Clients are NOT Gods and Generals – Don’t Make This Foolish Sales Mistake
Client are vital. Very vital. Vital. Critical. They are the butt of our sales effort. And they ultimately pay us.
But… But as vital and significant as clients may be they are NOT gods from Mount Olympus and they are not Patton-like generals that should be revered and ‘worshipped.’
Some sales reps – and companies- don’t get this.
As a replacement for, they treat the client like a supreme or all-powerful being. And here’s the business: the distress with treating your client like a superior is that you, by definition, become an inferior. By default, you become subservient and it is at this stage where the distress can start and foolish things can happen.
Putting a customer on a pedestal can negatively impact your selling and customer service efforts. Your judgement can become clouded and misaligned. Ultimately it can significantly affect your company, its operations, its sales and profitability and ultimately, you.
Here are some examples of what can happen when you elevate your client to a exalted level:
- You evenly provide discounts to the point that ‘days gone by’s luxuries become today’s ‘necessities’; in other words, it becomes an expectation rather than a special gesture
- You don’t charge shipping regardless of the size of the order because you don’t want to incense the client or you dread the client will jump ship to your competitor
- You make promises designed to endear the customer to you but that require individuals and departments (e.g., shipping) to drop everything , jump through hoops and meet the demand you set regardless of the internal impact
- Your special arrangements act like dominos and knock other customers off the priority list (putting them at risk)
- You drop everything and ignore or dilute your selling efforts with YOUR customers
- Your special ‘one time deep price’ concession is used as blackmail on other sales (“Gee, Mark, you gave it to me the last time!”)
- Your mind-set gets a small (or a lot) negative when internal departments don’t meet your demands; you ‘terrible mouth’, hold responsible and point fingers at others as you search for a scapegoat.
- You place your boss in awkward situations far too often
- Your client is abusive with you despite your extra effort … and you take it on the chin day after day, build up stress and burnout
Sound familiar?
What to Do – 5 Tips of Customer Relationships
Don’t get me incorrect, there’s unquestionably nothing incorrect with trying to please, wow and amaze your clients. Doing the extras give you the edge and separates you from competitive pack. By all means, aim to please and go above and beyond.
But …But do so on an equal footing. Here are five tips that can help you avoid foolish actions and decisions and can lead to healthier and more pleased customer relationships.
#1: See your client as a partner, not as a god or general.
Your client is an vital but EQUAL partner. Nothing more. Reckon win/win/win. No matter what you do, it must benefit your company , the customer and you. If there is a ‘lose’ in the equation, the relationship is not equal. It makes an imbalance. It makes a ‘them’ and ‘us.’ It makes ill will. It infects our judgement and choice making process. And spreads like cancer.
#2: Apply the 3 –Second Rule to every choice -THINK before you do.
Reckon before you do: that’s all there is to it. Before committing to whatever business, take 3 seconds to reflect on it. THINK! Reckon about why you are doing. Reckon of the implications, small term and long term. Check with your boss. Call shipping first. Review the issue with accounting. Don’t promise a business until you know you can accomplish it.
#3: Promise less and deliver more.
I don’t need to tell you this; you’ve heard this before. If you commit to a 3 day turn around, try to deliver in two. If you can do it and it doesn’t turn your company on it’s tail, do it. You’ll look like a hero and you’ll build value. If you can’t do it in two days, you still have kept your word with three. You win, the customer wins AND your company wins.
#4: Learn to say no.
Say no when necessary. Say it politely. Say it respectfully. Give reasons for the rationale behind the ‘no .’ Tell them what you CAN do. Offer alternative solutions if you have one. But be prepared to draw a line in the sand. Better to be honest and straightforward than promise the world and not deliver.
#5: Be willing to let them go.
Sometimes, just sometimes, it is better to ‘fire’ the petulant client. Get rid of them. Send them to your competitor and let them deal with the issues. Meanwhile, you can concentrate on providing better service and sales to all those clients that you neglected.
(I grasp that this strategy is NOT always simple especially if that client constitutes the majority of your business. But, if this is the case – if a dominant client has their heel on the neck of your business- then start building a contingency plot, quick).
Summary
Excellent, strong and lasting relationships with customers are based on mutual respect. If you elevate the client too much you risk making poor business decisions. Foolish choice. When you have a proper perspective all wins.