FM Walsh & Associates Inc.

Experience, hard word and talent are not enough to succeed in today’s workplace. You need to also focus on building a network that will bring you the success you want. Your career will likely span multiple jobs and fields and the best and fastest way to get where you want to be is having a network of people you can call on. Building an effective network takes time, planning and intention. Here are 5 rules that will help you out:

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I am always amazed at the cavalier way large companies often treat their customers. They ignore complaints or treat them with disdain. The truth is no one likes to deal with a frustrated or angry customer, but you have to remember that unhappy customers are much more likely to tell a lot more people about their bad experiences than the good ones. Who hasn’t experienced getting caught in an endless maze of voicemail or having to repeat your story over and over to a series of customer service reps, only to hear “I can’t help you with that. You need to talk to another department?” Over and over these days, I hear people complaining about the shabby way they are treated by their bank or telecommunications company. We’ve almost become resigned to it as a way of life.

That’s why I was so surprised by the outstanding customer service experience I recently had with Fido. After two separate experiences with their customer service department, I really was not happy with how I was treated. So I dropped Fido an email just to let them know what my experience had been. I was extremely surprised to receive an email and a phone call from Customer Service asking me for the details. They took the time to listen to my story, asked a lot of questions and then offered a generous solution to my issue. They delivered one of the most outstanding customer service experiences I have ever had – I am really impressed. Here is a large company that really does want to improve customer experiences with their products and services.

The lesson learned? If you have a bad experience with a company, don’t just walk away and only complain to your friends. Let the business know how they fell short – tell them where they went wrong. You might be surprised at the results you get! And if you are a business owner, make sure that you encourage your customers to let you know what you are doing right and wrong. You have to know what is broken in order to fix it.

This is the second part of a two-part sales tip that looks at 6 common mistakes people make that ensure they do lose the sale. These are common ways to turn off customers.

Number Four: 64% of all sales calls are made to the wrong person. Are you wasting time and money? Make sure that the person you are meeting with is the decision-maker. Ask them upfront about their decision process and who is involved before you get too far along in the sales process.

Number Five: Going straight into presentation mode and overloading the customer with information on product features that they are not interested in. I recently walked into a computer store to make a purchase and had a few simple questions which I never got a chance to ask. The sales associate went into great detail about features I did not care about. Overwhelmed I made my escape, and ended up ordering from another company over the phone, whose sales associate answered all my questions.

Number Six: Don’t ask for the deal. You do all the work of finding the prospect, figuring out what their needs are and presenting a solution that fits them – why wouldn’t you ask for the business? I am always surprised at how many business owners just assume if the customer is interested, they will buy. That is a big mistake. Customers expect to be asked – if you want the business, close the deal!

Do any of these six items on a regular basis and you can be assured that you will not be selling successfully.