a personal and professional
level will build a strong customer relationship turning
them into lifetime loyal customers.
Follow these 7 tips for building strong relationships:
1. Reduce Customer Stress
The easier it is for customers to do business with you,
the greater their likelihood of repurchasing. For example,
make the selling process as easy as possible. A long,
complex selling process will turn off customers and drive
them to your competitors.
2. Pay Attention to Detail
Customers make a direct connection between attention to
detail and competence. Pay attention to such details as
spelling, what you say, out of place items, grooming or
dress.
3. Do a Road Show
Do a 20-customer road show twice a year. Nothing beats
going into the field and meeting customers face- to- face
to better understand what they need and show them what
you have to offer.
4. Over Deliver
Create a pattern of dependability by making small promises
and over delivering on results.
5. Be Honest
Be an honest adviser. Present both the strengths and weaknesses
of your offering. It is better for the customer to learn
about your weaknesses now than to discover them later.
6. Stay Upbeat
Keep your tone upbeat. Make a point to elevate the moods
of people around you. Hearing your name should lift their
mood.
7. Be Likeable
Customers prefer to buy from people they like. Being likeable
is as simple as helping customers feel happy, relaxed,
and even feel good about themselves.
Are you ready to go beyond marketing and become a ‘Household
Name?’
Are you prepared to become a leader in your industry?
About The Author
- Dennis Sommer
Dennis Sommer is the founder and CEO of Executive Business
Advisers, a management consulting firm specializing in
sales and profit improvement.
As an executive adviser and a sales and profit improvement
specialist, Dennis helps CEO’s optimize their company
strategy, financial management, sales and marketing to
dramatically increase sales revenue, profit margins and
marketing return on investment.
Dennis is a highly
sought after author, keynote and seminar speaker on
sales, leadership and business best practices.
Contact Dennis at www.executivebusinessadvisers.com
or www.dennissommer.com
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