Paul Castain's Blog

Your Client Is The Hot Date Your Competitors LOVE To Hit On

Posted December 7, 2016

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At the core of every great break up, is at least one person who feels the other person didn’t work hard enough. Or maybe the thought never crossed their mind because they were too busy being wowed by someone else who simply tried harder.

Today’s post is about never losing that “Lovin Feeling” with your clients:

1)    Surprise Them!: I order my shirts from Paul Frederick and they aren’t cheap. Every now and again, without warning, they will include a tie with my shirt order. Gold star Paul Frederick! I’m a frequent guest at the Omni Hotel and they have the surprise thing down pretty well. One evening they sent fresh fruit up to my room, one morning it was some orange juice and bottled water. Here’s the point, it doesn’t have to be a million dollar, “give away the store” thing, just get in the habit of surprising your clients. And while I’m up on my soapbox, when was the last time you surprised your significant other? I thought so! Make a note to surprise people in your personal life too! Balance young Padawan, balance!

2)    Find A Way to “Wow” Them When You Screw Up: Everything you ever heard about Disney is true! I should know, I stayed there for 10 days with my family back in 2006. We went to a dinner show one night and the waitress was visibly hustling from table to table. Somewhere in the mix, she forgot my son’s lemonade. When she returned to our table, my son very respectfully called it to her attention. She immediately apologized (doesn’t that have a way of immediately diffusing a situation?) and said “Wait until you see how we fix things when we make mistakes at Disney” What happened next blew my mind. She returned with an entire pitcher of lemonade (complete with a very cool straw and glow cubes). So let me see if I get this. What was once a mistake has now turned into a “Wow”? Here’s the best part, I figure that between telling that story to everyone I’ve trained since then and mentioning it in my blog this story has reached a ton of people.

3)    Make Your Client Look Like A Rock Star To Their Boss: Think about it, who doesn’t need some good press these days?  One of the best ways for you to do this is to proactively go to your client with ideas and resources. By the way, ideas and resources shouldn’t always require payment. This is one of the many ways you and I provide this thing everyone keeps regurgitating called “value”. Now if you are amongst the clueless who think everyone is already doing this, then make it a habit of asking this question in your Needs Analysis: “When was the last time your sales rep came to you (proactively) with an idea?” Get ready for a head tilt as they try to remember.

4)    Be A Breath Of Fresh Air!: File this one under “I’m just sayin” but business folk can be wound way too tight these days. At times its just way too freakin serious. We’ve forgotten to put “laugh and lighten up” on our  To Do lists! Assignment: Go down to the card store and pick out a few funny greeting cards that you are going to send your clients. If you can’t find one, then at least pick up a cool thank you card and simply thank them for being your client. How about putting together a rock star kit for them complete with cool shades, a cd, an all access pass to your business along with a card that reads “You’re always a rock star to us” The next time you are taking them to lunch, perhaps there’s someplace different you could take them.

Sales Managers: Have a sales meeting in the near future and brainstorm ways for everyone to be that “Breath of Fresh Air” to your clients. Oh, and if you can’t think of anything, your competitor probably will.

Relationship Note From Uncle Paul: Most relationships fail when that spark packs up and leaves. We need to never forget the days of the courtship before the marriage . . . you know, when we actually tried to do cool things to get to that “I do”. Relationships require continual effort and they can never be left to run on auto pilot!

5)    Better Relationships Require Better Communication: Ridiculously obvious sales advice in 3,2,1 . . . The key to better communication is in asking better questions. Most sales reps make it through the Needs Analysis part of the process with barely a passing grade and then they stop asking thought provoking questions. Once the “marriage” kicks in the average rep fixates on “spec” type of questions, and that’s just unfortunate!

You have to get them thinking, get them sharing and maybe, just maybe, you and I can ascend to  “Trusted Advisor” status.  Only this time, its for real because we know all their dirty little secrets and have become their confidant. Let your competition come have at it once you reach that status!

In the book of used and abused sales axioms (between “Feel, Felt and “Find” and “Sales is a numbers game”) is a saying that “People buy difference”

If in fact, this used and abused saying is true (methinks it is) Then what say you . . .

What is your difference?

How do you make your customer experience better?

And how do you turn on the Barry White and show them the love?

Perhaps its time we treat our client like the hot date everyone is trying to hit on!

We’re going to be talking more about strengthening your client relationships (and growing your book of business) during our How To Competitor-Proof And Grow Your Book Of Business webinar on Thursday, December 15, at 11:30 am EST.

Here’s what you’ll gain by joining us;

  • Understanding where you might be vulnerable with your existing clients and what you can do to remedy it!
  • How to WOW your customers into telling your competitors “Thanks but no thanks!”
  • How to avoid getting “pigeonholed” by your clients and how to fix it if you’re already knee deep in that damn pigeonhole.
  • How to create client visits that benefit both you and your client at a much higher level.
  • How to create a communication plan that will keep you from saying that God awful “Calling to check in” nonsense. What are we on parole?
  • How to up sell, cross sell and;
  • Get MORE testimonials and WAY MORE referrals!.

Please click HERE to learn more and to reserve your spot.

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Castain Training Systems
(631) 455-2455
Paul Castain, Founder & CEO
paul@yoursalesplaybook.com

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