subject: Keeping promises [print this page] Keeping promises Keeping promises
A sale is a promise. You, your company or your sales people have promised something to another person or organisation. The key question here is how much do you keep your promises?
Let's start by looking at the sale from an earlier stage. A buyer has a need, a need that you can fulfill with a product or service you offer. In most cases people and organisations have alternative suppliers. This is why keeping your promises is fundamental, especially if we want repeat business.
So how to we keep our promises? I have prepared a set of questions that you can look at;
i. Are your delivery dates realistic? Can you honor the delivery date promised to the client? A common problem found in many organisations is that sales people promise an unrealistic delivery date in their attempt to sell. This sis sometimes caused by the client pushing too hard, but the consequence of this is havoc. Work schedules are messed up, work falls behind, changed schedules cause increase cost of production, un-kept time frames frustrate the customer which in turn can ruin the chances of repeat business.
What can be done? Make sure that sales and production liaise between themselves. No sales proposal should be made unless all the company departments agree.
iii. Sometimes it is good to promise less than one actually can deliver! Let me explain this further. Upon buying a no frills airline ticket, you will board the plane with little expectations. If during the flight you are given a small hot snack, you will feel that you have received more than paid for and thus more than what you expected.
This will result in a positive customer experience. The trick here is not to promise all you can deliver, that way your clients can always feel that you have excelled in your service to them. This will generate repeat business.
iv. The final consideration is a basic one. Are you promising what you your customers want? This is a basic marketing concept. Look from the consumer's perspective and ask yourself how your products and services are meeting these needs. Sometimes the problem could be as simple as re-positioning the product or service in a different manner.
Most of the above might look elementary, yet from experience these are the areas where many companies are actually lacking and have great room for improvement. Use these four areas as a basis for an internal discussion within your sales department, and possibly other departments.
Try to come up with reasonable and achievable ideas for improvement. Tasks that can be easily implemented, which will generate a feeling of positive change within the organisation. This will create a positive internal vibe of customer care which your customers will feel and enjoy!
After thought!
Just after writing this article something happened to me that I wished to share with you. Every afternoon I choose to go and have a snack with some friends at the same restaurant. On this particular afternoon I did not want to choose my plate from the menu but wanted to make a selection of salad from the salad bar. Whilst waiting to be served, the lady at the salad bar asked me to take my place telling me that would soon call me to take my order. Time passed, all my friends ate and I still hadn't been asked what I wanted. Promise broken! Result, the restaurant lost a regular customer!
I am mentioning this to highlight how easy it is to lose a customer by not keeping a simple promise. Never give a promise that you might not be able to keep or forget!
