Addressing Complaints

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Mar 142007
 

It is often the case that companies believe that once a sale has been completed it is time to move on to the next customer. Yet, the truth is that the customer’s interaction with the company has probably just begun and hence the Customer Success department. Customer service professionals, post-sales managers or salesperson in charge of their own client relations know that their customers might (and probably will) at some point be less than pleased with the service they are receiving.

Whether the complaint is caused by a real or perceived deficiency or under-performance it is time to allow one’s superior customer service skills kick in. It is not only a matter of ethics and responsibility, for experience shows that gaining a new customer is more expensive than retaining a current one.

Propriety and business acumen? Follow these steps to speak to displeased clients:

*Listen and understand: you don’t know the issue without hearing it fully.

*Take notes: write the issues raised by the other party down for review and future reference. The notes will be better reflections of the situation than one’s memory.

*Ask questions: in order to fully understand the situation ask questions and do not rely on conjecture

*Repeat: go over the issue and paraphrase in order to make sure that you have understood the origin of the problem, the required next steps and your customer’s request.

*Acknowledge: let the client know that you have heard and understood them. Verbalize this.

*Facts not feelings: stick with factual information and avoid hysteria and ego. Use precise language and stick to the facts with an impartial tone of voice or body language.

*Inform: tell the person that you would like to help. Also acknowledge that you can hear the concern, sorrow or regret in their voice or can see it on their face.

*Coordinate: work with them within legal and legitimate means to remedy the situation. Outline this (again factually) and obtain buy-in

*Update: keep the person informed and be upfront if the issue will not be resolved right away. People are often reasonable if treated with deference.

The above steps are valid and should assist significantly if followed; yet the emphasis should be on taking the sensationalism and personality out of the picture. Do not take it personally if a customer is upset and take pride in rectifying the situation.

Things That Need To Go Away: taking it personally when it is not personal

Looking Forward To… Objections

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Mar 132007
 

Quick, raise your hand if you look forward to customer objections.

Congratulations to those who did for, as seasoned professionals know, objections are a gir… salesperson’s best friend. It is natural of course to dislike, even abhor speed bumps and dread the inevitable objections that prospects raise – unless one is the president of a debating society – but before doing so out of habit pose a few questions to yourself.
Don’t you have objections before you make a purchase? Don’t you need reassurance before you part with your money? Do you ask for a better deal or even haggle? Doesn’t eager questioning imply you are getting closer to making a decision? Then why dislike the natural progression of the sales cycle?

Objection means interest, engagement and frankly a potential sale. A customer who is not raising the bar or posing questions is not likely to work with you.

The experienced professional expects objections and moreover looks forward to them.

-Be ready! Customer objections (for your industry or product) are probably not as varied as you may think. Be prepared for them, make notes of past objections you have heard and review them periodically.

-Do try to remove them proactively. Since we know that they are inevitably coming it is prudent to begin tackling them sooner rather than later. “Horatio, before we go any further, you have to agree with me that we will not be the lowest cost provider in the market. After all, you want to make sure that we remain healthy and viable business partners of yours for years, don’t you?”

-Reassure the customer that their objections are normal, been encountered by you before and that you appreciate their thoughtfulness. Furthermore, despite the objections having been raised before, the people bringing them up are now happy customers of yours.

-Ask exact questions to exactly understand the reason behind the objection. In order to answer the underlying question one needs to understand its extent and to whom they really belong.

-Agree and deflect. Some might liken it to verbal judo: “Horatio, I admit that we will not always be the fastest to deliver, but do you agree that you will not always need delivery 6:00 am the next day?”

The seasoned sales professional is gratified that customers have questions about products and services which they are considering and look forward to assisting customers with their decision.

Negotiation 101-103

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Mar 092007
 

While many commentators, courses and books like to assert that there are hard and fast rules when negotiating the truth is that this may or may not apply.
The caveat applies because different buyers and sellers have different personalities and temperaments and deserve to be treated (some would say ‘handled’) differently. Consider the person across the table from you before you plot a strategy.

Extroverts (let’s say they are energetic, messy, quick and excitable) deserve enthusiastic reciprocation, but an amiable type (generally considered ‘weak’) would need a more considered tone and a slower pace. An analytical person (details, details and more details) would demand the same, while the bossy types would demand subservience and respect.

To make matters more complicated most people fall between two of the named categories and cannot be strictly pigeonholed into one personality type.

Nevertheless, there are time-honoured tactics that apply in negotiations.

*Always aim higher than you would settle for and would realistically get. In the developed world it is accepted that the parties would meet somewhere in the middle – i.e. split the difference.

*Flinch, be upset and hang your head in shame. Do so when being pressured and squeezed.

*Take every advantage of reminding the other party why you and your good or service is unique. They may be forgetting why you are there, but it all bears reminding.

*Do not accommodate easily. You would probably leave business on the table and, what’s worse; imply that the other party did not negotiate well.

*Promise something in the future, but obtain something now. Giving away future concessions, but obtaining business today is often advantageous.

*Last, but most importantly, feel free to terminate negotiations or refuse the business. The right to refuse unprofitable or uncomfortable business is yours. Take advantage of this negotiation tactic or perhaps it is not a negotiation tactic at all!

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