A recent survey by John Tschohl, president of Service Quality Institute, asked customers one question: What do you want from a salesperson? (The most common answer wasn’t “best price.”)
Of those who responded to the poll by the Service Quality Institute, 91% said, “Be there when I need you.” What this translates into is, “You don’t have to be the best, the cheapest or the smartest. If you’re there when I need you, you’ll get and keep the my business.”
Share this information with your salespeople. Help them act in a behavior appropriate with “Be here when I need you,” by adopting a philosophy that says, “You’re my customer. I’m here for you.
“Here’s my cell phone number. Here’s my pager number. Here’s a 24-hour toll-free number. Here’s our web address so you can get information even when I’m sleeping. Here’s another person that you can call if you have problems or complaints and can’t reach me.”
Don’t restrict the message to the sales department. Every manager – every employee – should be made aware of a philosophy that the company is always there for all customers.
