September Sales Tip

Wednesday 22nd Sep 2010

Sales Force - the critical link between you and your customers

There is not a single commercial business in the world that can do without a sales force. Even a one-person business has a sales person.

In many businesses there will be one or more people whose principal duty is sales. No matter how sophisticated your marketing plan, it comes down to someone taking the order, or simply the cash, and delivering the product to the customer.

With the exception of specialized channels such as direct mail and internet sales, there will be personal communication between the customer and salesperson at some time. What are the critical issues in making the most of that encounter? Apart from closing the sale, have you thought through what other things your sales force can do for your business?

Efficient and effective selling

The first thing you want is to make the sale efficiently and effectively. Efficient means closing the sale with the minimum required time and effort. Effective selling can mean many things in different situations, but the key is usually to ensure the customer understands the product benefits and has a clear perception of value in the purchase. If your sales staff is falling down here, there are many courses around that can help.

But there is much more a good salesperson can do as the most critical link to your customers. Let's review the way you can make the most of that link.

Feedback on your marketing

Your sales staff should make sure they ask a few questions, such as, "Where did you find out about us?" or if customers respond to a press ad, "Was there something that caught your attention?"

After-sales-follow-up

Making sure your customers are happy with their purchase is an obvious and powerful way of keeping them on your books and not those of your competitor. Except for the very low-value sales, some form of follow-up is a good investment in ensuring your future cash flow. It might be a phone call, a reply paid postcard, or even an e-mail; the important thing is to ask, and if there is something wrong, try to correct it.

Helping ensures repeat purchases

Few sales are strictly one-off and whether it"s two months for a supply of printer toner, or two years for a computer, the good salesperson will note the date of the original sale and have a follow-up reminder in place. We all know that there’s more profit in a repeat customer, so you should ensure your sales staff are equipped to be able to systematically follow-up when repeat purchases are due.

Gaining referral to new sales prospects

 "If you like our product tell your friends", is good "Do you have friends or colleagues who might be interested in our product?" is better. Word of mouth is still the most powerful and effective marketing communications channel. Your sales staff is in an ideal position to make use of it.

Train your staff, encourage them, give them incentives, but whatever you do, make sure you capitalize on the best opportunity to build loyalty in your customers and to gain new ones - the critical point of sales.

Roger James, Chairperson Australian Marketing Institute, www.ami.org.au