Greetings fellow Salespeople,
Last week, we discussed how a seafood attendant missed out receiving $500 in combined orders. This week we’ll focus on why you should provide good Customer Service to increase your business profits.
The sales story for this week is…
Thirsty Lady desired a beverage from a major fast food chain. The restaurant around the corner from her house was her favorite spot to frequent.
After finishing a long day’s worth of hard labor at work, she wanted to cool off by sipping on “the world’s most famous slush” – at least that was what the restaurant’s sign proudly displayed in its drive-in booths.
After parking, she pushed a button to get the attention of the cashier. “May I please order one medium diet cherry slush and one ocean-water slush,” the Thirsty Lady croaked from her dry throat.
The cashier responded, “Oh…you mean a blue coconut slush ma’am.”
The Thirsty Lady pondered for a second. She thought to herself how many times she came to this same restaurant and ordered the same items. In fact, it was just two days ago! “No…I meant a OCEAN-WATER SLUSH PLEASE,” the lady shouted back.
“Well ma’am, they are the same! An ocean-water slush is the same as a blue coconut slush,” the cashier informed the Thirsty Lady.
She became more frustrated that her usual order may be prepared wrong. She walked to the door and asked to speak to the manager. After a five minute wait, the manager appeared to the door.
After expressing that she visited the SAME store two days ago and ordered the SAME items, she patiently waited to hear what the manager would say.
“Well, they are the same thing. How do you make one…I want to know so that I make it the next time you visit us again,” the manager lamented as they struggled with the customer’s issue.
“You mean to tell me you DON’T know how to make a slush others know how to make…Never mind…I will just go to another place that can help me better,” the Thirsty Lady retorted as she turned and walked back to her car.
This scenario has many flaws that any business can learn from to increase their profits. The manager and crew suffered from:
- Lack of Product Knowledge – Without a sound foundation of what you can offer for features and benefits, you will suffer from loss of potential profits.
- Failure to Properly Diffuse a Customer Issue – When confronted with a customer complaint or concern, you must find ways to create a win-win situation for all parties.
These two principles are thorns in many businesses and organizations. It makes the difference between keeping customers coming back or spreading negative publicity to others. Discover how to avoid bad business exposure. Look out for the next two posts to learn more!
Until then, good luck in your hustle!
Cornelus
Tags: Business, customer service, customers, enthusiasm, increase, items, product, products, profits, sale, Sales, sales goals, sales pitch, samples, sell, selling, service, target market
