Too many sales reps overlook opportunities to win back customers that have been lost. But it can be done. In fact, it may be easier than finding a “new” customer who is in need or your products and/or services.

If they purchased from you once, they obviously saw value in your product or service at some point, right? Somewhere along the line something changed for them. Perhaps the economy impacted their ability to afford your product. Maybe your competition took them away. Maybe turnover in their company caused a new opinion about the benefit of your product.

There are many possibilities, of course. Therefore, it goes without saying – but I’ll say it anyway – that the first key to winning back lost customers is to uncover why they left. It’s important to make sure you are asking the contacts that made the decision to leave your product or service. If you rely on someone who was just following orders, you may not get the true objections or reason for their departure.

In addition, ask this question knowing that you may not get the bottom line answer initially and that it may require asking several additional questions. For example, they may initially say “price,” but by probing you may learn they did not see the value that exceeded the price. And that’s an entirely different objection, as we all know.

Dig Deeper

Then, work to deeply understand what could have been done differently by you and your company in order to have prevented your customer from leaving. Perhaps a specifically assigned customer service representative would have made a difference, or more training on your product and service, or carrying more inventory during certain times of the year.

The point is be sure that you gather the details to ensure a yes when you ask, “If we had been able to provide X, would that have kept you as a customer?” Or even, “If we could provide X now, would that be a reason for you to return as a customer?”

Now you have the details of what you must solve in order to win back the lost customer. You can look at specific solutions that would show the lost customer enough of a commitment to win their business back. But be sure before you present any solution that it truly is in place and that it demonstrates you listened and heard what they were asking for.

Show them your specific plan, such as a proactive calling schedule, the name and profile of their specifically assigned customer service representative, or your new ordering process to ensure adequate stocking levels, for example. You may also want to include case studies or testimonials that demonstrate the process or level of service you are presenting.

You have lost faith or value once; you cannot and should not risk losing it again. Show them you care and want to please them, but be sure you can deliver.

Dan

Is the customer always right?

Do you want the real answer or the one you read in books? Of course the customer is not right 100 percent of the time, but that’s not really the issue. The real question is what to do when a customer thinks he’s been wronged. Like so many things in life, it depends on the scenario.

Retail vs. Wholesale

If you run a retail shop, you have customers walking through the door on a daily basis. While the desire to please everyone is admirable, it’s also unrealistic. We all have bad days, technology fails us, and there are some things that are out of our control.

If you’re a wholesaler, much of your communication with customers is over the phone and through email. This results in an entirely different dynamic when it comes to misunderstandings. Figure out as quickly as possible what you can do to improve whatever issues are popping up.

Getting back to the original question, the customer may not always be right, but we want to treat each customer as if they are, even if they are being unrealistic. Whenever a problem occurs, the best course of action is to listen. In addition, finding a private room where your customer can vent without disturbing other customers is a must. Once they’ve had a chance to explain their situation, you have several options:

• Apologize, unless they are so unreasonable that an apology is not warranted.
• Ask your customer what it would take to resolve the problem.
• Suggest a few alternatives that may resolve the issue.
• Explain that unfortunately there isn’t anything you can do for them.

Dealing with frustrated customers in a wholesale business is a similar. Listen first, offer suggestions to fix the problem, and find out what would make them happy. If you’re noticing a trend in unhappy customers, it’s time to examine your communication, sales, and other processes to determine if there are holes or gaps.

When all is said and done, a happy customer is a potential repeat customer willing to offer referrals. If the relationship is severed to the point of no return, it might be time to part ways and end the relationship as cordially as possible. Always try to under-promise and over-deliver; it will suit you well and help avoid unhappy customers in the first place.

David

Newer sales representatives – and even some seasoned ones – often feel trepidation when it comes to actually asking for an order.

It is, after all, the moment of truth – a feeling not unlike asking that special someone out on a date for the first time. Whatever flirting or rapport building you’ve done is now being put to the test, and there’s a chance you’ll be rejected.

Well, there’s not much we can do about your love life; if that’s the kind of help you’re seeking, you’ve found your way to the wrong blog. But we can offer an approach that will minimize the anxiety that comes with closing a sale, and maximize your likelihood of getting the deal.

First, an observation: how you ask for the order is less important than actually asking for it. That may sound self-evident, but legion are the sales representatives who do a terrific job of identifying needs and setting the stage, but who never actually ask the customer or prospect for the order. Sometimes they forget. Sometimes they think it’s so obvious the customer will just take care of this part themselves. And sometimes, of course, they’re afraid.

So if we accept as a given that sales representatives must ask in order to receive, here is a particularly effective way to set the stage for getting the order. Two words:

Trial Closing

Trial closing. The single most effective way to make asking for the order easier and, in the process, maximize your close ratio. Simply put, trial closing does two things:

• It provides you, the sales professional, with litmus tests along the way, so you know if and how you need to adjust your sales process.
• It helps to “season” the customer or prospect to agree with you and/or to increase their candor. Both, by the way, are good.

That said, trial closing is not a random exercise. It’s a strategic tool that is best used within the usual steps of the sales process. Let’s break it down.

