3 Secrets To Getting Your Customers To Sell For You (Hint: Think Service)

Posted by: Jacqueline Hayes on: August 7, 2014

• In: Sales Strategy
• 2 Comments

Let’s face it.  We need repeat sales to make this thing called business work. Even our best efforts fall short if we fail to get customers to buy the right products, at the right price, at the right time, not just once, but over and over again.

But many of us settle for becoming a one hit wonder.  We do just enough to make the sale, but not enough to keep the sales coming.

While making that initial sale is an important first step, it only gets you halfway to your goal. Post-sale activity goes a long way to winning customers over, and convincing them to not only purchase again, but to influence others to follow their lead.

So, how do you make the connection?  The secret is in the service.

Ask for comments

Most people are naturally wired to spill the beans when they’ve had a tremendous experience.  When customers find value in not only the product or service they’ve received, but also in the manner in which they’ve received it, you capture lightning in a bottle.

So, don’t be afraid to ask customers to share those experiences.  And make it easy for them to do so.  Just as you’d add a call to action button to incite them to buy, do the same to get them to share.  By publicly asking for feedback, customers can see that their experiences are important to you.

What if they share a less than positive review? Consider posting it anyway, along with the way you resolved the issue. Surprised? Don’t be.  Think of the last magazine you flipped through.  In the reader comments section, not all reviews were positive, but editors have printed them anyway, along with a response.

Send surveys

Customers can’t seem to make it out of the checkout lines these days without being asked for their email address.  And quite frankly, they’re not always pleased to have to give it.

But, if you can get it, don’t use this opportunity to SPAM them – that’s what they’re expecting.  Do the opposite. Impress them, instead, but asking them how you can improve.

In exchange for their honest feedback, offer them a coupon, an eBook, or whatever makes sense for your business and is of value to them.

Once you’ve gathered enough responses, consider sharing those satisfaction scores with your customers. If they’re positive, keep it up. If they show that improvements are needed, tell customers how you plan to do it.

Transparency is risky, but the payoff could be great.

Ask for referrals

If you don’t ask, the answer is always no.  And in the case of referrals, this couldn’t be more true.

Have you ever gotten a coupon in the mail that specifically stated that one coupon was for you and the other for a friend? What retailers are hoping for is a referral.  The act of you sharing that coupon with a friend is the equivalent of saying, “I shop here and think you should, too.”

But coupons aside, getting referrals can be hard because it’s been done the wrong way for so long.  Customers don’t want to put their friends in a position to be hassled by some over eager salesperson, even if it does reward them in some way.

Redefine what referrals mean in their mind. Do away with the “give me names” approach and focus on earning the referral first.  How do you earn it?  Good service.  And then when you ask, customers are happy to help.

The long and short of it

Good service – before, during, and after the sale – will always be the secret to powering up your sales and positioning your business for long-term success.

Customers expect to interact with and shape their experiences with the businesses they engage with, so don’t disappoint them. Give them something to talk about.

Ever have a customer basically close a deal for you?  Please share your experience in the comment section below…

Tags: branded customer service, business communication, customer experience, referral marketing, sales, sales strategy