Impeccable Customer Service Tip #372
The U.S. Census Bureau lists a professional category of “Sales” but in Canada the category is labeled “Sales/Service.” In other words sales and service are thought of as one category. Might Canada be onto something?…
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No doubt about it. I started my career in sales right after Noah built the ark and always saw myself as a service person first. Thoroughly understanding the customer’s needs and then serving those needs was the hallmark of my personal operation. More than once did I decline a sale, knowing it wouldn’t deliver what the customer required. I was always ASAP-responsive to calls, letters, emails. As I got promoted and my customers got promoted, my book of business grew larger. As I grew into management, executive and CEO roles, the service imperative was always top of mind and converted the mind-set of entire organizations. A firm I served as SVP of Sales and Marketing earned more than half it’s revenue from law firms. We did such an outstanding job of improving our service to them, several firms invited us in to counsel the partners on how they might improve service to their clients. Win-win. More business for the high-priced spread. 80% market share. Outstanding margins. Everyone hit their bonus target – not just the sales team. Service rules!
Thanks for sharing your story, Art. It’s always nice to see nice guys finishing first.