Following Up
A lot of times business deals are made and lost on doing something as simple as following up on an action. Yesterday I spent a fair amount of time following up with customers or potential customers on questions that they had about products and services. Take for example my eBay auctions, of which I had 3 questions all with different questions. One was about shipping, another was about the product and a third was about combining orders. Each of these questions had the answers right in the auction, however for one reason or another the customer couldn't find the answer they were looking for.
No matter how hard you try to cover all of your bases, there are always going to be questions. The great thing about getting questions, is that you've already got an a buyer that is willing to purchase from you. This makes the timeliness of your answer even more important. A courteous and speedy reply often times sends a message to the potential client that you are well run organization no matter what your size.
We've all had the experience of emailing a website and getting nothing in return. Or if we did get something in return it was by no means quick. I want my potential clients to know that I take their questions seriously and genuinely want them as a client. I always reply in a very professional but friendly way, and I always ask them if there is anything else I can do to assist them. More times than not, the result is a sale.
I can remember my father, when I was a child, telling me something very important about business. At the time I thought my father came up with this, but as it turns out the following saying has been around for years.
A good customer tells one person, a bad customer tells everyone
It only takes one bad experience for a customer to ruin a potential sale to someone else. Customer service should always be your focus, especially when your just starting out. Word of mouth is a very powerful tool, and as great as it is when things are going good, it can be extremely damaging if you make a bad move with the wrong person.
I've had bad customers, we all have, and everyone will. The goal however, is to minimize the number of bad customers and to learn from your mistakes. This is why I feel following up and making good on your promises is a key ingredient to success. Do what you say your are going to do and do it better than anyone else. Believe me, the extra effort you put into one customer will pay off. Maybe not with every customer, but for most it will. Show your potential customers you care and that you are eager to work with them.
Remember at the end of the day who's paying the bills. I'm not saying you should give away the farm, but you surely don't want to loose a customer because you couldn't take 5 - 10 minutes out of your day to respond to their questions. Eventually it all pays off.
Posted on: Jan 08, 2010
Filed in: Customer Service
Tags:
Customers, Service
1 Comment
dissertation writing On Jan 03, 2012 @ 6:33 a.m.
One bad experience cannot be absolute fail if you are purposeful!
Post Your Comment
Please use Markdown syntax for formatting. No HTML is allowed. By using this comment form, it's assumed that you agree with the terms of my comment policy.
Categories
Archives