How To Give Great Customer Service | Online Success Articles

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To make that sale is the easy part, but to make customers come back is the harder task. If you are a good salesman, you may be able to sell water to a fish, or sand to a camel. It takes talent and skill. But if this buyer does not return, it can either mean one of two things: your product is not worth going back for, or worse, your service leaves much to be desired.

You wouldn?t really purposely sell something of poor quality, would you? So it must be your customer service that needs tweaking. Good customer service is the lifeblood of any business. It ensures that not only will customers enter your door ? they stay inside your store. It is the foundation of a solid business relationship ? one that will last for as long as your business is in business.

So how do you go achieve this type of lasting business relationship? Here are some pointers.

Answer your phone. Even if you have a website, it is inevitable that people will call to make inquiries, or ask about your products. There is a saying that ?If your phone is constantly ringing, then business must be good.? But remember ? it?s not the ringing alone that matters ? what matters is if your callers are actually calling in to make orders, or to express interest in your business ? and not to make complaints. Answer all calls, or at least, hire someone with proper phone etiquette to answer calls. The phone is one of the first points of entry into your business, so pay more attention to it.

Don?t make promises you cannot keep. Promising something which you have no intention of keeping is like telling a lie ? it will leave a negative impression on the person you promised to. Remember, you are not the only person in a business relationship ? another party?s schedule is affected. If you don?t want to establish a reputation in the industry as an unreliable seller, never promise something you know you can?t keep.

Listen to what your customers say. Not listening to your customers is the equivalent of not valuing their input or feedback. There is nothing more disappointing than saying something, then realizing that the person you have been talking to isn?t paying attention to what you?re saying. Just imagine yourself in the customer?s shoes ? you, too will get offended if a customer does not listen to your sales pitches and glorious claims, right? Learn to listen, and seriously consider what your customers have to say. Acknowledge each input/suggestion.

Deal with complaints. We all know that you can?t really please 100% of people 100% of the time. Complaints are facts of life to the business owner. The sooner you deal with them, the sooner you can iron out your reputation as a reliable seller. Remember that some of the best and most loyal customers were once disgruntled clients which the management turned around ? with good customer service.

Be helpful even to those who are not yet your clients. Sometimes, you find the best customers through the most unexpected situations. When someone asks for directions, even if there?s nothing in it for you, help them. It may be your chance to make a positive impression on a potential big client. Who knows if this person has been searching for years for what you are selling? You?ll never know, right? A good deed is often rewarded.

Make sure you have well-trained staff/employees. Train your staff to be courteous. Train them also on how to answer ALL questions pertinent to the product you are selling. There is nothing more scary than buying something from a salesperson who does not know how to operate the product he?s selling. Who else must a customer ask? When you have good, well-trained people, you will be more confident to leave your staff alone, so that you can go off and do something more essential to the company. Your staff must be mini extensions of you, as the business person. Any wrong thing they do also reflects on you.

Ask if you can help a client more. The more time you have conversing with an-already interested customer, the better your chances of selling something other than what they were searching for. When a client asks on what aisle the curtains can be found, don?t just say ?aisle 5? ? instead, lead them to aisle 5, and ask if they?d be interested in matching throw pillow covers to go with their new curtains. Take the opportunity to be a blessing to others.

Give extras. It?s a common human trait to appreciate anything extra they can get from any sale. For example, ?buy 3 plus 1,? or give out a freebie for every purchase. When selling watches (especially if they?re really expensive), throw in an extra strap, or a watch glass cleaner. This of course entails extra costs, but the returns far outweigh the cost.

Your business success relies heavily on how great your customer service and customer experience is.

Michael Griffiths is the CEO and Founder of My Small Business Marketing Guru. Helping small business owners generate more leads, clients and increase profits with relationship based marketing strategies. We invite you to get your free black mask marketing resources to help you business grow today, when you visit http://www.mysmallbusinessmarketingguru.com.au

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