A Roadmap to Sales Success

--- BREAKING NEWS --- EView Technology, Inc. SELECTS SALES PARTNERS TO RUN SALES and MARKETING EFFORTS!! --- MORE NEWS --- LIMITED SEATING STILL AVAILABLE for 9/13/04 CLASS: “Achieving Sales Success in Small and Medium-Size Businesses” See: http://www.salespartnersinc.com for details “Tales from Sales Street” – real-life examples of successful selling situations.
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“You'll never have a product or price advantage again. They can be easily duplicated, but a strong customer service culture can't be copied.” - - Jerry Fritz
“… What a refreshing, upbeat way to re-energize the Customer Service spirit!” - - Shannon Benfield, Area Customer Service Manager, Ferrellgas regarding Sales Partners' daylong effort at Ferrellgas' Annual Customer Service Reps' Meeting For help with sales issues: see "Ask your Sales Partner”. Submit your questions to info@salestraininginc.com. All Questions will be answered via e-mail.		Ask your Sales Partner: Terry asks: “How do you sell if you know you don’t have the best products or lowest prices?” SP: *“You provide* the best Customer Service!”** Also see: http://www.salespartnersinc.com/customer-service.htm

About the “Roadmap …”

Each issue of the “Roadmap to Sales Success” will contain items of interest to the business (especially the sales) community.

Following is the schedule for this volume, “Tales from Sales Street” – real-life examples of successful selling situations:

No. 1	-	“Working for Peanuts?”
No. 2	-	“The Listener”
No. 3	-	“Customer Service as a Differentiator”
No. 4	-	“Having fun while Prospecting”
No. 5	-	“Networking Works”

This Month’s Sales Tips …

"Do what you do so well that they will want to see it again - and bring their friends." - - Walt Disney

Upcoming Events involving Sales Partners:

09/07/2004	-	Wake Tech – Cary , “Sales for People Who Don’t Like to Sell”
09/13 – 11/05/2004 (Mondays)	-	Wake Tech – Cary , “Achieving Sales Success in Small and Medium-Size Businesses”
10/14/2004	-	Triangle Technical Recruiters Association, “Sales for People Who Don’t Like to Sell”

Please see:
http://www.salespartnersinc.com for details

Customer Service as a Differentiator - - Vol. 2 No. 3 - - September, 2004

"Loyal customers lead to greater revenue and profits." - - Google

In order to appreciate the value of Customer Service as a differentiator, we must first understand the position and importance that Customer Service occupies in business.

Position of Customer Service:

In their book, “The Discipline of Market Leaders”, Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema tell us that the most successful companies differentiate themselves by one (1) of three (3) means:

Product Leadership – Their products “Push performance boundaries”. Ex. Intel, Nike, 3M
Operational Excellence – Enabling them to offer “Low or lowest prices …” Ex. Wal-Mart, McDonalds
Customer Intimacy – “Delivering what specific customers want.” Ex. Nordstrom

Now, to exist in business, we must be somewhat proficient at all three of these. But, to be really successful, we need something to “hang our hat on.”

On our web page http://www.salespartnersinc.com/customer-service.htm we ask:

Don't have the very best product(s)?
Don't have (don't want to have) the very lowest prices?

And we go on to say:

Then your differentiator should be CUSTOMER SERVICE.
(Then again, isn't EVERYONE saying their differentiator is CUSTOMER SERVICE?)

The Importance of Customer Service

Today’s fiercely competitive/economically-challenging environment requires a renewed emphasis on Customer Service. Our revenue and profit growth (as well as the future of the business itself) depends upon retention of customers.

How important is it?

Over 90% of public forms perception of a company based upon their customer service center experiences - Purdue Univ., Center for Customer-Driven Quality
Over 60% of public will terminate their relationship based upon a bad experience with a C.S. agent - same study
Across all industries, organizations that lead in customer loyalty grow at more than twice the rate of competition – knowlagent.com
Companies can increase profits by almost 100% by retaining just 5% more of their customers - HBR article

Now, as we’ve said, everyone claims that they have great Customer Service. But, when someone asks them to describe it, can they? Really?

If we’re to claim that Customer Service is what sets us apart, then we need to know:

Just what is Great Customer Service?

“Great service is a matter of perception. Great service is what the client thinks it is.” - - Mack McCormick

Great Customer Service starts with having a Customer Service Orientation.

We need to:

Create a “cult of the customer” culture in our business
Have a full range of services available to serve customers upon demand
Have a corporate philosophy/resulting business practices that encourage deep customer insight/breakthrough thinking about how to materially improve the client's business

It means modeling the business around the customer (not, as in most cases, the business’ internal operations):

Think about what our model needs to look like and how it will produce superior value to our customers (and profit for ourselves)
What are the benchmark standards of services values that our customers care about?
Focus on People, not just technology

"If you get everybody in the company involved in customer service, not only are they ‘feeling the customer’ but they’re also getting a feeling for what’s not working." - - Penny Handscomb

See: http://www.salestraininginc.com/customer-orientation-checklist.htm

Real life example of meaningful Customer Service:

Stacy went to a Zaxby's® restaurant and placed a fairly large order. He got all the way home before he realized they’d forgotten part of his order - Texas Toast. Not wanting to go back across town, he called to get his card credited for the amount of the toast.

Management was happy to do so, was very apologetic, and told Stacy that the next time he would receive a complimentary meal.

Two weeks later, Stacy walked in and told the manager about the toast that was not included in his order. The manager (after two week’s time) not only remembered the situation, but also Stacy’s name.

The manager proceeded to personally prepare Stacy’s free order – not only the same meal as before, but also a large dessert of his choice.

Needless to say, Stacy has continued to patronize that restaurant, and he has told this story to as many people as possible. (And we’re telling it today!)

TRUE STORY.

"Repeat business or behavior can be bribed. Loyalty has to be earned." - - Janet Robinson

Next issue:

Be on the lookout for next issue of “Roadmap …” where the true story will be: “Having fun while Prospecting.”
Until then, Good Selling!!


Helpful Hints this month: Need to increase IT productivity while reducing costs? See: http://www.maintec.com/ Want to profitably and easily manage your IT network? Talk with the folks at: http://www.eview-tech.com/ And, of course, to improve your sales situation, please see: SALES PARTNERS, INC. ^SM http://www.salespartnersinc.com/		SALES PARTNERS, INC. ^SM Sales Coaching, Training and Consulting to help companies and individuals: * Grow Revenue * Improve Sales Productivity * Enhance Customer Relationships Submit your question/comments to: info@salestraininginc.com Subscribe to the “Roadmap …”