Are you a hunter? You know, someone who bags the sale and then moves on to the next great conquest? Let’s take a look at the negative impact of that decision.
They say sales people should be hunters, always looking for that next big capture. Maybe there is some truth to that. You do, of course, have to be selling all the time. You do have to have a consistent process for adding prospects to the funnel. So many sales people and small business owners believe this is their primary responsibility. I get it. But that’s not the only thing you want to be doing.
There is potentially more business to be gained from your current clients. It requires attention to your clients beyond the initial sale.
So, how do you ensure you are doing everything you can for your clients? Follow this three step process.
Step 1 – Seek
As simple as it may sound, you have to reach out to your customers. After you make that first sale make a phone call. Talk to your client. Find out what their experience was with the sale. Don’t assume they’ll let you know if something didn’t go well, or if they are thrilled. It’s your responsibility to reach out to them with genuine interest . Seek to learn how things went and how they are feeling.
Step 2 – Go deeper
It’s time to get to know your customer better. This has two parts. The first is to know them on a deeper level. What are they working on, where are they going, what are their goals? Until you have a better understanding of your clients you can’t identify what else you may be able to do for them. The second part of this is to build more relationships. If you sell to businesses or organizations you have strong reason to meet more people within their ranks. There might be other departments that could use what you have to sell. There will always be other people you should know.
Remember that the person you are dealing with today could be gone tomorrow. Don’t pin your future relationship with a company on one relationship, no matter how strong you think it is.
Step 3 – Connect
Now that you have a better understanding of your customer, connect their needs to your products or services. Now is the time to engage in a conversation about other ways you can help them. Notice that we didn’t do this part at the beginning, before the sale. That’s because they can’t hear everything you offer at first. They can only focus on the thing that will help them solve a problem.
After you have successfully helped them you can explore other ways you can add value.
Most businesses can benefit from additional business with their current clients. Your job is to make sure you are effectively building the relationship so you identify and explore those opportunities.
If you’d like help with this schedule a complimentary consultation at www.seizethisday.co
Read Don’t Leave Money On The Table and the other informative articles in this issue of Soar to Success magazine.
