Jean-Pierre Lauzier, consultant, trainer in sales and customer service and author of the book ” Le coeur aux ventes ” gives regularly his advice of personal and commercial development on Isarta Infos. Today, he explains how small attentions which can seem anecdotal will, in reality, all the difference.
The competition does not make gift. To stand out, you have to do more and better than your competitors. Is that a big mandate? Not at all! All you have to do is do a little more, or a little better, and your customers will become your best ambassadors.
By employing the little extra strategy with your current customers and anyone else who is in a position to recommend you, you stand out from the crowd, create a special relationship, build trust and establish a long-term business relationship. These satisfied customers then become your best salespeople, because they have the trust of those around them and are credible in their eyes; they indirectly recruit new potential customers who can increase your sales.
Exceeding expectations
In order for each of your customers to remain loyal to you and become your best “salesperson”, you must act in such a way as to give them an experience that is a little more satisfying, unique or special than your competitors, not only when they buy from you, but every time they communicate with you and your organization. You must exceed the customer’s expectations in terms of the response to their needs and concerns, the solutions you provide; and you must give them special attention that you don’t have to display and that they don’t expect. In other words, you need to provide him with little extras that will make him say WOW!
Here are some examples of little extras:
- You offer a computer repair service and you offer 30 minutes of free service to help a new customer with a task they find difficult;
- A customer buys one of your used cars and you don’t hesitate to change a windshield wiper, check and repair a squeaky brake or clean the inside of a noisy fan at no extra charge;
- You are a medical representative and you sell a new product. A few weeks after a sale, you call the doctor to ask about the effectiveness of the medication;
- You are a restaurant owner and you offer a glass of wine to a customer to thank him for his loyalty;
- You sell refrigerators and you take the time to ask the customer several questions and check the size of the appliance vs. the space available for its installation, to make sure that the product you sell will be the best for him.
The little extra is not a matter of sales area, but of willingness to help a little more than your competitors. By staying in search of the actions that will make THE difference with the customer, you focus your attention on their needs and on your own professional way of meeting them.
Sincerity, consistency and prioritization of the customer
Note that you must be committed and sincere in performing these little extras, it must feel good to provide these little extras while exuding a sense of wanting to help them. If you perform these actions out of obligation or without much conviction, the desired impact will be very weak if not null.
These little extras must be provided regularly and rigorously in order to obtain constant and lasting progress. It is therefore necessary to establish a corporate culture or personal code of conduct that makes this little extra a priority in your role. Since results are not always immediate, these efforts must be maintained over time and with all your customers to benefit from the positive impacts of this strategy.
To know what extra to offer your customers, you must listen to them, know and understand what they like, what they want, what is important to them; in short, you must understand what they are telling you as much as detect what they are not telling you. You need to pay more attention and act in a way that will better satisfy your customer, not get more commissions.
By developing this reflex of little extras, the little extra that will make you stand out, you will become better, both in terms of your product offering and your service delivery. This will inevitably lead to a decrease in your efforts (personal, advertising, etc.) to acquire new clients and an increase in your revenues. This little extra will become an altruistic lifestyle that will enrich you personally, professionally and financially.
