Do you ever go above and beyond the call- and get little or no credit for it?
- Are you giving "free" service routinely?
- Customers should notice the effort.
- Use I.O.U.s to set up a future win.
It's always surprising to learn during our seminars how many salespeople are willing to perform "free" services for their customers.
Apparently, the salesperson believes that, by performing free services, the customer will give him some consideration in return. That's not a bad idea if the customer knows how to "mind-read," but most of the time, it doesn't lead to much in the way of revenue.
You Always Do Too Much "Free" Work
Selling is one of the few professions where much of the preliminary work we do is, technically, "free." Do we charge a prospect money for the time, effort, and energy that goes into creating a proposal? Can you see yourself going to the nearest multiplex cinema, walking up to the ticket counter and telling the attendant, "I'm going inside to see the movie. If I like it, I'll pay you on the way out?" Can you imagine telling a cab driver that you'll let him know when you like the ride enough for him to turn the meter on? But this is essentially what happens every day when we interact with prospects who are "considering" doing business with us.
Once prospects turn into customers, we need to be quite clear about what we are putting into the relationship. Of course, no one is suggesting that you should stop performing services for your customers. This Rule is saying something very different: Look for way you can help the customer to see and notice the effort you are putting forth on his behalf.
Believe it or not, some customers believe that your company pays you to perform these "no-charge" services! That's not the case, of course, and your customer should know that.
The Art Of Getting An I.O.U
Here's a simple scenario that illustrates the point.
Customer: Hal, can you bring a few extra cases of #243 by the office Saturday morning? We're out.
You: Fred, I'd like to help, but there may be a problem. Let me ask you this, how badly do you need them?
(Your intention, of course, is to take the cases to him.)
Customer: I really need them badly.
You: How long are you going to be in your office this morning?
Customer: I'll be here all morning.
You: Call you back in a few minutes. I need to see if I can reschedule a few things I had lined up for Saturday morning.
You: (When you call back.) Good news- I can get them to you Saturday morning by 10:00 am.
Your first move could have been, "No problem. I'll be glad to bring them over Saturday morning." As played out above, however, the customer received a subtle message that you were going "above and beyond the call of duty" by changing previous plans.
After several situations like the one above, when you are "apples to apples" with the competition, your I.O.U.s alone could get you the next order. You don't have to remind the customer of what you've done- the I.O.U.s are there!
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