We ask the customers of our customers the following questions:
- If you could tell a sales rep just one thing about calling on you, what would you say?
- In calling on you, what do you want a sales rep to stop, start and continue doing?
In aggregate, what they want is a sales rep who is persistent, knowledgeable, prompt and professional.
By persistent they don’t mean annoying, but rather one that has a set a protocol for follow up and action. They want consistency from you. They want to know they will be taken care of not only during the sale but also before and after. They look for opportunities to be educated and informed about new products, options and updates. They know the sale doesn’t end with the buy.
They want a knowledgeable rep that stays up to date and is well informed within your industry. The most successful reps never stop learning and improving themselves.
In sales, it pays to be prompt. With shorter attention spans and never emptying inboxes, your customer doesn’t want to be shuffled to the bottom of the pile. Follow through with what you promise, without delay, and within 24 hours.
Professionalism varies by industry and the personality of your customer, which means they want you to know your audience. Your professionalism is communicated by your attitude, dress, language, timeliness and focus. If you want to put this data into action, ask yourself the following:
- What is my follow up protocol?
- Do my customers have set expectations of my communication style?
- Are my customers happy after the sale? Have I ever asked them?
- Are there additional products my customers could be interested in?
- What have I done in the last year to educate myself professionally?
- How long does it take me to follow up with a prospect or customer, is it less than 24 hours?
- What does my attitude say about you?
- Am I always on time?
Happy sales!
Natalie is an impactful facilitator, speaker and coach on a wide variety of topics from leadership and personal development to strength and conditioning, lifestyle change and Yoga. Her background includes over 10 years’ experience deploying leadership training to organizations throughout the United States and Latin America.
In addition to her skill-set in leadership development she holds a Master’s in Exercise Physiology which allows her to train participants to be better leaders from the inside out based on personal and individual need. You can reach her via email at natalie@donbrown.org
