Sales 101 tells us that it easier and more profitable to sell more to an existing customer than to try and get a new one, we should do whatever we can to nurture existing customers, and our good customers are our best source of referrals.
But so many sales reps either neglect their customers, or make lame, haphazard half-attempts at really servicing their customers and therefore building profitable relationships.
Case in point: The “How’s it going?” and “Just checking in…” calls.
What wastes of time. Worse, potentially damaging.
Here’s a personal example.
I had leased a vehicle from a local dealer. The young sales rep was enthusiastic, but didn’t do a particularly good job of selling. I was in no hurry to buy, but he was in a huge, seemingly desperate rush to sell.
As a result, he kept lowering his price, and finally hit a point that was too good to pass up.
Over the next several weeks I received a few calls on my cell phone voice mail from the relatively new sales rep, each one pretty much the same:
“Hey, just wanted to be sure everything is OK with the car.Give me a call.”
Well, to me that is a worthless call, and I felt there was another motive. If everything was not OK, I would certainly have let them know. I never did return the calls.
Finally, after a few more voice messages, I answered (I guess you can attribute it to persistence, or just wearing me down.)
The call went the same as the others:
“How’s everything going with the car?”
Just fine, I replied.
“OK. Know anyone else looking for a car?”, he then asked.
Not right now, I told him.
I did have a small issue though… they were to arrange to get my license plates to me and it was past the time they had promised. So I asked him,
“By the way, I still have not received my plates yet. Can you check on that?”
He assured me he would. He never did get back to me, and I handled it on my own.
Several sales points here:
1. Some people might say the “Want to be sure everything is OK”-call is good customer service. No, usually it is a thin disguise for a self-serving motive, which it was in this case: asking for a referral. I’m not saying don’t call. Do. But have something of value or interest as the reason. He had known the issue about the plates before, so he should have called with an update on them. Or some other news, or something of value like info on the free oil changes I was promised.
2. I’m all for asking for referrals. The best time to do it is when you have just been told how good you are, or how much someone enjoys your product.
3. If someone is going to make the effort to place a call to supposedly find out if “everything is going OK” and then is told it is not (no plates yet), shouldn’t they then follow through to give the appearance that they truly care that everything is OK? I believe so.
Of course calling existing customers is your best source of additional business and referrals. The key is making someone feel that every time they speak with you they had gained by doing so.
I’d like to see comments from those of you making calls to regular customers, and what types of value-add reasons you have for calling. Please share below.