Building Trust and Rapport

As you and the customer or prospect get to know each other, part of your conversation should involve finding out who is involved in the decision-making process for purchasing a product or service like yours. As you learn this information, work into the conversation a question about whether those people can or should be involved in the process from the beginning. You also should learn everything you can at his point about their budget. The information you learn here will provide clues about what you’ll be up against when it comes time to close.

Setting the Agenda

Setting the stage for your time together is always a good idea. As you explain what it is you’re hoping to cover, and find out if there is anything different or additional that they’d like to cover, it’s appropriate to finish by indicating that – by the time you reach the end of the process – whether it’s that day or three months from now (depending on your sales cycle), you anticipate that you will have earned the right to ask them for their business. Ask if that is acceptable to them.

Providing a Company Overview Presentation

You tell them your company story, noting why you and they are in alignment and providing evidence of why yours is the kind of company with which they should be doing business. Again, you’ll conclude by asking if they would agree with what you’ve said, and if they can see why it would, indeed, be advantageous to work with you, providing you are able to meet their needs.

Conducting an Analysis

This part of the process is ripe with opportunities to trial close. As you identify personal, financial and organizational impacts, and understand which ones are causing the most acute pain, ask them – without immediately presenting your solution – if you were able to meet that need, would that be a reason to do business with you and your company. You have to vary the wording, of course, so it doesn’t get monotonous, but this can be a powerful place to truly make headway in the closing process, because, properly executed, they’ll be telling you precisely where you are hitting the mark or missing it.

Presentation

As you move through your presentation, matching your solution to their previously identified needs – based on impacts – you conclude each section by asking if they agree how and why your product or service is precisely what they need. If the answer is yes, great! If the answer is no, great! This gives you a chance to go back and address their concerns while you still have a chance to act on them.

Close

If you’ve done everything already mentioned, this step is probably just a formality. After all, you should have received numerous affirmations that you, your company and your solution are precisely what they need to ease their pain. That doesn’t mean you don’t have to ask, of course. Just that the asking should be a natural part of the discussion rather than an anxiety-ridden ordeal.

Congratulations, you’ve asked for the order and closed the deal. Your commission check is in the mail!

Come to think of it, if you close the deal and earn that commission, you’ll have some money in your pocket. And if you have some money in your pocket, you’ll be able to ask that special someone out on a date and be able to afford it if she says yes.

So, if that’s your goal, maybe you came to the right place after all. Happy Valentine’s Day!

Mike

In my experience, the single biggest determinant of entrepreneurial success is being able to offer more than just better execution of previous ideas. Don’t get me wrong, improving on already established models is an excellent skill set. But just “doing it better” may not be enough.

I say this because many of today’s entrepreneurs are simply focused on improving someone else’s ideas, rather than on creating new ones. As a result, they fail, typically for a number of reasons:

• They don’t have the cash to compete on new product development.
• They don’t have enough cash to sell/market themselves appropriately (or they don’t want to).
• They can’t stay ahead of their competition, which is also improving daily.
• They don’t know how – or have the capability – to assemble a team.
• Worst of all, their ideas aren’t really better.

The ability to create something from nothing is a gift I have only encountered one or two times over my last 20 years in business. I’ve encountered plenty of people adept at adding onto already existing ideas – or criticizing such ideas – but only one or two that could actually create.

This “creating” ability is, in my opinion, what separates a true entrepreneur from a good employee.
Many people think they can do this, but few are correct.

What exactly do I mean by the ability to “create?” The ability to answer these types of questions:

• What’s the vision?
• How is the vision articulated?
• Why the vision?
• What’s the strategy?
• What are the tactics?
• Who do you need on the team?
• How are you going to assemble them and get them to execute the strategy and tactics?
• What are plans “A,” “B,” “C,” “D” and beyond for adjusting to either new information or impediments to success? In other words, how are you going to adapt to changing circumstances?

Why do you think you want to be an entrepreneur?

If it’s “more control,” “more money,” “lighter workload” or “I can do it better,” then you are probably not going to be very successful. Probably.

If it’s about passion – a passion that takes the form of a clear vision for what you want to “create” – if you can articulate that vision, create the strategy, create and execute the tactics, assemble a team to get it done and you are bright enough and agile enough to adapt to changing circumstances, then you probably are gifted with entrepreneurial ability!

If you can just “paint by numbers” better than the next guy, you’re better off being an employee or joining with an entrepreneurially oriented person to help her get it done.

Brian

I have seen many organizations push their salespeople to sell, even when everyone within the organization knows they cannot deliver.

This is wrong!

As a salesman you know what your organization can and cannot do, and the value it can and cannot provide. You need to be forthcoming with your customers and set realistic expectations. Honesty and integrity is missing in far too many sales organizations; don’t let yourself fall into the same trap.

If you do, you become part of your organization’s problem rather than helping to identify and implement a solution. As a sales professional, you understand better than anyone the needs of your customers. You know whether they are happy and satisfied with what your organization has delivered.

Use this feedback to help your organization improve its capabilities, deliver what is expected, and enable you the opportunity to increase your sales.

With honesty and integrity.

You, your customers and your organization will all benefit from this.

Dan