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Customers love to hate your salespeople.
Every year, Gallup measures the American public’s views regarding the honesty and ethical standards of a variety of professions. In the most recent survey, only members of Congress ranked lower than salespeople.
The stereotype of the salesperson who talks too much, never listens, and pushes hard for a sale even when the customer isn’t interested exists for a good reason. But a growing number now understand that their job is to ascertain the customer’s needs and then demonstrate the value of their product or service in filling those needs. These salespeople view themselves as the customers’ problem-solving partners.
Still, the poor reputation of salespeople is bad news for companies interested in delivering a great customer experience. In today’s digital world, a customer’s first human contact with your company is often with a salesperson, the very person a customer is most pre-disposed to mistrust. Here is the point I want to emphasize: companies spend a good sum of money to get the customer to take action – often in the form of a call to a salesperson – so it’s essential that your salespeople understand the pivotal role they play in the customer journey. Therefore, it’s essential that you invest in the customer service training needed to ensure the relationship gets off to a good start.
Yes, I said customer service training! Salespeople typically go through sales training, but they also need customer service training to ensure the way they respond to and interact with customers is in alignment with your company’s customer service and experience vision.
Pipedrive, provider of a highly rated sales CRM, knows a thing or two about sales processes and salespeople. Every year the company interacts with more than 10,000 sales professionals who use its products to learn more about their sales challenges and how to solve them. I spoke with Tara Bryant, SVP of global sales at Pipedrive, who discussed five ways salespeople can be part of delivering a great customer experience:
1. Empathize with the Customer
· Ask open-ended questions – and pay attention to the answers! This is “Sales 101.” And for salespeople trying to deliver a good service experience, this is “Customer Service for Sales 101.” Understand what a customer’s needs and desires are – which brings us to our next point.
· Understand their needs. With a deep understanding of what the customer needs, salespeople can make a clear assessment of whether a product or service is a good match and proceed accordingly. We want the customer to say, “They always understand me.”
2. Set Appropriate Expectations
· Don’t exaggerate the capabilities of your product or service. Stretching the truth to make a sale never ends well; the customer might buy from you once, but never again. If anything, practice the old adage to “under-promise and over-deliver.”
· Keep promises when it comes to timeframes. Many customers have a specific project to complete or goal to meet within a certain timeframe. Accurately setting expectations on timing is crucial for these customers.
3. Follow a Proven Process
· Be organized, focused and disciplined throughout the sales process. A salesperson who follows a defined and effective process of customer engagement, discovery, and completion of the deal will inevitably close more deals than one who doesn’t. Customers love a process that is consistent and predictable.
· Respect the customer’s time and manage your own wisely. Time is one of the most valuable resources in the business world. Wasting a customer’s time – or your own – can lead to failure. The best salespeople don’t just avoid wasting a customer’s time; they find ways to save a customer’s time.
4. Be Useful Every Step of the Way
· Get answers to questions quickly. A customer deserves accurate and timely answers to questions even if they – or you – don’t like the answers. The faster you can respond to a customer’s question, the more confidence they will have in doing business with you.
· Establish a shared definition of success. One of the best ways to almost guarantee success is to have a mutual understanding of what success looks like for the customer. So, ask them. For example, you could say, “At the end of this project, what must happen for you to consider this a success?” Any question that helps you understand the customer’s expectations and success criteria will allow you to plan for that success.
5. Be Prepared to Walk Away
· Sometimes, the best way to deliver a great CX is to not make a sale. Good salespeople and their companies understand this. Potential customers appreciate salespeople who are willing to do this. It proves that the salesperson is more interested in the customer than the sale. Furthermore, it preserves the opportunity to revisit the customer at another time when either their needs or your offerings have changed.
While the sales process is just one part of the overall customer experience, a salesperson who doesn’t understand his or her impact on the customer’s experience can cost the company both the sale and the customer. While all five of these ideas are good sales strategies and tactics, they can also be put into the category of customer service. It’s all about creating an experience that fosters trust and confidence. That’s what leads to the first sale. And, the experience is what leads to more sales – and ultimately, success.
