The nature of a follow-up to a sale depends on how the sale was carried out.
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If you sell via mail, then the delivery should be accompanied with a compliments slip thanking the customer for their custom and making clear your hope that you can do more business in the future. If you sell in person, then it can be very beneficial to follow up with a call a few days later asking how they have found the item.
When you carry out the follow-up, it is important to leave the customer feeling like they have been well treated. It is likely that you can think of a case where you have been given excellent customer service – you probably told your friends and family about it, and when you have required anything in the same niche you will have thought immediately of the salespeople that covered your sale and gave you such excellent service before.
You will want to ensure that you receive that level of service again. As a salesperson, this is how you want people to think of you, too. By providing an excellent level of service every time, you will gain more business from the friends and family of that customer, and from the customers themselves.
Thank You Cards/Letters
Thank you notes are a sign that you are interested in building a long-term relationship with a client. They show clients that you value their business and that your interest in them did not end when you closed the sale. We hear very often in this day and age of a lack of politeness and many people decry the cursory way that transactions are carried out.
Although almost all companies make a great play of offering “excellent customer service”, there is a world of difference between saying that you offer something and offering it every time.
The effect of a “thank-you note” is to make a customer feel that they have been more than just a number. They will read a thank you note and feel positive about their purchase. It has been proven time and again that we as humans have what people call “sense memory”, where we associate a certain feeling with a certain occasion, incident, or place.
By the same token, a well-written thank-you letter with a personal touch will stand out in a customer’s memory. How you write the letter is up to you.
Obviously you do not want to spend more time writing thank-you notes than selling, but taking the time out to write one that shows you remember the customer (as opposed to “Dear X, Thank you for buying Y, we hope it is working well for you. Regards, Z”) may well be what it takes to encourage them to come back to you when they need something else, and pass your details on to anyone they know who is planning to buy in the same niche.
It is important to write something that sounds warm, personalised and be sincere. A good example would be along the lines of:
“Dear [Customer’s Name],
Thank you for considering us when you decided to purchase a [item] and for choosing us as your preferred supplier.
I hope it provides you with the outcomes you expect and makes your [activity] easier. If there is any way we can help you in the future, with this purchase or another, please do not hesitate to contact me at [telephone number/e-mail address].
Thank you again, and kindest regards,
[Your name]”.
The note can be personalised to a greater or lesser extent depending on your area of business.
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