Sometimes, it’s easy for salespeople to become so sales-focused that they lose sight of the highest value they can offer a customer: service. Too much selling can eventually turn customers away, especially when sales teams get hyper-focused on goals, metrics, and quotas. No matter what the pressures might be to “perform”, always remember that customer service trumps selling. That is because, paradoxically, customer service is the ultimate sales tool.
When a customer calls you, they aren’t always looking to buy products. Often, they have a problem that needs to be solved. The solution may or may not involve using your products. It’s quite possible that the problem is your product or something related to it. Perhaps a shipment hasn’t arrived or arrived damaged. Or maybe the product does not fit what the customer really needed.
Whatever the issue, solve it. Solve it without trying to sell anything. Once a resolution is made and the issue is resolved, then consider the upsell. Even then, tread lightly. The upsell should be appropriate, warranted, and needed. Otherwise, don’t try.
The next thing to realize is that your customers are busy and appreciate anything that makes their work easier. Instead of upselling your products to them, try offering ways to make their lives easier. The easiest way to do this is to make your own processes, from buying to shipping to accounting, as easy as possible for the customer.
For example, a Web hosting company received multiple drop-outs on its checkout forms when customers were paying for hosting renewals. To find out why, they sent emails to those who had decided not to renew hosting and found that the overwhelming complaint was that the accounting section of their site required different login information than did the website maintenance section. Most customers were intimately familiar with the maintenance logins, using them regularly, but had only rarely, if ever, used the accounting login. This caused confusion and lost sales. The fix? Tie the two logins together and reduce customer effort. Sales increased by double digit percentages.
Finally, remember that no good deed goes unpunished. When you deal with customers, deal with them as individuals and treat them as friends. Do a little extra, or otherwise add to the value of what you’ve sold them in the past. This is a simple concept called reciprocity and it works. People who do nice things for others tend to get nice things in return. Waiters, who go the extra mile to create a special dining experience or help sooth a fussy child, tend to get larger tips. Customer support people who go above and beyond to make sure a customer is happy, tend to see those customers return. Often.